Mexican Lunch in the Near North: Cantina Laredo

It was hot in the city of Chicago today, food fans.  It could've been worse, but it also could've been better.  And making the conscious decision not to take the bus has done a number on AF's feet.  Put it this way: I'm home now, and I'm wearing slipper socks.

We as a family hiked it all the way from Union Station to the Near North neighborhood, all in search of a good meal.  We really wanted to visit my buddy Rick Bayless, but apparently his place gets a little crowded on a Friday...darn!

We were en route to his tortas-and-caldos cafe, Xoco, but we were feeling famished.  We just happened to pass another Mexican place and decided to stop and rest our tired tootsies.  I felt like I was cheating on Frontera, but honestly, Cantina Laredo is a completely different story.

The entire place feels very chic and zen (not a bad thing, but I much prefer Frontera's splashy colors and cozy booths).  It is altogether modern and airy, with enormous windows all along two sides of the space that let in lots of sunlight.

But you're not hear to read a critique of the design, now are you, readers?

When you sit down, your server brings you crispy corn chips and two different kinds of salsa, one warm and one cold, neither overly spicy.  Pretty tasty.  But the party didn't start until we gave an emphatic 'Yes' to the server's offer of fresh guacamole.  We weren't prepared for what happened next.

A lady rolled a food cart to our tableside.  On the table was a basket of fresh avocado, and bowls of limes, roasted mild green chiles, red onion, cumin, salt, tomatoes, cilantro, and  jalapeño (there might have been some other stuff too, but I wasn't paying much attention.  You can pick mild or hot for your guac, and it is mashed and mixed right before your eyes.  Can you say 'awesome'?


The guacamole gets points just for being so darned fresh.  Plus it's fun to watch your food being made.


My entree was good.  I had enchiladas de barbacoa (really just enchilada de barbacoa, pictured below).  Pretty basic, it was a corn tortilla filled with pull-apart, juicy and delicious seasoned beef.  At Laredo, they top it with a ranchera sauce (tomatoes, garlic), plus chopped fresh cilantro (a must for Mexican food) and crumbled Chihuahua cheese. 

I really appreciate their decision to think beyond the arroz con frijoles most places decide to serve up.  Instead, each entree came with Mexican rice and sauteed zucchini.  I love zucchini, so I thought it was mighty tasty.


When we go out to eat, I'm usually lucky enough to get a taste of what everybody else is having.  This time, I got to try my mom's barbacoa tamale (they called it a tamale, not a tamal...that sort of bugged me) and my dad's entree, which was their fish special (grilled salmon with cilantro chimichurri sauce and cilantro rice).


The salmon was really good.  But I had always thought chimichurri was primarily made with parsley, not cilantro...maybe we're going for moderno, not autentico.


But I must say that tamale was disappointing!  The meat inside was flavorful, but the poor little thing was dry, dry, dry!  The masa they used to form the tamale was unseasoned, and the whole thing was crumbly and...blah.  Even the barbacoa inside, so delicate and tender when used to fill my enchilada, was tough and chewy (kind of like jerky...such a shame).  

I'm so sorry, Laredo.  Your enchilada was tasty but you killed your tamale.  I'll go back for your guacamole and enchiladas, and when I'm able to drink I'll try one of your mojitos (they were about a foot tall and looked wicked!).  But Frontera will always be my #1 in the Near North, and I'll always love their tamales more.  Lo siento...lo siento mucho.

**Side note: PEOPLE WATCHING: I didn't see Rick Bayless there, for obvious reasons.  But I believe I did see Chicago newswoman and co-host of ABC's Windy City Live, Val Warner, eating lunch a few tables away.  I didn't take any pictures of her.  I save that privilege for the inimitable Mr. Bayless.

Until next time, readers,


~AF