Black Bull - tapas, socarrat & more in Wicker Park

Sweet Willie wrote:ESCALIVADA CON ANCHOAS at Black Bull Tapas http://www.blackbullchicago.com/

Smokey Smokey Smokey roasted eggplant, caramelized onion, a touch of soft goat cheese, just a bit of piquillo peppers, finish with the salty anchovy, on a thin toast.

WOW

on a side note, I did some brief searching, is there a thread on Black Bull?

Hey Willie, the lack of a thread and the delay in creating one is on you!

Anyway, thanks to Kennyz's Twitter post a few days ago, I decided to meet a couple of friends over at Black Bull the other night. Overall, some really nice flavors that make this place worthy of mention.

My favorite dish of the night was the shishito peppers with smoked cod brandade. Simple and perfectly sauteed shishitos that delivered the kind of mild heat that I'm more used to with padrons (maybe they were padrons), and the brandade was as delicious as I've had (even if not as creamy as I've had).

One of the things that drew me in was the discussion on the menu of socarrat. Two things that frustrate me beyond belief about most paella in this town is that they usually lack both saffron and socarrat. Indeed, as much as I love Vera, their paella lacks the socarrat. Who wouldn't want those charred, crackly crisp chunks of rice?!? Not an issue with the arroz negro version we tried at Black Bull. Socarrat? Yes! Also, beautifully cooked fish and bay scallops and a very delicious paella overall. I look forward to returning and trying the chicken and rabbit version.

Several other dishes we tried were at the very least good, some better than others but all good: cheeses of the day with quince paste, boquerones, chicken liver mousse, and ham croquettes and chicken croquettes (incredibly creamy).

And there were a number of other very interesting items listed on the menu so I'd certainly like to check out Black Bull some more. And a lengthy sherry list, along with a number of Spanish wines. It also helps that the staff was very warm and attentive. And oh, yeah, that socarrat!

Black Bull
1721 W. Division
773.227.8600