Frontera Grill – Chicago, IL
Over the years, I have had to come to grips with it: I live to eat and not vice-versa.
It seems that, when “normal” people travel, they plan food around their activities. Grab a quick bite in between attractions. Pack sandwiches or snacks. Grab a hot dog here, or a pretzel there.
Not for me. This past weekend, I got on a plane and it was pretty much solely to eat. Sure, we (my friend Lauren and I) did some fun stuff in between. Visited some parks and piers, rode some rides, did some shopping. But really, food is always the main attraction. The typical “attractions” take a backseat.
I’d been to Chicago several times, but always with purpose. Never before had I the chance to walk around and savor the city with its gorgeous parks, sprawling river, lively pier, and rich culinary landscape. I just knew that I loved it every time I went and this past trip validated that love even further. If it weren’t for the horrendous winters, I would take serious considerations into moving out there. It’s the perfect city – and so clean!
Chicago is a serious culinary contender, which is one of the reasons I was so anxious to go back with Lauren and really test the waters. Several Top Chef notables (contestants, judges, and Masters alike) have rooted themselves in the Windy City, including Grant Achatz, Rick Tramonto, Gale Gand, Stephanie Izard, and the list goes on. When we were booking our trip, there were three established chefs we knew we had to experience during our visit: Art Smith, Graham Elliot Bowles, and Rick Bayless.
Mexican is arguably my favorite cuisine and Rick Bayless is the master (the Top Chef one, too). I was anxious to try Frontera Grill (and eventually Topolobampo and XOCO) and Bayless’ infamous mole and ceviches. Frontera Grill is his casual dining option – bright, friendly, warm, and with exceptionally knowledgable and attentive staff. It was definitely casual dining with five-star service, treatment, and ingredients.
We got two starters. The first, for $8 per person, is a sampler platter. I would definitely recommend trying this if you want to get the most out of your experience.
Our eyes widened as this giant metal platter made its way to our table. Maybe I was expecting something a little smaller and daintier, but I was happy that I was allowed to get a little messy. Pictured here are cheese quesadillas, chicken taquitos, guacamole, jicama salad, and ceviche tostadas.
The cheese quesadillas were definitely the highlight of the plate. Creamy cheese oozed out of the crisp batter, making more of a Mexican mozzarella stick than a traditional quesadilla. The flavor of the taquitos was spot-on, but they were served cold – major downfall for an otherwise delicious item. The guacamole was good, but needed more acid to make it spectacular. The jicama salad was crisp and refreshing, kicked up with spices on top and chopped pineapple underneath. The ceviche tostadas were my least favorite. Sounds silly, but maybe I am not used to the texture of cooked fish because it was really off-putting to me. The chips that were scattered around the plate, however, were SO GOOD. Very filling, yes, but they were thick, sturdy, corny, and perfectly seasoned. Really stood up to the thick, chunky guac.
What really impressed me was that you could really taste how fresh these ingredients were. Bayless is renowned for is contributions to sustainability, manifested in part by the rooftop garden in which many of the restaurant’s ingredients are grown – including the tomatoes and chiles used to make the salsas. This passion was evident in each component, from the creamy, rich cheese to the perfectly ripe avocados used and bold, bright citrus flavors. Yum!
Our second starter was the Trio, Trio, Trio – a trio of three of Bayless’ famous ceviches: tuna with mango-grapefruit salsa, shrimp and calamari with jicama, and Hawaiian sunfish.
Tuna and mango are two of my favorite things in the world, so it was natural that this ceviche would be the obvious winner of this theoretical contest. Actually, it prompted a conversation between Lauren and me…
Remember in the movie Coneheads when Ronnie (Chris Farley) takes Connie to Subway and she annihilates the Subway sandwich in one impressive gulp? Lauren and I agreed that we would similarly like to eat slabs of tuna the same way.
Anyway…
The shrimp and calamari ceviche came in a close second. It was accented with lime and orange juices with habanero peppers cutting through with great heat. It was the most interesting of the three. Different flavor profiles were evident with each bite and within each bite. I felt like I wasn’t tasting the same thing twice.
The sunfish was the ceviche that we received on the tostadas prior, and I simply didn’t like it. The texture threw me off and completely distracted me from noticing anything besides how badly I didn’t want to eat it anymore. It could’ve been completely acceptable for someone who is used to it, but it wasn’t for me at all.
Finally, to the main course: enchiladas de mole poblano. Essentially, chicken enchiladas with mole sauce. Trying Rick Bayless’ mole was sort of on my mental food “bucket list,” if you will. I hadn’t had mole up until this point, so I don’t really have a basis for comparison. But if this is the standard by which all future moles are measured, the rest of the mole-making world might be in trouble.
My experience with enchiladas is much different than those pictured above. I am used to them smothered with cheese and salsa roja. These are much more minimalist and, I assume, authentic (judging on Bayless’ respect for Mexican food and culture). Just pulled chicken, tortilla, and mole – lots of it.
The chicken was quite dry, but the sauce was heavenly. This is the very definition of layering – it was savory and sweet, smoky and warm, and it was like nothing I had ever tasted before. The chocolate that characterizes mole poblano was an ever-so-slight background note – and as subtle as it was, it elevated everything to an unfamiliar level. It kept me guessing, as a well-crafted dish should.
The enchiladas were presented with a side of black beans. No words can properly depict how much I love fresh, uncanned, gummy (in a good way) black beans topped with queso fresco. I wish I could have them more often.
Lauren and I were already well into food coma territory before the entrees arrived, so we, sadly, had to skip out on dessert. We saw several desserts walk by, and I think we’re both still hurting that we didn’t have it in us to try the flan. But there will be other trips and other chances, and certainly visits to XOCO and Topolobampo in our respective futures.
