De La Costa: Anyone ventured yet?

After twice attempting to catch the sold-out shows of the Departed on a weekend night, we decided to make it 'official' and book our tickets early, along with a dinner reservation at a place that I have absolutely no expectations. I love that. Just bring a growling belly.


All has been quiet on the board about this place. Has anyone tried it yet?? Do you have a favorite ceviche?

DeLaCosta
465 E. Illinois Street
Chicago (Streeterville)
312-464-1700
www.delacostachicago.com

Not sure about the restaurant, but the movie was excellent. As long as you're ok with people getting shot in the head. A lot.

Epoisses wrote:All has been quiet on the board about this place. Has anyone tried it yet?? Do you have a favorite ceviche?

PIGMON shares his experience here. Would love to hear how you dinner goes. (I do know that if you can get Meredith to help you with your wine choices, you will not be led astray.)

Kristen

EEK!! I remember reading Aaron's post before--I must not have connected the name. I'm thinking of canceling the reservation until the kinks get worked out.

Went there a week after they opened-on 9/28. The fluke seviche was quite good actually. Nowhere near like described above on this day. And the chicken-shrimp combo entree(forgot the name) along with the lamb 2 ways were both very good.
Service was not up to par, and the wine list was not printed out for the evening yet.(At 6:00p.m.) One of us received the wrong menu(bar only menu), and this was confusing for awhile. Slightly awkward service on top of this.
The prices are sky-high & the space is totally spiffy, so one would expect all the ducks to be in a row. Food was very good, hopefully the place has improved overall.

I've posted on this somewhere else, but I am too confused to find it.

The restaurant is stunning--chic late 60's/2001 bar, marionettes of the Apocalypse dining room, minimalist river-side lounge. The staff were surprisingly welcoming, if not always picture perfect in service. Hot appetizers were served before the seviche, which seems out of order.

Many of the seviches were quite good, all inventive, but so small in serving size it was difficult to both share them AND get a real sense of the dish. We had a lamb chop dish and a crispy pork dish that were quite good.

The real stand-outs were dessert and coffee. The coffee was served in these individual stainless steel flasks with neoprene jackets, converted to French press-type brewers. The desserts were delish, creative, not too big, not too small.

I'm not sure Delacosta is good enough to spring for a full dinner on. Other places--notably Cuatro--seem a better value for same quality. However, if you want a place to have expensive but tasty drinks and matching nibbles before a show, or great drinks, coffee and dessert after the show, Delcosta's a great choice.

Oh, the men's room attendant was pathetic. He was pulling common paper hand towels out of the wall dispenser and handing them out, and expecting a tip. If you're going to have a tip-seeking attendant, you should have a) toiletries and grooming supplies, b) linen towels or those really nice paper ones.

Some friends and I went to DeLaCosta the other evening, shortly after Phil Vettel in his Santa Claus mode had awarded the restaurant three stars. What ceviche was he snorting! Divide by two and he'll have my vote.

My take is more favorable than Pigmon and Aaron, but the restaurant strives for entertainment, more than cuisine. "Celebrity chef" (once of New York's Patria) Douglas Rodriguez hopes to create a place known more for its scene than for his cooking.

The restaurant, down the block from Fox and Obel's is filled with attractive 20-somethings. The eye-candy is sweeter than dessert. And the restaurant is loud, particularly as it fills up during the evening; the music (a sort of techno-salsa something, if I can judge) increases in volume to insure that conversations are drowned out; no cooing and billing here. So people yell to overwhelm the sound. If I were a few decades less seasoned, I might have been more taken with DeLaCosta.

Yes, the restaurant is stunning, one of the most artfully designed rooms in Chicago. Vettel is not the only one who sees Tim Burton's influence everywhere. And yes there is a gentleman in the men's room who hands out paper towels, hoping for a tip. Servers were pleasant, but not especially knowledgeable. It took several attempts to get a suggestion for an appropriate wine (the wine list has many reasonably priced Spanish and Southern Cone bottles).

The cuisine varies in effectiveness. The restuarant oddly divides the signature ceviche into two categories "authentic" Ecuadorian style and "authentic" Peruvian style. Neither is what one would be served on the Andean coast. And our waiter didn't even attempt to explain why they were so labeled. I found the authentic and fresh Hamachi with Sour Orange Nectar, Aji Amarillo, Elephant Garlic and Thai Basil to be more compelling and flavorful than the authentic Ecuadorean White Shrimp with Avocado, Charred Tomato Sauce, and Corn Nuts. The portions are petite, and I would have welcomed more hamachi. From the tapas menu the Warm Marinated Olives with flavors of orange, lemon, and cinnamon transformed my imagination of how olives might be prepared. These bravespheres might have been the most successful dish of the evening.

As an appetizer, the Rum-Cured Marlin Taco was a pleasurable set of small taro root tacos served with an iceberg lettuce chiffonade and chiles, a little sweet, but evocative of a South American modernism. It was an inspired way to rid one's fridge of iceberg lettuce. Less successful was a too-sweet Shrimp Chicharrones. Many of Rodrieguez's dishes were too sugary, pandering to a clientele that has difficulty distinguishing between dinner and dessert.

Main courses were sturdy, but not transcendent, and each came with the tell-tale smear of sauce that is now required by the modernist chef's union. My crispy cracling pork was a moist pork fillet whose fatty top was deep fried. It was enjoyable and startling, although the plantain or black bean puree didn't add much. By the time that I tasted a friend's "Lamb Two Temperatures," it had become "Lamb One Temperature" (one lamb was warmer, neither was cold as might have been imagined from the label). The braised shank was excellent, the chop good.

Whole roasted fish was roasted, but - surprise! - not whole. The fish was cut into thirds with the head removed. When I enquired about this false advertisement (some people get off on suckomg fish heads!), the server blithely explained that customers didn't want head (he didn't phrase it this way). But why then would they order whole fish? Should menus be a visit to the dishes that the chef once served? At DeLaCosta they are. The headless fish, with maple brown butter and preserved lemon, was tasty, but not stirring.

Vettel is correct that Pastry Chef Ann Giles' Chocolate Cigar is a must-order. Perhaps her trompe l'oeil dessert is too cute by half, but its taste matched its cleverness. With its ashes and a book of chocolate-and-candy matches even Moto's Ben Roche couldn't match the wispy wit of this production. And Giles reminds us that not only can't we eat duck liver, but we can't light up her Cocoa Cohiba.

Other desserts weren't as astonishing. Da Mini Bomb, a chocolate-hazelnut mousse was sweet enough, but not startling. The Lime in the Coconut was suitably tropical with its Coconut Ice Cream, but I found the lime ice milk and toasted coconut foam to add a somewhat sticky texture to a dessert that needed a cleaner mouthfeel.

I was intrigued enough by the cuisine that I regretted that Douglas Rodriguez had not been more ambitious. There were flashes in the menu that his Nuevo Latino cuisine could be life-changing, but DeLaCosta settles for hip winks and hot bodies.

DeLaCosta
465 E. Illinois Street
Chicago (Streeterville)
312-464-1700
www.delacostachicago.com

The fish was cut into thirds with the head removed.

An apt description of what GAF just did to the restaurant with the point of his rapier. Nice job, if I hadn't just changed the tagline there are several nice candidates here.

I wonder if Vettel's review would have been different if he were not reimbursed for his meals. You can't help but acquire a certain detachment from the reality of the price/value equation when all your meals are paid for-- not that, I'm sure, food reviewers are the only ones on the company dime at a place like this, by a long shot.

Whole roasted fish was roasted, but - surprise! - not whole. The fish was cut into thirds with the head removed. When I enquired about this false advertisement (some people get off on suckomg fish heads!), the server blithely explained that customers didn't want head (he didn't phrase it this way). But why then would they order whole fish? Should menus be a visit to the dishes that the chef once served? At DeLaCosta they are. The headless fish, with maple brown butter and preserved lemon, was tasty, but not stirring.

A few years ago, my Dad ordered the whole lobster at the Hancock's 95th. He was presented two claws and a tail, though the head of the lobster was missing. When he asked for the head, he was also advised customers didn't want it and it was used for other purposes. The fuss up concluded with their bringing him an extra claw to compensate for the missing head.

My Dad is in full agreement with you on the false advertising when promised a whole fish, it better show up with every part. We now question waiters carefully when promised a whole fish. The only place you don't need to question is Asian restaurants where a whole fish is indeed a whole fish.

Sorry to digress but your comment there hit a nerve.

Regards,

i never got this guy (rodrieguez) in the first place. pre ny he was in s beach @ yucca. the best i can say about that place was sometimes they had great entertainment scene in the name of albita, a cuban singer. the food was always so so and costly and the style over substance was evident even then.

Mike G wrote:I wonder if Vettel's review would have been different if he were not reimbursed for his meals. You can't help but acquire a certain detachment from the reality of the price/value equation when all your meals are paid for-- not that, I'm sure, food reviewers are the only ones on the company dime at a place like this, by a long shot.

As it happens I was a guest myself at DeLaCosta, but not paid for by my employer.

More to the point is that professional restaurant reviewers have a interest in raising the profile of city restaurants. The more a reviewer can get readers to attend restaurants, the better the local restaurant climate. And as a professional who strongly desires a strong restaurant culture, this is a significant inducement. I'm sure that Vettel really did think that DeLaCosta deserved three stars, but he was primed to think that.

In addition, there are costs associated with slamming a restaurant, and if you look at those restaurants that get slammed, most are part of national chains or collections of restaurants, such as the negative review by Frank Bruni of "Lonesome Dove" in this week's NYT.

I'm still bitter about his calling Chicago a "meat and potatos" town and dumbing down his menu for unsophisticated midwesternerns. I live within easy walking distance of the place but I won't go in there.

My hint to chain restaurant owners thinking about opening a Chicago location: Unless you are opening another Shula's or Capital Grill, don't call Chicago a meat and potatos town.

Returned to De La Costa a week ago. Service was rushed and clumsy at 6:00-granted it was Friday, but the prices and size of the space(there were open tables throughout our stay) made this intolerable. Food this time was hit and miss. Did enjoy the shrimp ceviche w/ roasted tomato salsa, however found the marlin tacos insipid. Flatbread w/ shortribs was a joke- microscopic tufts of shortrib. Oysters Rodriguez were good. Their version of tres leches cake was intense and flavorful, but bore no resemblance to tres leches-more of a bread pudding deal.
All in all, especially given the prices, the service is aggravating and the food is not good enough.
There is no question that Chicago food critics in general are cheerleaders for most new places-that would seem to be their function in life. It is also true that they are recognized by staff more often than they know or care to admit.
At least we can seek refuge in our countless reliable authentic ethnic eateries.

I did me some thinkin' about this business of boosting the local restaurants, and I guess I think it's counterproductive as hell. That is to say, when Schwa exists, it's counterproductive to say Del Toro is really good. It's not, it's a scene rather than a cuisine, there might be very attractive reasons to go there but they are not food reasons, and it does not help the cause of our truly impressive chefs to hype the scenesters making chicly mediocre stuff, in fact it detracts from them. You do that if you're in Des Moines and the best chef in town is some CIA grad working his way up the ranks of Hyatt Corporation and executing flawless, soulless covers for 250. But it's a rube move that's unnecessary for Chicago. Our scene will not dry up and blow away when De La Costa changes concept to small-plates Moluccan in a year.

I don't entirely agree, as long as there is no excessive "star inflation" (I think that there was some in DeLaCosta, but even so DLC will be a very satisfying experience for many). Do you really want three million people trying to cagne a reservation at Schwa? We need a vibrant restaurant scene. This doesn't mean that a reviewer like Vettel, Bruno, Wheaton, should be dishonest, but some measure of enthusiasm is welcome.

On a related note: I recall that after my wife and left the East Coast, we used to subscribe to Gourmet (this was in the 1970s). At first I was really annoyed that every review that they published about on a New York restaurant (by the same Jay Jacobs, cited in my Moto review) was a rave. I said what is this bull****! But then I realized - when I was living in Minnesota - why would I wish to read a mediocre review. This was less a consumer guide than a form of food porn. And who wants to read of hot and warty bodies?

Re: Schwa. I have a reservation for tomorrow, so sometime over Thanksgiving I should post my thoughts. Hopefully it won't be a turkey.

Following up on GAF"s comment:

I don't agree that negative reviews do not make interesting reading.

A few years ago, Wine Spectator stopped printing the complete reviews for wines scoring below a certain level (80 I believe). I miss those reviews. It is interesting to read raves about some incredible Bordeaux, but from an entertainment stand point, there is nothing like reading the description of a 65 point wine.

If the place merits a great review, provide it. If not, provide that. Reviewers should call them as they see them.

Not to digress, but wasn't the Michelin Paris guide guilty of that a few years ago? I seem to recall them giving a great rating to a place that had not yet opened. It was purely on reputation.

I had a very good meal at Yuca (one c, like the tuber itself) maybe 12-13 years back, when the place was still new and in its original location. Then, the food was quite good and somewhat unique. But even then, a lot of it struck me as gimmickry with syrupy sweetness as a crutch.

As Nuevo Latino expanded in NYC and Philly to the delight of critics there, I never quite got it. Even the more serious places served food that appeared, to me, shallow and superficial compared to the (largely unrelated) Mexican "version" of Nuevo Latino that was developing here and in a few other places.

There's nothing wrong with Asia de Sambodromo. These places can be very good and fun. Great cuisine, it is not, IMO.

(Not to be confused, however, with the more serious New World cuisine invented by a Chicago chef in Miami.)

Despite my initial objections to the place (and partly because the place is under new owners), I made the short walk over to Delacosta last night.

Main impression: It is a shame I ignored this place for so long. Great food in a beautiful setting.

The place itself is beautiful (and as somebody who has walked by regularly, you have no idea just from walking by). The place fronts on Illinois but backs up to the water [I've lived in the area for five years but have no idea what the water area is called -- tour boats leave from there]. At night, the view of the water, the Lake Shore Drive bridge, and the water beyond is really wonderful.

We had a group of six so we played around and ordered a few of the items to share. The best two were a hot and cold ceviche and fish tacos. I didn't taste anyone else's main course (I was distracted by the conversation at the table and by my own meal so I didn't think to bother my wife for her meal). Mine was duck with foie gras. It was very good. For dessert, we again split a few items. The Chocolate Cigar stood out.

It really is a shame that I allowed one comment from what appears to be the former chef/consultant to turn me off to this place, since I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. Currently, the "default" place for my wife and I is Naha [where we go when we get the urge at the last minute to go out and are lucky enough to have a babysitter] but this place is definitely going to merit that sort of consideration.

[I've lived in the area for five years but have no idea what the water area is called -- tour boats leave from there].

I haven't been to De la Costa, but I used to work in the North Pier (aka River East) building and love that view and the small "slip" of water, referred to as the Ogden Slip.

I don't think I've eaten anything at DLC, but I can say with confidence that they make a near-perfect mojito.

I was supposed to go to Delacosta this Wednesday, but I got a call from Delacosta stating that it would be closed for a few days. Anybody have any more informationas to what is going on?

"DeLaCosta has canceled your OpenTable reservation:
DeLaCosta
Wednesday, January 28, 2009"

From Time Out Chicago"

Update: DeLaCosta goes dark
Posted in Arts & culture and the economy, Restaurants and bars by David Tamarkin on January 22nd, 2009 at 6:00 pm

Update: While Tamarkin never got his wish for a DeLaCosta manager to return any messages to clarify just what’s going on over there, I just got in touch with a manager who told me that the restaurant is indeed open for business, with the exception of Sundays and Mondays. Jay Vohra, who took over in September, is still in charge, and Randall Jacobs is still the chef (he took over when Adam Schop left for NYC).

Is DeLaCosta the latest restaurant casualty of the economy? It certainly seems that way. Last week, I got a tip that the neuvo-Latino spot (which declared bankruptcy last July, and announced a new owner back in September) was closing. When I called the restaurant for more information, however, I was told that it was business as usual.

But there was something about the hostess’s voice—and the way she quickly told me that the owners were “out of the country”—that didn’t quite convince me. So I called back on Sunday night, during the restaurant’s normal business hours. Voicemail. I tried again last night. Voicemail again. So I ventured over there in person, only to find a dark restaurant with locked doors. No note about new hours; not even a sign saying the restaurant was closed for renovations.

I’d love to be wrong about this. I’d love for one of the managers to return one of my messages and explain the whole thing. But I don’t think that will be happening, because I’m afraid that DeLaCosta is probably gone for good.

When they called me today to cancel, they alluded to something happening in the kitchen.

We will see.

If it is gone, it is too bad. I was there for the first time a few months ago despite living within sight of the place so I feel that I've missed a lot of good meals there.