We started with appetizer platter: Entremés Surtido: appetizer platter of cheesy quesadillas, crispy chicken taquitos with sour cream, tangy ceviche tostadas, crunchy jícama salad and guacamole
Starting with the bad: The quesadillas look like empanadas – they're good, but mostly bread and filled only with a mild cheese and ultimately are lacking just a bit of oomph. The taquitos had a cheese or cream topping had a strange earthy taste that was not working for me. The good? The ceviche is among the best we've had, the jicama salad was an exceptional blend of spicy, sweet, and crisp, and Frontera's guacamole should really only be tasted rather than described.
I had the Red chile-marinated Maple Creek pork (pastor style), with charcoaled pineapple, slab bacon and red onion, two salsas, frijoles charros, guacamole and homemade tortillas. An exceptional blend of spice, sweet, and savory. I've worked my way through the different varieties of tacos at Frontera and I'd say the pork and the mushroom blend are the best. Do note: the photo is the filling, and you make your own tacos.
Fran had a breakfasty enchilada dish of steak and eggs. She found it to be quite spicy but not overwhelmingly so (when and if their website updates the menu, I'll update the description).
Brunch doesn't seem to get the presentation focus which they give to dinner so these photos don't do them much justice.
The food at Frontera is consistently excellent – the menu almost completely changes every few weeks so it's hard to recommend any one thing as it probably won't be there next month. I can honestly say in our many times eating there, I've never had anything I did not like – I've had a few things I didn't love, but that's minor - overall this place is one of the best places in the city, and easily the best in it's price range (lunch entrees for under $20 a person, dinner for under $30).
I think one reason why Frontera succeeds is because the chef, Rick Bayless is frequently present – he's been there more than half times we have keeping an eye on things – that being said, even when he is not present the food and service are still top notch.
Frontera, however, is not without its flaws – I find them to be barely worth mentioning but these are things a lot of people complain about so here's your caveat.
First – they do not take reservations (technically they take a very limited number of reservations, but every time I've attempted to acquire one they are booked). This is an extremely popular place and it is not uncommon to show up 10 minutes before they open to see a long line of people wrapped around the block and then get quoted a two hour wait. I've found their wait estimates can be somewhat exaggerated, but it's not unusual to have to wait for a couple hours to get in at peak times. Also - don't be shocked if you look in the restaurant to see it's half empty and get quoted a wait - this is done to avoid overwhelming the kitchen..
Second – service is relaxed – some may call it slow – I would probably not hit up Frontera if I had some place urgent to be within 90 minutes. I'm sure you can let them know you were in a rush and they could accommodate you, but I wouldn't risk it. If you're only going out to eat, or spending the meal relaxing after a busy day, it's an outstanding place. There is a reason we went to a late lunch rather than early dinner when we had some place to be at 7:30 pm. I would personally not call it “slow” - the way I see it, if you don't have enough time to sit and enjoy a well prepared meal with high quality ingredients, eat here at a different time.
Third – it's loud. Very loud.
To me, all of this is forgivable but the bottom line is if you want a quiet, sedate place where you
can walk in and be out the door in 45 minutes look elsewhere.
So, there you are. Frontera Grill is easily one of the best restaurants in Chicago and it's well worth a visit.
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