It was all made in-house, I have no doubt.

But it didn't quite taste homemade.

I don't know, as I say, it was all capable, but it didn't sing to me, after the ceviche.

Mike G wrote:It was all made in-house, I have no doubt.

But it didn't quite taste homemade.

I don't know, as I say, it was all capable, but it didn't sing to me, after the ceviche.

I think I know what you are saying and yes, it's very definitely restaurant food -- and that's part of the appeal for me. Jorge and crew have worked in some 'fine-dining' kitchens around town and a certain amount of that aesthetic shows up in the food, which is also quite soulful. That aspect -- plus the quality of the ingredients -- combined with the fairly distinctive menu and the overall vibe of place is what makes it a worthy candidate for me. Plus, I really love chef Jorge's passion for feeding people and making them happy. In my conversations with him, that has always come across loud and clear.

In any case, I'm glad you liked the ceviche

=R=

For my lunch on this brisk, sunny, Saturday, I'm digging greedily through the ceviche that I brought home from Flamingo's, and for the moment at least, I couldn't be happier.

I wonder if it's ever possible for a native Midwesterner to get a warm, fuzzy, comfort-food, Grandma's-home-cooking feeling about a seafood place. It's what's so out-of-the-ordinary about a place like Flamingo's that appeals to me, in addition to the quality, ambience, and service. The chef may be Mexican, but for me it's like a quick trip to Chile, with $1,550 left over.

I'd love to have a place like this walking distance from where I live, which is my own personal definition of a great neighborhood restaurant.

I wonder if it's ever possible for a native Midwesterner to get a warm, fuzzy, comfort-food, Grandma's-home-cooking feeling about a seafood place.

What, you never heard of Mrs. Paul's fish sticks? I believe their habitat is in the midwest.

Irrespective of the food, my experience, as one data point out of many, would be best described as "efficient" or "professional" but not especially warm or welcoming.

We had tickets to a show last night in Des Plaines, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to check out Flamingo's (which was just a short couple of miles from the theater).

I'm glad we went because we had a fantastic meal. We started with tostadas piled high with wonderfully fresh crab mixed with avocado, jalapeno, and some other stuff that I'm not remembering right now. For my main I had the mahi mahi, crusted in crabmeat, and served with a lobster chipotle sauce. Also really good. The wife had shrimp cooked in a tequila/butter sauce. I liked her shrimp, but I liked my mahi mahi better. Dessert was a nice and juicy slice of tres leches cake.

I'm not sure I would make a special trip out of the city for Flamingo's, but I'm a lazy, lazy man so take that for what it's worth. If I find myself in the area again around a meal time, I would happily return to Flamingo's. I just regret going after the GNR comment period had ended.

Custom menu for LTHForum.com dinner, October 10, 2007 . . .


House margaritas



Tomatillo salsa



Ceviche of mahi mahi



Grilled cactus masa boat huarache with chile adobado



Avocado gazpacho with crab meat



Pan roasted pork tenderloin with chili mulato port wine porcini mushroom sauce, cajun oven roasted mashed sweet potatoes and verdolagas



Pumpkin seed crusted Chilean sea bass with huitlacoche mashed potatoes, caramelized chayote and tequila tamarind ancho chile sauce



Sweet corn flour doug tamale canario with vanilla ice cream and guava compote listed on menu as "rice flour" but after chatting with chef, I'm fairly certain it was corn.



Chef Jorge (left) and his kitchen brigade

I really enjoyed this meal because not only was it created especially for us, but it really captured the spirit of what Flamingo's is all about. The food was innovative, distinctive and delicious -- and the ingredients were top-notch. I enjoyed it all but my favorite was the perfectly cooked sea bass, which broke into moist flakes with just a touch of the fork and paired wonderfully with the tequila tamarind ancho chile sauce. I also loved the caramelized chayote in that dish and the pumpkin seed crusting was seasonal and inspired.

=R=

I must have driven past it a thousand times! I would have never stopped in if I didn't read this post. It was a good meal and would go back to try the rest of the menu.
thanks

My wife and I hit Flamingo's last night before we headed to the Allstate Arena for the TSO concert.

Got there around 5-ish or so and we were the only ones in the restuarant until around 6:00 or so.

Service was excellent, although they really had nobody else to pay attention to.

Started off with the house margaritas which were the Sunday drink special for $5. For appetizers we had the calamari, which was excellent, if a bit steep at $11, and the veggie quesadillas, which my wife loved, but I was indifferent about.

I had the Shrimp Diablo. Six very large shrimp in a very hot sauce. Although they were delicious, I thought the sauce might have been a little too hot. I know that sounds silly, but it was almost overpowering. My wife had the aforementioned fish tacos, which were also delicious.

All in all, a great place. We quizzed the waitress about Steve Dolinsky coming there. She said that Check Please was just there filming recently for an airing sometime in January. So, it looks like this place may hit the map provided the reviews are positive. She also said Chicago magazine did or is doing a write up.

Only one complaint. Since we were the only ones in there at the time, we asked if they could put the Bears game up on one of the big screens. They did, but not without one of the kitchen staff shooting us a dirty look first. The guy in the middle of the picture two posts up with the black beret on. At first, I thought it was my imagination, until my wife said the same thing. Don't know what his problem was with it as the futbol/soccer game was still on the other big screen.

Eric wrote:I had the Shrimp Diablo. Six very large shrimp in a very hot sauce. Although they were delicious, I thought the sauce might have been a little too hot. I know that sounds silly, but it was almost overpowering.

FWIW, "al diablo" dishes are traditionally served extremely hot (spicy/picante).

By way of contrast, I ate at Flamingo's a month ago and had a grilled Chilean sea bass with guava habañero sauce, topped with crushed toasted pumpkin seeds. You're probably aware that habañero is among the hottest of all chile peppers; however, the sauce on this dish was quite mild, with only the slightest hint of hotness.

nsxtasy wrote:You're probably aware that habañero is among the hottest of all chile peppers

You're probably aware that habanero is not spelled with an ñ.

stevez wrote:You're probably aware that habanero is not spelled with an ñ.

No, yo no lo supe. ¡Gracias!

Flamingo's Seafood (as well as Kiki's Bistro and Tank Noodle) will be featured on "Check Please" on WTTW Channel 11 roughly twenty minutes from now.

Encore Airings of this Episode
Saturday, January 12 at 4:30 pm
Sunday, January 13 at 10:00 pm
Thursday, January 17 at 10:00 pm
Friday, March 21 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, March 22 at 4:30 pm
Sunday, March 23 at 10:00 pm
Wednesday, March 26 at 4:00 am

Just saw check please-Flamingo did fine. Now...my real and totally selfish concern is that the show doesn't gum up the works in anyway for Tank Noodle. Hopefully it will be good for them, and yet not cause lines out the door, or a problem with service or food quality. Excuse me while I research which saint is the patron of pho...

I have been debating whether a trip up to Flamingo's was worth the effort for a while now basd on the reviews I have seen here and elsewhere, but I want to confirm something I read in Chicago Magazine(which only gave Flamingo's 1 star btw) regarding Flamingo's:

Is it true they have 50 different tequilla's available, and if so why did no one mention it on here?, or did I miss it?

If they do have a nice selection of tequilla available in flights, or by the glass I will definitley make the trip.

Siete Mares



A seriously large washbasin-sized bowl of seafood soup. As my wife remarked, "I used to wash my face in a bowl that size, as a little girl."

As unappetizing as washbasin may sound, this soup was delicious and chock full of large shrimp, a whole med-sized king crab leg, fresh shucked oysters, fresh mussels (not parboiled New Zealand's - thank goodness), fresh clams, tilapia chunks and veges (large chunks of skin-on potato, carrot, squash and celery). At $15 a very decent deal considering the fresh seafood (and absence of Krab) and GINORMOUS bowl - the King Crab leg put it over the top, although it was somewhat messy and hard to dissect given that it was soup. I highly recommend as it really hits the spot in this cold cold weather.

We attempted to eat at Flamingo's on Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m., only to be told that they are reservations only between 5-9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The hostess suggested we try coming back at 9, which we did, but we found that they weren't going to be able to take us at all that night. The place was still packed at 9, and I noticed people still there that had been there at 6:30. Not sure if it's a new policy to only take reservations on the weekends or if it's the Check Please! effect, but we will definitely call for reservations next time and look forward to trying it out - everything smelled delicious!

I just heard from chef Jorge Almaraz who confirmed (as was posted on another thread a few weeks back) that Flamingo's is officially no more. Chef Almaraz told me that he is not affiliated with the new venture going into the former Flamingo's space.

Right now, he's planning on taking some much-needed time off and heading to Europe for an olive oil seminar, after which he will return to town to look for a new location, with his investors.

He also asked me to thank the LTH community for being so supportive during the Flamingo's run.

I loved this restaurant and am very sad to see it go. I'm optimistic that whatever is next for chef Alamaraz will be every bit as wonderful.

=R=

NO!! I had this on my list to hit before the end of the year.

ronnie_suburban wrote:He also asked me to thank the LTH community for being so supportive during the Flamingo's run.

I loved this restaurant and am very sad to see it go. I'm optimistic that whatever is next for chef Alamaraz will be every bit as wonderful.
=R=

So am I. His in house dry aged steaks were one of the best bargains/secrets in town.

This was a very special restaurant, and it's really sad that it didn't succeed. I wish Jorge Almaraz well and I hope his next location is somewhere that will support him.

LAZ wrote:I wish Jorge Almaraz well and I hope his next location is somewhere that will support him.

Just heard from chef Jorge that he's opened a new place in Forest Park called the Duckfat Tavern & Grill. Apparently, he's been open since early March and has been bringing it along slowly since then. They had their official grand opening recently and chef sounded very excited about the new place, his new menu and the fact that business has been strong since he opened. I'm definitely looking forward to checking it out -- the menu looks fun and delicious -- and I'll start a new thread as soon as I do, unless someone beats me to it.

=R=

Duckfat Tavern & Grill
7218 W Madison
Forest Park, IL 60130
708 488-1493

Like this one? (It sounded eerily familiar to me....)

pamiam wrote:Like this one? (It sounded eerily familiar to me....)

Exactly, that's the one.

=R=