Frontera Grill (and Topolobampo)
445 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60610
312.661.1434
www.fronterakitchens.com
LAX 2 ORD, no.3
“Other side,” was the driver’s stern command when I attempted to get out of the cab. I shut the door, and the two of us waxed on, waxed off, the broken, cracked vinyl of the cab in unison with our denim butts to get out on the “safe” side. I’m from L.A. I don’t take cabs. I didn’t know you’re supposed to get out on a certain side. We were a few minutes early for dinner.
"Topolobampo" and "Frontera Grill" printed matter-of-factly in simple black block-lettering on the awning out front gives you no warning to what’s about to assault you once you step inside.
The place is...loud. Not only orally and aurally loud in volume, but visually loud. Rick Bayless’s Frontera Grill in Chicago is about 817 decibels of fully chaotic-on-purpose technicolor. Colorful sculptures, framed pictures, and masks cover the walls. From behind the artwork, sections of the painted walls shout for attention in canary yellow, trimmed with every vibrant color in the Roy G. Biv, and ceilings that extend mysteriously upward into darkness screech back in the form of flying turquoise and fuschia creatures that hurl you back to where the wild things are. It sort of feels like a box of crayons exploded into Nickelodeon shrapnel all over an Acapulco cantina.
We slipped in and out and sideways between groups of animated people to sidle up to the bar. Funny, as colorful as the setting is, I’ve never seen so many black leather jackets. We sat down. The bar is bright. Lined with glossy tiles, it’s a brilliant frame for an impressive panoply of bottled weaponry that’s about to launch alcoholic warfare on any sober vibes that might have slipped past the hostess. Rocks, no salt, please. Thanks.
Waiting for my first margarita, I had a familiar sense that I had been here before. Hmm. Deja-vu? A blip in the matrix? No, I really have been to Frontera Grill before. It was the last time I was in Chicago. I met a certain him-whom-shall-remain-nameless. We had three months of wicked delicious. We parted for opposite coasts, promising to keep in touch, but I don’t even remember his name now. Okay, that last sentence is wholly untrue, but it sounds way sophisticated! We actually maintained a silly cross-country fling for a few months following, and on his visits to LA, we would go to Border Grill in Santa Monica, probably because it reminded us of Frontera. Border Grill owned by the Too Hot Tamales and Frontera Grill owned by Rick Bayless, the two restaurants are totally unrelated, but they look and feel like fraternal twins. Both are vibrantly multi-colored cantinas, but whereas Frontera Grill is brighter and more playful, Border Grill is a little darker, sexier, and mysterious.
Returning from that momentary lapse into my romantic history, I noticed that the margarita that I was now holding was rather...small. (Not connected, I swear.) Thankfully, the margaritas don’t come in those hateful beluga whale-mouthed glassses that spew ice-blended fruit and tequila (why someone would do that tequila is beyond me) every time someone bumps into you. However, Frontera goes in the opposite direction with glasses that are the size of a grapefruit juice glass on a room service tray. The glass was small enough to make me take notice, but the tonic inside was big enough to make me take even more notice. Strong. Dangerous. I ordered another.
When friends showed up, we had another round (are you counting? I’m up to three) before going to our table in the Frontera Grill dining room. The colorful playground cantina decor of the bar spills over into the dining room, just slightly less hyperactive. Topolobampo, I think, was just on the other side of the wall through a dark doorway. No sooner were we about to open our menus, when a server came by with chips and two tiny silver bowls of salsa, and asked us about drinks. Margaritas? Damn, I love Mexican restaurants. Pace – I had just had three margaritas in small glasses that tricked me into shooting them like tequila, and that was on top of my happy hour citron/sodas at PJ Clarke’s – yourself. I took a raincheck for the margarita, for at least ten minutes, but ordered guacamole without even looking at the menu. An L.A. friend who had heard we were going to be here recommended we order it without a doubt.
Frontera’s menu is well-organized into categories with un-obnoxious names. There are offerings from the seafood bar, small plates, specialties that are “fancier” Mexican dishes, other entrees that are the more typical Mexican fare, and sides. There, under the specialties, I saw it - huitlacoche. Huitlacoche. As in huitlacoche, black rotting mold that spawns on corn, a.k.a. Mexican delicacy. It grosses me out to see corn mold (Frontera calls it a “mushroom”) on the menu, but nonetheless, I was impressed with Rick Bayless having the cajones to put Mexican corn mold on his menu. LOL!
The waiter returned with the guacamole and martini-style margaritas for friends. These are a little more expensive because you get to mini-marvel as they are shaken and poured at the table, but they taste exactly like the regular margaritas. I ordered another, rocks, no salt, before we launched back into full-scale menu deliberations. Yes, dining delicious means heavy duty discussion, analysis, negotiation and compromises when it comes to ordering. On a few margaritas, it’s even better, though I couldn’t get anyone to commit to ostiones. Especially with habanero mignonette? Whatever happened to liquid courage? Pollos.
The chips and salsa on the table were good – just golden yellow triangles, more crisp than crunch, with two salsas that didn’t quite shoot flames down my throat. The chips and guacamole, however, were outstanding. Out. Stan. Ding. Outstanding. The guacamole was incredible. I don’t know why. I don’t know what it was about Frontera’s guacamole that made the avocado taste so much smoother and creamier, yet chunkier, more like an avocado than an avocado and yes, if food can taste like a color, a brighter, more verdant green in my mouth than I have tasted before. I know some people prescribe to the all-green guacamole, eschewing tomatoes as mere “filler,” but the tiny red gems in Frontera’s guacamole were awesome, though I am wholly embarassed to admit that I am not quite sure that they were tomatoes. On three and half margaritas, I could have sworn they were sun-dried tomatoes or maybe even roasted red peppers. I don’t think I’ll ever really find out until I go back because even Rick’s guacamole mix (oh, I have an opinion on guacamole mix, but not for today) and his online recipes aren’t very telling.
When I – rather, “we” – finished the guacamole, I wanted to order another one, but the final results of our menu deliberations had arrived. Our lively-almost-raucous conversation about working from home, Chicago nightlife, and Chicago late-nightlife died down to hushed ohs and ahs. Even on the plate, Frontera Grill goes wild with color.
Sopa de papa is a creamy potato soup, not too thick and heavy, but the perfect consistency to bouy sweet roasted carrots and still-bright spinach. There are a couple of ceviches offered in the seafood bar section of the menu, but Trio Trio Trio lets you taste three, served up in martini glass. Seaside Cocktail, a mix of shrimp and halibut dressed in a cocktail sauce with a twist of lime was good, but hardly worthy of a sophisticated martini glass. Ceviche Fronterizo, all halibut, was more interesting, but too heavy on the cilantro for my taste, even after picking off the cilantro garnish on top. The winner for taste was Ceviche Yucateco, which had some heat that made me blush, but nowhere near fiery enough that I had to beg for half-and-half with tears in my eyes. I ate the shrimp, but left the calamari for someone else.
Callos de Hacha en Salsa de Elote Verde was beautifully presented on the plate. Large scallops looked like they had just dragged themselves exhausted up out of a cilantro-chile swamp, pudgy little playmates tumbling all over each other, now leaning exhausted up against a muted green pyramid of rice, weeping the sauce into a puddle around them. The scallops were tender and very surprisingly spicy. Red usually flags fire, but on the scallops, in the sauce, and on the rice, green chiles made us suck in our breath a little too cool down.
I didn’t taste the Pollo en Adobo, but I suspect that the thick chicken breast lounging against a bright orange pillow of pumpkin puree in a veritable sea of deep dark red adobo sauce didn’t suck. Like everything else, the plate was colorful, with a final afro garnish of onions on top.
Everything was delicious. The guacamole outstanding. But far and away the best dish of the evening was, not the slender, sexy martini glass triplets of ceviche, not the spicy, playfully sophisticated scallops, not the dark, earthy yet complex adobo. The best dish of the evening was a simple plate of tacos al pastor. Plain, simple tortillas-filled-with-something. Tacos. But they weren’t just plain and simple. Pork had been marinated in chile and spices and then grilled al pastor style (I have to do more research on what al pastor is – but whatever it means, al pastor means f-in’ tasty). The meat was deeply flavorful and so tender that it was hard to believe that it wasn’t a piece of fat that had been braised for hours in its own fatty juices. Accompaniments to the tacos al pastor only added to the ever-increasing *mmm*ing rush that was taking over – salsa, more of that gucamole, tortillas that smelled and tasted like masa heaven, and frijoles charros that, I swear, have spoiled any true delicious happiness in future relationships with black beans. Nothing will even come close to being this good. I've lived in LA for how many years? And I find Mexican food that makes me wilt...in Chicago.
I didn’t think we had it in us to do it after all that, but we did. We ordered dessert. Purposely, we picked nothing overly luxurious, creative, or unique. Purposely we picked one for all of us to share with each our own spoon. The simple crisp was something that did not compete with all the incredible food we had just had for our gastronomic attentions. I took one tiny little bite for enough of a taste to say that it wan’t bad. We didn’t finish it.
Though we had hushed our conversation when the food had arrived, it had gradually picked up throughout the course of the meal until we realized that we had drawn out margaritas, guacamole, dinner, and dessert over several hours. Likely one of the last groups lingering there in the dining room, we quickly paid our check to the Frontera staff now anxiously waiting to clean up.
We stepped out onto Clark, ready to attack Chicago nightlife. I leaned toward the street, turning my head right to look for a cab.
Silly. We’re walking.
Elsewhere on the web about Frontera Grill:
~ Rick Bayless's Chunky Guacamole Recipe at Dallas News
~ Food and Wine Magazine loves Duck Breast in Apricot Chile Mole
~ wow. a full five stars (*****) for Frontera Grill at Citysearch
~ uh oh, only 3 out of 5 stars from MetroMix Chicago, but a rec for the Saturday brunch
~ 208 Yelpers give Frontera Grill 4 out of 5 stars
~ Frontera Grill is worth the two margarita wait for Fodor's
~ for Frommers, Frontera Grill is the place to taste real Mexican food (in Chicago, I guess?)
~ some of Rick Bayless's recipes on FoodNetwork.com
** This post originally published 11.09.05 **
Nick says
Definately shouldn't have hit this site first thing in the AM, now I'm seriously hungry. Bayless wasn't cooking, was he?
sarah says
you know....not sure if he was. i was with some other people and didn't want to freak them out by sneaking into the kitchen to stalk the chef...though i have done that many many times before...LOL!
Xericx says
I should have REALLY have gone here...I wanted to try Rick Bayless' cooking...no matter..I'm go to Chi-town once or twice a year...next time, fo sho...unless its like the Border Grill.
Lady Amalthea says
This looks delicious. I can't wait to hear all about it. Mmmmm. Now all I want to eat is good Mexican food.
Anonymous says
From the looks of it, looks just like Border Grill. How does it compare?
sarah says
lady amalthea: it WAS delicious! and different from the usual mexican food i get every day here in l.a. sure we have the fast food chains (baja fresh on every corner), sure we have the taco trucks and authentic dives. sure we even have places like el cholo and la serenata...but i can say that frontera grill is going to be up there in my top three for mexican. ever.
anonymous: frontera IS similar to border grill, but i think the guacamole put me over on frontera's side. :)
Kirk says
Hey Sarah - On a "Taco Truck" crawl in Yuma I recently learned what Al Pastor is - it's pork that's marinated then a dry rub is applied, then grilled on a verticle spit(trombo), lot's of times pineapple is placed on the top of the meat to drip down while it's turning.. The style of cooking was brought to Mexico by Lebanese Immigrants, or so they say - Al Pastor means "Shepard-style" - and it's translation should be changed to "f-in" delici-yoso like you say! This is wonderful, I've always wanted to eat at Frontera Grill ever since I used to watch Bayless's programs on PBS. I've got a bad case of "Guac-envy" going.
Anonymous says
The tacos al pastor were fantastic...best tacos ever.
Marc says
I was in Chicago in August and wanted to go to Frontera, but my Chi-town friends didn't want to. Curse them for their bad advice! Next time...
Before I started watching Rick Bayless's PBS show a few years ago, I had a low opinion of Mexican cuisine as a result of the cautiousness and gloppyness of the Mexican restaurants I had been to. The Mexican restaurant offerings were just a tiny, tiny sliver of the true diversity and inventiveness, and since then I have seen the light (thanks also to Diana Kennedy and Nancy Zaslavsky).
I own two of Bayless's cookbooks (Mexican Kitchen and One Plate at a Time), and highly recommend them. Although I have only cooked the (many) vegetarian items, my success rate has been 100%. Recently, I wrote about one of his pumpkin recipes. In a few weeks, I should have something about the roasted tomatillo salsa that his TV show taught me to make (I would eat that salsa almost every day if I could).
sarah says
kirk: thanks for the background on "al pastor." i hear people talk about it a lot, but i never really bothered to ask them what it was (maybe i just didn't want to admit my ignorance lol!!!) now i know. and it's pineapple. nice.
hello mysterious anonymous. i know youuuuuu!
hi marc...i think i remember seeing that pumpkin post in my travels through the flogosphere :)
Anonymous says
those little red things in the guacamole ARE sundried tomatoes.....quite tasty ones at that :)
hermz says
Wow I want to go to Frontera now!
hermz says
Wow I want to go to Frontera now!
Anonymous says
I LOVELOVELOVE Frontera and Topolobampo! But (sob) we don't live in Chicagoland anymore, so it's been a few years (sob again) since I've been there.
Tacos al Pastor is my favorite from our former hometown place too, and you can buy the meat already marinated in many of the grocery stores in Little Village. It does have pineapple in the marinade, and also vinegar.
Last time we went to Topolo (for our anniversary), I called ahead to see if Rick would be there that night, and brought my favorite cookbook of his (Mexican Kitchen) along, and our server took it back to him to sign! As we were leaving, I (accosted) went up to him to thank him, swoon, and we chatted for a few minutes. He could not have been nicer (but probably wondered who this short woman blathering on and on was). He is very tall and has nice eyes.
Next time get the Sopa Azteca!
~ Peggasus
Cathy - wheresmydamnanswer says
I have had the pleasure of stuffing my face at both places and they are both incredible but I think that really Frontera is just little better. There is nothing better than good mexican / tex mex / southwest cuisine. What a great review.
Cathy - wheresmydamnanswer says
I have had the pleasure of stuffing my face at both places and they are both incredible but I think that really Frontera is just little better. There is nothing better than good mexican / tex mex / southwest cuisine. What a great review.
Olga says
oh how I miss good Mexican food! Sadly DC doesn't really have too much of it.
glutster says
this place is on my 'must try before I die' list, Ha, Ha.
Being Mexican myself and having a Mexican restaurant really means a lot.
I see his show on public broadcasting every week.
I will just say...this guy knows his stuff.
glutster says
this place is on my 'must try before I die' list, Ha, Ha.
Being Mexican myself and having a Mexican restaurant really means a lot.
I see his show on public broadcasting every week.
I will just say...this guy knows his stuff.
d* says
eek! another Chicago restaurant review!
Thanks, Sarah! I'm definitely going to try Frontera Grill
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
The kind of food I love... Now, I'm hungry!
Cheers,
Rosa
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
The kind of food I love... Now, I'm hungry!
Cheers,
Rosa
Mike D says
Just got here from Twitter -- wow -- good thing it is after lunch -- I'm loving the food photography (not that easy)
Looking forward to seeing more
Mike
Mike D says
Just got here from Twitter -- wow -- good thing it is after lunch -- I'm loving the food photography (not that easy)
Looking forward to seeing more
Mike