emilio's tapas, part two

We couldn't resist going to Emilio's for dinner a second night in Chicago. This time we ordered four different tapas to share, and dessert. We also got a bottle of white wine, but I skipped the sangria this time.

The first tapas we tried was a daily special and I wasn't able to find it on their website. It was mussels cooked in a white wine broth with garlic and herbs. It's very similar to the moules mariniere
I fell in love with in Belgium. The mussels were cooked perfectly and the broth was delicious soaked up with bread.

After the mussels, we had another daily special, a salad of romaine hearts with smoked salmon, capers, and a creamy dill dressing. It was very good, but probably my least favorite dish of the night. My dad attacked it before I got a chance to get a good picture.

The third tapas was Canelon frio de atun. This was a cold tapas--cannelloni stuffed with tuna, asparagus, and tomatoes with a creamy vinaigrette and crumbled eggs on top. It was like a very flavorful tuna salad, and was my favorite dish of the night.

Our last tapas was another special. Similar to the tuna cannelloni, this was a hot cannelloni filled with spinach, bacon, and cheese. It came with a rich tomato sauce. Once again, a very good dish. My dad really likes bacon, so I didn't get very much of it.

To end dinner, I ordered profiteroles stuffed with vanilla ice cream and bittersweet chocolate sauce. Yum!

emilio's tapas

To take a break from the cookbook posts, we'll head back to Chicago, to a great restaurant: Emilio's. On our way to the Navy Pier, we stumbled upon this Spanish tapas restaurant. My dad decided he was hungry, so we took a seat and ordered.

The menu consists of cold tapas, hot tapas, paellas, soups, and desserts. We each ordered a tapas that caught our eye and shared them over Spanish wine and sangria.

We started with the Garbanzos a la castillana. It was a cold garbanzo bean spread with garlic, radishes, and roasted red peppers. It was topped with a cool dill sauce and served with toasted bread. It was heavenly, much like hummus (which I love), but better.

Next we had Queso de cabra al horno, which was a baked tomato sauce with goat cheese and olives, served with toasted bread. It was my favorite of the three we had. It was rich and warm, with the slight flavor of nutmeg. Oh man, I wish I could replicate this!

Our last tapas was Carne asada a la parrilla, which is a grilled skirt steak with peppers, onions, and mushrooms, topped with a cilantro wine sauce. The meat was tender, juicy, and full of the flavors of the vegetables. It was very good, but my dad ate most of it.

All the food was delicious: fresh, colorful, and flavorful. The service was very good and the restaurant was clean and well-decorated, though we ate outside. We actually ended up dining a second time at Emilio's and trying another round of tapas. I'll share that meal in another post. If you find yourself in the Chicago area, I recommend a trip here. There are tapas for every palate!

You can check out their website here: Emilio's Tapas - Sol y Nieve

rick bayless's frontera grill

Rick Bayless is an American chef specializing in Mexican cuisine. He has written several great cookbooks and has appeared on Iron Chef, Top Chef, and won Top Chef Masters in 2009. More recently, he gained public attention as the guest chef for the White House state dinner in May. Barack Obama is a fan, and so is my dad.

Rick Bayless owns three restaurants in Chicago: Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and XOCO. My dad likes to visit celebrity chef restaurants when he has the opportunity. He's been to Emeril's NOLA in New Orleans, Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill in New York City, Mario Batali's Babbo in New York City, and of course, Rick Bayless's restaurants in Chicago. He was very excited to take me to Frontera Grill.

Frontera Grill doesn't take reservations, so there is often a long wait. We chose to eat at the bar instead of waiting 1 1/2 hours for a table (when my dad's hungry, he's hungry). Even though we sat at the bar, the service was superb. Our waiter was attentive and helpful, despite being very obviously busy.

The decor was bright and bold, with lots of Mexican and Southwestern art along the walls. There was a fantastic tiled backsplash and a cool iron dragon sculpture. Great vases full of bright, fresh flowers were all over the tables and bar. It was noisy and dim, but not unbearably so. It's to be expected for such a popular restaurant.

To drink I chose a pineapple and cucumber cooler. It was pleasantly sweet and very refreshing. The margaritas looked great, but I wasn't in the mood for liquor, so I stuck with my cooler and iced water. It was much harder to choose what to eat for lunch. Everything on the menu sounded delicious, but I was in the mood for some fresh fish. The downside to living in a small town in the middle of a landlocked state is the unavailability of really fresh, delicious fish. State College, PA has no fish market. I take advantage of being in big cities and try to eat as much seafood as possible.

I finally decided to order the fresh catch of the day: swordfish. We did have a bit of wait for our food, but nothing too bad. My mouth was positively salivating by the time our waiter put my plate in front of me. The swordfish was grilled to medium-rare and served in a pureed sauce of green vegetables, herbs, and cream. It was accompanied by grilled asparagus and fingerling potatoes.

That first bite was phenomenal. The fish was cooked to perfection and it melted in my mouth. The sauce was vibrant and light, with a gentle peppery bite and essence of cilantro. It paired very well with the fish and potatoes. So often, fish is overcooked, dry, and overly flaky. I can't describe how fresh and buttery the swordfish really was. Since it was cooked to medium-rare, by the time it reached the table, the middle was just opaque. I was pleased and surprised at how light the meal was, not heavy like you would expect something with cream and potatoes to be. I think this dish could convert a seafood hater to a fish lover. It was my favorite meal I had in Chicago.


Unfortunately, the restaurant was dim and I have a simple point-and-shoot camera, so it was difficult for me to capture a good picture of the food. The picture does not do it justice.

If you are in Chicago, I highly recommend a trip to Frontera Grill. You will not be disappointed. If you wish to save a bit of money, I suggest going for lunch. With drinks, appetizers, and an entree, we paid about $30 each. I don't find this unreasonable for a delicious meal at a famous restaurant. Keep in mind that the wait will be lengthy. But enjoy the wonderful food!

maid-rite

Unless you're from the Midwest--or know a Midwesterner--you might not be acquainted with Maid-Rite, the original loose meat sandwich with a cult following. California has In-N-Out, Kansas has White Castle, Connecticut has Ted's steamed cheeseburger, and Iowa has the loose meat sandwich.

I might be unfamiliar with the Maid-Rite if 1) I didn't watch so much food television or 2) I didn't know an Iowan. The Maid-Rite is a burger made with a specific cut and grind of beef and a secret blend of spices, but isn't formed into a patty. Some have said it's like a sloppy joe without the sauce. The first Maid-Rite was opened by a butcher in Muscatine, Iowa, but the restaurant is now a franchise chain. You can find their diner-style restaurants across the Midwest, and now in Texas and Colorado.


They come plain, with no condiments or toppings, but you can order your preferred toppings if you wish. I ordered a Cheese-Rite (a Maid-Rite with cheese, if you couldn't figure it out) with pickles and a side of onion rings. They always come wrapped in the red and white paper with a long spoon tucked inside. It was delicious, but the "cheese" was a Cheez Whiz type concoction, not the slice of American I had expected. The sandwich was tender, with just the right amount of spice and a mild beefy flavor. It was soft and yummy--not at all greasy, though slightly hampered by the gooey glob of cheese. Next time, I'll order the plain Maid-Rite.


Overall, I was pleased and satiated by my first experience with the famous Maid-Rite. It may look unassuming, like something you might find on a grade school cafeteria tray, but sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest. If my future endeavors take me to Iowa, I might be in trouble...