Saturday, December 8, 2007

Welcome to chicago

I've been in Chicago for a couple weeks now, but to be honest, I haven't really had a chance to do much. It's been heads down at work and a lot of traveling (spent 10 days in San Diego for Thanksgiving and flew straight to DC for a week of work).

Last night, I had the opportunity to go do a little exploring. I visited the West Loop area:



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Starting off the night, i visited the G2 gallery. The gallery is operated by the SAIC (School of the art institute of chicago.. yes a lot of ofs). After a semester four courses presented their curated material. I've always had a soft spot for student exhibits. It's like a box of chocolates, you'll never know what you're going to get.

But the highlight of the night was the food. We walked north to Randolph street and on a whim went into de cero. The slick latino-chic decor embedded saucy energy into the atmosphere. The food took traditional roadside flair and added a modern update to it. The chile rellenos oozed with queso and coupled with smoked tomato salsa.

But the highlight of the night was the Grilled Chicken Mole. Seriously, my demeanor completed changed when i took a bite out of it. The boneless half-chicken was grilled to perfection--skin crispy with its hash marks but still retaining its juicyness. Served atop sauteed escarole and basmati rice the mole sauce wasn't blanketed on top but put at the bottom of the dish.

And the intenseness of the mole sauce. A perfect melange of flavors and texture.

Address:
G2 Gallery
847 West Jackson Blvd., 2nd floor
Chicago, IL 60607


de cero
814 W. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL, 60661

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