During dinner at Rick Bayless’s Frontera Grill one of my dining companions said “it’s a Sears Tower kind of restaurant” He didn’t mean it was touristy, but that locals only go when bringing someone from out-of-town there. And that’s not to imply that we wouldn’t go if we didn’t have another excuse.
But I’ve never been there, despite it being fairly close to where I’ve had an office for ten years. But then I’ve only been at the top of the Sears Tower once (with an out-of-town relative) despite having been in the building many times to see a client.
The dining companion wasn’t just any old eater, he was Rob, from Vital Information, one of the most knowledgeable foodies around. His review of the meal is on his site and also at LTHForum.
And if eating with one uber-foodblogger wasn’t enough, Tana from Small Farms was our out-of-town excuse to go there. Truthfully, we went because we wanted to meet Tana, not just to use her as an excuse.
Like the Sears Tower, there’s a wait before you get to enjoy what you came for, but at least in this case you can enjoy a delicious blood orange margarita at the lively bar while waiting. I think I’ll be returning just for another one of those, and to see what other seasonal margarita concoctions they come up with.
Seated within 45 minutes or so, we ordered up the Ceviche Trio and the “Enchiladas” Potosinas. Rob has a better review of these items, especially owning to his expertise. I found some of the ceviches a little skimpy on the actual fish, but otherwise pretty flawless as far as ingredients and bright flavors.
My duck – “Pato en Salsa de Chile Ancho y Nuez – grilled Gunthorp duck breast in silky ancho chile sauce thickened with toasted pecans; chipotle-spiked butternut and smoky green beans” was excellent, smoky flavorful duck breast, although I prefer my duck fairly rare. The squash preparation is something that I will strive to copy.
Here’s an article on the Gunthorps and their farm.
I lack the knowledge to be picky about authenticity when it comes to Mexican food (although finding butter in the beans that rob talks about is pretty obvious) but the one thing I walked away with is that I felt I could have picked a different dish. I thoroughly ejoyed it, but I wanted something that would really teach me something or .
If nothing else, the menu intrigued me to go back and try again – or even better – do some searches here and go to Not Frontera more often. I’m also intrigued to find out what the upscale Topolobampo offers besides an upscale decor, service and bill. The menus look fairly similar, although there’s a tasting menu offering that would be the primary excuse to take the step up.