Nacional 27

Nacional 27 was the first new restaurant of Restaurant Week that we visited.

Tapas Course

Nacional 27 is part of the Lettuce entertain you enterprises.  Natalie has actually been there a few times but it had been about 14 or 15 years. 

They have Latin American fare and the restaurant itself has the look of a nightclub / fun scene from Miami

We ate from the restaurant week menu. The way it was written didn't elaborate too much about the food so we didn't know exactly what to expect but ended up with a lot of food that was all very tasty.

They brought us chips and salsa to start and we probably ate way too many.

Tapas course - there were 3 different tapas, chorizo empanadas, chimicurrri chicken tacos and Argentinian beef skewers.  Nick loved all of them and even remarked that he wanted to return and just try a bunch of the tapas and appetizers.

Latin Skirt Steak

Platter - This course was listed 2nd on the menu and we got to choose 2 items. We chose suckling pig and latin skirt steak (the other choices were chicken enchiladas, mahi mahi tacos and salmon with salsa verde), We were a little confused because instead of this being served after the tapas and before the entree it was served to the table right after the "entree" had been set down.  It is not like these were side dishes to the entree (they were independent dishes) so that was a little odd.  Both the steak and the suckling pig were nice but we would have liked them even more if they had been brought out earlier so we could have enjoyed them on their own.

Suckling Pig

Gaucho course - skewer of grilled shrimp and scallops (Brazilian type of skewer like at a Brazilian steak house).  The skewer came with rice and beans and a cactus dish.  It was very impressive looking as it was served to each table (the full skewer was presented at the table and food was removed onto a plate table side).

Final thoughts on Nacional 27:
Food - All of the food was very good.  Nick wants to return just to have more of the tapas/small plates.

Shrimp & Scallops

Service - the service was a bit weird.  We waited a while for our tapas plate, good thing we had the chips and salsa to tide us over a bit.  Then right after we were finished with the tapas another tapas plate was about to be dropped off at our table but we told them we had eaten that course already.
Then we waited a long time (long long time) and the skewer came out. We were really confused wondering if they had forgotten our second course but then they came out with those items right away. But it was weird that the pig and steak didn't come out sooner because so much time had elapsed.  We would have thought that due to restaurant week these dishes would have been a bit more streamlined (and quicker) in coming out to the tables.

Atmosphere - We had a reservation at 7 pm on a Saturday and were surprised that they were able to seat us immediately (since we got there a bit early).  Half of the tables didn't have anyone seated at them at that point.  But by the time we left (after 8) the place was hopping so people just get there a little later to have a crazy night out. Nacional 27 has a nightclub vibe and fun atmosphere.

Maya del Sol

We went to dinner at Maya del Sol in Oak Park.  We had seen it mentioned on both Chicago's Best and Check Please and decided to check it out for Natalie's birthday.

Ropa Vieja

Before the waitress came to give us her recommendations we had already pretty much decided what to get and actually 3 out of the 4 dishes we ordered were her recommendations as well.

Tuna Cevhice

Platanos de Ropa Vieja - this dish was actually the one that wasn't the waitress recommendation - but actually Natalie enjoyed it the most. We have had ropa vieja dishes before and enjoyed them and this was no different. Ropa Vieja literally means old clothes - which is kind of weird - but it is a tasty version of shredded beef. This was served with plaintains, queso fresco and pico de gallo.

Tuna Ceviche with avocado and watermelon.  This was a small version of a typical tuna ceviche.  Honestly we have had better ceviche, especially during our recent trip to Miami.  Some of our favorite ceviche in the Chicago area has been at Frontera Grill and New Rebozo (also located in Oak Park).

Fish tacos - with blackened tilapia, avocado mayo, pico de gallo and cabbage. They were what a good fish taco should be, light and fresh.  Nick was hoping for a bit stronger tropical flavor from the mangoes, but the dish was satisfying.

Fish Tacos

Cochinita Pibil - marinated pork shoulder. This dish specifically was mentioned on both Check Please and Chicago's Best. The pork was excellent and we would both recommend it.  But it could have come with some different accompaniments.  It came with a lot of black beans which we couldn't even finish.  And is also came with 2 different sauces, one of which was a habanero flavor which was way too spicy for even Nick to go back for a second taste (it was so overpowering it killed the flavor of the meat).  You could put all of these ingredients together on a corn tortilla but maybe a rice side and another more mild sauce would work.

Since this was a part of Natalie's birthday celebration, we were comped a chocolate mousse cake.  It wasn't available on the regular dessert menu.  It was fairly standard but a nice finish to the meal.

Cochinita Pibil

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Maya del Sol has what they call a "risk-free policy" - they encourage you to go outside of your comfort zone and try something new to eat.  If you don't like the dish you can send it back to the kitchen and they will take the item off of your bill.  None of the menu items seemed super adventurous to us.  We wouldn't have been taking a big risk to try them. (Also keep in mind that we have been to Latin American restaurants many times before so it isn't new to us.) There was a dessert that sounded weirder (that had avocado mousse in it), but since we got a free birthday dessert we didn't order anything else for dessert.  So we didn't get to exercise this policy, but if this is new cuisine to someone it is a good way to try something like a ceviche for the first time.

Final thoughts on Maya del Sol:
Food - overall good food.  We had a couple of home runs and couple of base hits. We've had this type of cuisine before though so it wasn't novel to us like it might be to others.
Service - good service, nice touch to have the risk free policy.  They also own a limousine which can take you home if you had too much to drink.
Atmosphere - we got there early enough on the weekend to enjoy a table outside.  After Piccolo Sogno, this is the second nicest patio dining area we have been to in the Chicago area. It is very large outside and festive.  Also there is a large fire pit for when the weather gets cooler and they offer customers individual blankets if it is cooler weather outside. The inside seemed nice as well but try to dine outside if you can.

Coobah



Outdoor dining area

We ate dinner in Lakeview at Coobah, which we had heard about a while ago on Check Please.  Just like their website says, think Cuba, Spain and Brazil meet the Philippines.

As an appetizer we ordered jibarito, which was jerk chicken, layered between caramelized plantains and served with red onions and orange slices, all over an arugula leaf. In the pronunciation of this it kind of sounds like a burrito but it is not a burrito - more like shredded chicken salad between 2 perfectly caramelized fried plantains. It wasn't nearly as spicy as the reviews had mentioned, but it was full of wonderful flavors. Apparently a jibarito was invented in Chicago in the mid-1990's, but at that time it was more of a sandwich with the plantains used as bread.  This dish at Coobah took the concept to a different level - less of a sandwich, more of a mountain and probably more sweet due to the way the plantains are caramelized and soft.

Jibarito

Entrees:
Short Ribs - adobo braised beef with mustard potato salad.  Very tender meat, they don't even give you a sharper knife to eat this.  It was infused with adobo flavoring, which is a Filipino preparation method with garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger. There was a sweet sauce that came with it that paired well with the beef and potato salad.  The potato salad was reminiscent of a picnic, and in this case it was an Asian/Latino picnic.

Short Ribs with potato salad

Pork Bicol - seared pork tenderloin and crispy pork belly with coconut arincini (rice ball), pineapple-bacon chutney, wilted arugula and adobo glaze. Once again another Filipino inspired dish.  It had a kick to it, but not nearly as much as a traditional Filipino Bicol Express dish (which this is based off of ). It was very enjoyable with all of the different types of pork.  The sauce was a caramelized coconut sauce (that is what bicol is). It really brought together the rice balls and the pork.  Although they gave us a steak knife for this entree it wasn't really that necessary. Maybe our friend Anthony Bourdain would like this dish since he is a connoisseur of all things pork.

Pork Bicol

Caramelized Plantains

We ordered a side of caramelized plantains to go with the entrees.  It was a lot larger dish than we expected. Since we only got a little bit of plantains in the appetizer, it was nice to get the full sweet taste of them on their own.

Desserts:
Pina Colada Bread pudding - baked bread custard with rum, spiced pineapple and coconut cream served warm with toasted coconut ice cream. Very tropical, maybe what "Cuba" would taste like.  It was very warm and smooth - the sauces were absorbed into the bread and the flavors were throughout the bread not just on top.

Pina Colada Bread Pudding

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Flourless Chocolate cake - with vanilla ice cream, dulce de leche, ancho chili, creme anglaise and strawberry. We liked the spice and chocolate combination so much from the Kama Sutra cake at Marigold that we wanted to try this type of combo again.  The spice brought a warm depth of flavor.  The ancho chile was actually mixed into a sauce instead of into the cake itself. The chocolate cake was almost "brownieish" in how warm and gooey it was.

Final thoughts on Coobah:
Food - Nick says awesome.  It combines a lot of flavors and feelings that Nick enjoys in food.  It was Latino food with the entrees having a definite Filipino slant.
Service - excellent.  our waiter told us after we ordered that we picked all of his favorite dishes.
Atmosphere - in a cute neighborhood, sort of near to Wrigley Field.  There is an outdoor patio but we chose to dine indoors.  They are known for their Latin inspired cocktails, especially mojitos.  Our waiter told us that it gets super busy on the weekends, so you definitely need reservations then.
The owner of the restaurant is Filipino, that is where that influence comes from.  We would love to return but due to its north side of Chicago location it was bit difficult for us to get there - lots of traffic.  We did enjoy parking in their free parking lot, but it is pretty small so probably not a likelihood on the weekend.

May St. Cafe

We ate dinner at May Street Cafe in Chicago.  We had heard about them from both Check Please and the Best Thing I Ever Ate program on the Food Network.



Interior with fun artwork

Brie and Pear Quesadilla

This is an quite unassming place.  It is next to an industral part of town and wouldn't be where you would think to locate a nicer restruant.  But as you pass by you can't miss it - with it's festive green paint job. One really nice thing it has a parking lot that isn't valet only. It also is a little oasis in the grim industral area with trees and flowers and an outdoor seating area that would have been nice if it hadn't been a 100+ degree day. We were able to come right after work so we were the only ones in the very small and intmate place. So if you are thinking on coming on a weekend get reservations.

Beet Salad

There were a lot of interesting Latin fusion choices and this is what we ate:

French double cream brie & winter pear quesadilla with sour cream and chipotle sauce; we liked this combination so much that we made it at home later.  It had sweet notes from the pear. The pear also gave it a good firm crisp texture and the brie made it smooth with a hint of salt. It was served with a chipotle sauce that we weren't sure would complementt the brie, but it blew it away with a dynamic flavor.



La Pina de la Playa

Special beet salad - beets, arugala, chipotle goat cheese, and mango vinaigrette.  Tasty, it apears that beet salads are our new favorite salad.  Our taste buds did not get bored with the goat cheese and mango. 

La Pina de la Playa de Puerto Rico - the pineapple of the beach of Puerto Rico - shrimp and scallop spanish fried rice made with chipotle coconut sauce (but not spicy) served in a half pineapple; this dish made us feel like we were eating somewhere on the beach. It was served in a hollowed out half of a pinapple. It was a nice combo of the sweet acidity of the pineapple and the smoky favors of the chipotle. The coconut aroma wafted over us when it was brought out and it made Nick yearn for a beach vacation.



Fajitas

Fajitas - steak fajitas, with squash, zucchini, red onions, portobello mushrooms, rice, beans and chipotle cream sauce. We haven't often ordered this out since it is such an easy dish to do at home but it sounded like a good fit for the rest of the meal. The steak was flavored well and cooked medium rare.  But what made this dish unque whas the grilled zucchini and mushrooms that came with it. The next time we make fajitas at home we will definitely grill up some zucchini.



Sides that went with the fajitas

Tostones - fried plantains with garlic sauce. They were lightly fried and served warm.  These were a great addtion to our meal.  They came with a garlic dipping sauce. 

  White chocolate flan with caramel sauce - Art Smith (from Table 52 in Chicago) chose this dish as The best thing he ever ate for the Food Network show's chocolate episode.  Hmmm...we're not sure that we agree.  First of all it was really small and not what we were expecting. When you hear flan you expect something like a half inch deep and giggly with a caramel top. These were wafer like and sweet and tasty but not as satisfying as a Best Thing I ever ate should be (see the sea bass apppetizer from the Las Vegas  episode). Also the chocolate flavor was really subtle.  For a "Best Thing" chocolate we figured that would have been a bit more pronounced. To get enough of what we wanted we would have had to order three of these each - once again it was quite small. 

Flan

Final Thoughts on May St. Cafe:Food - very good, the food is pricey for the hole in the wall location but worth it.  All of the savory items were worth it - but we were disappointed with the dessert.

Service - This is hard to judge since we were the only ones in the restaurant.  But they were attentive and filled our water all the time and were at our call as all of the staff were sitting at the bar very close to us.  It seemed like it took a little longer for our food to come out but that may have just been a perception.

Tostones

Atmosphere - the exterior neighborhood does not match the cuteness of the interior.  The interior is very small - probably 10 or less tables.  We went right after the 4th of July on a super hot day and we were the only customers there (and we were there at least 1 1/2 hours if not longer). We felt a little strange being the only customers.  We saw the video of this restaurant on Check Please and all the tables were filled so maybe this was a fluke.



 



Patio area

Carnivale

We went to dinner at Carnivale, in the West Loop of Chicago. We had heard about this place on Check Please and had seen it from I-94 since it is located right near the highway.

It is a huge restaurant with super high ceilings.  The decore matches the tall height with giant mirrors and lighting fixtures.  The whole place is very colorful and does remind you of a Carnivale type of vibe.

After reading some reviews online we were a little hesitant to come, but we were very pleasantly surprised by the entire experience.

Ropa Vieja on left, Arepas on right

We ordered several different appetizers and one entree.
Ropa Vieja (which literally translates as "Old Rope") - braised beef, spicy mayo, sweet plantains and queso fresco.  We weren't originally going to order this but the server said it is their most popular appetizer and it didn't disappoint.  It didn't taste like old rope at all, but each morsel was both warm in temperature and to the taste.  The spicy mayo had just enough kick to enhance, but not overtake, the flavors of the beef.

Shortrib Empanada

Arepas with pork belly, corn cakes, plantains, black beans, jicama, avocado and lime puree. The corn cake perch was nestled in the amazing avocado and lime puree. There was very few beans or jicama, but just enough to taste them but not to overshadow the pork belly. The only problem we had with this dish is that it comes on a plate with three arepas and we had to split the third one.

Empanada with short ribs, curry, sweet and sour yams and lime crema. This dish came as one huge empanada sitting on top of the yams and covered/surrounded by lime crema. We've never had short ribs in an empanada before but it was good.  The dish wasn't as unique as the others served but still quite a tasty dish.

Churrasco - grilled beef tenderloin

Trio of ceviches - small portions of kampachi, bass and salmon ceviches. The kampachi was our favorite - it was served with basil, wasabi, garli and chili puree. The fresh basil really stood out with the fresh fish. The bass was served with jicama, radish, cilantro, peanuts and jalapeno puree.  The salmon was served with Serrano chile, olives, celery, radish and parsley.

Ceviche Trio - Kampachi (Left), Bass (Center), Salmon (Right)

For an entree we ordered the Churrasco - a Nicaraguan style wood grilled beef tenderloin with sweet potato puree, truffle oil, choclo corn and herb chimichurri sauce.  This was another recommendation from the server.  He said that most people come away saying it's the best steak they have ever had.  Now we've been to some very nice steakhouses so maybe it's the exactly the best steak ever, but it was up there. It was so tender it melted in your mouth.  The combination of the sweet potato puree and the zip of herb chimichurri really enhanced the beef. The corn kernels were massive, which helped to have them stand out more. Overall a very pleasing dish.

Somehow we had a little more room for one dessert. As we were looking over the dessert menu we saw an interesting dessert called the Big Top.  Obviously we skimmed over it a little too quickly because the $25 price tag seemed quite steep.  Apparently it is lot of ice cream, with a whole plate full of cake and flan and then there is a large portion of cotton candy.  Now of course we didn't order this but just wanted to make everyone aware.  We went with the ice cream sandwich which is quite a casual name for the elegant dessert we got.  It was banana ice cream sandwiched by a thin layer of chocolate cake and then dipped in hot fudge and rolled in cashews and frozen. It was plated with chocolate sauce and some grilled plantains.  It was very good and kept more with the Latino theme (as opposed to another dessert option of Red Velvet Cake).

Banana Ice Cream "Sandwich"

Final thoughts on Carnivale:
Food -  better than expected (from online reviews), actually outstanding, would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes this type of cuisine.  We were a bit worried when we first got there by the much larger beverage menu than food menu that the food would be second rate, but fortunately this was not the case.
Service -  very good, we asked for and received some great recommendations and the waitstaff was quick to refill glasses and remove plates.  The food came out of the kitchen pretty quickly and we were done eating in an hour.
Atmosphere - definitely fits its name. As we were there on a weekday it probably wasn't nearly as crowded as a weekend.  It seems like it could get pretty hectic and crazy on a weekend with such a large space.  But the entire experience (except for some of the dessert options) fit with the Nuevo Latino theme.