For the last few years, while our daughters were in high school, we got lazy and ate local (suburban) most of the time (to better be able to shuttle and supervise). Now with our youngest at college, we want to rediscover Chicago. My New Year's resolution is to try as many of the Chicago Bib Gourmand restaurants as possible (along with a few of the starred restaurants as well). I have had amazing response to this idea, including requests to blog along the way, so here goes my first blog.
Many of you may have heard of Michelin starred restaurants. We have made a point to visit Michelin starred restaurants in Europe and are very excited that they are now reviewing Chicago restaurants. To earn those stars require a level of cuisine that puts the price at most such restaurants out of reach for the majority. But Michelin also has a category called Bib Gourmand which means both great food and great value. 46 restaurants in Chicago recently received this distinction. "A Bib Gourmand rating means the restaurant is an inspector's favorite for good value. For $40 or less, you can enjoy two courses and a glass of wine or dessert (not including tax and gratuity)." We are pleased that we have been to some of the restaurants already, but I am off to a great start on my resolution as I made it to two Bib Gourmand restaurants this week (don't count on this pace every week). Michelin Bib Gourmand Chicago list
Friday night we went with another couple to Mexique which was part of the the Chicago Originals restaurant week which is different from the February Chicago Restaurant Week sponsored by the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau. We were able to get three courses each for $29.11, but only because we knew to ask for the special event menu. The cuisine is Mexican/French fusion. The location is an unassuming storefront in the West Town neighborhood with street parking available. While we were there we notice a group of six chefs arriving. Turns out they are Mexican chefs in town for a competition at Kendall. The chef/owner circulates through the restaurant answering questions. Wine choices were very nice and they reportedly have great Sangria, though we didn't try it.
For our first course we got the Trio of Sopes (shrimp, escargot and plaintains) and Tinga de Pollo. Our favorite sope was the plaintain with the Xico mole. The Tinga was also excellent, spicy, but not too much so. For main dishes we tried a Chile Relleno stuffed with vegetables and Chihuahua cheese, Flank Steak with vegetables and goat cheese fondue, Pork with mole sauce, sweet potatoe puree and ratatouille and Salmon with corn porridge. Everyone loved their own so much not much sharing happened. High points were the mole sauce, chile stuffing and corn porridge. Everything was well executed. Dessert included a chocolate enchilada with a spicy kick, a deconstructed tarte tartin and an guacamole pastry cream. Not a bite was left of any of them at the end; but I thought the apple dish was really spectacular. The guacamole was more a dish for foodies, demonstrating an interesting combination of flavours. The enchilada was the waitress' favorite and would satisfy any chocoholic.
All in all an incredible value. You will have to wait till next year to match the price, but all the dishes are on the regular menu. Mexique will also be participating in the Chicago Restaurant Week, but that menu hasn't been posted yet. We have eaten at a number of the high end Mexican restaurants in the Chicago area and this one clearly holds its own among them.
Next post: Gilt Bar and As You Like It
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