This past week was a favorite week of any foodie in Chicago, Chicago Restaurant Week! Hundreds of restaurants in the city offered special three-course lunch meals for $22 and three-course dinner meals for $44 (tax and gratuity not included, naturally). Choosing a restaurant to go to was harder than every midterm I took this week combined, but ultimately we decided on Topolobampo. I have been eating at Tortas Frontera every time I've visited O'Hare for years, and have enjoyed tortas from Xoco on numerous occasions. Needless to say, I am definitely a fan of Rick Bayless and Topolobampo has long been on my bucket list. Alas, it does not generally fit into a college student's budget... but that's what Chicago Restaurant Week is for! Topolobampo only offered the three-course lunch menu for CRW ($22) which was perfect. We went on a Thursday afternoon at a slightly-off time (2 pm) and were seating immediately even though we were pretty early for our reservation. I was immediately taken in by the atmosphere. The restaurant smells like delicious, authentic Mexican cuisine. The decor is very fun and the entire experience felt like an afternoon mini-vacation.
Agua de Jamaica ($3.50) agua fresca made with lime juice and Jamaican flowers
To start, I ordered a delicious agua fresca made with lime juice and Jamaican flowers. It was extremely refreshing, but sweet enough that it was best to order just one and sip.
Looks like a margarita but alas it's just a delicious agua fresca!
Next, it was time to make decisions on the menu. The appetizer menu included three options: a green salad with toasted walnuts, Sopa Azeteca, and scallops in aguachile. Although I generally love soup, I was feeling a little overheated and ultimated decided to go with the scallops (a dish I don't get the chance to enjoy very often). Caitlin went with the green salad.
Viking Village scallops, spicy lime & habanero “broth,” salt-cured nopal, bursts of lime, micro cilantro
The scallops were absolutely delicious. I was worried that scallops as an appetizer would be too filling, but the portion size was perfect. The scallops were perfectly tender, and the lime and habenero broth provided a surprising, yet delicious kick. I tried a bite of Caitlin's salad and it was also delightful. The greens were extremely fresh and the walnuts were perfectly toasted.
Wood-grilled Prime Creekstone ribeye, Oaxacan black mole, chepil tamal, smoky green beans
There were also three options for entrees: fish in a yellow mole, carne asada, and chilaquiles. I am a sucker for chilaquiles and almost went with those, but ultimately decided Rick Bayless' carne asada was not something to pass up. The ribeye was served medium rare and was perfectly pink. It was a perfect cut with just the right amount of fat and flavor. The green beans were nice and crispy, and the tamal was warm and delicious. The real showstopper of this dish, however, was the black mole. It was creamy, nutty, and with a hint of chocolate. It tasted great with the ribeye, the tamal, and when everything was gone I basically licked the rest off my plate. In the midst of heaven with my carne asada, I actually didn't get the chance to try the fish in yellow mole that Caitlin ordered. However, she seemed to enjoy it very much! Our meal was also accompanied by fresh house-made tortillas, which were delicious on their own but absolutely incredible when dipped in the mole sauce. It is very clear that a lot of love and attention to detail goes into the dishes at Topolobampo.
Moist chocolate cake (house-made chocolate from Tabasco), rosita de cacao ice cream, cacao fruit mousse,
caramelized cocoa nibs
Despite the first two delicious courses, you best believe I had room for dessert. There are two dessert offerings: crepas con cajeta (crepes with plantains, goat milk caramel, and carmelized plantain ice cream) and the cacao tree (chocolate cake with mouse and cacao ice cream). Naturally, we got one of each. I had the cacao tree and it was the best grande finale to a great meal that I could ever imagine. The chocolate cake was moist and sinful. The ice cream had a hint of rum taste to it and was the perfect complement to the chocolate cake. The cocoa nibs provided the final crunch that the dessert needed....all in all I'm still daydreaming about this dessert. I tried a bite of Caitlin's crepes and they were warm, buttery, and had the perfect hint of caramel.
All in all, my experience at Topolobampo was everything I dreamed for and more. The service was quick, attentive, and ultimately phenomenal. I'm so glad that I was able to cross this restaurant off the bucket list... and during midterms of all weeks! It was much needed. If you're sad because you missed out on CRW at Topolobampo... have no fear! Our waitress let us know that Topo offers a three-course lunch menu for $25 daily. The first course offerings are the same as CRW, with two slightly different desserts. It's nice to know that if I get a hankering for this meal again, I don't have to wait until CRW next year to have it again! Two thumbs up.
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