Pintxos and tapas in Lincoln Park

CenterStageChicago.net

Café Ba-Ba-Reeba was Chicago’s first Spanish-style tapas bar when it opened in 1986, and this Lincoln Park hot spot (with a sister location in Las Vegas) is still ahead of the curve. Start your evening with Ba-Ba-Reeba’s new Pintxo platter — six double-bite-size tapas for $8.95 or $1.50 each. Pintxos are all the rage these days in northern Spain, from the Basque country to Barcelona, and are perfect for a light meal to supplement your drinking. Make sure you get dibs on the Goat Cheese Croqueta and the Short Rib Stuffed Piquillo Pepper.

You may have to wait for a table on a weekend night, but hold court with a tasty pitcher of sangria — Chef Gabino Sotelino’s original family recipe from Galicia — especially if you order the Paella ($10-$13), which takes half an hour to prepare. The extensive tapas menu lets you nibble between four categories: vegetables & cheese, chicken & pork, beef & lamb and seafood. The most popular choices in each category are highlighted on the menu. Don’t miss the spinach & manchego stuffed mushrooms with creamy side sauce or the beef tenderloin served with potato chips and blue cheese. Ba-Ba-Reeba’s tapas range in price from $3.50 to $11, so your evening can range from inexpensive to a splurge depending on how much you nibble.

Ba-Ba-Reeba also offers wine values on Tuesdays (all tapas have a partner in the wine family) and occasional cultural events from flamenco shows to paella cooking classes to Spanish art presentations by the Art Institute of Chicago.


The Poison Cup

Owners Erica Feldkamp and John Witte hope to make good wine accessible to everyone, regardless of their income or social status. “We want to provide a source of education where people can come in and fall in love with wine,” says John. Their Lincoln Park wine and art gallery, the Poison Cup, offers bottles for as little as $13 and as fine as a 2006 Paso Robles by Justin Isosceles for $70. Despite the delectable combo of wine and art, with European cheeses and chocolate added into the mix (and maybe olive oil too), this place isn’t pretentious. Take note of the Schwinn bicycle parked in the corner that John uses to get around the neighborhood.

Currently adorning the walls at the Poison Cup are paintings by Czech transplant Marketa Sivek, who has a gallery in Wicker Park’s Flat Iron Arts Building. Sivek’s deep reds go perfectly with a rich Merlot. Erica and John will rotate artists every few months on a consignment basis and may host occasional readings or rent out their intimate space — a flower shop until this winter — for rehearsal dinners.


The CrossRoads Bar & Grill

The Crossroads may resemble a typical sports bar, but the inspiration behind this new drinking hole in the west loop — and the muse for the haunting painting behind the bar — is an age-old tale of temptation and fate, sin, music and booze. For all their chatter on the menu about the devil’s guitar, whiskey and dusty roads outside of Clarksdale, Mississippi, the owners ought to introduce live music in this joint — especially if it involves an old man with dirty britches and a banjo.

The beverages are appropriately listed as “libations” — this is a house of sin after all. Dark brews ($3-$5) include Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Trumer Pils, Three Floyds and Young’s Chocolate Stout on draft and Abita Turbo Dog, Bells 2-Hearted Ale, Dogfish Head IPA, Fat Tire, Mississippi Mud and Shiner Bock in bottles. If you’re feeling creatively sinful, try one of their cross-drafts: the Black & Blue (Guinness and Blue Moon), the Snakebite (Guinness and Woodchuck Cider) or the Jimi (Young’s Chocolate Stout and Purple Haze). The Crossroads offers bar food too, with a southern twist. Get greasy with the Barbecued Pulled Pork Sandwich ($11) or try the Pan Fried Catfish with Bacon and Caper Sauce ($18).


Orange

Chicagoans are so into “frushi” that the breakfast-lunch joint Orange has opened another location in Lincoln Park (to go with Roscoe Village, Lakeview and the South Loop). Orange’s signature starter, Frushi, features seasonal fresh fruit rolled like sushi with fruit juice-infused rice. The first serving will set you back $2.50, and each additional helping costs only $1.50. Who knew that sushi could be so high in vitamins?

From there, move onto the more traditional breakfast items such as pancakes — though beware, these aren’t your grandma’s flapjacks. Orange offers jelly doughnut pancakes, cinnamon roll pancakes or four stacks of silver dollar pancakes with a new tasty theme every week ($6-$11). The $8.95 omelets also add a new twist to a common recipe. Try the roasted ham and caramelized pineapple omelet with coconut flakes, or forage for these agricultural delights: asparagus & forest mushrooms with dry-aged jack cheese, or bacon, sweet leaks and creamy brie cheese. Wash it all down with Orange’s yummy, creative fresh-squeezed juices. You could add cucumber and carrot to your orange and grapefruit. How about celery with your pineapple? Who says you can’t compare apples to oranges?


Terragusto on Armitage

Terragusto, the authentic Italian food joint in Roscoe Village must be good because Chef Theo Gilbert just opened a new location in Lincoln Park for overflow seating. There are no signs on the door and no valet parkers out front, so memorize the address before you leave home. All dishes feature organic, sustainable and local ingredients, and the pasta is made by hand every day. So local, in fact, that you might see a farmer walk right past your table, en route to the kitchen with his bounty. Theo changes the menu every month … no matter how much you love the bolognesa (he’s phasing that out until the winter).

Terragusto means “savor the earth” in Italian, and here you’ll taste the true flavor of the meat and fish — no special sauces on top, just a drizzle of olive oil. You’ll also find unique dishes from the homeland that are unavailable almost anywhere else in the New World (except maybe New York City), such as the “sformato,” a warm vegetable custard topping.

Start with an Antipasta salad for $9.50. If you’re into veggies, try the Crostini, Baked Polenta or Antipasta Misti for $12. If there’s a frigid wind blowing off the lake, treat yourself to the stuffed pastas including Ravioli or Gnocchi for $17. Terragusto features organic, free-range chicken from Gunthorp Farms and all-natural beef. Having trouble deciding what to eat? Everyone at your table can order the traditional four-course Italian meal for $37.50 per head. Wash it all down with great, yet affordable wine for $4 a glass or a host of bottles for $30.


Shine

Shine (formerly called Shine Morida) has moved from its old location near the Metra stop at Armitage and Fremont, where it spent 17 years, to the corner of Halsted and Webster. That’s great news for DePaul students and Lincoln Park residents who want sushi and noodles for less-than-purse-busting prices. Shine still separates its menu into mainland Asian and Japanese fare, stir-fried meat and grilled meat, hot appetizers and cold appetizers, cooked fish and raw fish. Just don’t be intimidated by the choices. Navigating this itemized ethnic cuisine should be easy.

Splurge on the Hong Kong Steak served with eggplant and crispy wonton strips or the Yaki Niku “Kalbi” marinated in a sweet Korean barbecue sauce for $24. The Glazed Salmon fillet served with mushrooms and pine nuts in a miso-soy sauce ($20) is also delicious. Or dive into the plentiful Stir Fry options: the Spicy Kung Pao or General Tso’s is well-known, but try the Crispy Asparagus or Orange Sauce dish. The Stir Fry costs between $11 and $18, depending on whether you fancy, tofu, chicken, beef or shrimp. Put it on the card, undergrads: Daddy will hardly notice.

If you fancy fresh fish in your catch, walk to the sushi bar in the third room from the door, under the red umbrella. The signature rolls range in price from $9 to $14 and feature such globetrotting options as the Mexican Maki (cilantro, lime, avocado and jalapeno) and the Hawaii Maki (cream cheese, avocado and macadamia nuts). The wait staff recommends the Shine Maki (crispy shrimp, cucumber, baby tuna) and the Honey Roll (white tuna, cucumber and sesame honey sauce). Great for sharing , so bring a group.


Blarney Stone

The best time to hit up this patriotic Irish tavern, a couple blocks from Wrigley Field, may be when the Cubbies are NOT in town. That’s when you can take advantage of the free billiards (Monday-Thursday on non-game days) and gluttonous specials like $1 shots and, depending on the day, hot dogs, nachos or burgers for a single Washington greenback (kitchen’s open until half an hour before the doors close). Margot Krystof has owned Blarney Stone for 39 years, and her son Gerald (a proud Marine Corp vet) now manages the place. The bar features two rooms outfitted in dark wood, plenty of TV’s, a foosball table and darts, and sexy green women’s tank tops (small sizes only) sold for $10. So there’s no reason to base your mood solely on how the Lovable Losers faired today.

Pints of beer cost $4 or $5, but on the right night you can buy an entire pitcher for $6-$10. Jameson and other Irish whiskeys may be yours for only $3 if the bartender sees you saluting the portrait of JFK or praying before the picture of Pope John Paul. God-fearing Catholics and Notre Dame fans are always welcome here. Bring your cash. Blarney Stone has made it a mission to help relieve America of its credit card debt. No plastic is accepted here.


Fina Estampa

What may feel like a hole-in-the-wall diner at first could become your portal to the Andes if you block out the drab interior and a TV playing melodramatic telenovelas and focus instead on the llama tapestry hanging on the wall or the posters of colonial Trujillo and the ruins of Machu Picchu. Ricardo and Claudia moved in last fall and replaced the Ecuadoran “Mr. Pollo” and its rotisserie oven. But the chicken didn’t cross the road.

Fina Estampa still serves a whole head of rotisserie chicken (pollo a la brasa) with fries and a salad for $15 (Ricardo claims he’s the only guy in town who sells it for that price). Or, if you’re on a budget, order half a chicken for $9 or a quarter bird for $6. Other typical Peruvian dishes include the sautéed beef or chicken with cream for $9-11. Start things off with a Tamale served with a healthy portion of red onions, a black olive, and super spice sauce ($4.50) to keep you warm through those Andean highland (or blustery Chicago) nights. Then splurge on the Tilapia Ceviche served with Peruvian Chillies and corn, the fried bread calamari and shrimp, or Tilapia with Criole salsa for $12.50-13.50.


Pueblito Viejo

This bustling Columbia hotspot in the Lincolnwood neighborhood feels like a cross between a Jimmy Buffet-themed bar in the Florida Keys and a vibrant Latino family reunion. And why not, Pueblito Viejo has been so popular since it opened in 1994 that owner Gonzalo Rodriguez opened another location in Miami in 2003. Everyone seems to know each other, and so it matters not that the plastic canopy and fake floral arrangements hanging from the low ceiling obscure your view. Oldies are all the rage here, though less “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and more salsa, meringue, and anything ever sung by Shakira. Test out your Spanish before you arrive, porque aquí se habla español.

Enjoy classic Latin fares, from regional specialties such as pork or fried steak to appetizers like patacones and arepas. Be forewarned about the heavy crowds and noisy atmosphere.


Señor Pan

Unwilling to risk traveling to Cuba and running afoul of the United States government’s noose-around-the-neck embargo? No worries: you can taste some of the fruits of the forbidden island in deep Logan Square, where the delicious Sandwich Cubano is served hot off the press and the tasty milkshakes include exotic Caribbean fruit such as Guayaba, Guanabana and Mango.

Señor Pan, which opened in May 2008, offers very reasonable prices, and Faisal has included his mother’s recipes on the menu (she still lives in Guantanamera, Cuba and runs a tienda out of her home). You’ll pay no more than $7 for a sandwich or $13 for the family-size Señor Pan Especial. Add a side order — the ham croquettes, plantain chips with garlic sauce or Cuban tamales cost between $2.50 and $3.50 —or treat yourself to a flan or guava and cheese pastry ($1.50-$2.75) for dessert. Señor Pan closes early (7 p.m. on most days, 5 on Sundays), but for an early dinner, feast on the Bandeja Señor Pan sampler plate ($12.95) or one of the beef, pork or chicken platos for $9. No liquor is served here, but bring a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer.

The smokestacks in the distance may suggest industrial Logan Square, but the photos inside Señor Pan of the seaside malecón and vintage automobiles rolling through Havana Vieja will warm you up. Come early in the morning for your Café Cubano and talk beisbol with the neighborhood viejitos, or stop by on Sundays and enjoy the live Latin jazz or Cuban bolero folk music. Faisal offers wireless Internet access. He hopes to bring in artists and build a patio in front of the restaurant as the weather warms.