El Pelon is Back!

If you live in Boston, you probably remember the Fenway area fire that destroyed a block of restaurants in early 2009. El Pelon Taqueria was one of the restaurants that was unfortunately burnt down in the fire. A favorite of my husband and mine since our Brighton days, the loss of El Pelon was sad, and I was thrilled to hear that they recently reopened near Boston College!

In fact, the new El Pelon location is right on the Boston Marathon route, after Heartbreak Hill. Think it would be bad for me to stop for a burrito during the marathon? 😉

Here’s a shot of Commonwealth Ave, just picture it thronged with students in yellow Boston College Superfan t-shirts and thousands of runners who just survived the Newton hills! Just being in this part of the city today gave me butterflies!

El Pelon is small with a few tables and a counter with stools. The walls are decorated with Mexican art.

The menu is incredible. I opted for my old favorite and one of El Pelon’s specialties, pescado tacos with battered cod, chile mayo, limed onions, pickled cabbage, and cucumbers, served with a side of chips, salsa, and guacamole.

Delicious! The fish tacos are really stuffed with fresh cod, and the flavors of the limed onions and pickled cabbage are some of my favorites. The guacamole also has a really nice lime and cilantro twist to it making it slightly different than most other guacs I have eaten. Eaten on a bench outside, overlooking the Boston Marathon course, perfect.

After lunch, we headed into town to the Down 2 Earth Sustainable Living Expo at the Hynes Convention Center. Along the way I took a photo of one of my favorite parts of the Boston Marathon course. Turning from Hereford St on to Boylston St gives you your first glimpse of the Boston Marathon finish line, one of the best sites in the world.

The expo was fun, but a little lacking in action and pretty empty.

There were some neat garden/habitat exhibits.

I tried some yogurt drink and fresh made butter at the Organic Valley booth. I love Organic Valley!

We think it’s a simple truth: The earth’s most delicious, most healthful foods are made when farmers work in harmony with nature. That’s how this farmer-owned co-op produces organic milk, organic cheese, organic butter, organic eggs, organic juice, organic soy milk, organic produce, and organic meats.

I tried some chocolate and coffee from Equal Exchange.

Of course Stonyfield was there, with a mountain of Oikos!

Larabar had the elusive peanut butter and jelly mini Larabars! Yum yum yum!

A local favorite, Taza Chocolate was sharing samples of their AMAZING chocolates. Guajillo Chili Mexicano chocolate = absolute bliss

Our final stop was at Cabot, a table that I never miss at any food or wine event that I attend. Cabot cheese is so delicious; I especially love the Seriously Sharp Cheddar and the Horseradish Cheddar. They offer a huge variety, and everything is super high in quality.

It was indeed a yummy day with lots of sunshine, good eats, and time with my hubby. I hope you are all enjoying your weekends! It feels like spring has finally sprung!

Random question: what is your favorite type of chocolate?