Real de Catorce, Pilsen

uno, dos, tres...
Real de Catorce

The winds of change have been gathering force in Pilsen for some time now from several different directions. In addition to the long and slow growth of a non-Mexican artists' colony that started in East Pilsen, there has been in very recent years an infection from the north, as the cancerous growth of the Near West, also known as UIC, has finally begun to spill over the train tracks by 16th Street and now seems poised to consume at least part of yet another old Chicago neighbourhood.* Meanwhile, there has also been change from within, as the resident Mexican community of Pilsen has initiated its own series of renewal projects under both individual and community auspices.

The local, neighbourhood-internal contribution to the Pilsen renaissance is readily apparent as one drives down 18th Street, the principal commercial thoroughfare, where over the past several years old Mexican-owned businesses have beautified their façades and a wide range of different new Mexican-owned businesses -- from cafés to pastry shops to restaurants to art galleries -- have opened up, restoring in the process some of the district's handsome old buildings to former or perhaps new glories.

A new addition to the commercial renewal of 18th Street is a restaurant that stands in the quiet section of the street east of Racine, at the spot where May Street runs from the south to a T-stop at 18th. The restaurant' name, Real de Catorce, taken from a remote town in the state of San Luis Potosí, itself gives a good indication that this establishment is intended to be an upscale addition to the neighbourhood's offerings of Mexican cuisine.



Real de Catorce occupies a fine old brick building with a Joliet limestone façade and the interior, with its exposed brick-walls, is tastefully decorated and comfortable. The space is broken up into a large main dining room in the front, a bar and service area and partially exposed cooking area in the middle, and in the back an especially nice looking smaller dining room. On the occasion we were there (a Friday evening, ca. 7 p.m.), the staff outnumbered diners by a wide margin, and so it is impossible to have any real sense of how conversation-friendly this restaurant normally is, but one notes that later in the evenings, presumably after normal dining hours, there is karaoke there.

For our dinner, we ordered a special simple dish for Lucantonius, who at four years of age is still fairly limited in what he can or will consume. Amata and I ordered an appetiser and two main dishes, all of which we shared. The entrada we had were the calamares al guajillo ($7.00), that is, sautéed squid served in a sauce of red wine and guajillo chiles. The sauce was quite delicious but unfortunately, the calamares themselves were slightly overcooked and thus a little tough; I suspect that after the initial sautée, the squid was joined with the sauce and further cooked for a moment but it was, alas, a moment too much.

The two main dishes we ordered were the manchamanteles con puerco ($13.50) and the pechuga rellena de huitlacoche ($12.50). The first of these, the "table-cloth stainers," is described on the menu as "charbroiled pork chop topped off with Mole Poblano." The two thin pork chops themselves were very nicely done and the mole, which had a nice fruity element, struck me as being very well executed, even if -- sour-puss that I am -- it was slightly too sweet for my personal palate. Accompanying the pork were Mexican rice and black beans in the style of San Luis Potosí with a drizzle of crema on top. The other main dish, a stuffed chicken breast with huitlacoche, is one of a number of stuffed chicken breast dishes offered at Real de Catorce, which together form their own section on the menu. In this case, the stuffing included huitlacoche, the black fungus also known as "corn smut," and chile de arbol, dressed with a crema-based sauce; the chicken was also accompanied by Mexican rice and black beans but in addition came with small and quite tasty papas del monte, that is, a kind of new potato. I have two criticisms of this dish, namely: 1) that the flavours of the stuffing were simply not sufficiently prominent for me and, indeed, the expected touch of heat from the chiles de arbol mentioned in the description on the menu was missed; 2) the crema-based sauce was slightly over-salted to my tastes, though otherwise it was tasty and I enjoyed it together with both the small potatoes and chicken. The Mexican rice and the black beans were both very nicely prepared.

With regard to Lucantonius' meal, I am happy to say that the staff was so kind as to realise that it would do well to get the child's meal out and on the table quickly and they did precisely that. In addition, it was an especially tasty little improvised kid's meal: slices of marinated, juicy, perfectly seasoned chicken breast served on a bed of the Mexican rice.

Real de Catorce is definitely intended to be an 'upscale', out-of-the-ordinary Mexican restaurant and this goal is realised in a number of ways, from the decor and table setting to the music and the food. With regard to the food, one strikingly atypical aspect of this restaurant is the general absence of tortillas: diners receive a basket of toasted, garlic-flavoured bread (accompanied by two dipping sauces, one white and the other green) before the meal and no tortillas were offered or, for that matter, seen throughout our time there. Beyond that, the menu includes only a few traditional dishes (which include different styles of enchiladas and chiles rellenos) and instead an array of restauant-style chef's creations, without doubt with close ties to traditional Potosina cuisine, but also with more or less creative combinations of ingredients and sauces. Seafood dishes are numerous among the appetisers and in addition there is a section of seafood main dishes and hearty soups (caldos). In addition to the aforementioned stuffed chicken breast dishes, the menu also includes some steak dishes.

Real de Catorce has a full service bar but in addition invites patrons to "bring your own tequila," for those with excessive brand loyalty or an unwillingness to share their wealth. At the moment of our visit, only two beers were available, namely, Corona and Budweiser. Non alcoholic beverages offered include items such as jamaica and horchata.

All in all, I must say that despite the not insignificant criticism of some aspects of our meal, we basically liked Real de Catorce very much. In part, we especially like what the owner and chef are trying or intending to do and think that this kind of 'upscale' place with genuine roots in a traditional Mexican regional cuisine is potentially a really great addition to Pilsen. That there were some noteworthy shortcomings may have to do with the fact that at the time we visited Real de Catorce, the establishment had only been open for about a month, and even then, perhaps with slow business, had and has not yet had the opportunity to work out all the kinks. From talking with the manager, we think they very much want to develop and improve their restaurant and that can only happen if it gets enough support to stay alive.

In conclusion, we think Real de Catorce, when we visited, had some strengths and some weaknesses, but the positive outweighed the negative. This restaurant surely has real potential. We will certainly be back to give them another try and hope they can catch on.

Antonius

Real de Catorce
1134 West 18th Street
Chicago
312-421-9502

* Nota bene: I have nothing against UIC in any regard whatsoever other than the fact that it has played and continues to play a prominent rôle in the displacement of interesting old neighbourhoods ("Greektown", Taylor Street ("Little Italy"), "Jew Town" and the Maxwell Street Market and now the northeast corner of Pilsen). Perhaps that is progress but however positively one might view these 'developments', one can nonetheless legitimately lament the loss of old commercial establishments and ethnic neighbourhoods.

Edited for typos. Post-site-move character problems also fixed.

Real de Catorce isn't the only upscale restaurant to open recently in Pilsen. Another is Picante Grill, on Halsted just south of 16th Street. We have not yet sampled the food there (their chef was formerly at Adobo Grill on the north side and indeed the menu resembles Adobo's offerings) but just in terms of marketing Picante Grill stands in stark contrast to Real de Catorce.

Picante Grill bears an astonishing slogan: "Hola! Mexico just got a little closer to Chicago." Who is this statement addressed to? Presumably not the half million Mexicans living here, who make Chicagoland a good candidate to become the 32nd estado de México and for whom Pilsen is a vibrant cultural center. I'd say Picante Grill instead looks north to the cookie-cutter townhouses of University Village in the old Maxwell Street area, across the street to the recently built Pilsen Gateway condos, and hopes to intrigue the commuters shooting down Halsted to the expressway ramps. The name itself reassures the most monolingual Anglo: picante -- a word everyone knows from the grocery store salsa aisle -- plus the most overused, to the point of meaninglessness, restaurant label: grill.

What could be further from the Picante Grill branding than the maximally opaque 'Real de Catorce'? Real de Catorce, as some but perhaps not all LTHers know, is a town in the state of San Luis Potosi. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was a booming small city of 40,000, rich from silver mines with its own royal mint, one of the first places to have paved streets and electricity. Now the mines are played out and Real de Catorce is a ghost town (pictures here), with only a few hundred residents among the crumbling old buildings, including a fair number of artists and stray Euro types. (Of the five restaurants in town, two seem to have Italian chefs.) Real de Catorce also carries a mystical cachet: in early October many Catholics make a pilgrimage to a St. Anthony shrine there, and in spring the Huichol Indians make a 1000 km trip to gather peyote nearby. It's isolated in the mountains, hard to get to on cobblestone roads (the last 2.5 km through a one lane tunnel) and -- until Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts shot The Mexican on location there a few years ago -- only had one telephone line for the entire town. It is (or was, in pre-Brad&Julia days) considered a very cool place, in an artsy, Carlos Castañeda-y, backpacker kind of way. There's a Mexican blues band called Real de Catorce, for example. So as a restaurant name in Chicago 'Real de Catorce' resonates among Mexicans and Mexican aficionados, saying first of all that this is a Potosino place (SLP is famous for its regional food) and further evoking the coolness of the ghost town Real de Catorce. I hope there is enough of a market among those who recognize the name for the Real de Catorce restaurant to succeed.

Real de Catorce
1134 W. 18th Street
Chicago, IL 60608
312 421-9502

Picante Grill
1626 S Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60608
312 455-8500
www.picantegrill.net

Adobo Grill
1610 North Wells St
Chicago, IL 60614
312 266-7999
www.adobogrill.com

Edited to fix post-move character problems

Very informative posts and a very interesting place to try!

Thanks.

Rob

Chicago has, I believe, the largest concentration of Potosinos of any city in the US -- a surprisingly large number. This may explain the drawing power of its name. Let's hope the restaurant turns out to be asilver mine and not a ghost town!

Has anyone out there been to Real de Catorce lately? I'm a high school teacher in the Pilsen area and took two of my graduating seniors here for dinner tonight in recognition for their hard work on the school's yearbook. They said they didn't want "plain, old tamales" and I thought this would be a perfect choice. It certainly was, one student had the Fillet Relleno which was stuffed with chiles rellenos served over grilled peppers and the steak was huge. The other student had the Pechuga Potosino which also looked delicious. I had the Pechuga Potosino which was moist, flavorful and had spices that just popped. However, we were the only table in the place for most of the evening. This is worrisome for a number of reasons, I would hope that on a Saturday evening the place would be packed! Any thoughts?

KatyK wrote:... However, we were the only table in the place for most of the evening. This is worrisome for a number of reasons, I would hope that on a Saturday evening the place would be packed! Any thoughts?

Briefly noted in my original post on Real de Catorce was the fact that on a Friday evening (back in February), the restaurant was also pretty empty (the staff outnumbering the patrons by a wide margin). And I'm disappointed and concerned to hear that several months later the restaurant can also be largely empty on a Saturday evening.

I had hoped my postive review of this interesting place would spark some curiosity among folks in LTH-land but yours is obviously the only report of a subsequent visit. It sounds, howver, that we and you concur that this is an interesting and promising place and one very much worthy of attracting steady business. Amata and I (and Lucantonius) haven't gotten around to returning to RdeC yet but now I feel compelled to do so soon.

I wonder a) how grave the problem is for Real de Catorce and b) whether they suffer from a combination of being too up-scale for the immediate neighbourhood and located in a still too remote part of town to draw in folks with bigger restaurant-budgets from elsewhere in the city. The stretch of 18th Street on which RdeC is located is rather quiet, with few other businesses that are open at night. In this regard, it stands in considerable contrast to the far western stretch of 18th in Pilsen proper, between the Blue Island/Loomis intersection and Ashland; that area contains several popular restaurants (most notably Nuevo Leon) and cafés and seems to me to be the go-to area for outsiders visiting Pilsen in the evening. I suspect the owners of RdeC were hoping to draw business from the nearby and ever-expanding "University Village" (quite a misnomer!), but perhaps those 'villagers' are content to visit their corporate eateries on Halsted north of the viaduct.

As I said above, I really like what the folks at RdeC are trying to do and would thus very much like to see them succeed. I'll suggest to Amata we make a return visit in the immediate future and perhaps we can get a few of our fellow LTH Mexican-enthusiasts to join us.

Thanks, KatyK, for bringing RdeC back to the forum's attention.

Antonius

i almost moved into a loft on top of Real de Catorce...

the few times I've driven by last month, the restaurant has remained largely empty... not looking too good i'm afraid...

Perhaps an LTH event is in order? Not that this alone would save them, obviously, but it could help create a critical mass for future visits, both by the attendees themselves and resulting from recommendations they make to others ("you tell two friends, and they tell two friends," etc.).

Beth and I had a very nice meal at Real de Catorce today. It was completely empty when we arrived (at 8:30), but a group of 3 arrived as we were leaving.

My pechuga rellena de huitlacoche, which Antonius mentioned, was quite good. Beth's simple enchiladas verdes were also a-ok. Tostadas de ceviche were a little bland, but some yucateco perked them up, perhaps a bit too much

It had a nice vibe, friendly staff, good food, good prices. No reason not to return. I just hope they stay in business.

gleam wrote:Beth and I had a very nice meal at Real de Catorce today. It was completely empty when we arrived (at 8:30), but a group of 3 arrived as we were leaving.
My pechuga rellena de huitlacoche, which Antonius mentioned, was quite good. Beth's simple enchiladas verdes were also a-ok. Tostadas de ceviche were a little bland, but some yucateco perked them up, perhaps a bit too much
It had a nice vibe, friendly staff, good food, good prices. No reason not to return. I just hope they stay in business.

Ed:

I'm glad to hear you checked out Real de Catorce and very glad to hear you had a good experience. To be honest, I've been 'fretting' over this place and this thread for the past few weeks, hoping there would be some new experiences and opinions but somewhat worried about what visitors might actually find when going to RdC.

The reason for the concern is the experience Amata, Lucantonius and I, along with a couple of other LTHers, had there back on the Sunday of July 4th weekend. That occasion -- we were having a bon-voyage meal with HungryRabbi -- was our second visit to RdC and I was disappointed to find that some of the problems I had encountered during our first visit were still problems. Two specific points that come to mind: 1) I thought the sauce on my dish was oversalty and 2) a seafood appetizer featured a beast that was tasty but, alas, also somewhat tough (first time it was calamari, this time the octopus).

There were on this second visit some other, graver problems but they perhaps had something specifically to do with a combination of slow-business and the July 4th holiday weekend. On that occasion, they were out of beer -- not a specific brand but all brands -- and also out of arachera, which was the item that at least a couple of us were interested in ordering. In addition, the ladies' room was out of service. Amata has reminded me that the queso fundido appetizer, which was quite tasty, also seemed quite small (not that one needs to eat massive doses of melted cholesterol delivery devices but the serving was definitely on the smallish size). Given all that, I left wondering whether these were all omens of impending closure.

So then, it seems worth considering that some of the negatives described above were somehow connected to logistical problems related to the holiday weekend. I'll say again that there are a number of features to this place that make me very much want to see them succeed (e.g., different approach, great space, nice staff, interesting items on the menu). There is no doubt in my mind that they badly need to be busier, both for the obvious reason of needing to make money to stay open, but also in order to work out some of the kinks.

Anyway, I'm really happy to hear you had a good experience at RdC and I hope there will be some other reports coming in.

Antonius

Three of us found ourselves strolling past Real de Catorce yesterday after fleeing the Pilsen Fiesta del Sol (nothing wrong with the festival, really, except it was too hot and shadeless) at around 3PM. We were heading vaguely toward El Nuevo Leon, but I remembered seeing some positive posts on this place, so we stopped in.

The restaurant was cool and empty (not surprising for mid-afternoon) and there was a long table of empty silver food-warmers (a sign out front advertised a Sunday brunch ending at 2PM).

We shared the Tostadas de Ceviche, fried calamari (which our waiter recommended over the sauteed calimari), and one of the four stuffed chicken breast entrees listed on the menu. We also shared at least three baskets of delicious bread and dip.

Our bread was neither toasted nor flavored--just white, dense, and chewy--but was accompanied by two dips/spreads, one white and one green. The white one, per our waiter, consisted of feta mixed with whipped cream and cream cheese. Highly addictive. The other--a bit too hot for me--was some kind of jalapeno cream.

The ceviche was very mild--didn't taste the least bit lemony--but the marlin was wonderfully tender and fresh-tasting. After being out in the heat this was just perfectly refreshing.

The calamari was also amazingly tender. The breading was light, almost tempura-like, and the calamari was served with a ranchero sauce that we amped up a bit with one of the provided bottles of salsa picante. None of us could remember having had better fried calamari.

Our chicken breast (the first pechuga rellena listed on the menu) was stuffed with spinach, queso chihuaha, and mushrooms, with veggies on the side including sauteed bell pepper and onion strips. Lovely, with lots of black pepper in the sauce. We especially liked the accompanying papas del monte which were wedges of red new potatoes completely covered with black pepper black pepper and roasted.

The bread was also just perfect for sopping up the remaining sauce from our plates--we didn't leave the restaurant's dishwashers much to do.

I am not sure, but I think we were supposed to get rice and beans, too, but we forgot to ask about it. In any case, the three of us were painfully full from sharing two appetizers and an entree (and three baskets of bread), so we didn't miss it. All this deliciousness for about $25.

We noted a nice looking room in the back that our waiter said was available for private parties of 30 or so. LTH event, anyone?

Our waiter, when we asked, also assured us that the restaurant has been doing very well, especially this summer. He gave us business cards which list a Web site (www.realde14.com), but when I visited it I got an inoperative page for Hotel Ruinas del Real in San Luis Potosi--I'm not sure what the connection is to this restaurant, exactly, or why there are no working links (it seems like there OUGHT to be....).

Anyhow, highly recommend this place. Had no sense at all that it might be slipping or approaching closure.

However, as Antonius reported recently, the women's restroom is (still?) out of service.

Feta cheese spread? Seemingly heavy emphasis on seafood? (not something overly emphasized in San Luis Potosi, Mexico). And some other comments, collectively, in the totality of the reviews - it sounds to me as if the owners of the place are confused, about what they're cooking and about the significance of what the name Real de Catorce might stand for. I also have the impression that the neighborhood has pretty much decided to avoid the place and that the target market is the gentrified community to the north (not likely to draw from there, IMO). A Mexican restaurant in Pilsen that Mexican's don't seem comfortable eating in? The reviews, thus far, are enough to prompt me to drive right by.

Bill wrote: Seemingly heavy emphasis on seafood? (not something overly emphasized in San Luis Potosi, Mexico).

This is really an uninformed comment, Bill. Real de Catorce is not primarily a seafood restaurant, but seafood places are popular all over Mexico, including in the interior states.

I would characterize the cooking at Real de Catorce as nueva cocina mexicana -- fully consistent with its being a "white tablecloth place", serving French bread and dips rather than chips and salsa, etc. Whether or not they execute this type of cuisine consistently well is what is under discussion above, and I'm delighted to hear that debo and her friends had such a pleasant meal there.

... it sounds to me as if the owners of the place are confused, about what they're cooking and about the significance of what the name Real de Catorce might stand for.

I really don't understand the comment about the name. What basis do you have for thinking that the owners don't understand the significance of their own restaurant's name?

I live VERY nearby and decided to try this place out. I'm a food snob and I am very particular as to what places I will dine in and at. I have looked in this place everyday and I have only seen people dining inside on three occasions. I saw this as an indication of the food and establishment.

The food is atypical mexican fare and although the establishment presents itself as an upscale eatery, I feel they are trying to bite off more then they can chew. The best quality of the entire experience is the decor. The food is not authentic, the staff is just "blah" and the music is way TOO LOUD. I swear trying to hold a conversation while dining here is like a competition with the stereo. I can certainly undestand why everyday I look in, I NEVER see anyone in there. It's a wonder this place is still open, as it seems no one ever eats here. And after reading the above postings, I'm not the only pne who feels this way.

If you want a better experience, go elsewhere as the prices for the items on their menu are more then places with better offerings and experiences. Save your money and try a REAL upscale restaurant or visit one of the other locals spots for REAL authentic mexican food.

HI,

Welcome to LTHforum ... what local places do you specifically recommend? What items on the menu are particularly well executed?

Thanks!

Regards,

One of my favorite local spots is La Condessa on Blue Island and Ashland. It's not fancy, but it's certainly authentic and very well priced. I've never had a bad experience there. Great service, friendly owners and good eats.

What an odd place this is. "Maximally opaque," as Amata so aptly described it -- I can't figure this joint out.

Last night, we tried several of the menu items recommended in this thread -- the fact that I didn't like any of them is no reflection on the taste of the original posters, as I doubt the kitchen here produces dishes with much consistency -- however, A, the crema-based sauce on the pechuga is still over-salted (The Wife mentioned this, unprompted).

Debo, the calamari are no longer tempura-like -- they're just breaded circles, not bad but not that much different from what one might find elsewhere.

The ceviche was limp and lifeless -- the result, I'd suppose, of sitting around for some time (the fish had not "turned," it just was not fresh tasting, no zing).

The huachinango a la Veracruzana was one of those odd variants of this classic dish that I've spotted at many other Chicago Mexican restaurants -- no olives, no tomato sauce, but lots of red and yellow sweet peppers. What I got looked like red snapper.

Enchiladas potosinas were on the menu but unavailable at Nuevo Kappy's a few days ago, and they were similarly listed but not to be had at Real de Catorce.

Overall, a thoroughly mediocre dining experience...yet the room is beautiful and kept quite tidy with few customers coming in to mess things up.

Oh...what I liked most: the beans, no longer, as A reported earlier, black but rather charros style, and really quite excellent. I ate mine and The Wife's, and found them plump, wholesome tasting, and an anchor of real food in place that challenges one's sense of reality.

Real de Catorce has closed.

Amata wrote:Real de Catorce has closed.

Not a shocker, though, is it? This place seemed out of place, not up to par, doomed.

Here's hoping something worthy moves into their old space,

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:

Amata wrote:Real de Catorce has closed.

Not a shocker, though, is it? This place seemed out of place, not up to par, doomed.
Here's hoping something worthy moves into their old space,

David,

Somehow I missed or now just don't remember seeing your post just above from last May and, given how problems that existed since the place opened in February of 2005 persisted through at least 15 months, it is indeed not surprising.

I feel a bit badly for the folks who put this restaurant together, for they clearly put a lot of effort into some aspects of the place. But the main aspect, the food, just never matched the promise of the 'concept' and the beautiful space. Good intentions, bad execution.

As you say, let's hope something moves in there with a kitchen that can better satisfy.

Antonius