Two Meals With Rick Bayless...

Suffice to say, I did not actually dine "with" celebrity chef, Rick Bayless, himself lol! But the two lunches we had at two of his reknowned restaurants in Chicago (the third one is a little cafe kind of grab-&-go sort of place in a department store also in the city) was quite the highlight of our few fun days in the windy city.

Our first experiance with Rich Bayless obviously stemmed from his PBS tv show, 'Mexico - One Plate At A Time'. While I don't care much for the history sessions, I try to appreciate it. I enjoy his pretty straight forward cooking styles and his casual mannerism - not over the top like some others on the food network. He's a pioneer in education the general public is good Mexican food and boy, if you think it looks good on tv, wait till you go to his restaurants! It is wonderful! ...and no, I'm not getting paid for this post lol!

From the most basic, like the guacamole (the best I've ever had!!!), to the more complex tasting moles (I had three different kinds in two meals) to the most delicious soups. You can't go wrong with anything you order here. The ceviche (Trio Trio Trio) was wonderful too!










Having made our reservation at Topolobampo for lunch on day two of our trip, we decided to try our luck without a reservation at the Frontera Grill where they do not take reservations. We got there at opening at 11:30am and there was already a long line of people whose palettes were craving to be wowed. Service was prompt, friendly and lively! They give good recommendations and we had a great time and very good meal here. Even the long wait between appetizers and entree did not bother us a bit. No, we were in no hurry to go nowhere. It just gave us an excuse for us to have another magarita each.

Topolobampo, the fancier place (right next to the Frontera Grill - both restaurants use the same entrance) is slightly less noisy. Even though it's only seperated by a thin curtain, the noise from Frontera Grill was actually well contained... don't get me wrong however, it certainly is not a quiet restaurant either. At least not during this particular lunch with the angry (ex)wife and her divorce lawyer (we guessed) sitting two tables away from us lol. I don't know if the restaurant was going for the serious and/or romantic ambience... but nah, I didn't find it to be either. Of course, I've never been to a 'fancy' Mexican restaurant either. At Topolobampo, you just have the more sombre wait-staff, more fanciful plated dishes with the higher priced menu. Of course, the food was excellent. Both places have flawless food. Absolutely no complaints. Both places have good service but because I prefer people who are of high energetic and exude fun, I lean towards the service at the Frontera Grill a little more and give her a 8/10 and 7.5 for Topolobampo.

You can see more pics of these two meals as well as our trip in Chicago from my flickr site. The food is also more well described there.