Xoco
449 N Clark St
Chicago, IL
The buzz around Rick Bayless’ new quick service Mexican restaurant, Xoco (located right next two his other two creations, Topolobampo and Frontera Grill) has been almost deafening – so we knew we had to check it out. Unquestionably, a good portion of that buzz comes from his recent victory on Top Chef Masters (we called it!), but even with such great anticipation, Bayless has a lot to live up to. Xoco does not take reservations – quick service only – so when we found ourselves in the loop for a conference on a rainy October night, it was the perfect opportunity (so we thought) hoping that the freezing rain would wash out the crowds. No such luck though: at 9 PM on Friday there was a line out the door. Not that the wait was particularly long, and even if it were, the extensive menu gives the thoughtful diner a lot to mull over. Caldos, tortas, empanadas, six varieties of chocolate – we had a tough time deciding.
The cold night made the hot chocolate a logical choice, as did the restaurant’s Nahuatl name. We had heard that the house-made hot chocolate was excellent, so we sampled 2 varieties. The servers came out with a little carafe of chocolate and pour it right for you (though we wish they would let us keep the carafe at the table!). We opted for the thick and creamy Barcelona, and the spicy Aztec. Ironically, a blend of both would have been perfect: the Barcelona was thick and creamy, but lacking the spicy punch of the Aztec; while the Aztec needed a thicker blend like the Barcelona. Not that either one was disappointing – both were excellent – but next time we will stage a reconquista and mix the two.
Entrees were a tougher choice. After a lot of debate, M settled on a caldo: the “Wood-Roasted Chicken Pozole,” ($11.50) while L got the Cochinita Pibil sandwich ($12.00). We had high expectations for the caldo, but at the end of the day was slightly underwhelming: the red chiles meant to flavor the dish never found a way to fully integrate their flavor into the broth, and the resulting mix seemed slightly disjointed. The added lime juice helped, but the potential marriage of strong flavors had a tendency to seem more like a shouting match without a moderator than Bayless’ usual seamless flavor marriages. L’s sandwich was much better. The simple ingredients packed big flavors. The perfectly spiced shredded pork was melt-in-your-mouth; garnished with pickled onions on top and Xoco’s delectable habanero salsa, all on a crusty bolillo roll: the sandwich was a masterpiece.
Overall, we’ll declare our experience at Xoco great – and as two poor students, we certainly appreciated the lower price point. Rick Bayless himself is often in the open kitchen, especially mornings, and takes great care to use local, fresh ingredients, something we definitely tasted and appreciated.
Eating The World 