South of the Border
La Cocina Criolla2420 W. Fullerton | 773-235-7377
For a long time I didn’t have the heart to file a report on this odd, dark, and claustrophobic little Ecuadoran-Japanese hybrid. It had the stink of death about it in its first perpetually empty couple of months, and I saw no reason to piss in the karmic waters about a place I was sure wouldn’t be around much longer. There was a handful of interesting things on the menu, but the restaurant’s ability to get them out of the kitchen even when the place was empty—which it always was—was seriously handicapped. But now business has picked up even if the otherwise friendly and earnest service hasn’t. Meals start promisingly with a basket of hot fried plantain chips and a small ramekin of smooth orange salsa made from the tamarillo, or tomate de arbol, a tree fruit common in Ecuador but rarely found here. If you’re ordering from the Japanese side of the menu it’s strange to follow this with a bowl of miso soup, but that’s what happens prior to the arrival of the saucy sculpted maki of chef Albaro Perez, formerly of the late Pacific Cafe. More interesting is the Ecuadoran selection dominated by soups—including one with steak-stuffed plantains—and platillos of grilled and fried meats and fish with mounds of starchy sides, such as the bandera (combo) of stewed goat and guatita, a tripe, potato, and peanut-sauce stew that’s probably better in the dead of the winter, or pescado encocado, a surprisingly good tilapia fillet in a mild coconut sauce reminiscent of an Indian curry. Tuna and chicken tamales and the little cheesy little potato pancakes llapingachos, among others, lead things off, along with a handful of ceviches, bringing the cold fish connection full circle. —Mike Sula
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
$Latin American, South American, Cuban | Lunch, dinner: seven days | BYO
Mitad del Mundo2922 W. Irving Park | 773-866-9454
rrr Lettuce Entertain You fuses the cuisines of 27 Latin American and Caribbean nations. Chef Francisco Bilchez uses ingredients like chorizo, yuca, and chipotles in creative and visually appealing ways. There are a variety of ceviches to start with, plus “Latin tapas” such as a lamb taco, a beef pupusa, a pumpkin-goat cheese croqueta, the last a “must-try,” according to one Rater. Entrees range from steaks and seafood to a “tasting” of caramelized Latin vegetables served with arroz verde and roasted pumpkin. Sides include coconut rice and truffled plantains; drinks run the gamut from Brazilian caipirinhas to Cuban mojitos to Peruvian pisco sours, all of which pack a punch. Staff are knowledgeable and aim to please, but if you want to eat in peace, best finish before 11 PM on weekends, when the center of the room is transformed into a pulsing dance floor with a DJ spinning merengue and salsa. —Laura Levy Shatkin
