A Mexican restaurant where
"everything grows" - better.
By Nancy Ross Ryan
Food photography by Laurie Proffitt
Interior photos by Stuart-Rodgers Photography
Chef Generosa
"Geno" Bahena
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Chilpancingo A Mexican restaurant where "everything grows" - better.
By Nancy Ross Ryan
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Chef Generosa "Geno" Bahena |
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Chilpancingo ("Cheel-pahn-seen-go"), Generosa "Geno" Bahena's second restaurant, is named after the capital of Guerrero, Mexico's Pacific Coast state. The literal meaning is "a town where everything grows." After several visits I have come to appreciate that the menu, which changes every two weeks, is not limited to specialties from the state of Guerrero alone but draws culinary inspiration from all of Mexico's 31 states. But I do agree with the spirit of that name. Everything -- food, ambiance, and service -- is growing and developing and getting better. Only service lags behind, so far that it sometimes handicaps full enjoyment of the food and ambiance. The food and ambiance are so good that I feel compelled to discuss -- then dispense with -- service. The first time I dined there, the young male host who greeted us, as my companion said, "Clearly wanted to be somewhere else." His welcome was anemic, he lead us laconically to a table, and we could see him yawning periodically at the front desk. Our waiter didn't bring a wine list. I asked about wines by the glass and he replied, "You want white or red? I'll get you something nice." And he did, but I really like to know more about the selection and certainly the name of the wine I am drinking. That same waiter failed to point out the chef's tasting dinner. O.K. we should have seen it, but we didn't. On the second experience, when I dined with another friend, the host and the waiter, different staff members, were much friendlier, smoother, better. On my third and most recent dinner, the host made us feel like honored guests, and the waiter was a dedicated pro who not only brought the wine list and described the wines by the glass but recommended a white Spanish wine to accompany the tilapia I had ordered. He pointed out the five course Chef's Tasting Dinner ($45) and gave such an appetizing description of each course -- assuring us that it was just enough food, not too much -- that my companion immediately ordered it. At the end of that particular dinner, on the way out, the host or manager asked us pointedly about our dining experience. We muttered the usual compliments about the food, avoiding any controversial comments. (When I respond that way -- and I am not unique -- I always wonder why customers are so strangely reluctant to be honest face-to-face but will complain about a restaurant's shortcomings after leaving.) But the host was not fooled and asked specifically about the service. I told him that on the first occasion it was not very good, the second was better and that this evening's waiter was a pro. He acknowledged the problems with service and said that the restaurant was working very hard to improve it. Enough said. Chilpancingo, which opened last year, is a welcome new member of Chicago's upscale restaurants offering authentic regional Mexican cuisine. First on the scene was, of course, Rick and DeAnn Bayless's Frontera Grill followed by Topolobampo. Bahena cooked at those restaurants for a more than a decade. The second was Salpicon!, and chef-owner Priscila Satkoff also worked (but not in the kitchen) at Frontera. Next came Ixcapuzalco, Bahena's first and smaller restaurant (on North Milwaukee Avenue), and now comes Chilpancingo, a much larger, more ambitious undertaking. Chilpancingo is alive with color: Mexican painted masks on walls and pillars, intricate cut paper flags in fuschia, chartreuse and lavender hanging from the beams, and huge vibrant paintings both by Oscar Romero, a well-known Mexican artist, and by Bahena himself, a talented artist. (His latest, hanging on the left wall at the top of the curved entry stairway, is a Valentine's Day painting of a man and a woman that appear to be the heroine and hero of "Like Water for Chocolate.") Even the wait staff wear colorful, large, soft bows at the neck, which spice up the standard issue white shirt, black vest and trousers uniform. A good stretch of the restaurant's East wall is taken up by a bar, a congenial place to wait for your dinner companions or just to stop in for a drink. Make that drink a Margarita (not frozen), mixed with 100% blue agave tequila and shaken -- delicious. But the food is Chilpancingo's shining star and the reason to return, because Bahena's menu changes every two weeks. The inspiration for the dishes may come from regional Mexican cuisine, but Bahena's interpretation and finesse transform them into his very personal cuisine. When you are seated the first thing that comes to the table is a complementary dish of fresh guacamole studded with rounds of fresh cucumber and triangles of fresh, crisp jicama. The cucumber and jicama are in place of chips and make for a lighter, more flavorful rendition of this Mexican standard. Among my favorite starters, the menu calls them entremeses, are the Tamales de Pollo ($6.25). These two chicken tamales, made from scratch at the restaurant, are comfort food: creamy white cornmeal wrapped around tender chicken, surrounded by a mild green tomatillo sauce, topped with freshly grated white cheese and thick, cultured cream that is not as tart as our commercial sour cream and not as thick. Mexican crema is more like French crème fraîche, and I love the little dribs and drabs of it appearing on various dishes. Also up there on the comfort food list are the Hongos Enchipotlados ($7), or woodland mushrooms and Yukon gold diced potatoes simmered with that same crema, and also a little chipotle pepper for smoke and heat. It comes with freshly made tortillas so you can make your own enchiladas.
 Left: Sopes Surtidos Right: Nevado de Chocolate The only dish that I'm indifferent to is the so-called Caesar Salad ($5.50). Perhaps it's just a poorly chosen name, for it bears no resemblance to Caesar, not creamy, not cheesy and no Romaine. It's more like a light mesclun lettuce salad with a lime dressing and tortilla strips. The menu lists dry Jack cheese, and there was not enough of it to make a difference. I have yet to find an entree to which I am indifferent. The Pollo en Mole de Olla ($12) is a free-range chicken breast that was marinated first in adobo (a red chile marinade that usually has garlic, an assortment of dried chiles, and sundry spices). The surrounding dark red sauce of guajillo chiles was the perfect complement -- complex and mildly spicy. (The guajillo chile is traditionally used in its dried form, is not too hot, has an earthy flavor and is often referred to as the "workhorse" of the Mexican kitchen.) The Camarones en Crema Poblano ($12.50), or black tiger shrimp in a poblano chile sauce thickened with cream, comes as an appetizer and an entree. The shrimp that are first marinated in garlic then quickly seared and slightly charred, with a slice of fresh tamal -- a white cornmeal and Swiss chard dumpling that is poached and sliced. The green poblano sauce is zesty but not incendiary and thick and creamy. The Chicarron de Tilapia ($18.50) is a new take on this familiar mild fish. Bahena curls the fillets into a pinwheel, lightly breads them and fries them until they are crisp. The tilapia twirls are perched on somewhat ordinary tomato rice (maybe too much rice in proportion to the fish) and surrounded with a smoky fairly hot chipotle chile sauce. The dish is sprinkled with crisp pickled vegetables (carrots, cabbage) -- a lovely touch. Traditional meats -- lamb, pork and beef -- are certainly presented differently at Chilpancingo. The Borrego con Salsa Borracha ($19.50) is a sliced rack of Australian lamb (the chefs like to serve it rare) elevated by a sauce I had never before tasted. The borracha sauce is, according to the menu, made of pasilla chiles, beer, tequila and roasted garlic. The grilled pork loin -- Puerco en Mole de Gustavo ($18.50) -- served with a black bean cake, has a traditional four-chile mole (ancho, guajillo, pasilla and chipotle chiles) but the addition of apricots and almonds lends a Spanish flavor. Desserts are well-made and interesting. The Capridota ($6.50), or Mexican bread pudding, is very dark and sweet, filled with plump raisins and toasted nuts, and the vanilla ice cream helps offset the intense sugar rush. The Flan de Almendra ($5.95) has a perfect silky texture, delicate flavor, and its own rich caramel sauce. But my favorite so far is the Napoleon & Candelaria ($6), which the waiter promised would be "very light." It was light. The cookie layers were outrageously crisp and tender, but they were a variation shortbread. And the filling of whipped vanilla-flavored cream was light, but let's be real, it was whipped heavy cream. The fresh strawberries were in a pool of strawberry sauce flavored with hoja santa (a Mexican herb with a anise-mint-pepper flavor). Altogether it was deceptively light and sinfully rich, a perfect combination.
After dinner I recommend that you repair to the bar and sip one of Chilpancingo's after dinner drinks. There is a selection of Port, cordials, brandies, dessert wines and premium tequilas distilled from 100% blue agave. The tequila selection offers anejo (aged in wood at least one year,usually longer), reposado (younger but still mellow from wood aging), and some silver (young, not aged). And for aficionados, there is a couple of Mezcals, made, of course from the maguey agave. You know the argument: Mezcal is to tequila as Armagnac is to Cognac. Do you prefer a more rustic artisinal spirit (Mezcal and Armagnac) or a more refined elixir (tequila and Cognac). By inference, Mezcal and Armagnac drinkers are to tequila and Cognac drinkers, as their respective chosen spirits would suggest. I'll take mezcal every time. |
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 CHILPANCINGO 358 West Ontario Street 312.266.9525 Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Seating: 180 Reservations: Strongly recommended on weekends Parking: Valet Credit Cards: American Express, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Optima, Visa Rating (on a 5-star scale): 
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DINING OUT - April 2001