It isn't the end, readers! The Foodie has found herself dropped into the middle of a veritable Mecca of tasty cuisine. And our first stop on this culinary journey is the beautiful country of Spain for (you guessed) tapas!
I feel like I'm cheating on Meson Sabika with a sleeker, hipper restaurant. And I guess in a way I am. But Naperville is just too far away for me right now!
So there's this place in Lincoln Park, down on Halsted...you may have heard of it. Or maybe the name just reminds you of a Ricky Ricardo catchphrase. Of course, I'm referring to Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba. No, I'm not joking...that's the name of the place.
Anyway, it's a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, so if you get points...more power to you. The decor is old-fashioned and cool. Think a blend of wood paneling, exposed brick and murals, toss in some rockin'-looking Iberico hams (love!) hanging from the ceiling above the bar (not joking...they have hooves on them and they're imported and awesome), and you've got one heck of a spot.
The gorgeous bar is a main feature when you walk in, framed up nicely by the long row of windows to your right when you walk in. The bartender has a really snazzy mustache (this must be a big trend, because Bayless's bartender has some wacky facial hair too). And according to my parents and my aunt, their sangrias (both traditional red and seasonal white peach) were tasty. Not that I'd have any clue.
Anyways...
We went to town trying their tapas, even ordering some dishes that we consider our mainstays at Meson Sabika (just for comparison).
I'm going to make this a photo review! Something shiny and new! Read the captions, dearies...
~AF
(For the record, I do still adore Meson Sabika. It is my first love when it comes to tapas. And I like it just a little bit better. But this is an awesome place too. Nothing scathing on this page, that's for sure.)
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| Okay. Clockwise from top: sangria (looked pretty); bread (heartier than Meson...but tastier in a way because it was served with olive oil, not butter!); aceitunes (marinated olives, more of a mix than Meson...I like the variety of it, but the flavor at Meson was far superior. But you should still order them); datiles con tocino (loves, they are so good! Crispy bacon, melt-in-your-mouth dates, dressed in an apple vinaigrette and served with little apple chunks. There's bacon. Can't go wrong.). |
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| Queso de cabra al horno: Baked goat cheese in a tomato-basil sauce. Almost as good as Meson. Missed it by that much. Sorry, the first was the better in this case. |
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| Meatballs in sherry tomato sauce: They were tender to the point of being crumbly. And the sauce seemed a little flat to me. Sorry, but I just wasn't digging it. |
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| Oh. My. Goodness. That is a plate of sweet potatoes with pomegranate aioli. Order it. Order it now. It is that good. I could have just eaten the aioli with a spoon. If only they'd given us more of it... |
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| Skewer of chicken and Spanish chorizo: Not what I would have ordered. It was my sister's idea, and it was a good way for her to branch out a little. There's not much that could mess up good chicken and good sausage. If you're not adventurous enough for pomegranate aioli, this is the route to take. It's good, just not bold enough for my liking. |
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| Well, she ain't pretty...These are sherry-glazed pork ribs. And they're good. Thing is, there's a lot of sherry glaze going on on the plate. If you like barbecue ribs, you'll probably like this. It seemed a little more South Carolina than south of Spain. But it was tasty. |
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| Ask them to bring you a spoon with this item. This, my friends, is a slow-braised beef shortrib. And you can cut it with a spoon. Try it. It comes with velvety mashed potatoes, and if you're smart you'll have it brought out early, before you've filled up on hearty bread and goat cheese. I just wish I'd had room for it. Because it was good... |
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| Pincho de Solomillo: It's so simple. And simple dishes are where you can tell if a restaurant is doing things right. Ba-Ba-Reeba sure is. This was just as tasty as the pincho from Meson, and I may have even liked this horseradish cream a little better. Just meat and a grill. And they made it taste good. This is how you do it. But I still love my Meson Sabika. |
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