Well, for the record there were four people in chef garb, clearly distinguishable from servers, on Friday night. We talked to Raul and also to one of the chef-partners (he was the one who said they were already thinking of expanding).

I told a friend who lives very close to there about it, and she just emailed back:

I've been an excellent neighbor-I sent a family to the restaurant last night (they
LOVED it and said it was packed) and myself and a friend went today for brunch and
loved it too (only one other table filled-folks probably didn't know they were open
for brunch as they usually open at 5 p.m.) HAD THE FISH TACOS-GREAT AND SO FRESH.
They're eager to please (the entire staff waved bye-bye to us) and I told them word
was spreading!

Raul said he was familiar with LTH, and I told him the word of mouth has been overwhelmingly positive so far, and that I thought that his place would become a smashing success. The only two times I went he was serving rather than cooking although from talking to him I know he is a chef, which leads me to believe that while he might pitch in when it's busy when it's not he's out front. Both times when I went it wasn't busy, yesterday there was one guy in the kitchen and today two. I am sure there is much to learn from talking to all concerned, and Raul is affable, garrulous (at least when it is slow) and completely charming. This is another place that I probably wouldn't have tried without the reports from LTH Forum, and I am instantly and completely sold on this place. In my checkered past I have had a little experience in the food/beverage world and to me they're doing everything right. I want to go again tomorrow.

I live in the neighborhood and am so glad to hear that this place is worth trying. But I have to say - not to be snooty - I pass by Mixteco almost everyday and never fail to notice what might be one of the worst signs I've ever seen. From what I've read, the outside doesn't seem to do the place justice, and unfortunately, new restaurants are often judged like books (by their covers). I hope it doesn't hurt them in the long run.

rlguffman wrote:I live in the neighborhood and am so glad to hear that this place is worth trying. But I have to say - not to be snooty - I pass by Mixteco almost everyday and never fail to notice what might be one of the worst signs I've ever seen. From what I've read, the outside doesn't seem to do the place justice, and unfortunately, new restaurants are often judged like books (by their covers). I hope it doesn't hurt them in the long run.

May it turn out to be the next Sunshine Cafe!

I have a copy of the menu scanned (We went last night. It was fabulous, will post more later) and I'm not sure how to post.

I stopped in last night for dinner and was very happy with the food. I arrived at 6pm and about 4 other tables were filled. Mostly couples and two families with small children. Last night I was dining solo and the hostess gave me the choice of open tables to sit at. Once seated, I was greeted promptly and water/chips/salsa were brought right to my table. For an appetizer, I chose the ceviche which featured marlin, if I remember the menu correctly. I really enjoyed the ceviche - very fresh and great flavor combination. For my entree I chose the cochinita pibil (roasted pork loin - seen in photo in post on page 1). Some habanero sauce and warm corn tortillas were brought to the table as accompaniments for the dish. I appreciated the heads-up from the food runner about the spiciness of the habanero sauce as he brought it to the table. Too full from dinner to try the desserts, but the crepas with cajeta are definitely on my list to try on another visit. Total tab with tax, but before tip was $23.50.

It looks like they're still working out some minor service issues - while they had plenty of staff to run food and clean tables, it looked like only one guy was taking orders and writing up the checks. This made for an extended wait from the time I asked for the check and received it. I wasn't in a hurry so no big deal - but I could tell the guy at another table was getting antsy waiting for his check (this was one of the tables with kids and, when asking for the check, the diner let the guy know they were trying to get out before a potential toddler meltdown - the feared meltdown never happened). Again, I consider this a minor issue as they figure out volume/staffing so it didn't detract from my experience. I will definitely add Mixteco to the rotation!

Another note on hours: I took one of the to-go menus and noticed they crossed out Monday and wrote in Tuesday. Looks like they are no longer open on Mondays. Does anyone know if they plan on remaining BYO?

Daisy11 wrote:For my entree I chose the cochinita pibil (roasted pork loin - seen in photo in post on page 1).

Did you still have the menu? Are they doing this dish with loin? That would be a change from the typical shoulder/butt.

I can't imagine it was loin. The menu doesn't specify, but it must have been shoulder or some similar braising cut.

Mike G wrote:This is one of the best casual-level additions to the north side since Spacca Napoli opened a few blocks away, and you'll want to go soon.

Probably one of the best Mexican additions to the whole city. You'll definitely want to go soon. We arrived before six p.m. yesterday and it was completely full before the end of our meal.

The cochinita pibil is excellent from the pork to the cooking liquid to the habanero salsa to the pickled onions (and the top-notch fresh tortillas don't hurt a bit). The trio of sopes appetizer is fun and full of flavor. The basic carne asada is a damn good ribeye with salsa and guac.

So, add me to the chorus of cheers. Mixteco turns out some top-quality food. I'm looking forward to trying more of the menu (it's diverse enough to keep me busy for a while).

Best,
Michael

Tried to go to Mixteco last night around 8 - it was jammed, with groups waiting for tables spilling out onto the sidewalk. Not being patient enough for a long wait, I guess I'll just have to try it some other time - maybe on a weeknight.

That's good news for them. I am planning on going tomorrow again, and I couldn't decide between lunch and dinner. I guess now it'll be a leisurely lunch and then a 3:30 movie at the Davis. I hate waiting. Good for Raul.
I ran into Rick Bayless today, I had an 8:00 a.m. gig with my kiddie band in Lincoln Park for the 10th anniversary celebration of the Green Market. Da Mare, Bill Curtis, Bayless, and some local food people (freaking Ina complained we were too loud). Several years ago Rick hired my wife to teach Deanna Bayless Spanish, we bartered free meals in return. It was great, all we had to do was tip the staff and they picked up the rest of the tab. It was a six month long weekly examination of the menu at Frontera. I've never had a better setup. So we've been friendly over the years. We even sat next to him on a flight back from Mexico City once, a total coincidence. Another of his guys is doing well.
My wife also used to be a makeup artist, and when Geno Bahena's sister got married she did makeup for her and her sisters and mom. But that's another story.

Wehad lunch there today, another stellar meal. And in stark contrast to last week, the place was jammed at 1:00 on a Sunday afternoon. Raul was in front of the grill in his chef's jacket, not out front, there were two wait persons serving twenty five people, and while we were there two four tops turned over so it was another eight. They were rocking and rolling. I had the sopes, guacamole and chicken tacos, my wife had sopa azteca again (which I would have except I wanted to try different things) and the uchepos, we shared. The guacamole was exquisite, served with crunchy, perfectly done chicarrones instead of chips, nice variation, with a little grated radish on top. The sopes were smoky and smooth, but I put a little salt on them. Chicken was heavenly,moist and flavorful, with a great woody char, served with rajas and grilled cebollas,with a little black bean and guacamole to put in the tortillas. The only flaw was that the tortillas were cold, but they were so busy I didn't have the heart to send it back to be warmed. All for $35 for the two of us.I have a feeling prices and wait times will go up,but for right now this is a gem on Ashland. Service was good, and while it was very busy we didn't have a long wait for anything, we were there just under an hour from start to finish,including polishing off the bottle of Domaine Chandon from across the street.

Went to Mixteco for dinner last night at 630pm .Had made a reservation for 2 but wasnt necessary . Steady busy throughout the evening but never any waits for tables. CTA Pres Ron Huberman showed up too so I guess the word is out! Great service and wonderful food as everyone has mentioned above, the guacamole really is a standout here. The other favorite was the camarones poblanos($16),perfecly cooked grilled shrimp surrounding a mound of roasted potatoes and poblanos all resting atop a delicate poblano cream sauce. My friend had the carne asada($20) , a thick, juicy well-seasoned portion, which was not the usual skirt steak, but I think a rib-eye. It came with a side of black beans and guacamole. Finished with a delicious tres leche cake. Only one spolier for me -the ventilation system or lack of is not up to par- I havent seen anyone else post about this, but I knew from the moment I opened the door that my clothes were going to reek of fried food/smoke. This is the super-industrial variety that clung on to us for the rest of the evening at Katerina's for an after-dinner drink, and still holding fast onto my jacket this morning! Not sure if anything can be done since it's a one room, open kitchen set-up, but hopefully they're working on it .

Mike G wrote:


Tacos ensenada, that is, fish tacos in the more typical style (eg. Fonda del Mar, not Tacos del Pacifico). I've liked Fonda del Mar's a lot but these blew them away-- seasoned/vinegared tomatoes sharpened this dish up to a fine point.

The Wife took one bite of these tacos and declared them her favorite, as in "ever." I liked them quite a lot, and they were as good as or better than any I've had since...Tacos del Pacifico. I really prefer fish tacos fried all over, dorado, and that does not seem to be the way most places prefer to do them. This is not to diminish the fish tacos at Mixteca at all; for this type of fish taco, they were damn good.

The handmade tortillas on these tacos and other dishes, made fresh on the griddle in back, were beautifully soft, fragile, lush smelling; they easily wrapped around the smallest piece of fish or meat without the slightest sign of weakness or cracking.

Had lunch there today and it was AWESOME...asked about BYOB, he's going to try and get a license but isn't sure he'll be able to because of proximity to the school down the street.

We had lunch there again today too. When we were seated the waitress said, "If you want the tortillas warm, just ask." So they saw my previous post and deduced who I was. They read every post here. Again a stellar lunch. I had the fish tacos which were superb. I can't make a comparison because I had never had fish tacos before (in our travels to Mexico we have not been to Baja and I have never seen them anywhere else-Vera Cruz, Mexico City, Taxco, Cuernavaca, Acapulco, etc.). But I'll have them again. The camerones in poblano sauce were just superb. And I am really liking the guacamole with chicharones, the latter give a really interesting twist to the usual guacamole experience. Low carbs for sure. Some friends called today and want to do lunch tomorrow so we're going again. I'm in.

Just adding to the chorus of praise: They seem to be handling success very well. Showed up around 6:45 last night. It was about 75% full and I presented them with a bit of a problem: my party of 4 were converging from various locations and I was the first. They didn't hesitate to seat me right away by myself, which I thought was really nice, as they were clearly filling up.
The basket of fresh chips was perfectly crisp, oily, crunchy and addictive. The ramekin of salsa was a bit bland for me. Very different from the standard,it was of a smooth, almost ketchup consistency with virtually no heat. But also, not a lot of other flavor either. It was refrigerator cold, and perhaps at room temp. some subtler flavors would have emerged. However, this little dish of salsa was the sole, minor disappointment in an altogether terrific meal.
The room did indeed fill up around me in short order and every conversation I was able to overhear indicated that the party in question was industry. Lots of restaurant business and gossip being discussed. Folks with those multi-bottle wine carriers that you see reps using, etc.
Service was not perfect, but completely ingenuous and ingratiating. Despite moving through very tight spaces between tables, nothing was dropped or spilled, no diners were jostled. One woman complained about a draft from the front door and was immediately relocated, despite the overall crowding.
We started wtih the taco ensanada which was just as delicious as noted by other posters. Then we had the empanadas with the slightly spicy green mayo. Perfectly golden pastry, lovely fillings all the way around.
We asked if they could produce a completely plain quesedilla for the 7 yr. old, and the server looked a bit nervous about asking, saying that he'd only been there 2 days. But came back triumphant with just what we needed.
I had the mahi-mahi with the tomato based sauce and pickled jalepenos. The fish was simply perfectly grilled. Marvelous char taste and smell, but not enough to overwhelm the fish at all, whcih was perfectly moist. The saucing (for all the dishes) was terrifically judged to complement.
Mrs. B. had the vegetarian dish (enchiladas?), I can't recall now. But they were lovely, and again, the green sauce was vibrant, tangy and terrific. My sister in law (in from out of town, married to a terrific cook, and an eater of truly global experience) had the fish special (grouper), also in a green sauce, but different from the last---mellower. It was delicious and she was very impressed.
Dessert was the warm choc. cake and ice cream (boy), and shared crepes (the ladies). I tasted the cake (very good), but not the crepes. Coffee was acceptable, but not special.
The room was rocking and I didn't notice them losing control of it at all. They did try to deliver a 2nd plate of apps to our table that belonged elsewhere, but the mistaken waiter was followed within seconds by another staffer who corrcted the mistake.
Food this good, in the middle of nothing particular right there on Montrose, at this price point, is a small miracle. For which I am grateful.
Can't wait to find out what they do on weekend mornings.

I was at Mixteco last night about the same time as Mr. Barolo and had a similarly great experience. The Tacos Ensenada (tilapia tacos with delicious "slaw" dressing) and Tamales de Pollo with a tomatillo salsa were both delicious and possessing the bright, tangy flavors of freshly made food. No muddling of flavors in these appetizers, though I would agree that the table salsa was strangely lacking in flavor and heat; some charred tomatoes and pasilla chiles would have done wonders for what seemed to be just a "base." As for the main courses - they were just flat out great. I ordered the Cochonita Pibil and my wife ordered the Enchiladas Vegetarianas...both arrived in surprisingly large portions. The entrees showed off flavor combinations reserved for restaurants that charge much higher prices for their food; deft use of acidic ingredients in place of too much salt or heat was very evident (though the Cochonita Pibil did come with an extremely fiery head-sweat-inducing habanero salsa). Entertainment for the evening was provided by one customer essentially flagging down the head chef behind the kitchen service counter to let him know she was back with a friend; though I suppose, no harm no foul.

I went for a late lunch last weekend with some friends. Our waitress was very solicitous and friendly (and patient with how long it took us to make up our minds). The sopa Azteca was outstanding as were the uchepos gratinados (corn tamales). I think that the latter was my favorite item, though I also loved the fish tacos and the guacamole. The chips were warm, and while I'm not a big fan of their style of salsa, I certainly ate it. I think I'll try the tres leches cake next time I go.

We went for dinner tonight, actually the first time we had gone in the evening. All of our previous visits were lunches. Menu is different, mostly same appetizers, different entrees except for the grilled shrimp. We got there about five minutes before five and the door was locked. There was another party of four waiting to get in, and we talked a bit, they heard about it on yelp where evidently the reports have been very positive. The staff was folding napkins and setting tables. The hostess appeared at 5 and was surprised they made us wait outside. We were seated immediately; there were two servers, two bus persons, a hostess, three chefs and a helper. It was noticeably smokier than it was for lunch. We got the fish tacos of course, even better than before. And I love the chicharrones with the guacamole idea, it's such a singular twist. I had the grilled chicken (vinadero?) and Mrs.Trpt the cochinito pibil. A solid extra base hit on both counts. Our server (Damian) was fairly new, having started last week. I was impressed with the quality of the service, they definitely had enough staffing to handle the crowds. Our water glasses were always kept full. Two more tables came in by 5:30, and by six when we left there was literally a line out the door. We only briefly greeted Raul, who was mostly in front of the grill, coming out front once to deal with something. This place is a hit in the making. Come fall this is going to definitely be in the running for a GNR award. This is the only place we've been to this month except for a Memorial Day visit to Lao Sze Schuan. (I think I'm finally over the Three Chili Chicken).

rober wrote:I was at Mixteco last night about the same time as Mr. Barolo.

We stopped by as well that same evening, although around 9:00. We shared the empanadas, pork in mole negro, and catch of the day in mole verde. I found it all quite marvelous and Raul was out on the floor making sure everyone was cared for. We had a few questions about the menu that the waiters could not answer, so he stopped by the table and spent some time going over the menu and his favorites. I'll agree that the salsa was not a hit, but we skirted that issue when asking about the moles. He had a couple small bowls of the black and the green sent out for us to taste and they became our de facto dipping sauces for the fresh tortilla chips. Regarding the entrees, I will say that the fish, my selection, was cooked to perfection. Heated just through on the inside, but cooked to a nice browned, almost charred crisp on the outside. A perfect match for the creamy and just barely sweet mole.

All said a very pleasant experience in a quite unexpected location. I'm sure we'll be back next time we're in the neighborhood.

Stopped by here tonight--at 6:30 it was empty; within 15 minutes the line was out the door, and they were basically re-assembling the restaurant to fit parties of various shapes and sizes.

Not much to add on the vittle: they good. The fish tacos are the best I've had in Chicago since my lone revelatory experience at TdP; other than the quibble of using tilapia, the balance of textures and flavors is tremendous. I also had the catch of the day (grouper) in mole verde, which was earthy and a touch sweet; the fish itself was very nicely cooked on the wood grill and took to warm tortillas well. While I didn't understand the large white beans scattered about the plate, I really loved the gnocchi/dumplings--stuffed with some sort of Mexican white cheese--also studding the presentation.

My one caveat is with the space--this is a small restaurant, and the commotion led to constant jostling throughout my meal as they struggled to handle the crowds. I can't imagine what this place is like on the weekends and will not be finding out anytime soon.

The other nuisance was the use of fans, obviously there to disperse the smoke from the grill, and which kept blowing things around my table (not to mention chilling the room on this oddly chilly June night). Midway through the meal the fans were abruptly turned off; not surprisingly, it then got rather warm. Hope they've got a plan for winter...

Chezbrad,
The mole verde with the fish could have been Oaxacan mole verde, which often includes white beans. The dumplings sound Oaxacan as well-often served with Oaxacan mole amarillo, or in soups.

We went there again recently and one thing I'll say is that I think the appetizers are far more interesting/better than the entrees. Not that the entrees are bad at all, but as at Fonda del Mar, they tend to try to retrofit Mexican flavors into an American fine dining paradigm of a slab of meat with some veggies on the side. And even in a nice mole, a hunk o' fish is a hunk o' fish, a grilled pork chop is a grilled pork chop. Anyway, I don't find them nearly as interesting as the appetizers which are more authentic and include several things I really love-- the tamale uchepos, the huitlacoche empanada, the fish tacos, etc.

We stopped by tonight about 6:30 and it was closed because the air conditioning had failed. Raul met us at the door and explained the situation, he was very apologetic. So we went to El Asadero further down Montrose for an excellent couple of tacos and a burrito and chips and two sidrales for twelve bucks.

So out of all of the reviewers so far, am I the only one to have found bones in their fish?

Arrived around 5:20 last Friday. The air conditioning was out and it was way too hot inside.

Tacos Ensenada - Best dish of the night. Good flavor. I could have probably just gotten a couple of orders of these.
Trio de Empanadas - I liked the one filled with cheese. I think the green sauce somewhat covers the taste of the other two fillings.
Guacamole Con Chicharron - Didn't get any chicharrones. Guacamole didn't have any heat. Probably could have used a bit more salt.

Cochinita Pibil - Does the habanero salsa come in it's own little cup on the side? Because we certainly didn't receive any. I just thought it was somewhat bland. Definitely prefer the version at Fonda del Mar.
Pescado En Mole Verde - The catch of the day was grouper. The fish had a good char grill taste and was cooked okay. However I found about 10 small bones varying from a centimeter to an inch and a half.

The last issue was that when the plates were being cleaned, a knife fell off a plate which dropped and broke the water glass in front of me.

I had a concert tonight that was recorded with the kiddies at school, and the Mrs. and I got out of there at about 9:15. I said let's try to get some fish tacos and we made it in under the wire about 9:45.The perfect hit was two orders of fish tacos, two sopas aztecas and a guacamole which came with five nice crispy pieces of chicharones. The place was nearly full (two two-tops open) at quarter to ten. Raul was tired but happy; he said the air conditioning was partially fixed but that next Monday they'd be putting in a whole new system. Furthermore, next week he said they'd be seriously negotiating expansion into the adjacent space. A quite justifiable move.

The antojitos were just fabulous, I love the fish tacos, the soup was stellar as I remember the first time I had it and the guacamole was tasty as ever. 30 bucks altogether with a diet coke and agua de mango. I noticed everything on the menu was a dollar more. It was bound to happen and I don't begrudge it. Go for it.

MM

There probably isn't much left to say about our new darling, but I had my first AM meal there---Father's Day brunch---so I thought I'd log it in.
Called at 9AM and they were perfectly happy to take a res. for 5 for 10AM. I rather expected them to be jammed, between the holiday and the positive buzz, but we were there for 2 hours and there were never more than 3-4 tables full incl. ourselves.
Service was as attentive and sincere as ever. Waters filled regularly and Raul stopping by to ask how we liked each dish after it was served. We had 2 kids with us and each was accomodated with a special plain order of something.

The morning menu was most or all of the evening antojitos, plus 3-4 egg dishes and pancakes (wheat, not corn) given the goat caramel treatment of the reg. menu crepes.
Mrs. B. had the pancakes and said while it seemed silly to order pancakes there, they were really good. Boy loved them as well and stole half of mom's order.
We shared around the empanadas. sopes, and guac. I was having the guac for the first time. The chicharrones really add a great, slightly gamey note to the rich creaminess of the guac. Yum. I liked the pork sopa with tomatillo salsa best The mole on the chicken was a bit on the sweet side for my taste, but that's purely a personal pref.

Our friend had the grilled prawns and they were great. Perfectly grilled, charred just right, toothsome, and the green sauce was a lovely, velevety conmpliment.
I tried the eggs (whose name now escapes me): poached on a tostada in a campechana sauce (is that poblano based? can't recall) with some grilled zucchini. Now I can't recall exactly what was under the eggs inside the tostada. All in all, it was fine, but underwhelming in comparison to the prawns and apps. Lots and lots of sauce, which seemed to overwhelm the other components in the dish. I suspect I will try the other egg dishes, but will end up ordering other things, even in the morning.

Had the guava flan for dessert. I was just crazy about it. I haven't eaten a lot of guava,so I'm not sure if what I loved about it was intrinsic to the fruit, but there was a little extra acid, and a hint of sour/bitter undertone that really refreshed the richness of the flan. It was like a bit of ocean breeze hovering around your tongue while eating flan.

Another completely enjoyable meal there. (And I cannot get enough of the house green salsa that they bring with the chips. I may stop by and ask if he'll just sell me large containers of it to take home.)

mrbarolo wrote:(And I cannot get enough of the house green salsa that they bring with the chips. I may stop by and ask if he'll just sell me large containers of it to take home.)

Did they change the salsa? They were serving a red--and it was more like a paste than anything--a few weeks back, and I thought it was the weakest thing I tasted. Chips were great, though.

The green salsa has been standard the last couple of weeks or so. Not picante but very flavorful. We went tonight again with some friends from out of town, one of whom was a Mexican from Chicago now living in the wilds of Miami. Another one knocked out of the park. I'd never had the ceviche, it was stellar. The tamales were exquisite. I had the pescado veracruzano, not guachinango but mahi mahi. Wife had the chuleta in mole, the guests enchiladas. I have rarely had such a great piece of grilled fish. Perfectly charred outside, moist and savory inside, with bits of oranges in the sauce. When asked, Raul said, well, the veracruzana style is inspired by Spanish cooking with the capers and olives so why not some orange? It worked perfectly. The pork chop chuleta was savory, toothsome, with a terrific mole that Geno Bahena would be jealous of. Desserts were sublime, tres leches cake, mexican cheese cake, me with the boring old home made vanilla ice cream. Dinner for four with appetizers, entrees and desserts just at $100. It was crowded but everything moved smoothly. Raul said there were 93 covers tonight, 90 last night, not bad for a small place on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Plans for expansion are proceeding apace. Permits will be obtained soon one hopes (I just can't bring myself to say hopefully). I have yet to be disappointed. Kudos to Raul and his staff. Service was attentive; my wife got a bit of mole on her white blouse and a young man quickly offered her one of those Tide bleach pens to erase the stain. What a thoughful gesture.