Mi Tocaya is of that rare caliber: the kind of place whose work, on both sides of the hedonistic/intellectual spectrum, I find impossible to shake.
Mexican
Mariscos San Pedro’s “Taco Omakase” is not just a relocation of what Chingón did before, but an expansion and evolution of the same idea: a crown jewel offering within a bustling restaurant that, indeed, may be looking to win Bibendum’s favor once more.
Without any novelty factor from the food hall setting to help round its rough edges, Valhalla “2.0” must deliver across every dimension: reflecting the lessons learned and dreams dreamt during the prior iteration…
Having tangled with the novel “beef omakase” form, you return to the comforting embrace of a traditional tasting menu. You also find your way back to a genre—Mexican (and, in this case, more broadly “Latin”) cuisine—that you haven’t engaged with since 2019.
Over the past few years, you have observed several of Chicago’s notable wine lists undergo a striking change…
Sure, Galit has gotten plenty of positive press, Cabra’s Peruvian fare is fantastic, and Gaijin promises to shift the paradigm for Japanese food in the city, but Tzuco stands as Chicago’s hottest opening of the year…