Xoco
449 Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60654
http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/xoco.html

I was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and found myself unexpectedly free from a scheduled business dinner.  It was a perfect chance to change out of the suit and hit Xoco.  This is Rick Bayless’ take on Mexican street/market food.  The place opened in 2009 and I’ve tried on a couple of occasions to eat there but was driven away by long lines or the joint being closed (no service on Sundays or Mondays).  Rick Bayless to me is friggin’ genius.  He doesn’t seem to be the maniacal self-promoter like Bobby Flay, but he has a command of the genre that dwarfs Bobby.  I watched an Iron Chef America “Battle” several years ago where Bayless and Flay squared off.  When Bayless eventually lost to Flay the look in Rick’s eyes said, “What the !@#$ am I doing here?”  I haven’t watched that show since.

The literal translation of Xoco is “little sister”, which is an obvious tip of the hat to Frontera and Topolobampo the two cornerstone restaurants of Bayless.  Xoco is located next door to these two so you really have an entire block of ridiculously good Mexican food.  Xoco is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with extended dinner hours for those late-night cravings.

What I Got: Chips and Salsa to begin, Torta Choriqueso, Classic Mexican Sipping Chocolate and Churro with Chocolate dipping sauce; ~$18.00.

Let’s start with the chips and salsa; great, hearty, slightly thick chips with both a red roasted pepper picante and a Salsa Verde.  Great salsa!  I make green salsa all the time and wish mine were this good, little specks of charred peppers and tomatillos with a good kick of heat and an herby cilantro finish.  I killed the basket.

The Torta Choriqueso as you probably guessed was house made Chorizo with roasted poblano, house Jack cheese and a tomatillo salsa.  The sandwich was served on a wonderful crusty bun that gave way to a spongy, light interior.  The Chorizo had just that hint of crispiness that I love with a salty/spicy richness.  Really good.

I finished with the Churro.  The ordering process at Xoco is more cafeteria style in that you order at the counter and then walk down the line to get your drinks and food.  The hostess told me that she’d keep an eye on me and would deliver the Churro when I finished my Torta so that it would fresh and hot.  I really appreciated that.  The Churro was indeed hot and covered in a cinnamon/sugar mix.  Pretty standard presentation but the Chocolate dipping sauce took it to a new level.  The sauce was dark and slightly bitter, but as you  dipped the Churro the cinnamon/sugar mixed with the Chocolate sweetening the sauce with every successive dip.  Pure unadulterated evil genius.

Finally, I had the Classic sipping chocolate which is the traditional  Chocolate mixed with 2% milk.  I don’t like coffee and in general don’t drink anything that is hot.  Yeah, I’m weird.  However, I’d drink one of these twice a day if it were of this quality; rich, creamy, chocolate.

Would I Buy It Again?  Yes!  Can’t wait to get back there.  The entire meal cost me about $18 in downtown Chicago.  Amazing.

-Smokin DB

Tags: Chicago, Food, xoco

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 27th, 2011 at 6:00 am and is filed under Food Reviews, Location: Chicago, IL, On The Road. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.