Avoid if at all possible. Terrible.
Don't eat some.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Frontera Grill
This evening I had the opportunity to go to Frontera Grill in Chicago, restaurant of the famous and familiar Rick Bayless.
I am a mexican food enthusiast, as my friends will tell you...not that you know them at all or can ask. I love all kinds of food and mexican food is at my top. I eat tacos all the time; too often for some. I enjoy a stop at any run down taco shop in the ghetto or wherever it looks like there's fewer english words spoken than Dutchmen at the south pole.
It is with great surprise that I tell you that Frontera was a total disappointment. Seeing Rick Bayless on TV for much of my young life and being so interested in the food he makes... it came as a shock to experience such mediocrity. Frontera was truly a ho hum experience. Service, food, everything.
The dinner started with Guac. I fucking love Guac, and sorry I didnt take a piture but it's slimy green shit with chunks in it so forgive my unwillingness to take a pic. It was some kind of super imaginative number with pumpkin seeds, serrano, epozote, and surprise: Fucking avocadoes. Very undelicious. It looked way over mashed, slimy, and had virtually no flavor. The salsas that came with weren't much to write home about either, but we added them in to rescue the flavorless guactastrophe.
Post-tamaleum, we encountered a flavorful ceviche; sweet and lightly citrusy. A tough batch though I'm afraid. The fishies must have had a long time to swim in the brine because basketballs would have put up less of a fight. No spice, no heat, tough fish. Not thrilled with the ceviche.
My entrée was the "Chile-braised Pleasant Meadows Farm goat. Runner beans, Napa cabbage, arbol salsa" Needless to say when I hear goat and special I immediately revoke my veggie vows to sample one of my favorite meats. Perhaps this revocation was too hasty because the goat, while tender and moist, had no depth of flavor and no indication that this meat was goat. It could have been beef or any other animal really for all I could tell. Now, after purportedly being braised all night in this chile and arbol salsa one would expect a really incredibly deep and rich flavor.... FALSE. All that could be tasted was salt salt salt salt salt. Oh, did I mention it was salty? Because that was just about the only flavor!
So, as much as I like Rick Bayless, and as much as I really wanted to love this place... I can't in good conscience say it was any better than a hole in the wall place in pilsen. The quality just was not there. The level of execution and flavor was missing. I hope to go back some time and be pleasantly surprised again, but until then...... Don't eat some.
I am a mexican food enthusiast, as my friends will tell you...not that you know them at all or can ask. I love all kinds of food and mexican food is at my top. I eat tacos all the time; too often for some. I enjoy a stop at any run down taco shop in the ghetto or wherever it looks like there's fewer english words spoken than Dutchmen at the south pole.
It is with great surprise that I tell you that Frontera was a total disappointment. Seeing Rick Bayless on TV for much of my young life and being so interested in the food he makes... it came as a shock to experience such mediocrity. Frontera was truly a ho hum experience. Service, food, everything.
The dinner started with Guac. I fucking love Guac, and sorry I didnt take a piture but it's slimy green shit with chunks in it so forgive my unwillingness to take a pic. It was some kind of super imaginative number with pumpkin seeds, serrano, epozote, and surprise: Fucking avocadoes. Very undelicious. It looked way over mashed, slimy, and had virtually no flavor. The salsas that came with weren't much to write home about either, but we added them in to rescue the flavorless guactastrophe.
After the Guac, came the Tamales. They were damned good! A sweet corn masa, caramelized onions, sweet crema and salty cheese made for a very interesting and lightly sweet tamal. A delightful little package of goodness with a good amount of moisture and well executed.
 |
| The only good thing we ate! Tamales |
Post-tamaleum, we encountered a flavorful ceviche; sweet and lightly citrusy. A tough batch though I'm afraid. The fishies must have had a long time to swim in the brine because basketballs would have put up less of a fight. No spice, no heat, tough fish. Not thrilled with the ceviche.
 |
| Over cured and rubbery ceviche! |
My entrée was the "Chile-braised Pleasant Meadows Farm goat. Runner beans, Napa cabbage, arbol salsa" Needless to say when I hear goat and special I immediately revoke my veggie vows to sample one of my favorite meats. Perhaps this revocation was too hasty because the goat, while tender and moist, had no depth of flavor and no indication that this meat was goat. It could have been beef or any other animal really for all I could tell. Now, after purportedly being braised all night in this chile and arbol salsa one would expect a really incredibly deep and rich flavor.... FALSE. All that could be tasted was salt salt salt salt salt. Oh, did I mention it was salty? Because that was just about the only flavor!
 |
| Some kinda salty ass goat thing. |
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