Estrella Negra – Tamales!

With decor modeled after Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Estrella Negra at Fullerton and Western is a unique place in Wicker Park to get your Latin fix. I recommend the la Bandera Sampler — three well-seasoned house tamales (spinach-artichoke, corn, and pork) — light, flavorful, simply delicious. We’ve also enjoyed the Empanadas and it’s hard to stop eating the Sweet Potato fries drizzled with blue agave nectar.

Floriole

Once a stand in the city’s Green City Market, Floriole Cafe and Bakery opened a gorgeous brick and mortar storefront in 2010. While it can get busy at times, I think the pastries are well worth it. I’m fond of the almond croissants and the Pizzettas. If you’re in the mood for something substantial, go for the B.A.D. (Bacon Arugula Date) sandwich with an almond date spread and goat cheese on grilled yeasted corn bread. We’d have a picture if we didn’t gobble up the whole thing before I remembered to take one…

Pizzeria Serio

Pizza Margherita with Italian Sausage

If brick oven, thin crust pizza is your thing, head over to Pizzeria Serio on Belmont. Beautiful char, chewy crust… simple and delicious.

Crust

If you’re in the mood for organic, fresh from the oven, beautifully-charred, thin-crust pizza, check out Crust on 2056 W. Division. Note that their menu does have a disclaimer that the ingredients are not certified organic, although they make “every effort…to use responsibly produced, locally produced & wild crafted products. Not to mention, it tastes good. We tried the mexicali blues (pictured above) and the flamkuchen. Both crusts had the perfect amount of chewiness with a subtle crispness just on the bottom. The toppings also tasted fresh and complemented each other well.

I found their starters and desserts to be just okay as my cucumber soup had an odd tart taste and the apple pie we tried was simply a few apple slices baked over puff pastry and served with ice cream. I’d suggest sticking to the pizza.

Update: Crust now has an updated menu with an expanded selection of flatbreads and bruschetta. Find the updated menu here.

Macondo

Next time you’re in the Lakeview East area of Chicago (or just driving up and down Lincoln Ave, which everyone always seems to be doing at the same time), stop in Macondo for some empanadas (2965 North Lincoln Avenue). Although I prefer the baked ones, these flaky, crisp fried pastries filled with savory fillings like shredded beef and potato or chicken with red and green peppers can really hit the spot when all you want is a small snack. For only $4.50 (all day), you can have a hearty breakfast empanada with a medium cafe con leche or a hot chocolate. Personally, I prefer the meat ones and for $2.50 for two small ones, why not give it a try?

My Pie

On our eternal quest for good thin-crust pizza in Chicago, we decided to give My Pie Pizza a try (2010 N. Damen). It’s a small establishment in what seemed like an even smaller plaza. (Okay, that part’s not true though watching the parking lot from our bar stools, it certainly seemed like it.) We started off trying to pick our toppings, but then decided to go the lazy route when we saw the Chicken Pesto Pizza – “Slow-roasted all-natural chicken breast chunks, fresh baby spinach, MY PIE’s signature tomato sauce, mozzarella, grated Romano, & fresh homemade basil-pesto drizzled on top.” What more could a girl want?

So how did they do? For me, the crust was just the right thickness and I was happy that unlike most crusts I’ve eaten that thin, it didn’t taste like a cracker, although I prefer the bread-ier versions of Crust and Frankie’s on 5th. The base had a good amount of crunch and it had a good balance of toppings which didn’t weigh down the crust, but was a little greasy for me.

May Street Market

An impressive dinner at May Street Market (1132 W. Grand Avenue) from an intriguing summer menu. We started with the Baked Claw Crab cakes, wrapped in shredded phyllo, with banana chipotle aioli and the Pork Belly, Caramel Corn, 12 hour braised pork belly, corn polenta, caramel pop corn, cherry cola reduction, pickled cabbage. Although I’m not a fan of banana, the banana chipotle aioli perfectly balanced the sweetness of the crab and the shredded phyllo gave a delicious crunch. (I have to learn how to do that.) The pork belly was as good as pork belly can be in all its fatty goodness and the caramel corn was a charming addition.

For our main course, B had an extremely juicy Duck Burger topped with “local cheddar cheese, smoked bacon, port wine figs, truffle aioli,” and a side of French fries. My Barbecue, Smoked Pork Shoulder, 12 hour bourbon braised, ginger, coconut milk, Korean barbecue, artichoke heart purée, purple sticky rice was also quite good and I could definitely taste the bourbon but did not quite get the coconut milk and ginger essence that I was expecting. I’m also now a fan of purple sticky rice.

Being so close to Terry’s Toffee, whose heavenly aromas lingered in the neighborhood as we walked in, had us looking forward to dessert, which did not disappoint — a S’more concocted of crumbled graham crackers, creamy and delicate chocolate mousse, and topped with a light and airy meringue. Next stop, Terry’s Toffee.

Update: May Street Market has since closed for business.

M(mmm) BURGER

Next time you’re walking around Michigan Avenue, stop by Lettuce Entertain You’s M Burger for a juicy burger, shoestring-like fries, and a shake. The “M Burger” with bacon, cheese, and secret sauce was simple, juicy, and well-seasoned. Just right for when all you want is a good burger. Other options include a chicken sandwich, a chopped chicken salad, and a veggie “Nurse Betty.” There’s also word of a secret menu…

XOCO completely worth the hype

We were in the neighborhood last week, so we decided to try XOCO — Rick Bayless’ latest venture which had opened last year to rave reviews.

The restaurant itself is a small addition located on the corner of Clark and Illinois, right after Topolo and Frontera. The ordering line went out the door on this particular Saturday afternoon. But the food smelled so good, we had no problem with the 45-minute wait. Part of the reason for the long line is that you have to wait for a seat assignment before you place your order, which makes sense in such a small venue. I was particularly impressed that the wait staff will bring out your dessert when you are ready for it. And here, I can’t even get servers in most restaurants to bring my espresso with my dessert (after I’ve requested it).

XOCO specializes in Mexican street food like churros, oven-baked or grilled tortas (i.e. Mexican subs), and delicious, freshly-ground Mexican hot chocolate. Yum, indeed.

The Gunthorp Chicken torta (wood-roasted red chile chicken, pickled white onion, black beans, avocado, tomatillo salsa) had this wonderfully smoky, well-balanced heat that I haven’t tasted much of outside of my mother’s kitchen. The Pepito torta (Braised Tallgrass shortribs, caramelized onion, artisan Jack cheese, black beans, pickled jalapenos) was just as good with a much milder, almost sweet flavor.

The churros (and Barcelona chocolate) were the perfect end with a subtle crunchiness on the outside and a warm doughnut-like inside. We will be back…