Chicago Foodies

4 Things to Try at Tavernita

Ryan Poli's Tavernita opened just a few weeks ago to patrons hoping for the chic style of Mercadito, a bar dressed to impress and the flavors of Spain. Needless to say, guests haven't been disappointed.

The ambiance is sophisticated and trendy, and the food matches perfectly. The bigger problem is what to order. From crudos, to small plates and entree sized meals, there is almost as much to offer on the food menu as the drink menu. Here are four dishes worth the buzz. 

Mercat a la Planxa

Adjacent to Grant Park and the Blackstone Hotel, Mercat a la Planxa is a recent addition to the South Loop's ever burgeoning roster of swank restaurants. In particular, Mercat a la Planxa brings a taste of Barcelona to Chicago, with a Catalan-inspired tapas menu. Chef Jose Garces has garnered critical acclaim for his nuevo Latin cuisine while cooking at tapas restaurants in Spain and on the Eastern seaboard, but does Mercat live up to the hype and the price tag?

Lito's Empanadas

Lito's Empanadas is an extremely tiny place located on Clark St. in Lincoln Park, and it was love at first sight.  When I was on the bus on my way to getting my haircut, I thought I have to stop at this place.  Lito's sells nothing but eight styles of empanadas, including a choco-banana empanada for those with a sweet tooth.  It's a great place for street meat food at street meat prices, which range from $2.09 to $2.29.   

Jamón Ibérico: Found You Some

Brian wrote about his penchant for Jamon Iberico after some time in Madrid.

Unlike pink prosciutto jamón Ibérico is blood red, more chewy, and has a complex taste and texture.  Many of the tapas bars (which in Spain look nothing like Ba-Ba-Ree-Ba and instead are bars that serve a few basic snacks and sometimes meals) have a leg of ham hanging on a hook out in the open where someone can ask for a few slices.

It looks like his prayers are answered.

Portugese restaurants

I've never been to Portugal but I've had a lingering curiosity about Portugese food.  I looked up the number of Portugese restaurants in Chicago and found none.   There are even Swedish restaurants, and I found one place that claims to be Danish, so what gives?  Portugal shares some of the southern European culinary traditions of its neighbors.   Spain and Portugal, for various reasons, tend to take a back seat to Italy and France.

Jamón ibérico: Find Me Some

My latest discovery after a trip to Madrid has become jamón ibérico.    Here in Chicago I've enjoyed serrano ham but it's maybe on the General Motors scale of quality an Oldsmobile, whereas jamón ibérico and its various subsets are the Cadillacs of hams (and various types of this ham are in the Eldorado category).  Unlike pink prosciutto jamón ibérico is blood red, more chewy, and has a complex taste and texture.  Many of the tapas bars (which in Spain look nothing like Ba-Ba-Ree-Ba and instead are bars that serve a few basic snacks and sometimes meals) have a leg of ham hanging on a hook out in the open where someone can ask for a few slices. 

La Tasca - Arlington Heights

Another great Tapas place - this time in the northern suburbs, close to a movie theater, and there was NO WAIT on a Saturday night. That alone is reason to go back (I hear their Park Ridge location has 2+ hour waits on the weekends).  But the food was also excellent. 

Goat cheese in tomato sauce (and I normally don't even like goat cheese), beef tenderloin, tomato salad in a vinagarette, and all the usuals were tops. The croquets were nothing special, but the refreshing Sangria made it all go down smoothly.

Meson Sabika

Picking a restaurant for a party of 7 when not everyone knows each other (but they all know the guest of honor) is not easy. Tapas usually works, offering something for the vegetarians, the heavy carnivores, and the picky eaters.  A 30th birthday dinner for a friend-of-a-friend at Naperville's Meson Sabika was my best domestic tapas experience yet.

1492 Tapas Bar

I decided to pop into 1492 Tapas Bar for a quick bite before a movie.  I wish I had saved the calories and heartburn for buttery popcorn and soda instead.  With so many good Tapas restaurants to choose from (Emilio’s, Café Iberico, Café Ba-Ba Reeba etc.) the not so good ones really stand out and although I didn’t order that many plates on their very extensive menu, I feel like what I did order would not prompt me to return and try more. 

The restaurant itself is pleasant enough, with four different dining levels in a converted grey stone.  Each level is small enough for a group to enjoy conversation, which is quite different from the before mentioned Tapas Bars that always seem to be rather noisy and lively, and incidentally, a lot more fun.