La Sirena Clandestina

Couldn't find a thread on this new hotspot but I would say it certainly deserves mention.

Had a great night there last night for food, drinks and more.

Swordfish ceviche was delicious and had a tomato base that was a break from the standard citrus mix.
Empanadas: mushroom and lamb were both delicious, indulgent and called for multiple orders - baked as well which is not usually the case. (my preference)
Garlic frites were also great and maybe a 2nd to Publican's, which are my top favorite.
Whole Snapper - so good and what I will order every time I am there! I really appreciate this preparation and it was moist and flavorful and a crowd pleaser!
Kale salad - nice and happy to see Kale reach the beet status on menus these days.
Whole shrimp - delicious and spot on flavor
There was more food but I can't quite remember it all without looking at the exact menu.

Drinks!
Pisco sour and Conquistadoro were delicious along with the other drinks the table had.
Wine - great list with lots of unknowns with very reasonable prices - they got it right with the merchandising and really made it encouraging to order bottles.

There's all too much I want to go back for.

La Sirena is certainly trendy and vibrant, the food backs up the noise and it is a great addition to the epicurean Fulton strip.


La Sirena Clandestina
954 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607

http://www.lasirenachicago.com/
http://www.scribd.com/doc/109100522/La- ... tina-Menus

Joined a few friends for dinner at Sirena Clandestina last night as well. We ordered some of the same dishes as ld, along with a few others. I loved both empanadas as well--the puffy, slightly chewy variety with delicious fillings--could've happily made a meal just off those. Also enjoyed the whole fried snapper, the fries, and the kale salad. The crispy chicken thighs needed a bit more crisp and seasoning but were juicy and worth ordering again--next time I'll just be sure to save some chimichurri.

For cocktails, I tried a Pisco-based version of a Pimms cup and an off menu Manhatten--both well-executed.

Room is loud, as well as tight quarters--so long as that's not a dealbreaker, Sirena Clandestina is a fun night out.

I've been remiss in posting on LTH lately, so here is some catching up...I've been to "The Mermaid" three times now, first when they had been open for a few days (cocktail and a few snacks), then back with my wife a few days later for a full dinner, and then two days ago for a solo Sunday dinner.

I've had a great experience each time, and in full disclosure I am friends with chef Manion and a few of the staff...being in the wine industry, and ex-restaurant industry, I am hard-pressed to NOT know anyone in any given restaurant La Sirena has a very welcoming warm ambience, due to the cozy-small space, warm reclaimed woods and angle-iron used in the furniture, floors and bar, and the old-school lighting fixtures...oh, and the friendly and inviting staff.

I've sat at the bar each visit so far, so I'm now due to go back and sit at a table or banquet to get the other experience of looking at the kitchen or out the floor-to-ceiling windows...but I love sitting at a restaurant bar. The bartenders here are very friendly and helpful with explaining the drinks and dishes, so don't be shy about asking questions.

And with that said, you've probably read enough about how Manion organizes the menu, the groovy cocktails that Justin has created, etc. So here's what I had on a few visits.


The Brazilionaire cocktail - a cachaça cocktail with bitters and such. Very refreshing, but you should be fine with lots and lots of tiny ice cubes.


Back bar, with fantastic selection of rums, tequilas, mescals, aperitifs and digestifs. I love the design as well.


Moqueca - seafood mix in savory broth, and I recommend getting a side of Farofa (toasted ground manioc) like I did. It is great as a starch to add to the broth for thickening and a toasty/savory flavor. Outstanding!


Pork Loin Milanesa with wild mushroom ragu and fried egg. I HIGHLY recommend this dish!

I've also had a few empanadas that change daily, and they are a great snack or starter to share.

Be ready to wait if you arrive after 8pm, since they don't take reservations and have under 60 seats total. Sunday was very relaxing and only half-full when I left at 8:30.

Here is my review from my dinner last night:

La Sirena Clandestina (try saying that five times fast after a couple of cocktails) is yet another hot venue in Chicago's West Loop. Within a stone's throw are Michelin starred Moto as well as one of the hottest tickets in town, Next Restaurant. Within half a mile are Girl & the Goat, Au Cheval, Blackbird, Maude's Liquor Bar, soon to open Grace and other big time venues. Yet Sirena definitely has it's own swag and is unique among the West Loop food scene. Sirena features South American cuisine with Midwestern influence in a very chic place; tin ceilings, an exposed brick wall, and dark, elegant decor.

The menu at Sirena is smallish, but powerful. The De la Calle section is akin to appetizers and the De la Casa is entree sized; there are also some sides and for now merely two desserts (cheesecake and homemade cookies). The cocktail scene at Sirena is as much of a draw as the cuisine; several Latin influenced craft cocktails - some of the names may be familiar but each cocktail has some feature making it unique to Sirena. Lots of Pisco, Mezcal and Tequila as base spirits, but more vanilla cocktails are available as well.

Tonight I dined with a couple of friends and we opted to order several dishes to share. For our small plates the highlight was the swordfish ceviche, perfectly seasoned and served with homemade saltine crackers. The menu at Sirena is constantly in flux and while they always feature a ceviche, the principal fish rotates based on what they are able to yank out of Lake Michigan (or purvey from elsewhere). If swordfish ceviche is available, I urge you to place an order. There also are a couple different empanadas available each night, each priced at $3 so you can mix and match. A nice touch is the empanadas are baked rather than fried which enhances the flavor of the interior; we opted for the vegetarian which was filled with goat cheese and squash and served with chimichurri sauce. We also ordered the octopus salad and shaved Brussels sprout salad both of which were tasty and had some nice accompanying ingredients, but paled in comparison to the ceviche.

We shared three entrees including a whole fried fish (tonight's fish was a type of Mediterranean sea bass), a seafood stew (featuring fish, head on prawns, mussels and a coconut milk broth) and a pork dish topped with a fried egg and mushroom ragu. Portions are moderately sized. Two of the three of us felt the seafood stew to be a home run with a succulent broth and I felt the pork was runner-up; juicy and I loved the mushroom ragu. The whole fish was the most disappointing course of the night; there just did not seem to be sufficient seasoning resulting in a bland taste and there was not a lot of meat - it seemed like I had to spit out three bones for every small morsel of rather bland meat. For entertainment sake I encouraged my dining companions to consume the head, but alas, I had no takers.

No complaints about service. The general manager stopped by our table to solicit feedback and our server (Alice) was readily available and helpful when we had questions. Sirena strives for an upscale ambiance; napkins were folded during bathroom pit-stops and silverware replaced between courses. However the acoustics are a weakness. Sirena is a cozy space and tables are fun sized and close together; the restaurant has so much buzz that it rapidly becomes packed and conversation a tad difficult. Also the lighting is quite dim, but the print on the menu is smallish making it hard to discern for my middle aged eyes without using my iPhone as a flashlight. A final short coming is the no reservation policy; with so many amazing restaurants not just in Chicago, but in walking distance of Sirena I would only eat here if I was able to arrive before 6:30pm as otherwise one might face a prolonged wait. While there is a nice bar area, the bar itself quickly becomes packed (popping into iNG across the street is an option while waiting; iNG itself has a some wonderful, creative cocktails, awesome bartenders and an extremely fun vibe). At this price point (for three small plates, three large plates, one side and two drinks a piece the tab came to just over $50 per/person before tax and tip) I would like to take Sirena start accepting reservations once they figure out the general flow of the turning of the tables.

Sirena is definitely a hot spot right now and while I certainly understand the buzz they have been receiving, for me tonight's meal was quite satisfying, but did not quite rise to the level of my favorite venues. As they are quite new (only been open approximately six weeks) there is certainly hope that they will aspire to an even higher level; I would not hesitate to return, but only if I was able to dine early of if they commence accepting reservations.

Whole Fried Fish:


Pork with Fried Egg & Mushroom Ragu:


Seafood Stew:

I had a great time at the bar here a few weeks back. I thought the drinks -- most all of which were generally way outside my comfort zone -- were really delicious. Normally, I'm a whiskey, rum or gin fan but here, Justin Anderson's cocktail menu is comprised almost exclusively from spirits in which I don't normally dabble: mezcal, tequila, pisco and cachaça (there are also a couple of rum-based drinks, too). We had a large group, so between the few cocktails I ordered for myself and those ordered by my companions, I got to taste pretty much all of them. My favorites were the Papi Chulo (tequila reposado, chartreuse, citrus, agave, aperitif, house orange bitters), the Pistola Humeante (mezcal, amaro, lemon. herbal liqueur, touch of raw sugar) and the Conquistadoro (tequila blanco, amontillado sherry, herbal liqueur, blood orange liqueur, bitters). It was a real education for me trying these drinks and hearing from Justin himself why he created them the way he did. Clearly a lot of thought went into them.

We also tried a few bites -- all of which were great -- but so few dishes shared so many ways wasn't really enough get a great sense of the food. That said, I'm a fan of John Manion's cooking and the few items we had, including meat empanadas, squash & cheese empanadas and swordfish ceviche, were very tasty. The menu looks really promising. I look forward returning and really digging into it. I can envision a session of cocktails at the bar accompanied by amish chicken hearts and head-on prawns from the Parilla Y Playa section of the menu . . . and that'd just be a start.

=R=

I'm thinking about checking La Sirena out tonight, but I've got tickets to a show (Book of Mormon, woo!!) so I was wondering about the wait time. I'd be getting there pretty early - about 5 or 5:15 - and it's just 2 of us. Show is at 7:30.

Thanks for any info!

You shouldn't have a wait at that time, especially if you're going on a weeknight.

ryancw wrote:I'm thinking about checking La Sirena out tonight, but I've got tickets to a show (Book of Mormon, woo!!) so I was wondering about the wait time. I'd be getting there pretty early - about 5 or 5:15 - and it's just 2 of us. Show is at 7:30.

Thanks for any info!

We arrived at around that time on a Tuesday and it was fine. The bar was empty and there were no more than a couple tables occupied. However, by 7 or so, it was hopping and appeared to be near capacity. Tonight, being a Friday before a long (for some) holiday weekend, that may not be the case but I'm guessing that at that hour you should be fine.

=R=

Went to Sirena Clandestina last night, here are a few thoughts and obeservations:

Charred Baby Octopus Escabeche - not bad, not memorable. The octopus is cut into coin sized pieces, so it was hard to detect much char.
Empanadas - veg option was gorgonzola, meat was chicken. The gorgonzola empanada was my favorite bite of the evening. A light flaky crust and pungent gooey cheese made for an incredible combination. They were as good as any I had on a trip to Argentina.
Garlic Frites - very good as others have stated. The aioli was delicious with some sneaky strong heat at the finish.
Pao De Queijo (cheese balls) - cheesy covering with light dough, not as heavy as they sound.
Farofa - disgusting texture when eaten on its own, tasted like eating bacon covered in sand. Must be an acquired taste. After some research I learned that it's usually used as a stuffing, topping for meats, or mixed into stews. Now it all makes sense.
Pork Loin Milanesa - standard, nothing special, but I'm not a huge fan of milanesa so it was not a fair fight.
Drinks - Very good beer selection with a variety of microbrews and South American suds. I had a red rye ale and porter, both excellent. The cocktails are supposed to be good too.
Service - fantastic. Timely, unobtrusive, and friendly.

There were tables open without a wait at 7:45 pm.

Pictures should be on my buddy's website shortly: http://neilsnibbles.blogspot.com/

I think I would be a regular here if I didn't end up spending a gazillion dollars every single time I come here. For some reason I can control myself at Vera, but not here. I think it's because of the fantastic cocktail program. I think the pisco sour here is one is probably my favorite drink in Chicago. But those can really add up.

The empanadas here are my standard thing to get, since they are just right– flaky and buttery without an overfried excess since they are baked. I also love the creamy and flavorful coconut cilantro risotto and the savory cassava cheese puffs known as pao de queijo. Lest it be thought I only eat carbs here, they always have a fantastic selection of meat and seafood. Tonight I had the sweetbreads, which were cooked absolutely perfectly and had a divine sweet-spicy relish on top. I'm also a bit enthusiastic about the alfajores, which are shortbread cookies sandwiched with delicious caramel.

I was so excited to finally make it to La Sirena Clandestina the other night (so many very positive reviews from many people I really trust), but then somewhat disappointed by the results. I generally enjoyed the meal, but I was far from wowed and there were several execution errors.

We started with the shaved brussel sprouts with almonds, charred radicchio, manchego cheese, lemon & olive oil. This had a ton of potential, and was generally very good, but the acid element (lemon here) was sorely lacking, and that's what it needed to bring all the flavors together.

La Sirena offered two types of empanadas this evening, one meat-filled and the other with vegetables. We chose pork - it didn't excite. Perhaps the puff pastry shell just wasn't my thing, but I found it too fluffy for the filling, and too pale such that it didn't deliver any flavor. And the filling was fine, but no better than others I've tried throughout Chicago (and not nearly as good as the ones I've tasted at the LTH picnic!).

The star of the charred octopus salad was surprisingly the background combination of farro, blood orange, chiles, frisée and black olive vinaigrette. This combination was so stimulating, both in terms of taste and texture. But the octopus was a big disappointment - little char, and very tough and chewy.

Also somewhat disappointing was the hanger steak with chimichurri. I have no bones to pick with the bright flavors in the excellent chimichurri. And the beef was a beautiful medium rare, which was revealed immediately since the beef is served sliced. However, the beef was served room temperature so I must assume it had been sitting around for some time since we began eating it the minute it was delivered. Even worse, the beef itself was so over-salted and we were left downing glasses of water between bites.

The one thing I absolutely loved was the pao de quijo (cheese bread). They're dense, chewy, cheesy and terrific. But there are only four of these golf ball-sized treats in an order and eating one will only leave you craving at least one more (maybe ten) so keep that in mind when ordering.

As for cocktails, I thought they did a very nice job with the caipirinha. The cusco cup was decent too, but perhaps a little weaker than I had hoped it would be.

As excited as I was to try La Sirena Clandestina, I cannot see myself returning. Although there was a lot of potential in the food we tasted, $50+ per person is a lot to spend when the only major success is the $4 cheese bread. La Sirena is just too close to other restaurants I have consistently enjoyed (Avec and Vera immediately come to mind).

I was surprised I enjoyed Sirena Clandestina as much as I did. I was expecting modern Latin fusion (whatever that means) pairing fancy ingredients with "innovative" flavors and charging a premium for the privilege. Instead, the execution was fairly straight forward allowing the quality of the ingredients complemented by classic South American accents to really shine. After the wonderful meal I enjoyed there I can confidently say this was the best South American meal I've ever had (of course I'm headed to Peru and Argentina soon so I may be revising that statement).

I got to dinner a little early so I sat at the bar and spoke with the bartender for a while. The cocktail menu is focused on South American spirits like pisco brandy, cachaca, and rum, of which they have a number of different bottles behind the bar. I love that the top of the menu features the classic cocktail for each spirit: pisco sour (pisco), caipirinha (cachaca), and daquiri (rum). I ordered the caipirinha which is almost always made far too sweet for my tastes. This caipirinha wasn't too sweet because the bar tender muddled quite a few limes in the bottom of the drink such that the bitterness of the lime pith was a prominent flavor that was balanced by the sweetness of the spirit and the sugar. For once this drink actually made sense to me and it's something I am eager to recreate at home now that I really understand the drink.

For appetizers we ordered the charred octopus and the empanadas. I have to admit that the octopus resembled what I was expecting from the restaurant before I went there. The octopus itself was charred but seemed to be sitting around for a while so it was a little chewy and lacked that crisp exterior that I love in charred octopus. It was served with farro, frisee, and an acidic vinaigrette; accompaniments that I thought were fussy and overpowered the four small pieces of octopus on the plate. The balance of the dish seemed out of whack to me. The empanadas, on the other hand, were wonderful. The crust was very light and flaky since it's baked, not fried. We ordered the vegetarian empanadas that were stuffed with mushroom and cheese. The textural contrast between the crispy crust and the earthy, gooey filling was a wonderful treat and really highlighted how delicious a freshly prepared empanada can be.

For entrees we ordered the short rib, the pork loin milanesa, and the hanger steak. The short rib was quite tasty though it was pretty chewy. Honestly, Latin American short rib preparations are almost always chewy so I can't really knock this version for that, and it is pretty fun to gnaw on the bones at the table. The milanesa was perfect. The breading was light and greaseless and the pork loin was tender to provide excellent contrast to the crispy breading. And the runny fried egg on top was a winner as always. The hanger steak was outstanding as well. It was a generous portion that was cooked to a flawless medium rare with an excellent grilled crust that was a millimeter thick (approximately), surrounding a juicy pink interior. It was served with a chimichurri sauce that featured lots of bright parsley and garlic bolstered by a rich and fruity olive oil. I'm not usually a fan of sauce for my steak, but this chimichurri enhanced each bite.

I said before that I really appreciated the straight forward and classic approach of the restaurant to South American cuisine, but I have to applaud them for departing from the typical starchy side dishes that can make South American meals feel heavy. Instead we were able to pair our hearty entrees with two bitter and refreshing salads. Both the kale salad with raisins and a bracing mustard vinaigrette and the shaved brussel sprouts with almonds and manchego were a welcome counterweight of bold, crunchy greens that could stand up to the protein assault.

This meal opened my eyes to how good South American cuisine can be. Fusion cuisine is hard to get right, for my tastes anyway, because the food can depart from the tried and true flavor combinations they're inspired by and the result is often distracting or unbalanced. Sirena Clandestina walked the line exceptionally well pairing high quality ingredients with skillful preparation and a couple modern flairs that augmented the experience. I am excited to return to try more of the seafood options and sample some more of the cachaca and pisco cocktails at the bar.

I was working in Fulton Market a couple weeks ago and remembered a posting on serious eats about the El Lomito sandwich at La Sirena. A grilled beef tenderloin sandwich on a bollilo roll, lettuce, tomato with chimichurri mayo with optional fried egg. Slightly hungover on a Monday and working at a new gig I decided to try it out. I was not disappointed. I have to say it's one of the top 5 sandwiches I've had in the city. Tenderloin was juicy and flavorful and the chimichurri mayo added another level of flavor. As serious eats said, the egg is totally required, and I agree. The running yolk added a delicious richness to the sandwich. Now, this isn't a cheap sandwich, it was $15 add $2 for the egg, $1 more than se reported but in my book completely and totally worth it. It comes with fries or salad. I opted for the salad which was pretty good and consisted of some micro greens, green chickpeas and a cheese I can't remember. All in all a pretty outstanding yet slightly pricey lunch.

thepld wrote: As serious eats said, the egg is totally required, and I agree. The running yolk added a delicious richness to the sandwich.

SONOFA! I ordered this on Monday as well, at lunch, but they failed to put the egg on it even though I ordered it. Still awesome without it. Great sandwich, and I had 2 wonderful cocktails as well.

I absolutely love La Sirena. I'll be bummed when Google opens and they inundate the place and make it much more difficult to sneak in for a quick bite and drink.

I ate at La Sirena Clandestina last night and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'll start with the food. The menu was identical to the one on their website, so I'll use its descriptions. We started with the "GALA APPLE AND FENNEL - GOLDEN BEETS, WALNUTS, DUNBARTON BLUE, MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE". Very nice, with fresh, bright flavors. Next, the "VEAL SWEETBREADS - HOUSE GIARDINIERA". Wow! These might be the best sweetbreads in the entire city. I think Chef must press them into a mold and then slice them before cooking, because they arrive as six perfect 1.5" cubes, with slight grill marks on the sides. Full of flavor and moist and creamy. If you love sweetbreads (like I do), you'll love these. Also, the "GRILLED SPANISH OCTOPUS - ACORN SQUASH ROMESCO, APPLE-CELERY RELISH". This was the only real miss; the octopus was a bit dry and chewy, although the accompaniments were really quite tasty. with an unusual combination of flavors. We split the "FEIJOADA - BRAISED BEEF, PORK AND LINGUIÇA, RICE, BLACK BEANS, FAROFA, GREENS, SALSA". This was pretty good; I can't say I was blown away, but I'll chalk that up to my own preference (I didn't choose this dish). AFAIK this was an excellent version of the Portuguese/Brazilian dish, and I suspect those who have been to South America will like this a lot. Incidentally, linguica is a pork sausage, and the one last night was quite spicy - enjoyably so, to those who like spicy dishes. For dessert, we split the tres leches cake, served in a glass (!) topped with whipped crème fraiche, and it was outstanding. One more comment on the menu - there were A LOT of dishes that sounded great to me (this isn't always true), including many that I didn't get to try. So heck, I'd be happy to go back tomorrow and try a bunch of other items!

The restaurant was about half full when we began at 6:15, and by the time we left, was full. On a noise scale from 1 ("dead") to 10 ("I gotta get out of here"), I'd call it a 6 when we arrived, 7-8 by the time we left. (There was music too, although it was not a major contributor to the noise level.) The atmosphere was energetic and bistro-ish, and also seemed very homey/cozy (i.e. not overly polished/corporate - I intend this as a compliment). Chef-owner John Manion was present in the dining room, and the staff was friendly and helpful.

Posts above mention a no-reservations policy; this is no longer true. La Sirena Clandestina accepts reservations, including on their website (powered through the Yelp SeatMe software). We didn't have any trouble finding availability.

Also worth mentioning, the restaurant is one short block from the new Morgan stop on the CTA Green and Pink Lines (and across the street from Next).

I look forward to returning to La Sirena Clandestina, and in particular to trying the moqueca (and having more sweetbreads!).

Any recent thoughts/experiences?

Gypsy Boy wrote:Any recent thoughts/experiences?

Last year, owner John Manion opened a second restaurant, El Che Bar, a few blocks from La Sirena. I ate there a few months ago and loved it, too. Like La Sirena, the food features a contemporary version of South American fusion cuisine. The atmosphere is a bit different, though, with a large, high-ceilinged, night-club-ish dining room, contrasted with the more intimate neighborhood bistro feel of La Sirena. Which one would I like to go back to? Both!

A friend and I dined at La Sirena last night before a show at City Winery. We started with a tequila/watermelon cocktail. Very refreshing. Since it was happy hour, we took advantage of the $8 "frango a passarinho" (Brazilan fried chicken, chili, lime garlic). Crispy and delicious. The happy hour order is smaller than the regular, but it was a perfect amount for us to split. We also split La Bomba Rice (English peas, asparagus, sunny egg, fontina, smoked cherry tomato), Ceviche and Pao de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread). As mentioned above, the cheese bread is addictive. The rice was essentially a risotto. The smoked cherry tomato made that dish. The ceviche was didn't wow me but it was still good.

Of note: my friend is gluten-free. The empanada was the only menu item she had to avoid. The flour used in the cheese bread and to dredge the chicken is wheat-free. I can't remember what our server said it was.

I haven't been to that area in a long time even though I don't work too far away. So much activity at that corner! La Sirena wasn't terrible busy though -- we guessed that Lollapaloza and all the other events yesterday had an impact. We want to go back for more of that chicken and $30 pitchers of caipirinhas during happy hour.

The GP wrote:Of note: my friend is gluten-free. The empanada was the only menu item she had to avoid. The flour used in the cheese bread and to dredge the chicken is wheat-free. I can't remember what our server said it was.

Typically, tapioca in pao de queijo

Fulton Market pioneer restaurant La Sirena Clandestina closing, a victim of soaring real-estate value

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/c ... story.html