Evanston Lunch, Jesse's Mexican Grill, Nov 15, 12:30

I often buy meat from Rogers Park Fruit Market on Clark Street and Jarvis. I was disappointed in May when, all of a sudden, Jesse, their head butcher, disappeared. Jesse was the person to whom I would always come with any special request. I could ask for a special cut of meat and he would immediately understand what I was talking about and produce it for me, perfectly done. When he was away, the other butchers would certainly try their best, but they were not very accomplished at any but the cuts of meat to which they were accustomed. I still go there ofen enough, but it is not the same without Jesse.
I asked the other day what had happened to Jesse, and found out that he was opening his own restaurant, on Western near Lunt (just next to the Macedonian cafe, as it happens). Catherine and I stopped recently, just for a couple of tacos (they were quite good, especialy the taco al pastor), but Jesse has in fact put together quite an ambitious menu. For example, he has an assortment of skewers (alambres) -- pork, lamb, chicken, shrimp, scallops, and beef, along with the more predictable tacos, tostadas, and tortas. His menu lists mollejas (sweetbreads), chuletas de puerco al chipotle (pork chops in chipotle sauce), tenderloin of pork in salza de durazno (peach sauce), grilled trout, and other offerings not so commonly found on Mexican menus. The place was simple but tastefully decorated and spotlessly clean. And, as Jesse pointed out when I saw him at the restaurant, he knows meat!
The Evanston lunch group will be meeting there on Wednesday November 15 at 12:30.

Jesse's Mexican Grill
6950 N. Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60645
tel: (773) 856-6050

And for once, Robert, I looked at the calendar before you had to remind me! I will be there!

Michele

See you there.

I will try to attend as well. This is the site of the former Thai Homemade which opened to much acclaim. Unfortunately they eviscerated their menu of anything tasting of fish sauce or any level of spice for that matter. They didn't last long afterwards.

Did you see any ceviche on the menu?

I'll try to be there as well.

I'll try as well.

There are tostatas de ceviche on the menu, as well as a plate of ceviche. But I should add that when we stopped by a few weeks ago, the ceviche tostada seemed a bit peculiar -- it was tasty and fresh (or we would have been awfully sick!) -- but not like any ceviche we have ever tasted before. Was it marinated longer? Was the fish slightly precooked before marinating? We couldn't tell.
I would recommend items "de la parilla" -- from the grill: carne asada, beef short ribs, sweetbreads, pollo azado al carbon estilo sinaloa (roast chicken sinaloa style).

Thanks to Robert and Catherine for organizing this event. Jesse's food was better than expected, but I'll let the photos speak for themselves:

Torta al pastor with Cocktel de camarones Y pulpo in background:


Filete de Puerco Medallon en Salsa de Durazno (foreground) and Mollejas de Res:


Medio Pollo:


Former butcher turned chef Jesse:

Thanks, nr706, for the great photos! The sweetbreads were particularly delicious! Catherine, who usually doesn't eat sweetbreads, took a second helping with gusto. In addition to the food in the photos, we also had alambres de cordero, two skewers of grilled lamb. I want to go back to try some of the other skewers -- pork and beef in particular. The roast chicken Sinaloa style was also excellent; the skin was crisp but the meat was not too dry, with a nice touch on the seasonings. The pork in peach salsa had a touch of sweet and sour, unexpected but not at all unpleasant. As I suspected, the grilled meats stood out in particular; this is where Jesse's years of experience as a butcher show through. There remains a lot I would still like to try, such as BBQ beef short ribs and the trucha asada, the grilled trout. In any case, we will definitely be back.

I agree - those were some killer sweetbreads; similar to the Argentine parrillada-style, but with the addition of grilled peppers and onions.

Should also mention that the place was exceptionally easy on the wallet, as well as having a quite nice atmosphere inside despite the unassuming exterior. Once again, good food, good company; thanks, everyone...