Zocalo - Mexican tapas

A group from my office had a very pleasant lunch at this new place in the old Chilpicango space. The concept is small plate Mexican. Don't go looking for authenticity, as they state up front it's Mexican with some twists.

We started with a very nice trio of guacamoles, one was standard, one with smoked peppers and one with fruit. The fruit version was surprisingly tasty. The guac came with corn and a variety of vegetable chips such as plaintain and taro, a nice touch. We also shared two ceviches, both of which I liked.

I had a trio of tamales. It's listed as an appetizer, as each one is about 1 inch long. I though it a great small plate, and particularly liked the one in mole negro. Others had the cazuelas, a small bowl of stewed meat with mole (there are othe variations) and various tortas. Everyone was quite pleased. One in the group had dessert, a large slab of grilled pinapple with ice cream and a baked merangue topping. It dissapeared quickly.

All in all, nothing revolutionary, but a nice concept very well executed.

It's been talked about once before:http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=92594#92594

Jonah

Zocalo
358 West Ontario Street

Jonah wrote:All in all, nothing revolutionary, but a nice concept very well executed.

Jonah,

Exactly, nice concept, very well executed. Frankly, I found myself liking Zocalo, though more for the overall package than food. Not that the food wasn't good, in fact as both Jonah and LAZ mention the Fruta (Freshly diced avocado mixed with fresh papaya, guava, manzano chiles and walnuts) in the Trio de Guacamole was innovative and delicious.

There were 4 of us and, with a small place 'concept' we were able to try a number of dishes. While nothing, aside from the one guacamole jumps out at me as being outstanding, pretty much everything we had was solid, including Vuelve a la Vida (seafood cocktail), Carne Tartare, Pulpo (octopus), Cochinita Pibil and Barbacoa. Dishes come with either made in-house blue corn tortillas or an array of chips, tortilla, plantain, banana etc.

Zocalo's owners, members of the Lalo's clan if I remember correctly, gave the old Chilpancingo space a makeover worthy of the Style Channel, lots of wood, artwork, beautiful bar and a generally nice overall feel to the place. Zocalo is also one of the least noisy restaurants I've been to in years due, in large part, to the small forest they used in the redesign. There were 50-people there for a Tequila Dinner and either they were the quietest group of Tequila drinkers in the world or Zocalo has better acoustics than Carnegie Hall.

Service was professional, knowledgeable and friendly, which, coupled with the overall atmosphere makes Zocal a perfect place to entertain business clients or bring your Aunt Midge.

Enjoy,
Gary

As an aside, I miss Chilpancingo. I loved that place.

Hey, Zocalo is a block from my office; any time an LTHer wants to drop by for lunch (or even an after work drink) let me know...

I don't think I posted, but I went with some folks from work and was happy with what we got. The mix and match of small-plate-eaters and independent orderers was a little awkward, with most of us having eaten most of a meal before the others got anything, but people were congenial about it.

Some of the food was good, some was very good, nothing was bad, nothing was amazing... but I like the idea, and I like the proximity, so, as noted above -- feel free to call me out if you're in the neighborhood and stopping by!

I was at Zocalo on Saturday night, and concur with the previous reviews. I've had some better Mexican dishes, but overall it was enjoyable. I will say; however, that the tortilla soup was the best that I have been able to find in the US. I've had some amazing tortilla soups or Sopa Azteca in Mexico - specifically at the San Angel Inn in Mexico City. Until Saturday at Zocalo, I have not been able to find anything like that in the States. I just wish the serving at Zocalo was a bigger bowl!!

RMTRAUT

G Wiv wrote:Service was professional, knowledgeable and friendly, which, coupled with the overall atmosphere makes Zocal a perfect place to entertain business clients or bring your Aunt Midge.

So just last night we had a client in town and needed to find a spot for dinner. I almost took the gamble on Xel-ha but decided that there was too much recent intel suggesting that it would be unsatisfying.

So we opted for Zocalo and had a rock solid event. The carne asada from the large plates menu continues to be an excellent choice, with the peppers and onions with some kind of tomatillo component on the side being almost as enjoyable as the steak itself. The carne al pastor, also from the large plates, bore almost no trace of achiote, but was really just a hunk of pork tenderloin, nicely crisped on the outside, cooked perfectly.

Most of the rest of the dishes were in the ok/fine category (empanadas, tuna ceviche), but the chicken in mole pipian verde was a notch better -- not the finest meat, but a good mole, if not quite in the class of Chilpancingo.

On either end of the meal, the guacamole flight, mostly for the fruity version, and the pastel tres leches for dessert are becoming obligatory with my cohort.

The bar is solid too, with better than average margaritas and decent caipirinhas. I haven't plumbed the depths of the more contrived cocktails, but people I've gone with have enjoyed them. I recall someone was particularly excited about a blood orange margarita, or was it a mojito...

My main rationale for posting was to resurrect this:

germuska wrote:Hey, Zocalo is a block from my office; any time an LTHer wants to drop by for lunch (or even an after work drink) let me know...

Sometime after I posted this, I exchanged a PM with someone about possibly trying to engineer an LTH meetup, and then the holidays came and then I deleted the PM from my inbox. So I'll re-extend the invite to that person or whomever, should anyone be interested in making a visit. If it starts to crystallize, I'll put something on the events board.

I'm not sure I'd send people 'cross town for this place (except perhaps to experience an effervescent LTH enclave) but it's a great addition to the western reaches of River North.

germuska wrote:Hey, Zocalo is a block from my office

Me too! Well, a couple of blocks maybe.

I had lunch with my coworkers there last week and it wasn't bad. It also wasn't tremendously expensive; that is, I didn't feel like I was paying too much for what was essentially not a lot of food. We tried some salsas, which were interesting--there was a very mild red salsa, a medium spicy green salsa, and a pretty spicy orange sauce that was very different, more of a creamy sauce than what I normally associate with the word "salsa." I had the barbacoa, which was tasty but not mind-blowing, and if I hadn't added the beans and rice side for an additional dollar I'd probably be singing a different tune about not paying too much. As it was, I was satisfied, and will consider it an occasional option for lunch, though I guess I'm more of a Mr. Beef kind of guy.

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:I had lunch with my coworkers there last week and it wasn't bad. It also wasn't tremendously expensive; that is, I didn't feel like I was paying too much for what was essentially not a lot of food.

That reminds me, they have a stack of "20% off lunch" cards near the front, and when I went with about a dozen folks from work for someone's going away lunch, they just gave us the discount even though we hadn't seen the cards. They also pointed out that they have the cards and gave us some to take with us. Another time at dinner (three of us), we were comped a dessert, and some of my colleagues had picked up free margarita coupons on a previous visit -- so they are interested in "making friends..." which is fine by me...

Dish wrote:Zócalo Goes Loco
Dudley Nieto, a notorious kitchen-hopper whose acclaimed Xel-Há (710 N. Wells St.) lasted only seven months, has taken his show to former small-plates spot Zócalo (358 W. Ontario St.; 312-302-9977). “I want to do Mexican regional authentic with a contemporary flair,” says Nieto, who replaced chef Saul Roman. (Roman has moved on to Zapatista, 1307 S. Wabash Ave.; 312-435-1307.) Zócalo’s menu will feature dishes from Yucatan, Guerrero, Pueblo, Oaxaca, and Veracruz, among other places, and will include holdovers from Xel-Há like the poc-chuc: marinated pork loin and achiote with xnipec, a Mayan pico de gallo. Nieto has his usual big plans, which include bringing in friends from Oaxaca to carve wooden animals and do pottery: “I want people to see the regions of Mexico, not just in the food but in the art and culture itself.”

I don't know if this is in action yet, but I went with a bunch of folks after work on Friday and we were universally disappointed with the food. I wonder if it's still pending, since the menu was familiar and still "small plates" (not "former small plates").

A trio of grilled skewers was served cold, although they replaced it when we brought it up and the replacement was delicious. A "carne al pastor" large plate was tender but underseasoned. Other dishes were not horrible, but none were remarkable (seeing as I can't recall them very specifically.)

The new menu doesn't seem to be up on the Web site yet, but Nieto's revamp has reportedly moved away from small plates and includes a regional series, currently concentrating on Puebla.

COMIDA REGIONAL REGIONAL SPECIALS

The state of Puebla is renown for its colonial architecture and savory cuisine. The birth of Mexican cuisine started in this beautiful state with the creation of “mother sauces” also known as moles, elaborated “baroque style” dishes like Chile en Nogada. ZOCALO is proud to celebrate Mexican Independence by introducing a monthly series of Mexican Regional Specials created by Executive Chef Dudley Nieto begining with the beautiful state of Puebla.

Regional Tasting 32 Tequila or Wine Pairing 10

Molotes de Tinga Poblana (Appetizer) 8
Corn pastries filled with slow roasted pork, chorizo and smoky chipotle peppers; served over a tangy tomatillo salsa and garnished with fresco cheese and crema (a main staple in the markets of Puebla)

Chile en Nogada (Entree) 18
Fire roasted poblano chile stuffed with peach, apple, pear, nuts ground beef and pork; basted with an almond-sherry sauce and garnished with fresh pomenranate (this dish is representational of the Mexican flag and was created as part of the Indepedence celebration)

Pescado Angelopolitano (Entree) 19
Seared Australian barabundi with braised fennel and saffron broth; accompanied with Mexican zucchini and poblano rice (a contemporary interpretation of Poblano cuisine)

Napoleon de Maracuya (Dessert) 8
Passion fruit mousse napoleon with roasted plantain and mango coulis (a French influenced dessert from the famous battle of Cinco de Mayo)

Puebla Specials available 09/19/07 thru 10/17/07

Entrees on the regular menu are each tagged with a regional identifier.

Zocalo
www.zocalochicago.com
358 W. Ontario St.
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 302-9977

LAZ wrote:The new menu doesn't seem to be up on the Web site yet, but Nieto's revamp has reportedly moved away from small plates and includes a regional series, currently concentrating on Puebla.

COMIDA REGIONAL REGIONAL SPECIALS
...
Puebla Specials available 09/19/07 thru 10/17/07

The visit to which I refer was after 9/19 (specifically 9/21) but definitely the menu above was nowhere in sight; on the other hand, the fact that this transition was in progress might explain the lackluster food.

Stopped by Zocalo tonight. They had a App/Entree/Dessert $25 special on Sundays, so four of us went thinging this would be a good way to try out the menu.

All started off well. I have always like the big open loft space and it was fairly busy for a change. I had been there a couple times in the past when Saul Roman was the chef and thought it was pretty good. Our first tip off that things had changed was when we were told that new Exec. Chef Dudley Nieto had taken over but was not actively involved in running the restaurant any more, acting more like a consultant.

The menu had a standard list of Mexican dishes, many of which seemed to be around from when Roman was in charge, with no trace of any "regional" influence. We ended up ordering a variety of dishes - crab cakes, Queso Fundido, trio of guacamole, plantain empanadas, Carne Asada, Chile Relleno, Prawns in Garlic Sauce, fish tacos, several desserts. The appetizers were better than the entrees or desserts, but in general not much stood out, and nothing had any distinctive twist to differentiate from dishes you could order elsewhere. Several of the dishes had flavors that were way out of balance in some way - Prawns far too Garlicky, Queso very salty, Rellenos too rich from cheese and batter. If I had to go back, I would order the Carne Asada and Guacamole which were both good.

Service was the worst I have had in some time. Once again all started well with a good bar tender and quick initial service, but then things began to go wrong. One of our napkins has some sort of sticky mess folded into the middle, and it took two request before we could get a new one. The waiter didn't come by to take our entree orders until the apps were done and plates removed - although the service was quite fast once we ordered. For all three courses, the food runners put the food down in front of the wrong people. I asked for some new silverware for the entree course that was never brought. We asked for a side of salsa that was never brought (although it did show up on the bill). About half way through the meal, the waiter stopped looking our way. We would serve other tables around us but didn't look our way - even when in some cases we were waving at him. When we finally asked for the check, he never brought it, and eventually just took our credit cards to ring up the charges.

All a shame, since we had fond memories of Zocalo's earlier incarnation. Ironically, the restaurant was busier than I had ever seen it. Maybe a combination of the long weekend with the Sunday special, but we would have been much better off paying a little more and treking over to Frontera or Salpicon, or Zapatista, to say nothing of longer jaunts to favorites like Mixteco or Sol de Mexico.

Zocalo is around the corner from me. Every time I go there, I leave feeling disappointed and thinking to myself "the food wasn't very good, really." Last time I swore to myself I'd take it off my list; its just so close as in around the corner. But its potential isn't being realized.

I will say the service has been good to very good. Its just the food that isn't meeting the bar.

DutchMuse - Welcome to Chicago. I also live near to Zocalo and really wanted to like it, but it was not meant to be. If you found it worthy of multiple visits, you should check out some of the other Mexican eateries in town that do a much better job. Salpicon is not too far away and aims for a more refined eating experience that you might appreciate. Frontera Grill is not bad, if somewhat overpriced. My favorites are the more casual neighborhood restaurants further afield - ex. Mixteco, Sol de Mexico, etc.

BTW - a couple of places nearby you might enjoy:

Coco Pazzo: Italian. Recently I have enjoyed the squid ink pasta, Roast Chicken main course, and octopus salad appetizer. People often think of it as a little more formal, but its nice place to eat at the bar if you forget to make reservations on a Friday night.

Japonais - Lots of hype, and a gorgeous interior, although my personal preference is for more traditional sushi and not the east/west fusion which they serve.

Sepia - I had a mixed experience there recently, but in general I think they will do a good job.

Blackbird and Avec - Avec the more casual sidekick to BB. I've had one of my best meals in Chicago at BB in May. Owners are about to open a third restaurant on Fulton Street called Publican.

Graham Elliot - Chef responsible for the best meal I have had in Chicago at his last restaurant (Avenues at the Penninsula). Recently moved out on his own and had a good if rough start. Seems like things are settling down some and I look forward to another go at it soon.

Bill (WAK)

Thanks for the suggestions! We just made a reservation at Salpicon for tonight. The menu looks great from its website.

We went to Coco Pazzo a few weeks ago and thought it was very good. Before he left the space, we used to go to Le Madri in NYC which was just a block from our condo. It was one of our favourite places. I know Longo no longer owns CP in Chicago but his spirit is still felt there--many (if not most) menu items were familiar to us from our Le Madri days.

I dined with 9 friends at Zocalo Saturday night (8/30) and we had a good experience. Starting at the bar - where the bartender spent serious time with us as we tasted several top-shelf tequilas - and through dinner, where our server was attentive and fun, water glasses were always filled, drinks from the bar delivered promptly, plates cleared as they should be, etc, etc.

I will agree, though, that the food is good - but not great. I ordered the catifsh and chorizo special and could not find one speck of chorizo on my plate. The server made good on it though, bringing me a bowl of the stuff which was very tasty...

However, a real bummer is that one of our party left his moneyclip on the table and despite returning less than five minutes later to retrieve it - no one had seen it

We probably won't be back, but only because I think there are places that do Mexican much better than Zocalo...

Davooda

Sometime in the last several months, Zocalo switched their lunch to a $10.95 AYCE buffet. The food showed no spark of creativity at all compared to when they originally opened. It was completely standard Ameri-mex: tacos, enchiladas, tamales, etc.

It's serviceable for its niche, I suppose, but I really don't have much taste for that kind of Mexican food, so I haven't bothered returning. There are definitely better $10.95 lunches to be had in the neighborhood.

I went there on 23rd Dec.

I tried their Mango Margarita. I was pleasantly surprised that they had real Mango bits in it. I just assumed they would use canned juice. really pleasant way to start. In a place with this kind of Tequila selection, I had to try some. I had an Oaxacan Mezcal (which I like better than Tequilas anyway). It wasn't as smoky as I usually like. Maybe I should have insisted on their smokiest. I forgot what I had for an appetizer!

The Chile relleno and an enchilada platter were the vegetarian selections for the day for entrees. I went with the Relleno and was again pleasantly surprised. Instead of being batter dipped this was wrapped in Phyllo dough. It came with really well made rice and Black beans and Blue Corn home made tortillas. All in all, I was very very happy with this. A twist on the traditional recipe, but completely made sense.

Not a traditional Mexican restaurant, but the stuff that I liked. I will definitely be back.

Found ourselves here for dinner last night and were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed the experience. The food was better than I expected and maybe better than it has to be given the packed bar scene w/ people hanging out enjoying the margaritas/tequilas and free live music.

We started by sharing the empanada and crabcake appetizers. Crabcakes were more crab than filler and were accompanied by some tangy pickled onions and a nice spicy aioli.

Jonathan went with their pork tenderloin in mole w/ & I had the grilled shrimp w/ garlic butter sauce, avocado salsa, rice & spinach. We were both happy with our selections. The shrimp were quite large and not overcooked.

We finished by sharing a flan. Jonathan had a Cafe Mexicana & I enjoyed a Cafe de Olla. The flan was fine, if nothing special.

Service was excellent. Our table was in a fortunate location - off to the far side of the bar in a corner where we could watch the action & band without being in the heart of it.

We're not in this area too often, but I wouldn't hesitate to go again. Might be a nice stop during the week to enjoy appetizers and drinks at the bar.

Zocalo restaurant in River North — the way west part of River North — closed Saturday night after seven years of business.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... alo-closes

Ai, the sushi lounge next to that space, also closed this summer, leaving Reza's and Robust as the lone food purveyors on the block. There's a lot of residential in the immediate area, but the slightly odd location--right off the Ohio/Ontario feeder ramp--and lack of traffic (and high rent, presumably) must be deterrents. I'm hoping Dillman's and the upcoming project from the Old Town Social crew are successful enough to warrant something promising to take a chance on the spot--the area could use more quality dining options.