Second Acts In Restaurants' Lives: Emilio's

My nominee for the dumbest thing any smart person ever said would be F. Scott Fitzgerald's "There are no second acts in American lives." Compared to what, the lives of British lieutenants at the Somme? This is the nation of continuing education and fresh starts, as the distinguished American actress Lindsay Lohan will say in her Oscar acceptance speech in 2019, and so it is that even restaurants we have long since written off as firmly settled in their rut of mediocrity can occasionally surprise us, when circumstances force us to give them the chance.

Scattered through the past at this board, and even further back at Chowhound, you will find that I have emitted a consistent "ennh" on the subject of Emilio's tapas empire. I was once known for offering Iberico as the answer to most questions-- well, when the question was some variation on "I need a place near the Loop that's different but not TOO different for a party of 8," as it usually was at Chowhound, Iberico was often the perfect answer. Slightly exotic but comfy food that scores a consistent B+, a party atmosphere, a reasonable check price-- Iberico has a lot to like, even if it rarely (i.e., never) dazzles. And Emilio's? My feeling always was, slightly better quality in ingredients than Iberico, but nowhere near enough additional quality and creativity to merit the 20-25% price bump, or the less energetic and engaging atmosphere. Having had lunch there at least 3-4 times when working in the Streeterville area, and dinner at least a couple of times in Lincoln Park over the years, I felt I had given Emilio's more than enough of a fair shake to have established a firm preference for Iberico (or, more recently, Haro).

But friends were in town and staying at Lake Point Tower, we needed a place where we could take not only four adults but three kids, they'd had take out from Copperblue the night before and been underwhelmed, they were asking me what the options in Navy Pier were, it was freezing cold out, I needed somewhere we could walk to that was better than Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.... and thus the stars aligned for Emilio's second chance.

And from top to bottom, we were pleasantly surprised. The room was as perky and energetic as Streeterville ever gets, the check was reasonable ($160 for seven, drinks and tip included), and in between we had a lot of dishes to try, all of which were at least cheerfully delectable and a couple of which were quite exceptional. Interestingly, nearly all of it was off the regular menu, not the specials, which means it's stuff Emilio has been dishing up for years at five locations-- yet far from having grown tired, it all seemed perky, eager to please as a puppy, and more flavorful than we'd have expected. I know of no reason why Emilio's should experience a renaissance at the moment, maybe this location just happens to have a particularly good chef in the kitchen, but whatever the reason, it happened.

Some notes on a few of the dishes in particular:

• Garbanzos a la Castillana-- basically Spanish hummus, but different enough with red peppers and a glob of dill mayo; a new favorite way of making it, I think.

• Queso de Cabra al Horno-- too much seasoning in the tomato sauce made it seem like pizza sauce next to Iberico's rendition, which is pure canned tomato flavor.

• Atún Cantábrico-- carpaccio-like slices of tuna with caramelized pineapple and ginger. Surprisingly delicate and unexpected; maybe the best thing of the evening.

• Vieiras a la Canaria-- Scallops in a saffron butter sauce with spinach and toasted pine nuts; scallops cooked perfectly, sauce just right and not too strong for the meat.

• Catalana custard with raspberries-- a delicately bitter-orange-scented creme brulee type custard, the better of two desserts off the specials menu (though a pecan tart with raspberry sauce was also very good).

Emilio's Tapas Sol y Nieve
215 E. Ohio
312-467-7177

Probably my favorite dish at Emilio's Lincoln Park oupost is the "Queso de Cabra con Núeces" -- pecan-crusted goat cheese drizzled with honey and served with pears, grapes, and toast points. It's very simple, but I can't imagine anything on the dessert menu being better.

By the way, I think the Fitzgerald line should be awarded the status of an urban legend. I've never seen it in context and thus have no idea what it was intended to mean. It's certainly the most-quoted bit of Fitzgerald's writing, but in every single instance I've seen the quote's sole purpose is to be refuted in the next breath. All I know (or think I know) is that it's supposedly taken from his notes for The Last Tycoon (and thus presumably not meant to be offered up as an aphorism for public consumption). Beyond that it's murky. Even the exact quotation itself appears somewhat malleable: some cite it as "in American lives"; others, "American life"; still others, "American literature", which sounds more persuasive (or at least not as blatantly false).

So, anyone know the whole story, or better yet, have a source? Oh yeah, Emilio's tomato bread is also pretty good.

I drove by Emilio's in Hillside a few weeks ago, and was somewhat surprised to see that it still existed. I started visiting the place in the late 80s, and found it quite enlightening. Emilio used to be there many nights, and serving tapas was, at that point, still kind of unusual, especially in the western suburbs. If you ever go, make sure you wander across the street and check out the cemetary; there are many circus folk buried there.

Based on the menu items MikeG quotes, many of the same items I had probably 15 years ago are still on the menu.

Hammond

PS. Fitzgerald's "second act" comment (if he actually made it) was always hard to reconcile with his major work; if anyone had a "second act," it was Gatsby.

If I was faced with an endless supply of Emilio's profiteroles, I would likely be found dead the next day, and they would have to pry that last profiterole from my cold, dead hands.

I, too, was once a much bigger fan of Cafe Iberico. We probably went there 20 times the first year we lived in Chicago. At the time, I was impressed with the fun atmosphere and excellent prices. We tried all the main players( Babareeba, Emilio's and 1492) and frankly just thought I didn't love tapas.

And then one dish changed everything.

The Datiles con Tocino or bacon wrapped dates were a revalation. The crispy salty savory bacon enrobing a chewy sweet date would be enough for anyone... but the red pepper sauce that comes with the dish is so good, I want to lick the plate clean. The dates have made me realize that sometimes, tapas can be excellent, not just a fun cheap place for a group.

Veeral

Which restaurant were these at, Veeral?

Sorry! the name must of been edited out. The dates can be found at Emilio's (at least the one on clark in Lincoln Park.)

It's certainly the most-quoted bit of Fitzgerald's writing, but in every single instance I've seen the quote's sole purpose is to be refuted in the next breath.

Wow, you're certainly right about that:

"F. Scott Fitzgerald believed there are no second acts in American lives. Yet at least as far as love is concerned . . . "
"Fitzgerald was wrong..."
"In reality, there are lots of second acts in American life . . . "
"Fitzgerald declared: "There are no second acts in American lives.
Scott may have been right in his time. But no more. . . . "
"Fitzgerald wrote, "There are no second acts in American lives." Maybe that was true in his day . . . "
"Fitzgerald once wrote, "There are no second acts in American lives", but more and more, our former presidents are proving him wrong . . . "

And that's just from the first page of the Google search. Thanks for the reality check.

veeral wrote:Sorry! the name must of been edited out. The dates can be found at Emilio's (at least the one on clark in Lincoln Park.)

I've enjoyed the Datiles con Tocino a number of times at the original Emilio's, on Roosevelt just west of Mannheim. They're a favorite of mine, too, Veeral!

--Matt

I took the wife, kids, and MIL for dinner here on Saturday night. It was the first time I had been back in over a decade. The food was almost identical to what it was back then, which is a very good thing. Now that there are five Emilio's outposts, the crowd was pretty sparce. You could walk right in without reservations at 7 pm. The place used to be an absolute madhouse back in the stone-age. On a Saturday night, you'd be lucky to fit in the front door and squeeze into the bar area while you waited 60-90 minutes for a table. Now the bar area was completely empty. The waitress told me Emilio was opening another restaurant in Oak Brook. I asked if they were going to close the Hillside place and she said, "I hope not!" She had been working there 8 years. She said the food was the best at the Hillside location because Emilio spent the most time there and was always monitoring what was going on.

Another thing I noticed was the "unhipness" of the crowd...middle-aged squares like me. I wonder if that's why Emilio's never makes it onto the best-of lists anymore.

While I tend to prefer the menu at Iberico, I just can no longer deal with the noise level. Not being able to hear what the person directly across from me is saying ruins dinner out with friends. Some of my friends prefer 1492, and I'll go with them (especially when I can find restaurant.com coupons for Monday/Tuesday nights), but for taking out work colleagues in from out of town, Emilio's is my choice.

My primarily failing with them (and why I do not go to the Hillside location often) is that they lean a bit too much towards seafood dishes. I wish they had a stronger red meat and chicken selection, then I could get my parents to go there.

But having made an excellent three-course "dinner" out of three standard tapas orders at Capitan Torres in Sydney last month - your typical patatas bravas, chorizo a la plancha (I had hoped for lomo), and gambas al ajillo... I'm itching to try Emilio's Hillside again.

pry that last profiterole from my cold, dead hands.

As Dave Barry would say, "Pry That Profiterole" would be a great band name.

I have great affection for the Emilio's in Hillside. In addition to Don Emilio's frequent presence in the reception area and kitchen, this location seems to have the best specials, often featuring fresh seasonal game including deer, boar, pheasant, and quail. These plates, together with the interior detail of the room, are more transportative back to Cantabria (the North) than any of the other spots in town, even if their menu is still primarily Andalucia-weighted.

On a morbid note, if your roots are West and your family is extended, and you've been to every place up and down Roosevelt for multiple funeral luncheons per year, Emilio's delivers the best atmosphere and banquet food for remembering your loved one with class and good taste, instead of the rubbery prime rib and nuked potatoes Vesuvio at the other joints.

Emilio’s Tapas has closed after nearly 30 years in Streeterville at 215 E. Ohio Street.

https://chicago.eater.com/2018/1/2/1684 ... sures-2018

The Hillside outpost is still doing an awesome job. SueF decided she wanted tapas for her birthday and that La Tasca no longer thrills. So 15 miles south on Rt 45 and we're there.

Flavors were awesome, service warm, big selection, portions larger than expected.

The datilos con tocino are no longer unique: everybody wraps dates in bacon, but the red pepper cream sauce mentioned upthread is indeed amazing.

Rabbit sausage with fennel and lentils was probably my favorite of the night. Perfectly seasoned.

Venison pate was really good, plated with two mustards, two preserves, and a bit of salad.

Patatas bravas were nicely spicy, but a bit soggy, not crisp fried.

Mushrooms in sherry were again seasoned perfectly.

Olives were a big bowl with a wife variety plus picked shallots.

Caramel flan was light and creamy, and a birthday profiterole went beautifully with a cortado.

Drinks prices were a bit high, my only quibble.

Definitely better than La Tasca or Evanston's Tapas Barcelona... and yet most of what we had in Madrid and Barcelona was still several notches higher. But for around here, this place is a gem

Thanks for posting about the Hillside Emilio's. We always liked it when we lived out that way and sort of forgot about it when we moved back into the city. Time for a trip out there, I think.

I love the typo that produced a "wife" variety of olives", and your post gave me a chance to peruse a few other postings and the reference to the profiterols, reminded me of the night we were there with a prim-looking guest who took one look at those two mounds with the pronounced, um, peaks on top and couldn't stop laughing.

Nice to hear some favorable reports. Other than the company, my one and only time there was memorable only for how lackluster the food was. I have pictures somewhere but I never bothered to post them because the meal didn't justify the time it would have taken to do so.

=R=

chicagojim wrote:I love the typo that produced a "wife" variety of olives...

Given how much SueF loves olives, that may have been a subconscious error.

I think they could up their presentation game a notch: the prettiest dish was the venison pate, great colors from the salad and garnishes, but was still just a pile of stuff. Look at my posts from Madrid and Barcelona a little over a year ago, and it's worlds apart.