Bridgeport Updates: Kimski and Antique Taco

Thought I'd finally get my act together and assemble my thoughts on two new joints in Bridgeport.

Out of respect, I think it's best to begin with a little RIP for the Bridgeport locale of Pleasant House (I believe soft-opening of the new location is today). Where once you were two blocks away, and next to Maria's, now you are a mile a way and yet spiritually so much further. Looking forward to the new digs, but Pilsen's gain is a big personal (weight) loss. Fortunately, I have the following two places to fill the pie-hole in my heart.

Kimski opened up some weeks ago now. It's in the front part of a hefty addition to the original Maria's bar, and plays off of the Korean-Polish fusion idea spawned by some BBQs on the original patio of the bar. Kimski takes up roughly the front quarter of the new building. You go in the new front door to order from the menu of about ten things. You either take it to go, eat right up front at one of a couple tables inside or out, or you take your number, go around through the Maria's door to have your ID checked, and then sit anywhere inside: the original bar, the new bar, or the patio. It's a bit awkward that they won't let you just cut through, but the traffic would result in too many collisions between server and served.

Once ordered, the new space is nice and bright, with a skylight and big garage doors at the back that have been open quite a bit recently. Number of taps have doubled, and there is also the addition of Maria's Basement: a cooler loaded with extremely rare and thus expensive beers. Think Bourbon County 2016 for 25 or 26 bucks, or Vanilla for 150. Nice to have for a celebration, as I can't think of many places serving beers like this, but expect to pay what you would through semi-legal means on eBay. Anyhow, the beer is good as anybody who ever went to Pleasant House and then Maria's knows. Thankfully, the new side has taken a lot of the pressure off the old side, which is just as dark but less crowded, and where I prefer to sip. On to the food!

The food is generally pretty tasty. The menu is small, ranging from the original Polish with "kraut-chi" to Korean pancakes topped with pork and served with a sour cream, to some dumplings, to kimchi fried rice. I've had most everything so far, but only have a couple of pictures to show:

So this is the Maria's Standard. It is good. The sausage itself is nice and smoky, the mustard is great, and I really love the krautchi, which is distinct from either of its fermented parents. The split-top bun is excellent, Franks 'n Dawgs caliber. At 8 bucks, it's a bit dear, but a clear upgrade from either the Depot or Sox Park, the two runner-up polish contenders in the neighborhood for me.


This is the kimchi fried rice, the preferred dish of my betrothed. This is the size of a medium/small take-out container. For 7 bucks, that's a bit steep, although the egg is elegantly soft and runny and the flavor is otherwise nice. Adding pork is a $2 upcharge and frankly not worth it. I just feel that, for 7 bucks, maybe a little more rice? But otherwise, tasty. Good kimchi tanginess, and not the gut-bomb we're used to.

Thought I had pics of the "wangs" and "potskis," but my memory or my phone memory fail me. Either way, these are both tasty, but again, just a bit dear. The wings are good, but you get about 6 small-ish joints for 8 bucks, and the potskis are five or six to an order. I haven't gotten over this with these two dishes.

Scallion pancake didn't seem worth it at $9, but I keep coming back to it. It's a good size and nice to share and generally pretty well executed (a bit too crispy sometimes, in some spots--had it three or four times now)--simple, straightforward, and the mere addition of sour cream to an otherwise straight Korean dish is lovely. The late-night additions of the quesadilla and the poutine are heavy, greasy (good greasy), and delicious bar food.

All in all, we are generally happy with the food, even if the wallet's a bit lighter. Two of us generally have a light/moderate dinner for 25-30 bucks (no drinks), and enjoy the bright, interesting flavor combinations with the thoroughly solid beer list. Ain't Pleasant House, but it's still good and we've been in some 10 times already.

Next up on the docket: Antique Taco. I really didn't want to like this place. Hipster tacos? I much prefer Los Barrilitos, so no thanks. And yet, as I write now, I am humbled. Of course, the owner is both Mexican and a native of the neighborhood, so that does change things quite a bit--it's more about "home" than the commodification of an ethnicity or some other trend. It also just seemed expensive--sorry if I seem to be focusing on that a lot here, but Lincoln Park this is not--there's still a strong working/middle class vibe in the neighborhood, and I know there were many skeptics around. 4 dollars for a taco? How could this possible work?

Well, it helps that most of the options nearby are middling--I've not particularly enjoyed Erendira, San Jose, or Martinez, but they are serviceable. It also helps that they have solid booze and a great patio. And the tacos are worth it, I am no longer shamed to admit. This is Big Star, but better, and with kids and older neighbors taking part.

We had a few drinks (no pics), all worth it at 8-10 bucks. Prickly pear slushie was blindingly pink but surprisingly not too sweet. Lavender paloma was tasty, though perhaps the weakest of the bunch. Horchata with rum was exactly as expected, and good. And the mezcal punch was interesting, and a bit hard to describe--a little smoke, a little heat, not sweet...I'd get it again. Beers are available, too: standard Mexican offerings, plus some Five Rabbit beers (which have improved markedly in this homebrewer's opinion). Those run 4-6 bucks, methinks.


Started with creamed elote, which was pretty good, but definitely "creamed." Despite that, it was not as heart-stopping as some street versions. We also got some guac, which was a good portion, and fresh, but not eye-opening. Came out quick and was nice to have, as tacos took their time (on Day 1, perfectly acceptable).


From top to bottom: carnitas; ribeye; potato/poblano; fish

All four were damn good. Carnitas had a nice adobo flavor and was neither dry (very common) nor overly wet. Ribeye actually tasted like beef instead of steamed/griddled gray mystery meat. Potato and poblano was a really great vegetarian taco, with a good smokiness, plenty of heft, and some potato chips for texture. Didn't get a bite of fish, but Betrothed said it was tops. I was also pleased with the heft of these--tasty and sizable, and thus worth it. Toppings on all of them complemented rather than overwhelmed, even the bacon(!) on the carnitas. Throw in the quality drinks, the lovely weather, and the broad variety of neighbors that came by, and you've got a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. Day 1 was great, despite the waits--really hope they keep it up.

Good Stuff!!!

I completely agree with you on harping about the prices. It is somewhat of a factor and a deterrent for folks who live in our around the neighborhood. Me and all my friends scoffed at the idea of Antique Tacos coming down here and laughed about the $4 tacos while we sat at Pacos on Archer.
I loved when Marias did the free polish/korean bbq on Mondays and always talked up the polishes. They still satisfy my tastebuds, but not my wallet. Its a nice treat every once in a while. The fried rice is WAY too small for the price point and the wings are just ok. I actually like Buffalo Wings and Flings over on Halsted, or whatever its called.
Im actually kind of excited to Antique now. I almost never get Mexican food in Bridgeport anymore since i moved to McKinley Park and find myself in Back of the Yards, Gage, or Brighton Park for tacos and tortas. All those tacos at Antique sound good, but Ill skip the creamed corn.

Starting today, Antique Taco Bridgeport is now open for lunch. I'm excited about this - there isn't too much right around there open before 4 p.m. (lookin' at you, Kimski).

I plan on trying Antique Taco tomorrow!

Had my first Kimski experience recently and I am immediately a fan. I enjoyed everything about it. The space (connected to Maria's) is large, and comfortable. The vibe is warm and the hospitality could not be more friendly or enthusiastic. Most importantly, the food is excellent, distinctive and fun. We ordered a bunch of stuff and loved just about all of it. Flavors were bold, aggressive and in some cases, fiery. This is textbook drinking food (but I'm confident it would be stand-out in any state of mind). Here are some descriptions that I pinched off their menu . . .

Maria's Standard
House sausage, soju mustard, Kraut-chi, scallions, and soft roll
A tasty, snappy sausage that was a pleasure to eat. I loved the kraut-chi, which made an appearance in several of the dishes we ordered.

Ko-Po Wings
Sweet and spicy Kimski "All Purpose" sauce, sesame seeds, and scallions
Piping hot, crispy, juicy and they had great flavor, too.

Kimski Poutine
Fries, kimchi beer gravy, curds, kimchi, scallions, and sesame seeds
A wondrous hot and gooey mess . . . and I mean that in a good way. I'm not usually a fan of poutines but this tasted so good, it was impossible to stop eating it.

Veggie Potskis
Sauerkraut and mushroom filling, farmers cheese, soy cream, herb salad, and pickled onion
These resembled fried mandu and they were perfectly executed. I thought the filling was delicious.

Sausage Plate
Our sausage plated with three Korean/Polish inspired banchan sides served with a side of mustard and kraut chi
This excellent sausage (it appeared to be different from the one served in the Standard) was snappy and delightful.

Kopoytka
House made potato dumplings in fermented chili tomato sauce, dill, farmers cheese, and buttermilk fried onions

The Kopoytka were the only one of the lot we didn't finish. Like everything else, I thought the flavors of this dish were great but compared to all the other snappy, crispy and crunchy items we had, the soft, doughy texture of these dumplings didn't wow us. I'm not saying that they weren't righteous, only that we weren't quite as satisfied or impressed by these.

It's great that Maria's has a big, full bar right there in the space. There are several interesting tap offerings and a wide selection of bottles and cans. Cocktails were notably well-made and the back bar is stocked with all the usual suspects, plus plenty of harder-to-find spirits, most of which are reasonably priced.

It's a trek from Logan down to Bridgeport and our Uber driver's vehicle could very well have been making its last trip ever but in spite of all that, it was well worth the effort. Kimski had been on my must-try list for some time and not only was it great, it exceeded my expectations in just about every way.

=R=

Kimski
960 W 31st St
Chicago, IL 60608
(773) 890-0588

Thanks, Ronnie, for the report--living around the corner, we're still pretty happy with Kimski, and while it is no Pleasant House, it's a great addition to the neighborhood.

Oddly enough, another Korean option has emerged in Bridgeport, and just a few blocks away. The peculiarly-named Do Eat opened up a few weeks back (we went before the Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers, wisely). In a neighborhood replete with Chinese options (including a soon-to-open Taiwanese restaurant further up Halsted), Korean was not something I expected. I watched as they built the place out, and noticed the Korean written on the back wall with excitement. When I saw a "Help Wanted" add in hand-written Chinese, however, I grew confused. I did confirm with an acquaintance last night that the owner is actually Korean, but most of the employees are unsurprisingly local and Cantonese/Mandarin speaking. That explains the good experience we had at this bizarro-Cho Sun Ok.

The sign:


So apparently the owners know what they are doing, in terms of food and business, as things taste good and this is not at all a crowded market. I can count on one hand the number of Korean restaurants south of Ahjoomah's apron, and this place will be popular with the UIC/IIT crowd that fills this neighborhood now. The menu is in English, Chinese, and Korean:


Prices and menu offerings are similar to lots of places, but I particularly love number 7, the Cha Dol Gui, the house specialty at Cho Sun Ok and one of my favorite meals in the city. For the sake of variety, the three of us also tried out some dumplings (fine) and the #8, Beef in House Specialty Sauce. Biggest shortcoming was the paltry banchan offerings. Yep, this is what we got:


Apparently they are offering a few more now--this was perhaps the second or third day they were open. Still, that aside, the meat portions and quality were perfectly good:

Cha Dol Gui/unmarinated beef


Marinated Beef

Much like Cho Sun Ok, after the meats are cooked, they add some kimchi and other things and fry up some rice (no butter here, though, as at CSO--which hurt the flavor a bit). The crispy rice really hits the spot and gave us a solid drinking foundation for later:


All in all, a welcome addition to the neighborhood. It's a hefty meal of the kind that I don't often partake, but for Southsiders, this was much better than a schlep up north just to wait in line. Although Cho Sun Ok will always be one of my top restaurants in Chicago, this Bridgeport rendition was perfectly fine, though I'd welcome other opinions, too--haven't been back since then, and hope they've upped the game a bit.

Do Eat Korean BBQ
3141 S Halsted
11a-10p, 7 Days a Week

Bridgeport Antique Taco note: this spot has a nice dedicated parking lot right in front and very quick service. Even with the dear-for-the-neighborhood menu pricepoints, the ease of access puts it regularly into my considerations. I like the elotes and the special crispy taco, and of course the horchata (and horchata shake) may be peerless. The chorizo chili is warming for the season but a little monotonous (homogenous, like my recent first-and-last cornroll tamale at Veteran). I hope this location succeeds.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Maria's Standard
House sausage, soju mustard, Kraut-chi, scallions, and soft roll
A tasty, snappy sausage that was a pleasure to eat. I loved the kraut-chi

I'm way behind the curve on Kimski, recently had my first Maria's Standard and echo Ronnie_S's sentiments above, though I'd add I really dug the roll which was a toasty buttery New England lobster style roll from Spoke & Bird* on 18th st.


Kimski, Count me a Fan!

*Just called The Spoke & Bird Bakehouse they call the roll the Standard, do not have it as a retail item but with 24-hours notice would produce/sell them to the general public

The Spoke & Bird Bakehouse  
1248 W 18th St
Chicago, IL 60608
929-263-2473

Never cared for Antique Taco but Kimski is pretty solid.