Dinner at Frontera Grill

Matt & I are driving home to Michigan for Thanksgiving & decided to divide the trip into two days spending a night in Chicago which meant we finally got to have dinner at Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill. They take almost no reservations but we were told by our hotel that the Tuesday before Thanksgiving would be an easy night to get in. We arrived at a little before 7 to find a 1 1/2 hour wait for a table but figured a few margaritas at the bar & some snacks certainly would pass the time.

The Sopes Rancheros were amazing!

Then we were sat for dinner.

Matt had the Enchiladas de Mole Poblano - Homemade tortillas rolled around Gunthorp free-range chicken, doused with Mexicos most famous mole; black beans & a tequila flight.



I had the Puerco en Salsa de Frijol Negro - Spicy, wood-grilled Maple Creek pork loin and belly in chipotle-black bean sauce. Caramelized parsnip-plantain hash, tangy grill-roasted white onions, frisee-epazote salad. Who can resist pork belly?! The fat on this just melted in my mouth & the hash was one of the best ways to have parsnips.

For dessert we shared the Duo de Flanes - A duo of creamy caramel custards: one with pure Mexican vanilla, the other infused with piloncillo-poached pumpkin (calabaza en tacha) and sweet spices. Fresh cranberry-Bartlett pear salsa. The vanilla flan with the pear salsa was the hands-down winner.

The food was totally worth the wait & it seemed like everyone else there thought so too. Matt loves Mexican food & thinks this is some of the best he's ever eaten. But now we are totally stuffed laying on our bed in the Drake Hotel, enjoying the nighttime view of Lakeshore Dr. & feeling like we can never eat again.

Hope everyone here in the States has a happy & filling Thanksgiving tomorrow!

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