Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
136
king.” There's no kids' menu, but with the entir e menu based on burgers and fries, who
needs one? The 1950s-costumed waitstaff cracks gum at y ou and dishes out r ude com-
ments along with the food. And when the jukebo x strikes up a song, don 't be surprised
if your waiter leaps onto the counter (or onto y our table, if that 's where he happens to
be), to dance along. I t's all a per formance, but it wor ks. One nice bonus is a good vie w
of River North and the skyscrapers of the Loop to the south.
640 N. Wells St.
&
312/664-1707.
Highchairs, boosters. Reservations accepted only for parties of 15 or
more. All main c ourses under $10. AE, DC, DISC, V. Mon-Thurs 11am-9pm; F ri 11am-11pm; Sat 9am-
11pm; Sun 9am-9pm. Subway/El: Brown Line to Franklin.
Frontera Grill & Topolobampo
MEXICAN Owners Rick and D eann
Groen Bayless, authors of the popular
Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart
of Mexico,
are widely credited with bringing authentic Mexican regional cuisine to a wider
audience. Their restaurant is the place to taste
real
Mexican food, so don't show up expect-
ing a plate of nachos with pr ocessed-cheese topping. The building actually houses two
restaurants: the casual Frontera Grill (plain wood tables, terra-cotta tile floor) and the fine-
dining Topolobampo (white linen tablecloths, a mor e hushed environment). At both res-
taurants, the focus is on fr esh, organic ingredients supplied by local artisanal farmers.
For families, I'd recommend the casual atmosphere of Frontera Grill, where the signa-
ture appetizer is the
sopes surtidos,
corn-tortilla “boats” with a sampler of fillings (chicken
in red mole, black beans with homemade chorizo, and so on). The ever-changing entree
list might include pork loin in a green mole sauce; smoked chicken br east smothered in
a sauce of chiles, pumpkin seeds, and roasted garlic; or a classic
sopa de pan
(“bread soup”
spiced up with almonds, raisins, grilled green onions, and zucchini). Yes, you can also get
tacos (with fillings such as por tobello mushrooms, duck, and catfish). The Baylesses up
the ante at the adjacent Topolobampo, where both the ingr edients and presentation are
more upscale.
It can be tough to snag a table at Frontera during prime dining hours, so do what the
locals do: P ut your name on the list, or der the kids some chips, and hav e a margarita
while you wait in the lively, large bar area.
445 N. Clark St. (btw. Illinois and Hubbard sts.).
&
312/661-1434.
www.fronterakitchens.com. Reserva-
tions accepted at Frontera Grill for parties of 5-10; accepted at Topolobampo for parties of 1-6. Frontera
Grill main c ourses $21-$28. Topolobampo main c ourses $32-$38; chef 's 5- course tasting menu $75
($120 with wine pairings). AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Frontera Grill Tues-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm; Sat 10:30am-
2:30pm; Tues-Thurs 5-10pm; F ri-Sat 5-11pm. Topolobampo Tues 11:45am-2pm; Wed-Fri 11:30am-
2pm; Tues-Thurs 5:30-9:30pm; Fri-Sat 5:30-10:30pm. Subway/El: Red Line to Grand.
5
Gino's East
PIZZA This famous Chicago pizz eria invites patr ons to scrawl all
over the graffiti-strewn booths. Waiting in the frigid cold (or sweltering heat) to get into
Gino's at its former location just west of the Magnificent Mile used to be a Chicago tour-
ist rite of passage. Now that the restaurant has moved into the vast space formerly occu-
pied by Planet Hollywood, there are no more lines out front.
Many Chicagoans consider G ino's the quintessential deep-dish Chicago-style pizza.
True to its reputation, the pizza is heavy (a small cheese pizza is enough for two), so work
up an appetite befor e chowing down here. Specialty pizzas include the supr eme, with
layers of cheese, sausage, onions, green pepper, and mushrooms; and the vegetarian, with
cheese, onions, peppers, asparagus, summer squash, zucchini, and eggplant. G ino's also
offers salads, sandwiches, and pastas, but I've never seen anyone order them. If you want
to take a pizza home on the plane, call a day in adv ance and G ino's will pack a special
frozen pie for the trip.