Ixcateco Grill

Dined here a couple weeks ago on a Tuesday evening. Room was about half full.

The menu didn't wow me. Really wanted to get ceviche. The ceviche is tilapia, no thanks.

Like the Ensalada de Bitable, roasted beets, jicama, watercress, goat cheese, and candied pecans tossed in a papilla orange dressing. The picaditas (masa canoe filled with carnitas, avocado cream sauce, garnished with quest ranchero and pickled cactus), were a bit dry and just seemed to be missing something…

My wife loved her Pescado a la Nata (grilled adobo marinated salmon, served in a guajillo cream sauce, accompanied by mashed potato enchiladas and garnished with a watercress salad), I don't understand salmon in a Mexican restaurant. My entree of Puerto en Mole de Calabaza (grilled adobo marinated pork loin served in pumpkin squash mole with white rice and micro greens) was OK. Would not have ordered grilled pork loin in a Mexican restaurant, but wasn't feeling the other options. Really liked the green salsa and couldn't wait for the house made tortillas for the pork, but again, just OK.

Really wanted to like another BYO option and it sounded promising. Unless there are significant changes, don't think I will return, would rather go to Mixteco, down the street. Maybe it was a bad night, but have questions about the menu that lead me to believe that was not the case.

Ixcateco Grill
3402 W. Montrose
Chicago, IL 60018
773-539-5887
http://www.ixcatecogrill.com

We actually had a really enjoyable meal here last weekend. The place was jumping. We started with the Octopus salad and it was delicious, had a serious kick, but the octopus was cooked perfectly. I ordered the chicken mole and it was excellent, a beautifully sliced chicken and the sauce was excellent as were the garlic mashed potatoes on the side. My SO had the duck and I tried a few bites, I preferred my chicken, but the duck was nicely cooked and the sauce was very good. Our friend had the salmon but with the sauce from the shrimp, and she loved it. I'd go back for sure, service was very good, food was top notch and reasonable and I love a good BYO.

I've had two great dinners at Ixcateco. We went for brunch on Saturday and the place was totally empty. Honestly, the brunch was even better than the dinners I've had there. Plus four of us had brunch for $50.

I was part of a large party here last month. First off, the service could not have been friendlier and more accommodating. We brought a lot of alcohol and they kept producing additional glassware as necessary. They had champagne flutes in addition to other wine glasses and tumblers.

They were out of the octopus salad, which was a disappointment. The sopes-like appetizer and the other salad were just fine.

My entree, however, was stellar. It was a pork loin (perfectly cooked) with a spicy green mole. It definitely qualifies as the best dish I've eaten lately. Everyone who ordered the steak seemed equally impressed.

They dealt really well with the large group and on the basis of my entree alone, I'd like to get back there to explore more of the (slightly short) menu.

We had a large group meal here Saturday night, and all of us enjoyed it quite a bit. Service was friendly, and the food was very good. We split some appetizers--guacamole (fine), the ensalada pulpo (excellent, with nice contrast between the grilled octopus and the crisp jicama), and a fish taco special (very nice). My rack of lamb in black mole with garlic mashed potatoes, which doesn't appear on the current online menu, was delicious. Mole was very tasty and the lamb beautifully rare. Cabbagehead's pork in green mole was also a real hit: juicy and tangy. We split a bunch of desserts, which were homemade and good but nothing extraordinary. This is really a nice place for a BYOB group, and we'll be back.

Still haven't been . . . and so close to me.

We had a very good dinner here the other night to celebrate my son's birthday. We were all very happy with our dishes. My short rib with red mole and excellent mashed potatoes was delicious and a generous portion. We enjoyed the octopus salad and picaditas for apps. It's a small menu and on a Sunday night there were no specials, but the cooking is top-notch. It's not a big room, but cheerfully decorated, and it's BYOB. Really like this place!

Tried going here on a Saturday a few weeks ago, but there was a sign in the window that the place was closed for a private party. Weird cause it was pitch black in there. maybe they meant they were closed so they could GO to a party?