That Little Mexican Cafe - Highland Park [la casa del gordo]

I must say that I had no intentions of writing this post after my visit here last week--until, that is, I saw another topic on here indicating they made Chicago Mag's "Best New Restaurants" list.

I frequented LCDG's original location--in between Miramar and Carlos; Gabriel Viti took over the spot for another mexican restaurant, "Pancho Viti's", last year--occasionally, asI liked having a middle ground between tacqueria (Tacos del Norte) and upscale (San Gabriel) options on the North Shore; it was, while not as quirky as Tamales, a better meal--really good fried red snapper, decent goat. It looked exactly like a Once Upon a Bagel--same owners--but that's what I liked about it: no pretensions or faux atmosphere. Just no atmosphere.

I didn't follow the changeover to the downtown HP location--where Barbecue Pit used to be--until a blurb in the Dish column seemed promising, but let me say this: somewhere in the ride down Green Bay, the La Casa owners clearly changed directions, deciding that the San Gabriel way--stone tile and and stylized uniforms and all--is the way to go (or g$$o, I guess). Bad sign.

The menu is seafood-focus, with some meat options in the upper teens/low 20s price wise; you can get tacqueria staples, but they're hidden in the back. LCDG has higher intentions, it would appear--both in getting in foodie mags and the prices, which went up about 40-50%.

I'd talk about the food--honestly, I'd like to--but I found it relatively banal and forgettable: a shrimp dish in a tequila/tomato/something sauce was perfectly acceptable, as was a piece of grilled red snapper. The margaritas were semi-potent but bland; the mojito tasted like cough syrup. That's about the extent of what came out to a $100 meal for two.

Hence, after several hundred words, my point: Did I miss something here?

La Casa Del Gordo
2014 First St.
Highland Park

I wouldn't say that you're missing anything but my experiences at LCdG have been favorable. Of course, I haven't really tried much of their fish because I usually carry out and fish doesn't often do well on that basis.

But, I have enjoyed several of their dishes -- especially the appetizers. The guacamole is outstanding. The avocados used to make it are always properly ripe, the seasoning is spot-on and the onion is cut into a small enough dice that you could easily taste it but don't have to suffer through large, chunky bites of it. "La Casa" quesadillas are also quite tasty. They're made with white masa, stuffed with a squash blossom filling and topped with tomatillo salsa and queso fresco. I also loved the huge portion of well-executed queso fundido. The chorizo was tasty and spicy, the chihuahua was creamy and mellow and the roasted peppers were tender but not mushy. I also enjoyed the Picaditas but thought they were better in their previous form, as Chilipitas, when they also included chipotle strips.

The very nice chorizo can also be had on one of their appetizer pizzas, along with chihuahua cheese. In spite of its "gringo" pedigree, it's quite tasty and the crust is crispy-thin and somewhat short. Of course, I wasn't thrilled when I saw the last one I ordered being carried, in a plastic bag like a briefcase, from the back of the restaurant up to the bar. Clearly, the young lady who did this was completely clueless as to the pizza box's actually contents. Not good.

Entree-wise, the Cecina Estilo Huitzuco was very satisfying . . . good-quality meat, tasty seasonings, well-prepared. The grilled onions and jalapenos were especially well-cared for; nicely roasted and quite tender yet still whole and possessing clean flavors. Another variation of the Cecina can be found in the memorable Burrito Sabrosito which also includes scrambled eggs, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and chihuahua cheese. I've tried and enjoyed the Enchildada Verdes too.

The more conventional offerings are mixed, IMO. Chiles Rellenos were tasty but did not travel well (no real surprise there). I enjoyed the Al Pastor and Carne Asada taco plates but neither blew me away. The rice and black beans which accompany those plates are tasty and of decent quality -- not the best ever -- but quite decent. It's probably worth mentioning that the food quality, while a bit variable, is largely consistent. I think I've eaten or carried out a total of 5 meals from LCdG and all but one were very comparable, from a quality perspective.

As far as I can remember, LCdG offers 3 salas: red, green and chipotle. I think all 3 are very tasty but the red has a very homogenous texture which I wasn't in love with, initially. But it grew on me because the flavor is good. The verde is my favorite. The chipotle salsa is also very decent.

This isn't exactly Bayless-level cuisine here but I think it's far better than Pancho Viti's and slightly better than Hot Tamales, making it the best Mexican in its price range in the area. It's hard to compare it to Tacos el Norte or Taqueria Los Mogotes because it doesn't really have the same objective. Still, I've been down on those places lately for a variety of reasons and LCdG has filled the void nicely.

=R=

Hi,

When I wrote Taquerias: Highland Park and Highwood [Project LTH], I did not include La Casa del Gordo, because it is now a full service restaurant. Earlier when it was situated on the Highwood-Highland Park border, where Pancho Viti’s is located, La Casa del Gordo was definitely a taqueria. The move closer to central Highland Park, La Casa del Gordo shed its humble taqueria past, acquired Chef Fructoso Sandoval and got more ambitious.

La Casa del Gordo now offers a lunch buffet for just under $10 with a menu they advise changes daily. I went last week to give it a whirl. Walking in the door, there was a greeter who walked with us to the buffet explaining the day's offerings:

In a made on the premises taco shell was salad with chilled grilled salmon with a choice of two dressings a balsamic and a ranch; each with a mild chili twist to them:



On this occasion, I split the salad with a friend because we both wanted to try other offerings. However, I could easily see this salad as my lunch.

I went to the steam table, where I got a tamale, chili relleno filled with cheese though beef was also available and chicken mole:



Toward the end, I sampled the chicken soup which was a touch piquant with chopped onions and cilantro available to mix in:



While there was fresh fruit available for dessert, we opted to go a la carte sharing their signature flan flavored with a leaf whose English name nobody knew and I didn't recognize the flavor:



While my friend didn't find it as creamy as her own recipe, I found it pleasant. The fruits on the plate were macerated blueberries, which would be great with some ice cream.

Their buffet also had enchilladas, sandwiches and several other dishes. Oddly there were no tortilla's or beans present, which might be available upon request.

The interior is lively and hardly needs decorating for Day of the Dead:



While this is an occasional lunch option for me. It will also enter our rotation of places to take visiting clients.

Regards,

Hi,

Not too surprising, Chicago Magazine's Dish reports:

La Casa del Gordo (2014 First St., Highland Park) has closed, and in its place, the third location of That Little Mexican Café (847-266-1411) has opened

Regards,

We had dinner at the Little Mexican Cafe before a movie on Sat. night. It was our first visit since they took over the space from the gordo folks. I was pleasantly suprised by what I found. They had a woman in the back of the restaurant making homemade corn tortillas which were excellent and they made an interesting tableside preparation of guacamole which really hit the spot.

The entrees are not very traditional but were very nice just the same, duck breast fajitas, citrusy fish preparations, decent sopes. We enjoyed ourselves and were out of there with plenty of time to make the movies.

Next time my wife suggests we eat here, I might not laugh it off

iblock9 wrote:We had dinner at the Little Mexican Cafe before a movie on Sat. night.

If you look up it in listings somewhere, it will be easier to find if you look for it under That Little Mexican Cafe.

AFAIK, they do not have a website for any of their three locations. (The other two are in downtown Evanston and on Bryn Mawr on the north side of Chicago.)

nsxtasy wrote:

iblock9 wrote:We had dinner at the Little Mexican Cafe before a movie on Sat. night.

If you look up it in listings somewhere, it will be easier to find if you look for it under That Little Mexican Cafe.

AFAIK, they do not have a website for any of their three locations. (The other two are in downtown Evanston and on Bryn Mawr on the north side of Chicago.)

In case it's not clear, they also have a 4th location, in Highland Park, in the space which used to be La Casa del Gordo. I ran out of room when editing the title of this thread.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:In case it's not clear, they also have a 4th location, in Highland Park, in the space which used to be La Casa del Gordo. I ran out of room when editing the title of this thread.

Do you mean 4th, or 3rd? I count three: Evanston, Bryn Mawr, and Highland Park. Is there a fourth?

nsxtasy wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:In case it's not clear, they also have a 4th location, in Highland Park, in the space which used to be La Casa del Gordo. I ran out of room when editing the title of this thread.

Do you mean 4th, or 3rd? I count three: Evanston, Bryn Mawr, and Highland Park. Is there a fourth?

No, I misread your post and thought you wrote that there were 2 in Evanston.

I guess the HP location makes 3.

=R=

Closed, though it will be the location of Casa de Isaac & Moishe.