I stopped in at Isaac's last week and he told me about some exciting changes that are coming to the menu. Chiles en Nogada, Beef Chorizo, Fish Tacos and Tilapia in Poblano Cream sauce will soon be added -- to name a few -- along with several new, house-made breakfast items. Some of these items have already been available, unofficially, for some time but I'm excited try out the ones I haven't already tasted. And speaking of the beef chorizo, as we discussed making it, Isaac told me that one of the reasons their rendition is so distinctive (and delicious, IMO) is because they make the vinegar that is used in the chorizo in the restaurant. Having recently made several batches of 'average' chorizo myself, this information gave me a glimpse of just how far I have to go.

Anyway, while I was in, I picked up a couple of "to go" items, including a chile relleno and chicken in red mole, and both were delicious, even though I had to let them sit around a while before I got to dig into them.

Isaac and Moishe keep humming right along . . .

=R=

Cathy2 wrote:

Grandpa Bob wrote:How many restaurants in Highland Park or Highwood are opened late at night on Saturdays?

Mocha
720 Sheridan Road
Highwood, IL
847/579-4010
www.mochahighwood.com
Sun-Thu: 6 AM - 1 AM; Fri-Sat: 6 AM - 2 AM

I was only to Mocha once and wasn't impressed. In the nightowl department, it sure goes deeper into the night than Miramar.

Regards,

I couldnt remember, for the life of me, where i'd heard about Mocha. Anyway, we tried to go after a dinner with friends at Curry Hut for a later night coffee and dessert (around 10pm) only to find Mocha has gone out of business.

There is an ice cream place in the same strip mall which was very good...served Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream and house made frozen bananas. Open past 10:30 too

Grandpa Bob wrote:How many restaurants in Highland Park or Highwood are opened late at night on Saturdays?

Miramar is open till midnight.

Hi,

Sorry I forgot to update Mocha indeed went out of business. Frankly, I wasn't impressed and likely you would have been embarassed.

The ice cream shop you reference is:

Sweet Pea's
www.sweetpeasicecream.com
764 Sheridan Rd, Highwood - (847) 266-1116

Regards,

Sweet Pea's is indeed the ice cream place and we enjoyed it quite a bit. Thanks for the name, it escaped me

We had a late lunch/early dinner at Isaac's on Sunday and in addition to trying the terrific latkes, we also enjoyed a few other dishes, some of which are just being rolled out for the first time. But before we could even enter, it was clear that Isaac, Moishe and company have established themselves remarkably well, even though they've been open for just over 7 months . . .


Proudly adorned front window at La Casa de Isaac

Isaac's remarkably solid judgment was clear -- the GNR Award was positioned proudly in the 'center square.'

The guys were excited because in addition to the latkes, the newly-revised menu will be introduced this week. While not all the new items were available -- Isaac told me that he will work them in over the course of the upcoming week -- one item he seemed especially excited about was the Caldo de Res - Rojo. After tasting it, I instantly understood why he's so enthusiastic about serving it . . .


Caldo de Res - Rojo

Isaac's version of this soup is made from a hearty beef stock and guajillo chiles. The soup contains 2 types of beef: cross-cut short rib and something called chomorra in Spanish, which I believe is shank. Both cuts were tasty and perfectly tender. The rich and deeply flavorful broth delivered a comforting, winter-thwarting heat that built slowly and steadily as I continued to eat it. The soup also contained fresh green beans and large disks of Mexican zucchini. Isaac tells me that Caldo de Res also normally contains corn on the cob but that the corn in the US is generally very sweet and it changes the complexion of the soup. As such, he leaves it out. That is almost inconsequential because the resulting rendition is fiery, delicious and compelling. Later this week, he will roll out the 'blanco' version, which I hope to report back on shortly.

For my entree, I stayed with comfort food and opted for the huevos rancheros, which I'd never had before at Isaac's . . .


Huevos Rancheros, over easy

There was nothing complicated about this immensely satisfying and straightforward dish. It was perfectly executed, with a pair of sunny side-up eggs (with wonderfully crispy edges) smothered in mildly spicy sauce and crumbled cotija cheese, flanked with tasty rice and beans, all served atop a functional base of warm corn tortillas. I was pretty full after the soup but I managed to put most of it away.

After a week of some relatively intense cooking around our house, it was nice to go to someone else's house -- even if it was Isaac's Casa. We arrived at about 4 pm on Sunday and were pretty much the only English speakers in the place. The atmosphere was laid back and familial. The only football on the muted tv was futbol and if it hadn't been for the frigid wind and light snow falling outside, I would have sworn we were in Mexico.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I stopped in at Isaac's last week and he told me about some exciting changes that are coming to the menu. Chiles en Nogada . . .

Chiles en Nogada have arrived at La Casa de Isaac, and they are as fine as any that I have had in Chicago (they do not have the traditional topping of pomegranate seeds, however). Had I realized at the time that they had not be documented, I would have whipped out my camera, but they were as pretty, tucked in their golden sauce, as they were tasty. Slightly sweet, slightly hot, and with a complex spiciness. I am not sure if they are a permanent addition to the menu (they are on the menu) or just for the moment, as they are typically served around Christmas, uh, Hanukkah.

GAF wrote:Chiles en Nogada have arrived at La Casa de Isaac, and they are as fine as any that I have had in Chicago (they do not have the traditional topping of pomegranate seeds, however). Had I realized at the time that they had not be documented, I would have whipped out my camera, but they were as pretty, tucked in their golden sauce, as they were tasty. Slightly sweet, slightly hot, and with a complex spiciness. I am not sure if they are a permanent addition to the menu (they are on the menu) or just for the moment, as they are typically served around Christmas, uh, Hanukkah.

The Navas are likely serving chiles en nogada for the same reason they served latkes, because people enjoy them around this season.

As far as I know, their religion observes neither Christmas nor Hanukkah. They belong to the Iglesia de Dios (Israelita) -- Church of the Israelite God. Officially, this group celebrates only the Sabbath, Passover/Easter, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. (Members call themselves "Mexican Jews," but also worship Christ. Discussing it with me, Moishe Nava referred to it as "Jews for Jesus.") I suppose the Antioch congregation the Navas belong to may have different traditions from the main Mexican church, but it seems unlikely.

Hi,

For breakfast on Christmas Eve, I had the Chiles en Nogada:



When Moishe brought it to the table, he advised these were served in the style from his village. I inquired about the pomegranate seeds, which he claimed never to have seen used there.

My friend grew up in Iowa. She commented the description of the breakfast burrito of scrambled eggs, seasoned beef, onions, tomatoes and jalapenos, "Sounds just like my Mom's favorite breakfast except for the burrito and the jalapenos." She did initially puzzle the waiter when she ordered the burrito without the burrito and jalapenos. When I clarified she wanted the filling without jalapeno and not wrapped in a burrito, then he was able to understand her order.



A very nice start to my Christmas holiday.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

When Moishe brought it to the table, he advised these were served in the style from his village. I inquired about the pomegranate seeds, which he claimed never to have seen used there.

I don't care where he's from, Chiles en Nogada without pomegranate seeds is like a day without sunshine.

Hello everyone,

As a Casa fan and friend of the Nava family, I volunteered to help the guys set up a simple website for their restaurant. I know many of you are fans too, so I hope you don't mind me posting their address here. The website has a PDF of their new menu, as well as an order form (Word Doc) people can use to fax in their orders ahead of time.

I've enjoyed reading various topics here over the past year, and I'm glad to have a reason to post my own message now.

La Casa de Isaac Mexican Restaraunt
http://www.lacasadeisaac.com

Site not working yet.

mattshafferHP wrote:Site not working yet.

Hmm; it's working just fine for me.

Bienvenidos Paisanos?

Works now, thanks.

Quick question. Does Isaac's have BYO or do they serve beer, wine etc?

mattshafferHP wrote:Quick question. Does Isaac's have BYO or do they serve beer, wine etc?

They have a liquor license. I don't know if they have a corkage fee if you bring your own. You can ask them Saturday evening an hour after sundown.

Regards,

I've stopped in at Isaac's a couple of times over the past week and both instances were great. We carried out lunch for our office last Tuesday and yesterday I took the family for Sunday brunch, where we ran into fellow LTH'er Katie, who was just finishing up her meal.

For my main, I had the huevos rancheros, which were sensational, and virtually identical to the ones pictured above. Before that, though, I enjoyed a small bowl of rich pozole, which at Isaac's, is made with chicken. Regardless, the soup had a deep flavor and the hominy helped it to approximate the velvety texture of more traditional versions I've had, which were made with pig trotter.



Condiments for the pozole . . . included here are Mexican oregano and a blend of chiles that are roasted and ground in-house, including arbol and guajillo. "That's how we turn the pozole red," Isaac said with a laugh. The little blend was quite potent. The addition of a relatively small amount turned the pozole from a delicious but unassuming bowl of chicken soup into a fiery cauldron.



Pozole . . . as I posted above, this was very tasty. It was almost stew-like and very viscous, with a slight leaning toward gelatinous, which was imparted by the hominy. This and the Caldo de Res - rojo are 2 of my very favorite items at Isaac's.

At my Tuesday carry-out Isaac and Moishe were nice enough to hook me up with a sample of a new item they're considering rolling out. It was a chile relleno-style preparation of cauliflower, and it was fantastic. A large floret of cauliflower was dipped in some pungent cheese and then a batter similar to what you'd find around a chile relleno. It was fried and served with a light, warm tomato salsa and some black beans. It was excellent. I'm normally a big fan of cauliflower anyway, so this was something I was thrilled to try but I'm sure this preparation could be the eventual key to fussy kids not eating their veggies. It basically turned cauliflower irresistable and did for it what bacon does for greens I definitely hope it gets added to the regular menu.

=R=

I've been going to CdI at least once a week and sometimes more often for the past several month. I'll see Ronnie Suburban on occasion and Cathy2. I understand that other customers make CdI a weekly stop.
I just want to add a few comments. Several weeks ago, our daughter was in town from Seattle and we took her to CdI. She loved it. She told us that there's a dearth of good Mexican restaurant in the Northwest and she was so pleased to enjoy their food. She liked the quality of Isaac's food.
It's nice to see that they're still getting support from the community. Business appears to have been OK during the past two months, which are typically tough ones in the restaurant business. Having quality food at good prices seems to be the key to their success.
One of my lunchtime favorites is their Burrito Campestre. It's a veggie burrito loaded with all kinds of goodness. I once asked if they could add a bit of garlic to the veggies, which they did. It is soooooo good. I bet anyone can ask for garlic in this dish and they'll be accommodating.
Garlic rules! IMHO The Lord only got two things right - onions and garlic. He/She obviously messed up with humans.
Best regards,
GP Bob

My lunch last Sunday at la Casa de Isaac was delightful, as was running into Ronnie and his family. (I asked his wife and son, how do you like your dad taking pictures of all the dishes? Oh, we're used to it, they said.)

I was glad to see that the tostadas de ceviche were still on the menu. For some reason I was afraid they wouldn't be offered in the winter. I had those (very healthy, I think), and the queso fundido (not so healthy, perhaps, so I hope it averages out) with portabello mushrooms and flour tortillas.

I was impressed not only by the food but by the attentiveness of the service, as always. When I finished eating, I saw there were a few tables empty, and asked my waiter if he minded if I lingered a while to finish a glass of wine and read some of my book. He said, gesturing around the room, this is how it is on Sundays, and I'm here for you all day, so make yourself at home.

I enjoyed my weekly midday veggie burrito fix today at CdI. Isaac informs me that starting next week, they're changing their store opening times a little bit. So their hours will be:
Sunday - 8 AM to 10 PM
Mon to Thurs - 10AM to 10 PM
Fri - 10 AM to 3 PM
Sat - One hour after sundown to 11 PM
Best regards,
GP Bob

La Casa de Isaac
431 Temple
Highland Park, IL
Phone: 847-433-5550
FAX: 847-433-6432

Grandpa Bob wrote:Sat - One hour after sundown to 11 PM

Grandpa Bob, with the timechange coming early this year, did you happen to discuss how long the Saturday night opening will continue? I'm assuming at some point in the late spring it won't be feasible anymore.

Just wondering since we don't live in HP so I'll never remember to check when we go up there to visit friends. We tried CdI once a few months ago on a Sunday night and did like it.

I seem to recall when CdI opened last spring, they planned to be closed all day Saturday. A little while later, Isaac decided to open one hour after sundown on Sat. nights. So even with an 8 pm sundown during the summer, they opened at 9 pm. From what he told me, people were waiting at the door and they usually filled the place even with the late opening.
I suggest calling them during the spring and summer on a weekday to find out when they'll be opening on Sat. nights.
It's a bit unusual not to have fixed hours, but that's the way he's running the business. Isaac tells me that his customers understand.
Regards,
GP Bob

Since I live nearby, I so very much want to understand CDI. I have tried many items on the menu that have been touted here and nothing has struck me as any better then average. The Mole is decent I suppose, but the enchilladas, the standard by which i judge mexican food, were a gloopy mess and I didnt love the guac. In fact nothing has ever stood out for me. I have tried the place on several occasions and just dont get the love it is shown here. In the hope i was wrong I tried again recently...

ronnie_suburban wrote:Pozole . . . as I posted above, this was very tasty...This and the Caldo de Res - rojo are 2 of my very favorite items at Isaac's.

I tried the Pozole and I have to agree with Ronnie. It is excellent. Just a well executed version which is both lite and hearty at the same time. I also love the accompanying condiment platter. I will return for more Pozole at the very least.

Grandpa Bob wrote:It's a bit unusual not to have fixed hours, but that's the way he's running the business. Isaac tells me that his customers understand.

Yep, no problems here. Just wondering how long into the summer it would continue. I'll give them a ring if I'm ever in HP on Saturday. Thanks for the heads up.

iblock9 wrote:I have tried the place on several occasions and just dont get the love it is shown here.

I'm going to take some heat for saying this, but I really feel that CdI gets the love because of the sheer banality of its competition in the area. This has always been my major complaint about HP: it's, say, Wednesday night and you want to have good food in a casual atmosphere at $20/head--where the heck do you go? While there are certainly many good lunch options, as well as three-ish (Sage, Bank Lane) and four-ish star options (Gabriel's, Carlos)--and, I should hasten to add, the steak options are now plentiful--there is a serious paucity of become-a-regular type of places, I feel. Me, I'd name--and I want to point out that this is a pretty middling list to begin with--CdI, San Gabriel, Kamehachi, the sushi place at Landwehr and Dundee, and Hole in the Wall; I'd call Prairiegrass my "Why?!" spot.

Anyway, CdI has good food, it's fairly priced, and it's a fun visit; I struggle to think of other spots in the area that measure against that rubric. And CdI makes a pretty darn good fish taco--isn't that enough?

I have always liked tripe soup, but my experience had been limited to the european and asian versions. My only experience with menudo had been at Tacos el Norte, and I found it almost inedible. the tripe was basically lumps of chewy fat with a foul, decaying flavor (this is the only thing that I havent liked at TelN). It was with some trepidation then that I tried the menudo at CdeI last night. It was excellent. Well cleaned, perfectly cooked honeycomb tripe in a delicious spicy red broth, with the usual accompaniments. I have heard that different cultures use different cow stomaches for cooking. I am wondering if CdeI uses the honeycomb tripe because their customers tend to be more Anglo than TelN, which uses a different, more traditionally Mexican tripe, or if TelN just made a crappy batch. I will have to research this further. Any input from the menudo experts out there would be appreciated.

-Will

From the web site:
We will close April 18 and re-open on April 28
Please join us April 29 for our First Anniversary!!!

Dave148 wrote:From the web site:
We will close April 18 and re-open on April 28
Please join us April 29 for our First Anniversary!!!

I had a great lunch at Isaac's yesterday, including the vegetarian-friendly, gelatin-free flan, and a sign on the window confirmed this information.

My torta milanesa was delicious too, but decidedly less vegetarian-friendly than the flan.

=R=

Hmm... and here I thought we might see the first Kosher for Passover Mexican restaurant.