As soon as I heard about Lakeview's new Mexican BYOB Chilam Balam earlier this year, I was busting out emails left and right to assemble my foodie posse and give this place a try. A super young chef who cut his teeth at both Frontera and Adobo -- and whose philosophy stresses the importance of using seasonal, local ingredients and sustainability? I smelled the potential for greatness.
Chilam Balam delivered in every sense of the word. Some friends and I went shortly after it opened and I am obsessed with it. Warning ahead of time: the space is small and it is still drawing huge crowds. This means that there is always a wait and the restaurant gets loud. Don't bring Grandpa.
It's a new season since I dined there, so the menu may be different now -- but don't worry, the high quality local, seasonal ingredients are what really drive the greatness behind the dishes. And I'm confident that's still the case.
Nonetheless, when we went...
Three of us ordered six small plates and I got an order of the soup, which was corn with cream topped with Shitake mushrooms. The soup was honestly some of the most delicious soup I've ever had. Every single small plate was impressive: the halibut ceviche, the memelas, the flautas, the two salads (one greens with poblano dressing, the other heirloom tomato) and the empanadas. The balance the chef executed within each of the dishes was probably the most impressive part of the meal -- and he did it again and again.For dessert, we ordered the chocolate chili mousse with a spiced goat cheese center and empanadas filled with peanut butter and served with black mission fig and chocolate sauces. The empanadas were the shining star -- completely outstanding -- but the chocolate chili mousse was tasty as well.
Just thinking about the empanadas makes me realize I need to get back there ASAP! A foodie friend I went with says she literally dreams about them sometimes.
I'd highly recommend Chilam Balam: a restaurant on a mission to preserve the planet with delicious food for reasonable prices.
To learn more about Chilam Balam, visit their website: http://www.chilambalamchicago.com/
24 years ago today, Kelly Dolan (my cousin, neighbor and BFF all rolled into one) was born. As you might imagine, this calls for multiple celebrations -- the first of which was dinner tonight at one of my all-time favorite BYOB restaurants in our hood, Tango Sur.
Tango Sur is an Argentinian steakhouse that has become extremely popular for the following reasons: 1) its amazing food 2) its byob policy 3) its Southport corridor location, which also offers a great al fresco dining option.
We decided to wander over nice and early to ensure we'd get a table. This was wise as the place was completely packed by 7 p.m. on a Wednesday... and with good reason. If you like steakhouses, this place is the best value in the city.
I hadn't been in a while, so I'd forgotten exactly how much bang you get for your buck at this place. When I ordered the $24 chef's special "el filet," a cut of filet mignon with a red onion and wine reduction and a side of spinach mashed potatoes, I was expecting an 8 oz. petite filet -- which would have been totally reasonable. Instead I got two massive 12 oz filets, which were outstanding in quality. (And this means I'll be enjoying filet mignon for lunch at the office tomorrow. Totally normal.) The sauce was well-executed and the mashed potatoes were nothing short of phenomenal. My only possible critique would be that my steak came out much closer to medium-rare than medium. Fortunately, it was still incredible.
Kelly got the same chef's special I did (though I should note that her requested medium-well came out exactly as she'd asked). Our characteristically less adventurous madres ordered the "el lomo," another chef's special featuring a plainer filet mignon served with chimichurri sauce on the side and garlic steak fries. Kath's came out seasoned a little differently than my aunt Patty's, which is kind of random since they ordered the exact same thing, but both were tasty.
We also sampled the provaleta and tortilla appetizers respectively. As someone who has eaten a lot of tortilla espanola in her day, I am happy to report that this one delivers on every level. Quality ingredients yield a great tortilla, but the lemon wedges they serve alongside it are what really put the dish over the edge. I have never had tortilla seasoned with fresh lemon before and was thrilled to discover that it adds a completely new dimension to this old favorite.
If you love cheese, you'll love the provaleta, which is served melted and boiling hot with olive oil and roasted red peppers. Delicious. Nothing shocking or unexpected there, but an absolutely solid appetizer accompanied by some truly well-crafted dinner rolls.
If you haven't been to Tango Sur yet and especially if you just looove a good meat fest at a great value, check out the original Southport location. You can buy a great bottle of wine at Que Syrah, a cute independent wine shop just across the street. The staff are well accustomed to helping diners from Tango Sur pick out the perfect bottle to accompany their meal.
BTW: Tango Sur also recently opened a Wicker Park outpost, but I haven't been over to check it out yet. If you have, let me know if it lives up to the original!
I had planned on eating at Tank Sushi in Lincoln Square tonight, but unfortunately, I didn't make a reservation and the foodie gods were not on my side. Upon entering at 7:00 p.m., we were told that they were completely full until their last seating at 11 p.m. Note to all: make reservations if you want to dine at Tank.
Fortunately, one of my absolute favorite BYOB restaurants is located nearby -- just steps away from my favorite wine shop in the city. We made a beeline for Fine Wine Brokers and the owner helped us pick out a fabulous bottle of Barbera to go along with our upcoming meal at Mediterranean Grill. (He also made some menu recommendations. Love him.)
Mediterranean Grill doesn't look like much from the outside, but I love me some Mediterranean food and it has gotten great reviews on Yelp. Yelp didn't lie -- this place is the bomb.
Tonight, we got the Mediterranean salad, the chickpea salad, the hummus, an order of falafel, a lamb schwarma sandwich and a BBQ chicken schwarma sandwich. That sounds like a lot of food for two people -- but it was perfect because I loved every single thing we ordered. And the total was a whopping $29 for all of it!
Everything was wonderful, but the highlight of my meal was the new entry on the table -- the BBQ chicken schwarma sandwich, which comes in a pita. I'm not sure what else is in that pita, but it is delicious. The BBQ sauce -- as well as the chicken -- is out of this world on its own, but it's accompanied by a super savory side sauce with just the right amount of heat to add entirely new levels of complexity to the dish. I ate the entire thing and I'll admit that I was completely stuffed after the first half of this sucker. Way too good to waste.
Mediterranean Grill really is one of the best BYOs this city has to offer. Highly, highly recommended.
