Dining in the Latin way is something that can stamp itself indelibly on your memory. Many of the dozen or so Chicago area restaurants specializing in the cuisines of South America are unabashedly exotic.
Rio`s Casa Iberia, 4611 N. Kedzie Ave., is the only restaurant in Chicago with some Brazilian specialties-along with Portuguese and Spanish dishes. Rio`s has been around for several years, but it has been more popular than ever since it was purchased by Manuel Teijeiro, who also owns Mangia Italiano on Wells Street.
Rio`s has become a place where many Hispanic restaurant people get together after hours and listen to softly romantic guitar music. Tuesday nights feature an open mike, where Hispanic musicians join earnest amateurs in entertaining one another.
But more than anything, the interesting menu has made this a popular place for Latins. They can order Teijeiro`s version of feijoada, considered the national dish of Brazil, which in this case is a hearty combination of black beans, pigs` knuckles and collard greens. But there`s also a refined side to Brazilian cuisine at Rio`s, as well as to its dishes from Portugal and northern Spain.
Many dishes, not unexpectedly, given the large coastlines of these countries, feature seafood. Mexilhao a marinheira is mussels in a fine marinara sauce. Lulas fritas, from the Portuguese side of the menu, is small chunks of octopus marinated with paprika, then steamed. One of the more interesting entrees is muqueca de camarao, a Brazilian dish of shrimps in a sauce of coconut milk, tomatoes and palm oil. This is an interesting cuisine, and not shy about blending strong garlic and chile flavors with gentler ingredients of wine and vinaigrette sauces.
ON TO PERU
For sheer extravagance, it would be hard to outdo the Peruvians, whose restaurants have settled into some very unlikely locations here. Of the four Peruvian restaurants in and around Chicago, three of them are owned by the Asturrizaga brothers from Lima. Walk into any one of their places, and it`s an experience you`ll not soon forget.
The first one, Machu Picchu (formerly Piqueo), 5427 N. Clark St., was founded in 1969 by Moises Asturrizaga, a former opera singer who will do everything he can to convince you this is the most important cuisine in South America.
”The trick in Peruvian cooking,” Moises says, ”is in the marinades.”
It goes beyond just this, but marinades are serious business in this cuisine. Machu Picchu, named for the lost city of the Incas, has ceviche, with a delicate lime flavor, and escabeche, fish or chicken cooked and then marinated in wine, various hot peppers, oregano and other spices.
For entrees, choices are limited to two or three each night; each will be described with delight beforehand by Moises. Of the pork loin with peanut sauce, he notes, ”The right amount of the meat with the right amount of peanuts is what makes the flavor of this dish pure, pure, pure Peruvian.”
Dinner here, where you can bring your own wine, ranges in price from $9.95 to $20, depending upon the number of appetizers served. It is one of the more personable dining experiences in Chicago.
HEADING NORTH
Also Peruvian, El Inca recently moved from Chicago to 514 Main St., Evanston, and is in the process of adding an a la carte menu.
Since Alberto and Olinda Asturrizaga moved from Chicago earlier this year, they have dropped their prices about 40 percent, and seem determined to make El Inca an every-night sort of place. They could. The decor is comfortable, with attractive travel posters and some alpaca wall hangings-and of course, the expansive Asturrizaga charm.
The flavors here are just the other side of the familiar-which means you`ll probably remember them. Appetizers are very good, and the restaurant often serves a selection of six as a special entree. Among the starters, ocopa Arequipena ($3.75) is a broccoli pancake with a walnut and shrimp sauce characteristic of the town of Arequipa. A souffle, empanadas, tamales and other appetizers all have distinctive flavors.
One of the most popular entrees at El Inca is anticuchos, chunks of beef
($10.95) or shrimp ($12.95) skewered and grilled over charcoal. They are brushed with a strong sauce, made with the aji mirasol pepper; it is one of many hot peppers used in this cuisine that are different from what you`ll find in your average Mexican salsas.
By far the most elegant Peruvian restaurant is La Llama, 3811 N. Ashland Ave., owned by Angel and Nelly Asturrizaga. They have more than a dozen appetizers, shrimp soup, coconut mint soup and entrees of glazed duck and a Peruvian bouillabaisse, among many others. (Entrees are $14 to $25.) La Llama`s service is as rarefied as the food. Most nights, Angel talks customers through the many courses, flavors and stories-of Incan kings and Spanish conquerors-that are associated with the dishes.
After experiencing the Asturrizagas, perhaps a visit to Rinconcito Sudamericano, at 1954 W. Armitage Ave., is in order. The Perez family is committed less to the orchestration of dinner as an event, and more to serving the familiar dishes of Peru. Many of these have regional ties. From the coastal areas, they have arroz con mariscos, a Peruvian paella with many of the flavors important to this cuisine: paprika, garlic, yellow pepper and cumin. From the high plains of Peru comes the country`s ”national dish,”
carapulcra, with pork, potatoes, peanut sauce and rice.
SIMPLER FARE
Argentine cuisine in Chicago may be less complex than Brazilian or Peruvian, but it is no less serious. It is based on beef, of which Argentina is a major producer, and it reflects strong European influences. At El Criollo, 1706 W. Fullerton Ave., the most popular Argentine dish is parrillada ($9.95), a mixed grill of beef ribs, sweetbreads and other meats served from a tableside grill in this storefront spot. It is served with a sauce called chimichurri, made with parsley, garlic, peppers and other spices, which provides some Latin fire.
Argentine cuisine draws on a number of cultures, but by far the strongest influence is Italian, so that besides the beef at Tango Argentino, 2500 N. Southport Ave., you`ll find pasta on the menu. ”Sixty percent of our population is of Italian descent,” says co-owner Louis Flocco. Sauces include a tomato sauce with tenderloin and a conventional pesto. Tango also features a crabmeat ravioli, sometimes served in wine sauce with scallops.
As in Argentina itself, this cuisine is found in small, reliable neighborhood places.
An example of such understatement is El Gaucho, 2856 N. Clark St. Here, the decor is white stucco and the menu is split rather evenly between meat and pasta dishes. But for all the simplicity, you`ll find interesting items. Besides parrillada, beef dishes include milanesa a la napolitana, a breaded tenderloin with prosciutto, mozzarella and tomato sauce. Pastas include lasana and noquis, and are not too different from Italian versions except in spelling.
MORE ADVENTURES
Colombian food is one of the most recent entries in Chicago food guidebooks. Finding these places and getting comfortable in them may be a small adventure, but they are interesting once you start understanding the menus, which are often in Spanish. La Fonda, 4758 N. Clark St., is considered by many Colombians in town to be the premier spot, with a Sunday buffet that attracts many countrymen.
More than the other South American cuisines in Chicago, Colombian food is home cooking. At La Fonda, arroz con polla ($5.50) is a popular chicken-and-rice dish, along with more exotic things like bunuelos, a fried cheese ball and pastel de yuca, a type of souffle of yucca-yucca being one of many staples in this cuisine that may be unfamiliar to North Americans.
Two other Colombian restaurants are more homey still. Sabor a Cumbia, 4008 W. Montrose Ave., is a small place with a coffee-shop atmosphere, and a strong following of Colombians, whose numbers are growing in Chicago. Major sellers here are the sancochos ($6.50-$7.50), big bowls of Colombian soup made with catfish, beef or chicken and simmered with garlic, carrots, cilantro, potatoes, corn and even avocados.
It may be a while before true Colombian food goes mainstream in our city. A dish called bandeja paisa, ”peasant food” from the interior of the country, is a combination of steak, fried pork skins, avocados, fried bananas, rice, beans and a fried egg. That`s one of the most popular dishes at a tiny place called El Rincon Paisa, 3002 W. Diversey Ave. –
