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B and I thought we could beat the crowds by going to Frontera Grill at 6pm for dinner. WRONG. The restaurant was already completely packed, and it was 1 ½ - 2 hour wait for a table! Madness.
Since there wasn’t even room at the bar at Frontera, we decided to get a “snack” at Bayless’ new Mexican street food restaurant next door, XOCO, while we waited. If Bayless’ celebrated mole hadn’t looked so damned good on Top Chef Masters, I would’ve skipped Frontera all together and gotten my fill at XOCO. (You may have noticed that patience is not one of my virtues.) XOCO is a very casual restaurant. You stand in line to order your food, and there are a few small tables inside and outside available for seating. The menu is primarily composed of tortas (sandwiches) and caldos (hearty soups). B and I ordered the Ahogada since the cashier told us it was one of their specialties, and it was a cross between a torta and a caldo…
Ahogada (golden pork carnitas, black bean, and pickled onion sandwich in a tomato broth with spicy arbol chile sauce) – a fiery explosion of flavor in my mouth! I enjoyed the contrast of the crunchy bread with the spicy tomato broth, creamy black beans, and tart pickled onions…like a French dip sandwich, but with a spicy personality. The carnitas was tender and delicious, but it was difficult to distinguish its flavor amidst the intensely hot chile sauce. 
An hour and a half later, our buzzer finally went off for our table at Frontera Grill. It was a lovely evening, so I was pleased to get a table on the patio. We started off with their special Mezcal margarita (YUM!) and ordered an array of items.
Tostaditas (warm tortilla chips with garlic & three-chile salsa and roasted tomatillo & serrano salsa) – the chips were good, but there was nothing special about the salsas. They tasted surprisingly similar and kind of watered down. If a restaurant is going to charge for chips and salsa, it should taste better than this.
Coctel de Callos de Hacha con Melon y Morita (ceviche of Viking Village scallops, Nichols Farm melon, Frontera rooftop tomatoes, lime and smoky morita chiles) – this ceviche really highlighted the plumpness and sweetness of the scallops. The melon toned down the acidity of the ceviche, making it more soft and elegant, but there was still enough heat to give it a kick.
Tamal de Elote (sweet corn tamales, grilled knob onions, crema, homemade queso fresco) – the fresh corn flavor was so sweet and vibrant in the tamales. The soft cheese added a slight savoriness, but this dish could have easily been a nice dessert. 
Enchiladas de Mole Poblano (Gunthorp free-range chicken rolled in home-made tortillas with with Mexico’s most famous mole) – B and I have been dying to try this mole ever since we saw Bayless make it on TV. And I’m happy to report that the mole was outstanding…slightly sweet with lots of heat, tang, earthiness, and depth. Unfortunately it couldn’t make up for the dry, overcooked chicken, which was exacerbated by the dense, chewy tortillas. I did enjoy the side of black beans though – tasted like refried black beans, only much more savory and delectable. 
To sum it up, both XOCO and Frontera Grill deliver lots of bold, in-your-face flavors and spices in a wide variety of Mexican dishes. I had REALLY high expectations for Frontera Grill (perhaps maybe too high). Although the food was good, it wasn't at the level I had expected…and definitely not worth waiting over an hour for. Way too much hype. My recommendation would be to skip the wait at Frontera and eat at XOCO instead.
BITE METER: XOCO – 3.7 bites (out of 5)
BITE METER: Frontera Grill – 3.5 bites (out of 5)
With so many great restaurants and only 2 days in Chicago, it was difficult to decide which places I should eat at during this trip. Chef Paul Kahan has been recognized as one of the city’s top chefs, so I wanted to try one of his restaurants (Blackbird, Avec, The Publican). Ultimately, I chose Blackbird because of their $22 three course pre-fixe lunch…what a fantastic deal!
Since this was only be beginning of many meals to come, I wanted to keep lunch *relatively* light. So B and I split one of the pre-fixe lunches and ordered an extra entrée to share (the pork belly sandwich was calling my name).
Wood-grilled Octopus Confit with Pickled Ramps, Baby Romaine, Candied Red Onion – the presentation of the octopus was unique…almost like it had been congealed into a block of terrine, then sliced. The octopus was tender and delicate, although I would have liked some char to give it more flavor/smokiness. The candied red onion and pickled ramps were a nice complement. 
Sous-vide Lamb with Lime Onions, Tamarind, Smoked Cucumbers – the lamb was beautifully cooked, really moist and tender. Although the other components had sounded interesting, they didn’t quite taste right with the lamb. 
Organic Pork Belly and Cabbage Slaw Sandwich with Winter Vegetable Salad and Garlic Frites – the sandwich was scrumptious. All the elements were perfectly balanced...salty and fatty pork belly, acidity and crunch of the slaw, warm toasted bread. The fries, on the other hand, were a disappointment. They were soggy and no garlic was to be found. 
Fried Polenta with Klug Farms Blueberries, Lemon Verbena, Smoked Brown Sugar Ice Cream – I loooooooved the flavors and textures of this dessert. Sweet, fruity, salty, smoky, starchy, creamy, crunchy…combined to make *the* most incredible bite. B said it reminded him of smoked blueberry pie (will have to figure out where to get one of those). I’ve never had polenta as part of dessert before, and it worked so well that I hope to find it in more! 
Although there were a few missteps, I'd still recommend lunch at Blackbird. Good service, well executed proteins, and their fried polenta dessert was phenomenal (a MUST if you dine here). And of course, you really can’t beat their 3 course lunch for only $22.
BITE METER: Blackbird – 3.5 bites (out of 5)
The Foie Gras dog was my favorite by far. It was rich, juicy and deliciously sinful with the creamy foie gras mousse. The Lamb & Pork sausage was quite good – great meaty flavor, and I especially liked the cool contrast of the yogurt from the spinach raita topping. The only dog I didn’t particularly care for was the Saucisson Alsacienne – it was too dry and salty.
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