Cuatro

Ratings Guide:
Half handshake, half chest-bump hug – 5 stars
Chest bump – 4 stars
Fist bump – 3 stars
High five – 2 stars
Handshake – 1 star
Fone and fone – 0 stars
Manly ass slap – ½ star



Restaurant: Cuatro
Locations: 2030 S. Wabash


There are some things I’m a sucker for. Like kids singing the chorus in a rap song, good butter, chocolate covered chocolate mixed with chocolate, good food, and BYOB restaurants. Well, Cuatro delivers on the last two, and delivers in a big way.

But, before I get too deep into this, realize that this will only be BYO for the next couple of months as they wait for their liquor license. So, get there now and enjoy your own bottle of wine or moonshine, if that’s your thing.

Cuatro is located in the South Loop, although it’s far enough south that I wouldn’t call it South Loop, but maybe south of the South Loop area. Either way, it’s nice to get to a different part of the city, rather than depending on all the spots convenient to home. I don’t think people venture to the different parts of the city enough, but believe me, the food here is good enough that you’ll want to make the trip more than once.

We started off our meal with four appetizers for four people. Seemed like a lot, but actually ended up being the right amount. I’d recommend an appetizer per person and sharing (the apps aren’t that big). We had a tamale-type thing (excellent), a vegetarian ceviche (surprisingly good), an empanada (not as good as Tango Sur’s, but still pretty tasty), and some other meat and cheese stuffed thing that was just OK. A pretty good start to what ended up being a really, really good meal.

I actually decided to order a salad, because one of the other people in our group ordered the pork chop (which takes 30 minutes to make), so I figured I’d need filler in between the apps and entrees. And I made a good choice. I got the ensalada caribe, which is lettuce topped with pineapples, oranges, cucumbers, and something else sweet. Then the whole thing is covered with a vinaigrette type of dressing, and it was awesome. The perfect blend of sweet and bitter. For a guy who isn’t big on salad, I’m big on this one.

But the entrees were the real story here. They range anywhere from 16-25 dollars, which I thought might be a little high, but now I know why they were priced that way. They are HUGE. I’m not a big “let everyone have a taste of your entrée” kind of guy. See, when I order something, it’s because that’s what I’m in the mood for. So when I have to give some of it up, I’m not happy. Because if I wanted to eat what someone else ordered, then I would have ordered that. But at Cuatro, not only did I not mind sharing, liked it. And it’s because the portions are so ginormous that you can give half of yours away and still have more than enough to eat. Here are the four entrees we had, from worst to first.

4 – a 14 oz. New York Strip with a twice-baked potato. Nothing special. Was cooked right, was the size of a cow, but didn’t have a distinctive flavor or anything.

3 – a cheese-stuffed chicken breast. Really good. The cheese and spices gave the chicken a great flavor. It may have been a tad dry, but I’m not sure. My mouth was watering so bad the entire time it’s tough to tell what was juicy and what was dry.

2 – a braised rib. I ordered this. It was gigantic like the Titanic, and I sank it with my belly. I was very happy I ordered it. Juicy and flavorful, but not too powerful, and filling, but not make-you-sick-cause-you-ate-too-much filling. Good stuff.

1 – the pork shop. The cream of the crop. It takes 30 minutes to make, which should tell you all you need to know. And it’s worth the wait. And it’s HUGE (have I mentioned how big the portions are?). And it had this sugarcane rub crust thing. Uh, just the best. It was so juicy, and sweet, and a little spice, and good, and I wanted to eat the whole thing off the guy’s plate. It gave me fork envy.

And I really liked the atmosphere here. A very diverse group of patrons, relaxed vibe, good music, comfortable corner booth (I felt like I was at prom), and great service. I mean really great service. The server was super friendly, giving great advice and recommendations. And the bus boys/girls cleared plates and forks and knives and brought you more forks and knives (so your dirty ones don’t have to sit on the table like most places make you do). They just really made the whole experience enjoyable.

So, if you’re looking for some really good Latin American and Caribbean foods to spice up your night, journey down south to Cuatro at 2030 S. Wabash (that sounded like something Alpana Singh would say at the end of Check, Please! God help me.).

Final rating: Chest bump and a manly ass slap. I’d definitely go back.