Posts Tagged ‘Chicago’
Frontera Grill
October 1, 2010 | 
Author Greetings foodies! I’m Christina (a.k.a. greekalicious) a Greek girl from Indiana living in Chicago. I have my own personal food blog called Culinary Exploration – check it out if you so desire! I’m new to FoodNuts and I’m very excited to share one of my favorite Chicago restaurants with you.
*NOTE: I promise not to write a novel every time I post, but this restaurant is so incredible that once I start talking about it – I can’t stop! 
Ladies and gentlemen. I present to you – Frontera Grill by Rick Bayless.
I’ve been living in Chicago for a few years and finally achieved my goal of eating at a Rick Bayless restaurant in February when a friend took me to Frontera for my birthday. Since Chicago is such a huge city with hundreds of restaurants to go to, I try not to frequent the same spot too many times because I want to get acquainted with all the trendy joints, hidden treasures and classic eateries this city has to offer. Frontera Grill is the exception to my rule because it is THAT good!
My mom was in town visiting last weekend and I took her to Frontera so we could have an amazing dinner. They don’t take reservations (unless you have a party of 8 or more and you make them 6 months in advance) so there was a 3 HOUR wait. I promised my mom it was worth the wait… and at the end of the dinner she agreed that it was!
My whole family shares a love for greasy Mexican food – but Rick Bayless proves that gourmet Mexican cuisine will win you over. The fresh, spicy and smoky Mexican flavors are enhanced by the use of organic and “home grown” ingredients from their rooftop garden. Not to mention, they are known for their selection of premium tequilas and hand-shaken margaritas.
Mom and I made friends with a woman from San Francisco (Julie) who was in town for a convention. She came in a day early so she could eat at Frontera and send photos to her husband via text message. They are both BIG fans of Rick Bayless. After almost two hours of waiting we were able to snag three seats at the bar. This was my first time sitting at the bar, and in my opinion it was more fun!
The bartenders, despite the fact they were crazy busy, made time to interact with their customer dining at the bar. We included the couple sitting next to us in on our fun and by the end of dinner it was almost like we all were long-time friends! Our bartender, Jonathan, made us feel right at home, bought us a round of drinks that we didn’t need and talked us into sharing dessert that we also didn’t need.
Sopes Rancheros
Crispy corn masa boats with savory shredded beef, roasted tomatoes, avocado and homemade fresh cheese
I usually go for the ceviche trio for an appetizer, but since my mom isn’t a raw seafood fan – she chose these little bites of heaven and we both were happy with the choice!
Camarones al Pasilla Oaxaqueno
Wood-grilled, adobo-marinated fresh Florida shrimp in a smoky sauce of Oaxacan pasilla chiles and roasted tomatillos, served over queso añejo mashed potatoes, braised local Swiss chard
I ordered the shrimp and it pleased my taste buds with its smoky-spicy flavor. Wood-grilling these plump shrimp gives the dish an extra boost. The potatoes were so creamy and silky – I love the añejo cheese blended in.
My favorite part of the dish was the Swiss chard. Do you see that burst of red/magenta color?? They always say you eat with your eyes first! The chard was perfectly prepared and cooked. I’ve ordered dishes with greens at other restaurants and have been left disappointed. A lot of the time the greens are just thrown in there, so they end up being bland and flavorless. This local chard was so full of flavor that after I was finished with my plate, I continued to pick around the reamining shimp and potatoes to find the rest of it.
This dish is on their “especialidades” menu, which changes every month. It might still be available next month – but I wouldn’t risk letting it pass you by if shrimp is your thing!
Tartaleta de Manzana
Tart of local apples (honey crisp, golden supreme, Jonathan) with Mexican cinnamon and browned butter. Salted pumpkinseed streusel, warm caramel sauce, brown butter ice cream, caramel corn.
This is only my second time having dessert here (I had some tres leches cake when I went there the very first time for my birthday). It was a reccomendation from Jonathan the bartender and was shared between myself, my mom and our newfound friend Julie from San Fransisco. Although we kept mentioning how full we were, we kept taking bite after bite!
I can always make room for an apple dessert… especially during the fall season. This one is without a doubt the best one I’ve had! The choice of apples were some of my favorites, especially honeycrisp. But the brown butter ice cream and caramel corn were incredible extra touches that gave the dessert an extra depth of flavor and texture. LOVED it!
This was by far my most fun and most delicious experience at Frontera Grill. If you live in Chicago or just in town visiting and have never been here before – put it at the top of your priority list. You won’t be disappointed… even if there is a 3 hour wait!
Posted in Foodies, Restaurants | 
Tags: Chicago, Frontera Grill, Mexican food, Restaurants, Rick Bayless | 
3 Comments »
Dixie Kitchen – Evanston, IL
So I must have been feeling a little homesick for my momma, because when the topic of dinner came up I passed by my usual staples of Indian, Thai, or Sushi and found a “Cajun” restaurant!
A small guilt trip laid on my lovely hubby and we were off to try out “Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop” in Evanston, IL, a suburb right to the north of Chicago. In truth the “bait shop” part of the name worried me, not that I thought it was really a bait shop in the middle of downtown, but rather because the name screamed “Kitsch” and that’s not my style. But the lure of cheese grits and pecan pie was too great for me to resist.
The restaurant is a small place and is overwhelmed by all the stuff on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. The decor is just a little too cute and makes Applebee’s look like a minimalist lives there. To be fair, Joel loved the decor, saying that he felt like he was eating outside.
But enough about that, let’s talk about what mattered, the food!! It started great with a basket of warm Johnny Cakes brought out right away. Yum!! For an appetizer I gave in to the Fried Green Tomatoes and Joel went for the Popcorn Shrimp. They had both been dredged in corn meal and fried. Joel’s generous serving was gone in about 45 seconds, so I know he liked them. My portion was meant for sharing, since 5 thick tomato slices were too much for me. I’m not a fan of cornmeal anything, but the tomatoes were lovely, slightly vinegary and mild, so the overall effect was nice.
For dinner Joel ordered the Jerk Chicken, with the worry that it might be too spicy. There was no need to fear. The chicken was peppery, but not chipolte/jalapeno spicy, more black pepper spicy. It was a half chicken for $12, with a side of rice, cole slaw, and deep fried plantains. My dinner was the Trout Pecan with the creole mustard sauce also for $12. My comment to Joel after a few bites was “Sorry honey but my mouth is having an affair with the cook.” IT WAS AMAZING!! It was so moist and creamy it was like butter. (Trout butter – that sounds gross!) The trout had been dredged in pecan flour and then grilled. The result was a slightly sweet trout, but with the addition of the mustard sauce it was sublime. The plantains were warm and exactly what you would expect. My other side was the cheese grits. Oh cheese grits how I love you. I swear Dixie Kitchen makes theirs with bacon fat!! How else can you explain their yumminess?? There HAS to be bacon in there somewhere!!
I wish I could rave equally about dessert, but in a rare turn of events we were both too full to have any. 
Next time we’ll skip the apps and dive into the pecan pie and peach cobbler. And there will be a next time.
http://www.dixiekitchenevanston.com/
Total bill was $45 before tip.
My personal food scale goes like this:
- I’d eat again right now if my stomach could hold more.
- I’ll be back again soon.
- I’ll be back again eventually.
- I’ll come back only if my friends insist on it.
- I’d rather eat at McDonald’s.
Dixie Kitchen gets an “I’ll be back again soon.”
– Rebecca