Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

L'Patron Offers Tacos, Tortas and Burritos To Go

By DNAinfo Staff on December 4, 2012 10:44am  | Updated on December 5, 2012 3:46pm

LOGAN SQUARE — Tacos, tortas and burritos are no trivial pursuit in a neighborhood like Logan Square.

But then again, L'Patron owner and head chef Ernesto Gonzalez is no slouch when it comes to carne asada.

"Ever since we were little, we would always barbecue and I would always make the asada," said Gonzalez, 27, "So I realized I'm pretty good at making asada."

Probably a good thing too, as carne asada is one of the major ingredients on the menu board at L'Patron, a new Mexican fast food restaurant that Gonzalez and his three brothers opened Saturday at 2815 W. Diversey Ave.

The no-nonsense menu eschews entrees such as chile rellenos or roasted chicken, in favor of quick-and-easy handheld standards, such as tacos, tortas, and burritos, of course, but also elotes, a street-food favorite of corn on the cob slathered with mayonnaise or sour cream and dusted with grated cheese and chili powder.

"We just kind of wanted to make a quick in-and-out kind of place," Gonzalez said. "I know that when I'm busy, that's what I like. I just want to be in and out."

And if Gonzalez' Mexican heritage isn't bona fides enough, he also spent five years in the kitchen of Frontera Grill, the downtown Mexican restaurant owned by perhaps the most famous gringo in the world of Mexican cooking, Rick Bayless.

As far as the French name? Gonzalez said he was going for more of an 'L' Patron (El Patron means 'the boss' in Spanish) and not so much a shortened "Le Patron," which means, well, 'the boss,' in French.

"There's no real reason behind it," Gonzalez said with a laugh. "We just thought it would look nice."

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: