Cafes Iberico vs. BaBaReeba + Village Creamery aside

I had to grab a quick dinner before a class last week and ended up at Cafe BaBaReeba, not particularly looking forward to it, but it was nearby and serving early. I used to live in the area 10 or so years ago and went a number of times, but I remember the group of friends I tended to go with, not the food. I'm only mentioning my experience here in order to compare it to this weekend's tapas experience. But first, my take on this LEY joint:

Nice sausages - they plate a blood sausage with a regular pork sausage, and both were quite nice. The tortilla was bland - overcooked, undersalted potatoes and bland eggs didn't go anywhere in the flavor spectrum, though the accompanying aoli was fine. Overpriced $4 bowl of olives, though I liked them. (Since I eat olives pretty much every day, and tend to get good ones, I think I have a tendency to try to rationalize away the fact that the restaurant still has to pay servers, cooks, etc. out of this $4.) The fried peppers tasted only mildly peppery, certainly with no kick whatsoever; the coarse salt on top was the most interesting component. The little dessert samplers were nice, but unmemorable.

What most stood out was our gracious server, a Mexican man in his late 40's, who talked about different dishes and recommended some interesting wine matchings. Overall, our impression was that this place is fine, but we didn't really need to try it again.

So we were excited to finally go to Cafe Iberico this weekend, wanting a tastier tapas experience, but we didn't really get it. There were only 2 of us, and we weren't especially hungry, so I really only sampled a few dishes. My thoughts:

First, it's a large, loud, bustling place, average age was around 28 last night at 7:30. Fun, active, crowded - this can mean a great evening to some, but not for others, I'm sure. No reservations, but at least 2 bars, and lots of space to hang around. There's a non-smoking room (which may have its own bar, I didn't check it out), a smoking room and a smaller back room which opens up into the smoking area.

One thing I hated was the fluorescent lighting in the tchotchke display cases lining the walls. The use of fluorescent bulbs inside eating establishments should be outlawed. Why would you take a warm, inviting environment then color it with the coldest, bluest light mankind has created? It's the same reason I don't like sitting at the tables at Avec, but prefer eating at the bar, with its warmer halogens. Oops, off topic.

Olives - tasty Andalusian style, and, by the way, a better number/price ratio than CBBR. Wine list runs on the cheaper side, both in quality and price. Reds served too warm, but whatever. Bread the unfortunately typical bland stuff. Then the food:

Spicy potatoes - spuds in a red pepper sauce. Really bland overcooked/undersalted potates tossed in a nice spicy red sauce whose pepper component was mostly from dried peppers. I was thinking roasted chilis ground into a sauce, with potatoes simmered in this to absorb flavor, but no.

Roasted red peppers - really, really bland. Roasted, then probably had their charred skins removed under water, which also dilutes their flavor. Olive oil on the table and salt helped this some.

Grilled octopus - just not getting this. Overcooked, tough, lacking octopus flavor, tossed with limp french fried potatoes. Didn't finish this one.

Tortilla - better than CBBR's, but still bland in its components, preparation of potatoes and seasoning.

So, we were really unimpressed, given that the olives were the best part of the meal. So, what did we order wrong? Notice we didn't order any pork/beef products? Is this the direction we should have gone - sausages, ribs? I'd like to try this place again if someone can direct us, or direct us elsewhere.

Finally, on the way home we hit Village Creamery for dessert (the one in Skokie) and had some of the usual pleasant flavors - ginger, young coconut (macupano), jackfruit, red bean. Then there was a new one, Panpan leaf with macupano. It was a light, delicate, flowery flavor. When I asked what else Filipinos might use this leaf for, the guy just said, "Food." It was interesting and different. This is not stellar, artisanally made ice cream, but still worth it, and for me the best choices there are always the macupano, lychee and ginger.

Thanks Michael.

I wound up at Babareeba for a friend's birthday celebration a few weeks ago and had a very similar experience. I found nothing to be inedible, but everything was bland, bordering on tasteless. When we ordered a second round of plates, I put my votes in for anything that sounded spicy, just to get some flavor on the table. It didn't work. Babareeba is truly the TGI Fridays of tapas in my mind.

Your Iberico review lends more credence in my mind to my opinion that Chicago is not a good "tapas-town". I've never really found any place that is consistently good.

Best,
EC

I have to agree with both of you. There is not one single "Tapas" restaurant in Chicago that can even come within striking distance of what Mario Batali has done with his duo, "Casa Mono" and "Bar Jamon" in NYC. It can't be that hard to do right. It just seems as if after Baba Reeba came on the scene, every other descendant simply copied their template and the bar was set at an exceedingly low level. Avec compares to them in execution, both in the quality of the wines and food, just not in the "authenticity" factor. Its such a shame that I continue to see this pattern with every new Spanish restaurant to come along in Chicago.

I will never understand the allure of Iberico. Ever. It is perhaps the most uncomfortable (noisy, cramped, etc.) restaurant in the city and attracts an irksome crowd. The food suffers from what my Spanish friend calls, "The American curse of factory-line mediocrity."

Thanks for your review, Michael. It's been a while since I've been to Iberico, but the allure for me was that it's a fun, lively, inexpensive place to go with a group (perhaps I am the "irksome crowd" Paul is referring to?). I've always ordered meat items (garlic shrimp, beef tenderloin) and have enjoyed them, but I don't have any experience with Spanish food outside of Chicago.

As for BaBaReeba, I went there a few years ago for my birthday and the service was so horrendous, I've never gone back.

What do you think of Twist in Wrigleyville? I remember they had some interesting items on the menu. Bacon-wrapped dates stands out in my memory.

In defense of Iberico:

I think I've only ever been there once at night. I've maybe tried a couple of other times and given up. It is a mob scene and I wonder if the kitchen suffers then.

I used to pop in for lunch fairly regularly. I would agree that it's sort of a Spanish Leona's or Ann Sather's, in terms of being a broadly popular, not too challenging place-- indeed, that was why I got the reputation for recommending it as the answer to all queries-- it's something that's different, but hardly anyone would find objectionably exotic. The ingredients don't get any farther out than octopus and goat cheese, the spice level is minor, everyone can find something hearty and likable and if you don't like something, jeez, it was $4.95. Like Greektown, it's perfect for tourists and visitors and people not like us.

So anyway, that's what I like about it. It's a comfort food place but somebody else's comfort food, food somebody else grew up on. Nothing is spectacularly innovative, I can imagine a great authentic Spanish restaurant and I know it's not it, but it's all heartily satisfying-- to me, reasonably priced, easy to get into at lunch which is what mattered when I worked downtown, and a solid, reliable B+.

Talk about damning a place with faint praise! The Spanish Leona's? I love it. But I do grant your point, Mike.

And anybody who is on this board in not "irksome"! Well, most everybody:)

Agree with MikeG on Iberico. I've always gone with a group, I've always found it to be a fun place, I've never been blown away by the food but I've always found something to like (I'm surprised about the bad experience with the octopus--ours has usually been fresh and tender), and given its location it's an excellent value. So, I think it's still a recommendable site for goups looking for an inexpensive, interesting place near N. Michigan Ave., who don't mind crowds and noise--except perhaps, for those who have experience of the real thing in Spain and are looking for something similar. I think we're still waiting for that in Chicago.

You know, there was a time that Leona's wasn't so bad. They have fallen into the curse of the factory-line, too. Anyway, I mean mass appeal more than food, as I am happy to eat at Iberico but avoid Leona's and stick to cinnamon rolls at Ann Sather.

I haven't eaten at Ba-Ba-Reeba in years, like Emilio's it always made me think I might as well have the reliable B+ at Iberico and save about $2 a plate, but I had a really disappointing experience back in the dot-com days when I ordered delivery for a bunch of people working in Illinois Center (a true food wasteland at 7 pm) through an outfit called Food.com (it no longer exists; the domain goes to the Food Network now). Apparently some of what I ordered was out or unavailable or whatever. So rather than anybody calling me and asking what I'd like instead, the guy shows up with what they did have-- which was like two brochettes or something for five people-- and wants $28 for it with the exorbitant delivery charge. It's the only time I've ever rejected a delivery order, you could say it wasn't the delivery guy's fault, or even the restaurant's, but I say it's the fault of everybody who helped handle this order without thinking, this is a ridiculously small amount of food for the money, maybe I should pick up the phone. Anyway, I never used the service and have never eaten at Ba-Ba-Reeba again.

Quite frankly, I've been disappointed with all attempts at Spanish food in Chicago. This includes BaBaReeba, Iberico, Arco de Cuchilleros, and Emilio's.

You know that feeling you had, growing up on Chinese-American food before you discovered Chinatown and how great Chinese cooking can really be? Well, if you've only eaten Spanish food in Chicago, you're in for a great treat someday.

While this is probably off topic, and belongs in shopping and cooking, I will defend Iberico's not for their food, but for the chef/owner(?) who has brought canned and jarred Spanish products, of consistently high quality, to Chicago, under the Sarica brand. They are available in the deli area. Alas, they no longer have large tins of pequillo peppers, so we are relegated to none at all or exhorbitant prices (so far, none, ah, graduate school:-(

If the price to pay is a place that overpromises and underdelivers and is crowded with 20-somethings, so be it. After all, whatever moved into that space would probably cast its net to the same crowd. Or sell overpriced furniture or something.

I have found Arco de Cuchilleros to be the most rewarding of local (city) options, except for one visit to Emilio's Lincoln Park which is a number of years ago, was a very special occasion and we ordered accordingly which may have helped. Nothing like luxury ingredients to get a higher-order chef into the production.

That said, Arco d'C can be uneven and requires judicious ordering. They do have specials that change, but in my experience have often been excellent.

Or did, haven't been there in a couple years either. Do a lot of tapas at home, and for entertaining, so am less inclined to go out and eat a nuked tortilla than one I will make at home.

As it happens, I too was just at Village Creamery on Friday, and bought some of the purple yam to take home. If you're worried that it will be starchy tuber tasting, it's not, probably thanks to lots of sugar. (I actually asked the girl working there "Is this what purple yam really tastes like or is this just what it tastes like with lots of sugar?" She admitted she had never had the yam, just the ice cream.) Anyway, it's a great color, the pint I brought home inspired me to compose this shot with Ikea plasticware:

What a depressing thread. I have to say that while I've only been to Ba-ba-Reeba a couple of times a year, I've had mostly B-B+ experiences (foodwise) and service to match. Occasional blandness, but nothing bad, and never bad service.

My last meal there was a cast party in March where the food was pre-ordered. The garlicky potato salad was assertively, aromatically garlic-ed. The bacon-wrapped figs were yummy. The various things on skewers were well-broiled, i.e. not dried out. Bread in baskets was fresh without tell-tale staleness in the outer slices. Paella (never my favorite item there) was generously filled with either meat or seafood and the rice was done nicely - not gummy. There was more, but I can't remember what it was.

What the thread makes me really long for is a high-end, non-tapas Spanish restaurant. A Spanish Spiaggia. Has there ever been such a thing in Chi?

I'm no tapas scientist, but I've been to Iberico, Ba-ba-reeba, and Emilio's. In comparison, Andalucia on Montrose (I believe) is far superior in all aspects. It is (the last time I was there) BYOB and you can purchase sangria mixer (I've never had it). Without a doubt, the finest tapas in the city and easier on the pocketbook as well. The only downside is that it is a tight space and once the four seats at the bar fill up there is nowhere to wait.

Abraus wrote:In comparison, Andalucia on Montrose (I believe) is far superior in all aspects.

Can you say a bit more about Andalucia? I went shortly after it opened, and I wasn't very impressed. Any dishes you particularly recommend, or things that stand out in contrast to the other tapas places around town?

Thanks,

Aaron

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but here goes...

I agree with the general consensus here - the food at Iberico and Babareba is pretty ho-hum mediocre. The thing is, I found most of the food in Spain itself pretty ho-hum mediocre.

I just got back from a week and a half in Spain. And no I didn't really research the restaurants I wanted to visit (my mistake). Short of some delicious seafood in Sevilla and some great serrano ham in Madrid, most of the food is exceptionally (to my American palate) oily and salty. There are some exceptionally good stuff to eat like berberechos (cockles?), squid sandwiches, mondaditos, olives, etc. But really - not much struck me as particularly better than Iberico / Babareba. And go to a random restaurant (or Cerveceria or Taberna or especially a Bodega) in Spain, you'll probably rather have Chicago's versions of tapas.

Ouch, I can hear it coming...

vegmojo

Thirsty Bear. Anchovies, yum.

On the subject of ube, MikeG, you can purchase an ube spread (pureed ube, sugar) at many of the board's favorite locations - Marketplace on Oakton, La Unica, etc. It's most interesting aspect to me is its concord-grape color, not it's mild, somewhat flowery flavor. But I purchased it just for the reason you mentioned - just what does this thing taste like?

vegmojo wrote:I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but here goes...

I agree with the general consensus here - the food at Iberico and Babareba is pretty ho-hum mediocre. The thing is, I found most of the food in Spain itself pretty ho-hum mediocre.

I've never been to Spain myself, and base my opinions solely on my experiences in Spanish restaurants in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Mexico. I have to imagine that there must some better restaurants in Spain than the ones here in Chicago.

I guess I am asking people to believe that there is better Spanish food out there. I wish I could go back to Jersey this weekend, take pictures, and write up each dish to show people how great Spanish food is. But that will have to wait for another time.

Rich, I've been to a lot of old fashioned Spanish restaurants mostly in Florida, but also in Newark, in California and in Latin America. I have to admit that a majority are not that great, and stick to the stodgy, heavy stuff (along with the swords and armor ambiance) that used to give Spanish food a bad name. But when one of these old timers is on, it's great. For me, the problem here is that there are no traditional Spanish restaurants, just tapas places. Not a criticism, an observation. There also are no Portuguese places, obviously. I wish we had some of both. I always wonder about the Spanish restaurant in Valpo, Indiana, which "looks" the part.

This is in response to Aaron Deacon's question about Andalucia. To be honest, there is not one thing that I can point to as to why I like it better. Everything just seems fresher and better put together (vague I know). Perhaps it's my personal preference but I think it just tastes better and I don't have a precise reason. I have only been 6 months or more after opening, so maybe they had kinks that they had got worked out. Both times, I saw the same guy there who said he was from Spain and swore these were the best tapas in the city (maybe I was psyched out). I'd give it another whirl regardless though and do try the beef skewers and chicken croquettes, they were the table favorite.[/quote]

And go to a random restaurant (or Cerveceria or Taberna or especially a Bodega) in Spain, you'll probably rather have Chicago's versions of tapas.

I don't know if I can necessarily agree with that. I visited the Andalucia region of Spain last year and though not everything we ate was spectacular, there were certainly some stand outs.

In particular, I'd have to say one of my favorite restaurants (not just in Spain, but probably on the "all-time" list as well) was a place we happened upon in Madrid, called something like La Trucha. Dinner was so good that we went back for lunch the next day and actually spent more on the second meal. One of the best dishes was a simple platter of grilled and lightly salted peppers called "pimientos de padron." Almost like mini-poblanos, with a touch more heat. This must have been a speciality as practically ever table had a plate of them. Another speciality was their canapes. No blandness here. I later saw a picture of this place in the back of one of Penelope Casas' books, so I guess it's more well known than I thought.

Another edible delight that I've failed to find here in the States was the fried anchovies. These are not the dinky little things you find on pizzas, but fresh, plump whole fishes with a sweet, melt-in-your mouth flavor.

Needless to say, when I came back to this side of the pond, I was quite disappointed by the offerings here. Like other people have said, they're decent, sometimes good even, but never great. I did like the sausage plate at Iberico, and I'm a fan of the bacon-wrapped dates (though I don't think I ever actually saw that in Spain), but nothing here quite compares in flavor.

Oh, also gotta love the Spanish version of hot chocolate, thickened with something like cornstarch to an almost pudding-like consistency, accompanied with fresh hot churros....

I think what is also missing here is just the general air of conviviality and joie de vivre that the Spaniards exude. In Spain, people enjoy tapas by hopping from bar to bar with friends, sharing wine and sampling the best dishes at each place (usually standing up). And for the most part they somehow manage to do it without being nearly as obnoxious (or "irksome") as their American counterparts.

Kinda unrelated: On the comment about fluorescent lighting at Iberico...

I'm an architect, and there's a new Illinois energy efficiency code being written for commercial buildings in the state. As it is still being drafted, I haven't seen it, but the model codes it's based on regulate not just things like heating, air conditioning and insulation, but also things like lighting. It's possible that there will be an exception for restaurants, but there could be some complications. Because fluorescent lighting is so much more efficient than incandescent (regular light bulbs, halogen, low-voltage, etc.) that it really encourages the use of fluorescent lights for the bulk of the lighting. I'd love to think that there's someone working on this law who will use good sense, but, uh, it is a bureaucratic regulation, after all.

I hope people can (ur...) see the light on this one.

Oh, also gotta love the Spanish version of hot chocolate, thickened with something like cornstarch to an almost pudding-like consistency, accompanied with fresh hot churros....

Does anyone know any place in Chicago that serves authentic Spanish style hot chocolate with churros?

Janet C wrote:Oh, also gotta love the Spanish version of hot chocolate, thickened with something like cornstarch to an almost pudding-like consistency, accompanied with fresh hot churros....

What you refer to as Spanish style is something I always refer to as Italian style.

Years ago in another life, I found myself in Venice just before Christmas. The people I was with were big time coffee bar habitues. I don't drink coffee willingly, so I asked if any hot chocolate was available. I received this small cup of pudding thick sweetened dark chocolate drink. I was in heaven. I didn't care how many cups of coffee they wanted to drink, because now I was getting hot chocolate.

Via mushroom club, I met Dominic who advised how to make this Italian hot chocolate: mixture of cocoa, flour, sugar and milk. I use the proportions on the Hershey's can, then add 2 teaspoons of flour per cup. You may want to adjust to your preference later. I mix the cocoa, sugar and flour together to allow a good mix.

I also like Mexican Hot Chocolate, Abuelita + milk, then I have one of this electric whips to build up the froth. It's used for coffee everywhere else but in my house its for the chocolate!

There is very little hot chocolate I don't like!

Cathy 2

What you describe sounds very similar to the hot chocolate that I have had in Spain. It was almost too thick and rich to drink, but perfect for dipping with churros. I will have to try your recipe.

Are you (or anyone else) aware of any restaurant in Chicago that serves this Italian/Spanish concoction?

Hi,

I know I haven't found one, which is why I provided an outline how to do it. You may also want more cocoa depending on your taste.

Marly's Chocolates in Evanston does serve a hot chocolate that I am sure is worth trying. They melt chocolate into cream or milk. If you want a more concentrated chocolate, then you pay more to add more chocolate. I have been pining to try it since I learned about it last winter.

Marly Chocolates
(847) 328-3333
527 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201

Cathy, if you like Mexican hot chocolate, you might want to try Mayordomo brand chocolate instead of Abuelita. It's less sugary and a higher quality cocoa. It's my favorite brand on either side of the border, but in Chicago I've only been able to find it in the Mexican Fine Arts Museum.

Back to Iberico for a minute, I went there pretty often when they first opened and liked it. It reminded me of tapas places in Madrid, except about five times larger. In Madrid, tapas places aren't about great food. They're a place to eat a little something, drink beer and hang out. A place to start the evening, or end it, or take a break between bars. As noted, a lot of the dishes aren't really prepared in any sense: olives, cheese, ham, etc.

Iberico, like a lot of places, has been a victim of its own success. It's now too crowded, too smokey, too loud (and too flourescent?) to overcome the modesty of its fare.