Spacca Napoli

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
Manly ass slap – ½ star
Fone and fone – 0 stars


Restaurant: Spacca Napoli
Location: 1769 W. Sunnyside


First, let me apologize for yet another list. I know they get old (actually, they’re already old, kind of like HJs with no lube or trucker hats) but this one is very important. After “Stomp The Yard” enjoyed another week of box-office success I thought it was important to rank the best “battle” movies in the recent years. See, I have a long history of these awful types of movies. For the last several years me and my good friend and co-worker Debbie have taken a long Friday lunch in order to avoid responsibility and head to the theater. And when we do we are always drawn to the “guilty pleasure” movies, which for us involve some sort of dancing or competition, a horrible script, and even worse acting. I love these movies, and I won’t apologize for it. Here are my favorites, in order.

1. You Got Served. Still the one to beat. It had the perfect combination of unbelievable dancing, unrealistic story line, and Keanu Reeves-esque performances, except worse, which is nearly impossible. Plus it had the memorable quote that every other movie has tried to duplicate but couldn’t – “You just mad ‘cause you got served.” Aw snap. I saw this thing twice in the theatres AND bought the DVD. It really is an awful movie. Awful good, that is.

2. Stomp The Yard. That’s right, I’m putting this one in the number two spot. It’s basically a combination of “You Got Served”, “Save the Last Dance”, “Step Up”, and “Teen Wolf” (although every movie on this list is a combination of those movies). Most Memorable Quote: “’What are they doing?’ ‘ They’re stompin’ the yard. Where you from?’” This movie probably had the best script (which isn’t saying much) and the best all-around acting (which still isn’t saying much). I also love that the opening credits say, “Introducing Chris Brown” even though he’s been around for a couple of years (just not in any movies) and he’s in this movie for about 5 minutes (though it’s an incredibly emotional 5 minutes). When you “introduce” someone, shouldn’t it be the first time you are ever hearing about this person? Is there one person in the world who saw this movie and didn’t know who Chris Brown was? Plus the movie featured Meagan Good. Why is this significant? Just look at her resume: “You Got Served”, “Roll Bounce”, “Biker Boyz”, and “Stomp the Yard”. At least she’s not being typecast. How she wasn’t in “Save the Last Dance” I’ll never know.

3. Step Up. It combined my two favorite guilty pleasures – dance movie and romantic comedy. My only knock is that it could have used more dancing. And I’m glad they didn’t call it “Save the Last Dance 3”, which they very easily could have done. Since it is almost the exact same movie with a gender flip and school flip.

4. Stick It. It featured girls in leotards. Enough said.

5. Roll Bounce. 70’s music. 70’s hair. Chicago setting. Roller skates. AND Bow Wow crying while destroying a car with a bat and screaming, “She’s never coming back”. Very dramatic. So dramatic that I laughed out loud in the theater. What’s not to love?

What does this have to do with Spacca Napoli? Absolutely nothing.

So, we got to Spacca on a Saturday night. We waited for an hour. Lucky for us it was on one of those An Inconvenient Truth nights and we could stand outside and have a beer without freezing our aces off. And we weren’t alone. Tons of other people were waiting, which is always a good sign. And more people kept coming. And more people kept putting their name on the list. And clearly a lot of those people had been there before (which was made obvious when Jon Goldsmith, the owner, would greet them by name). You know what happens when you know the owner? You get preferential treatment. Like getting a seat before others who have been waiting longer. Well, we were one of those people waiting longer. And the look from my wife made Jon fear for his life. He quickly found us the next available table, brought over some free drinks, and comped us some free appetizers. When he brought over the apps he said, “I’m sorry for the wait. You never should have had to wait for an hour.” What he meant was, “Lady, please don’t castrate me.”

But after that the rest of the experience was great. The atmosphere is fantastic. A very bright room filled with the buzz of conversation. A great patio that we can’t wait to check out when the weather is nice. A huge front sidewalk where you can stand around and have drinks while waiting for a table (weather permitting). And really, really friendly service.

Spacca Napoli specializes in traditional, wood oven cooked pizzas. Just like the ones from Naples, the birthplace of the pizza. The oven was even built by 3rd and 4th generation artisans from Naples (whatever that means). Stepping inside you really do feel like you could be in Italy. If Italy was filled with a bunch of Americans speaking English in the heart of Ravenswood.

I could tell you all about the appetizers, but when pizza is the specialty, why waste your time? We went with the Margherita (tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, basil, olive oil) and the Bianca con Bufala (pizza Bianca (as in no red sauce) with mozzarella di bufala (as in from the buffalo’s teet), basil, olive oil). Now, we had recently been to Italy, and even made a stop in Naples and had some pizza. Spacca Napoli doesn’t quite measure up to the real thing, but really, what does? The pizza I had in Naples was one of the best of my life, so it was a lot to live up to. But I definitely wasn’t disappointed. Both pizzas were great, with enough cheese to make your mouth water, but not so much that the pizza was all cheese and nothing else. It was the prefect balance of ingredients. And surprisingly I think I would have to say I liked the “white” pizza better than the traditional “red” pizza. Of course I made myself sick on both, so there really weren’t any losers. Except for my stomach.

I can’t wait to get back and have more. It’s a little bit of a trek for me, but well worth the trip. I could see us heading back there a lot in the summer, when the weather is nicer and you don’t mind leaving your house.

Chest bump.

Got a question? Send it to born2fork@yahoo.com.

Eleven City Diner

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
Manly ass slap – ½ star
Fone and fone – 0 stars


Restaurant: Eleven City Diner
Location: 1112 S. Wabash

Here are the 11 reasons why I love Eleven City Diner.

1. The décor. I loved everything about it. It really combines a ton of different diner and deli clichés into one great place. They’ve got a classic diner counter top seating area. Some booths. A HUGE blackboard. An old-school soda fountain. Cakes presented on glass cake plates just chillin’ on the counter. White tile everywhere. Old records framed up in each booth. A little 5 and Dime type of candy counter. A bar area. Honestly, when you walk in, you can’t help but like the place.

2. The G-List celebrities. The first time I went there was for lunch and our waitress comes by to take our drink order. After she walks away I tell John (my lunch date), “I know her from somewhere.” And John gets a little giddy and says, “So do I.” So we sat there for the longest time trying to figure out how we knew her. I say that I’m pretty sure I know her from a lesbian connection of some sort. Can’t figure out which one, but I’m positive she’s a lesbian and that’s how I know her. Then John says, “I think she was on the Real World.” “I think you’re right.” “The Real World: Chicago. That makes sense.” “Oh my god,” I say, “Did she date Aneesa?” “That’s it. She was that first girl that Aneesa dated. I think they had problems because she always cheated on Aneesa or something.” In fact, her and her girlfriend came to the loft and got in a fight with Aneesa, leading to Aneesa screaming at her in the street. Good times. Of course neither of us had the balls to ask her outright, but we were positive. When the meal was over and we got the check we got the last piece of evidence we needed – her name on the check. It was Veronica. I went back for breakfast later that week and she was there again. It’s her. And it amuses me.

3. Rye bread. Not enough places have it, and I love it. They have it.

4. The Patty Melt. Served on Rye bread. I never get patty melts, but it just sounded good that day. A beef patty, served on rye bread with cheese and Thousand Island dressing. A huge sandwich, or burger, or whatever you consider a patty melt to be. The cheese was perfect. The bread was perfect. The burger was cooked perfectly. And the dressing was the perfect, well, dressing. There are a ton of things to choose from on this menu, and somehow I made the PERFECT choice. I might get this every time I go there. That’s how much I enjoyed it.

5. Breakfast served anytime. Just like a diner should. I got the Tom Waits when I went. Two of everything. Good eggs, sausage, bacon, and even pancakes. The potatoes were just OK. And coffee was filled up constantly. I like that.

6. The menu. There are a ton of options on this thing. Something for everyone. Between the apps and sandwiches and entrees and desserts and breakfast and noshes and everything else, if you can’t find something you like here, then I hate you. Or momentarily dislike you a lot.

7. The portion sizes. It comes as no secret that I love food. And I love a lot of food. The lunch portions here are huge. In fact, too much for even me. I’m embarrassed to admit it. We started off with the spinach dip. Now, every place serves spinach dip in a small little bowl that I normally finish by myself, and it’s like I never even ate an appetizer. Eleven City Diner serves their dip in this huge dish. John and I ate, and ate, and nibbled, and dipped, and did all we could with the dip, but in the end it looked like we didn’t even have a bite of it. Amazing. And it was good. And John’s ham and cheese sandwich had three whole pigs on it. He could only eat half of it, and I don’t blame him. I’m not sure Jenna Jameson could get her mouth around that thing. Just a pile of ham and cheese. Almost too much. Ham is a salty meat and so you can only take so much of it. And when there are 14 lbs of it on a sandwich, finishing half is an accomplishment. And it looked delicious.

8. The bagel chips. The spinach dip came with them. I didn’t see it coming. And they’re not the kind you pour out of a bag. They are full circles. Someone slices the bagels and cooks them there. Handmade bagel chips. They were perfect. And most places don’t have enough chips with their dip, so you either have to ask for more chips or eat the dip with a spoon (also knows as “Pulling a Josh”). There were more chips than any human could eat.

9. The location. South Loop. I just like it down there. And really, it’s a place to head for some good food now. Between Eleven City Diner, Yolk, Bongo Room, Opera, Cuatro, Café Bionda, Custom House, Gioco, Orange, Oysy, Zapatista, and more, there are a ton of options in that part of the city.

10. Everything feels homemade. From the bagel chips to the hand-sliced meat to the cakes on the counter to the Cherry and Vanilla Cokes from the soda jerk, everything has a personal touch to it. Just like a diner and deli should.

11. The speed of service. You wait about 10 seconds for your food. Order taken, then order up. No messing around here. Granted, I haven’t been when it’s been packed, but still, quick food service is nice. I don’t like to wait to eat.

And here are 11 things I didn’t love about Eleven City Diner.

1. The food was served too quickly. I’m all about speed of service, but at lunch we had our dip for about two minutes before our lunch was brought out. Just poor form. That might have more to do with Veronica than anything, but I can’t be sure.

2. The prices. They really aren’t that bad (about $8 bucks a sandwich), but I was hoping for one of those classic diners where breakfast was like 2 bucks and a burger was $4.50.

3. The service. I’ll be honest, as excited as I was for Veronica to be my server, she kind of creeped my out a bit.

4. The hours. They are open late (to midnight I think) and they actually open pretty early for most breakfast places (7:30 during the week, and I think 9 during the weekend), but for a true diner they should be open at 6 a.m. No questions, no exceptions. Even opening at that time for coffee and a really basic menu (eggs, hash browns, sausage, toast) would make sense. But that’s just me.

5. The size of the place. It’s almost too big, with even upstairs seating. I want my diner/deli to feel like a nice cozy little place with a little hustle and bustle. Not a huge deal, but if I’m going to try and reach 11 things I don’t like, it’s time to start stretching.

6. The name. I don’t know what it means. Is it a combination of the owners 11 favorite diners? Is Eleven City a nickname for Chicago I’ve never heard of? Or is it simply because it’s close to 11th St.?

7. The fries. Not bad, but nothing special.

8. The hash browns. Again, not bad, but nothing special.

9. No Splenda. Seems like anyplace that has coffee should have Splenda available.

10. No HJ service. Every meal should come with a happy ending.

11. The location. I really love this place, and I wish it were about a block from my house so I could go all the time. Since it’s in South Loop it’s either two train rides away or little drive (but parking is a pain). And if I want to run there for lunch I need to have a slow day at work so I can take an hour and a half break to get there and back. Tough to complain about it being in South Loop since I love the area, but on the other hand I wish it was walking distance from my house. Or office. Or bedroom.


I can’t say enough about Eleven City Diner. I really, really, really love this place. I wish breakfast was just a little more special, but I also didn’t get anything too fancy. But that patty melt, easily worth a half handshake, half chest-bump hug.



Got a question? Send it to born2fork@yahoo.com.

Diversey Rock 'n' Bowl

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
Manly ass slap – ½ star
Fone and fone – 0 stars


Restaurant: Diversey Rock ‘n’ Bowl
Location: 2211 W. Diversey


I have a healthy obsession with a lot of things in this world. Hot dogs. Fantasy football. Sports. Eating. Procrastinating. Avoiding work. Milkshakes. Cheese fries. Backyard games. Thunderstorms. The Bulls. The Bears. The Cubs. Bowling. Mario Kart. Shoes. Pizza. Movies. Music. Napping. Chocolate. Hot showers. Golden showers (just seeing if you’re still reading). Working out. Sitting on the couch. Watching TV. Staring at my wife’s rack. And ass. Gambling. Matt’s cookies. Pickles. Dining out. Talking trash. Bad movies that involve dancing or girls in tights or both (Step Up, You Got Served, Roll Bounce, Stomp the Yard, Stick It, etc…). Pop culture. And being awesome.

It just so happens that a number of things on this list can be found at one place - Diversey Rock ‘n’ Bowl.

BOWLING
This one is kind of obvious. It’s a bowling alley. You bowl here. I love bowling and Rock ‘n’ Bowl has some of the best lanes in the city. My only complaint is that they can be inconsistent. Sometimes they are a little too waxed and the ball slides like it’s on ice, and other times it’s not waxed enough and the ball really catches. But you can get a feel for it quickly and adjust. Well, if you’re a great bowler like myself you can adjust. If you throw like Ryan Dumpster or Ricky Kim then you might be screwed. And Rock ‘n’ Bowl is smoke free. Half handshake, half chest-bump hug.

GAMBLING
Maybe the best, and most underused, part of bowling is the gambling that can, and should, be involved. You can bet on things like the first throw of every frame (set an over under for a bowler and bet on it), spare pickups (set odds on the chances of a bowler picking up a spare and bet on it), final score, number of strikes, the beer frame bet, reverse spin spare pickups, opposite hand throws, number of closed frames, strip bowling, number of bucks shot in “Big Buck Hunter”, amount of cheese fries eaten. Really the possibilities are endless. Half handshake, half chest-bump hug.

CHEESE FRIES
I had this discussion the other night with my buddy Neuman, who also happens to be on my bowling team, and I said that cheese fries might be my favorite food. He said pot stickers (no, he’s not gay) with cheese fries as a close second. What’s not to like about cheese fries? The answer is actually “a lot”. See, first you have to have the perfect fries. They have to be thick enough to really soak up and hold the cheese and really stand up to the cheese taste. They can’t be too thin, because then it’s all cheese and no fry. And it can’t be too thick, because then it’s all potato and no cheese. It really is a delicate balance. Then you still have to have the perfect cheese. Can’t be some shreds of cheddar melted on top of the fries. And it can’t be some nasty Cheez Whiz type of goo. It has to be that perfect liquid cheese that either comes out of a pump or is scooped with a ladle. And if you’re lucky enough to find the cheese that has some jalapeño flavor baked right in? Eureka. My favorite cheese fries in the world are actually found in a bowling alley in St. Louis – Tropicana Bowl. Ricky and I would always bet cheese fries on our first game. Let’s just say there’s a reason I put on some pounds in the Lou (Hint: I killed Ricky at bowling. And golf. And any sport where I could get in his kitchen and cook some food at will.). When I got the cheese fries at Rock ‘n’ Bowl I was a little worried. The fries are the cross cut variety, which I like, and they were “spicy” (which means lightly seasoned with some seasoning salt) which I also like as long as the seasoning isn’t overwhelming, which these weren’t. The scary part was that the cheese came in a little cup instead of covering the fries. See, I like my cheese COVERING my fries, to the point that you need a fork to eat them. The cheese and grease of the fries get a chance to make friends and party for a while, creating the perfect cheese fry. When you have to dip the fry you lose something. The second problem was the cup wasn’t that big. It was only enough for the fries if you half dipped them, and if you ate a couple of the fries with ketchup. It was like being at a Bulls’ game and getting the nachos that never come with enough cheese so you either have to order extra cheese for $1.25 or use the cheese sparingly. This does not make me happy. The third watch-out was that the cheese looked a little thick, and not gooey enough. But, in the end, they weren’t too bad. They ended up being pretty tasty, and the fries themselves were delicious. I think if you simply ask them to drip the cheese over the fries, and give the lady at the counter a little wink (if you’re hot like me) for some extra cheese, then you’ll be pretty happy with the order. Fist bump. (Oh, and if you’re looking for some good cheese fries in the Loop check out Max’s Take-Out. It’s my favorite place for cheese fries and a hot dog.)

THE CUBS
You wouldn’t think the Cubs have anything to do with bowling. Until you see my Chicago Cubs bowling ball. Then you’d change your mind. It’s the only thing Cubs related that throws strikes consistently. The Cubs get a manly ass slap. The Cubs ball gets a half handshake, half chest-bump hug.

HOT DOGS
I think they have hot dogs at Rock ‘n’ Bowl. I’m not sure. I’ve never looked. Which probably shocks you. As it does me.

SPORTS
Bowling is a sport. Kind of.

MILKSHAKES
This you may not believe, but it’s true – Rock ‘n’ Bowl actually has really good milkshakes. Made from scratch with ice cream, milk and some chocolate sauce. Just like Mom used to. Chest bump.

SHOES
You get to wear bowling shoes. I have my own pair. They are sweet. Like the milkshakes.

PIZZA
I think the pizza at Rock ‘n’ Bowl is surprisingly good. It helps that you don’t expect a bowling alley to have good pizza, and then when it over delivers you feel like you’re eating the best pizza in the world. It’s really cheesy and incredibly greasy. Just like a pizza should be. I recommend the ground beef and tomatoes. But, sometimes the ground beef is spicy (which I prefer) and other times it’s bland (and bland is never good. Blanch from the Golden Girls is a different story). You’ve been warned. Fist bump with a manly ass slap.

TALKING TRASH
In high school they used to call me “The Mouth”. I think it’s because of the amount of trash I talked. At least I hope that’s why they called me that. Now they call me “The G.I. Track”. Half handshake, half chest-bump hug.

BEING AWESOME
I’m awesome at bowling. There’s not much else I can say. But I’ll try anyway. I hit the pocket. I hit it hard. I throw a sweet spin ball. I knock down lots of pins. I’m clutch. I’ve carried one of my bowling teams to second place (I have a trophy if you want to see it) and have my current team in first place. I get in people’s heads. I intimidate people. I have ice in my veins. Simply put, I’m awesome. Half handshake, half chest-bump hug


ROCK ‘N’ BOWL
Chest bump. Would be higher except that they do the cosmic bowling with the black light after 10 p.m. I hate it. Too bad. They could have been perfect.

Got a question? Send it to born2fork@yahoo.com.

Yolk

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
Manly ass slap – ½ star
Fone and fone – 0 stars


Restaurant: Yolk
Location: 1120 S. Michigan Ave.


My wife is subjecting me to watch this awful reality show “Grease: You’re the one that I want!” And since I’m being forced to suffer through it, now you’re going to be forced to suffer a little bit as well.


Tell me about it stud!

They got eggs.
Of all varieties.
Even salads in a bowl.
But the eggs that they are fryin',
Are so satisfyin’!

You better order up,
'Cause the food is good,
But you’ll need plenty of room.
The omelettes are big;
And they come with some sides
Two pancakes that are just huge.

The coffee, the coffee made me do-do.

Yolk’s the one that you want.
(Yolk is the one that you want),
ooh, ooh, ooh, breakfast.
The one that you want.
(Yolk is the one that you want),
ooh, ooh, ooh, brunch.
The one that you want
(Yolk is the one that you want),
ooh, ooh, oooooooooooh.
The one you need.
Oh, yes indeed.

Skillets filled
With a selection
Of veggies and lots of eggs.
And they move in the direction,
Of my mouth.


You better eat up,
'Cause you can’t get enough.

Can’t get enough
Of food that makes you want to cry.

You’ll want to eat up
Your mouth will approve

It will approve
And make you feel full inside.

Are you sure?

Yes, I'm sure you’ll be satisfied.

Yolk’s the one that you want.
(Yolk is the one that you want),
ooh, ooh, ooh, breakfast.
The one that you want.
(Yolk is the one that you want),
ooh, ooh, ooh, brunch.
The one that you want
(Yolk is the one that you want),
ooh, ooh, oooooooooooh.
The one you need.
Oh, yes indeed.


OK, that was painful. But Yolk isn’t. Great food. Great portions. Huge menu (omelettes, sandwiches, scramblers, pancakes, French toast, skillets, frittatas, salads, burgers, and even crepes). Surprisingly good pancakes for a place that specializes in eggs. Something for everyone. Plenty of seating. Perfect south loop location. And lights that look like eggs. What more could you want?

I love breakfast. It’s my favorite meal of the day. So any place with a decent breakfast menu is going to get a good rating from me. And if you’re a breakfast place with a great menu, you’re ratings are going to be close to perfect. I’m sure I’ll visit Yolk again and again.

Chest bump with a manly ass slap.


Got a question? Send it to born2fork@yahoo.com.

Mundial Cocina Mestiza

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
Manly ass slap – ½ star
Fone and fone – 0 stars


Restaurant: Mundial Cocina Mestiza
Location: 1640 W. 18th St.

Good things seem to come in threes. Three’s Company. The three-toed sloth. My fat rolls. The Three Stooges. The Three Wise Men (and not the Jim, Jack and Johnnie kind). The three pointer. Three Dog Night. Tricycle. Three strikes and you’re out. Babe Ruth. The Holy Trinity. Bulls’ championships. Michael Jordan’s draft position. Ménage à trios (the kind with three chicks, or two chicks and a guy. Not the kind with two dudes, or three dudes (not that there’s anything wrong with that)). The Dahm sisters. Three sheets to the win. Three Amigos. Amazing Grace Smith. The chefs at Mundial Cocina Mestiza.

Katie and Eusevio Garcia and Jorge Hernandez are the three-headed brain-trust behind Mundial Cocina Mestiza (please don’t be confused. This isn’t actually one person with three heads; it is, in fact, three different people. “Three-headed brain-trust” is just a figure of speech.). They all have different backgrounds from different restaurants around the city, so the food is a mix of Latin and Mediterranean and goodness.

The night we headed there we had our choice of tables, so we took the table by the window. Mundial is located in Pilsen, which I love. There are a ton of great restaurants down that way that I don’t explore them nearly enough. There was actually a surprising amount of people out walking around, so the window seat doubled as some good people watching. The restaurant itself is very simple and down-to-earth. Nothing fancy here. Just some tables, chairs, and a couple things hanging on the walls. There are two rooms, a front room and back room. The back room has a little more going on, but I like sitting in front where you can see people coming and going.

Because of the diverse menu we wanted to try as much as possible, so we ordered lots of appetizers. They included:
- Queso flameado con chorizo (basically a cheese dip) which was really, really, really cheesy. Of course I loved it. And stabbed anyone with a fork who tried to steal a taste.
- Nopales empapelados (it had cactus in it). I’ve never eaten cactus. It tastes like cactus, which is surprisingly good. For sure worth trying.
- Sopa del dia (soup of the day). I can’t remember what it was, but it was creamy and spicy and good.
- And I think somebody got a salad, but who cares about salad?
So, the apps were really good. And really filling. The portion size was great, especially for the money. We didn’t really even need to get entrees after the apps, but of course we did anyway.

Allison got a pasta, which was a ravioli in a red cream sauce. It was really good, which I didn’t expect. You feel like the place should really be a Mexican/Latin food place, but the Mediterranean mix adds a great flavor to all the dishes, especially the pasta. Matt got the jumbo shrimp. It was cooked in garlic and butter. I’ll let you guess what I thought of it. Now, when it was time for me and my wife to order, I couldn’t decide. She insisted I get the house-cut grilled ribeye. She said she read it was their specialty. I asked the waiter what I should order, and he said the same thing. Know that I HATE ordering something similar to anyone else at the table, especially when trying someplace new. I like everyone getting something different so you get a good feel for how the place is as a whole. I asked my wife to order first, but she didn’t know what she wanted, so I had to order. And guess what? I went with the ribeye. My wife told me to get it. Something she read told her to tell me to get it. Our waiter told me to get it. So I got it. What choice did I have? Then my wife was ready to order, and you know what she got? The carne asada. The other steak on the menu. Basically the same thing I got. I wasn’t happy about it. She didn’t care. Something about me being a child. Or a baby. I forget. And normally I really wouldn’t care, but hers was MUCH better than mine. I really didn’t think the ribeye was anything special, but the carne asada was fantastic. If you go there, and you want meat, get the carne. And it’s not that mine was bad, it’s just that hers was better, and frankly I should have gotten the fish I had my eye on. Next time.

And while we all contemplated heading to the bathroom to purge ourselves like Meredith Baxter in Kate’s Secret the dessert menu came. Everyone decided they were too full to try anything. So I ordered the sampler platter. I was expecting nothing from the dessert. It was fantastic. Get it. As an appetizer.

The service was great (they let us sit there for over two hours and never made us feel rushed, yet they kept coming by to check on us and make sure we were doing OK). The prices were fantastic (nothing over $16, and most things around $12). BYO. Total bill was $50 a couple (in comparison to $150 a couple at Más a couple of weeks ago). I liked this place much better than Más but not quite as much as May Street Café. So, if you’re heading down to Pilsen, I would say check out May Street Café first, but go out of your way for a second trip down there and have a seat at Mundial Cocina Mestiza.

All things considered I have to give it a chest bump.


Got a question? Send it to born2fork@yahoo.com.