Category Archive: Upscale

October 27th, 2011
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Oaxacan Tamal at La Ciudad

Okay, so I’m in a La Ciudad rut, if you can call it that.  The last two times I was there, they had a Oaxacan Tamal on the Chalkboard.  It is nothing short of incredible.  Served on a banana leaf, and covered with exquisite mole, even now I could say that I would love to go back and have it once again.

I’ve been to La Ciudad several times, and the food has never disappointed.  The meal selection is upscale, and the extensive yet contained options are expertly prepared and seasoned.  You are dining on food in the style of Mexico City, where the owner and his family are from.  I met his sister Diana when they first opened up, and we met over coffee and had a good time.  It was one of those nice little breaks before she and her husband opened up a business together.

One of the owners was there, and so we got to meet him.  He is am amiable man, and a good wait person.  I mention this because I have been to restaurants where the owner waited on tables and had the worst service ever.

The meal tasted especially good since it was part of my Birthday treat week.  Juan ordered the Carne Asada, and it looked fantastic.  I ordered, as is no surprise, the amazing Oaxacan Tamal.  Prior to this we both shared an empanada:  one was spinach and cheese, the other contained mushrooms.  We both ordered dessert.  Juan ordered Choco Flan, and I ordered Moche Tres Leche.  With the robust cinnamon coffee on the side, we were both in food Nirvana.

Considering what time of the year it is, there is no surprise that there is a Dia De Las Muertas, as well.

La Ciudad is BYOB for those of you who love your adult libations.

La Ciudad
4515 N. Sheridan (in the mall, parking is available)
Chicago, IL  60640
(773) 728-2887

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La Ciudad, Mexican Food, Mexico City, Upscale, uptown
July 4th, 2011
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La Ciudad, again…. and delish…. again!

Normally I don’t like to do too many repeat features, but I’ve been to La Ciudad several times and I have never been disappointed.  During Llenifer’s visit, we also had dinner here.  I forgot about their compelling salsas, one being more smokey and mild, the other having a little more punch.

We split an order of spinach empanada (next time I’ll order my own) and Queso Fundido con Chorizo.  I loved their empanada, and their cheese was perfect, not overly salty nor overly greasy, which I’ve encountered at cheaper venues.

For our main entree, we both had the same thing, the Oaxacan Tamal, which was masa stuffed with chicken, wrapped in a banana leaf and then steamed.  It came with a choice of mole or green salsa.  We both chose the mole.  It was a gastronomical delight!
Each bite was like you died and went to Heaven!  There was a bit of sweetness coupled with the complex flavors of the mole and the influence of the banana leaf and the masa.  I’ve never had a tamal that good, even home made ones.  

Before we ordered, I had mentioned to our waiter, in Spanish, that my friend’s Birthday had been on the 5th of this month so I’d like to do something special.  After we were done, the waiter brought this piece of dessert and a candle! 

I’ve been to this restaurant three times already, and have never been disappointed.  The only criticism I had is that we arrived well before dinner and the staff had the music (not Mexican) quite cranked up (the kind of music you crank up when you’re doing chores) which gave me a headache.  They later changed it as the food was being brought.  However, the great service and the incredible mole healed all. 

Anyone who has never been to La Ciudad should know that it is in a mall, so there is parking available and you don’t have to look for on street parking.  The area can be rather dicey at times, so the parking lot is a nice feature.  There is a huge disconnect when you see the surrounding neighborhood, and then you walk through this doorway that moves you from a tough urban environment to a lovely restaurant, with food from primarily Mexico City, where the owners are from.  La Ciudad, is BYOB.

Que Aproveche!

La Ciudad
4515 N. Sheridan
773 728-2887

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La Ciudad, Mexican Food, Mexico City, Upscale, uptown
January 14th, 2010
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Vive La Femme in Bucktown

Ladies, if you are looking for that special piece of clothing that is well made and high end, but you just don’t have the figure for what most boutiques have to offer, Vive La Femme in Bucktown may be your place to shop. Pedro and I were walking up Damen when the sign that proudly proclaimed “Sizes 12 and up” was displayed in the window.

Now if you are a large gal, have a full figure and are not 5’9″ and weigh 120 pounds, finding stylish boutique type clothing is probably a challenge, especially if you want to avoid shopping downtown or on the Magnificent Mile. Enter Vive La Femme on north Damen. Most of what I saw were in the larger sizes (beyond size 12) but I did find a Karen Kane black sleeveless top done in three layers and with gold sequins. It really popped so I tried it on.

While it was definitely not my size, because I had no idea what it was supposed to look like on, and I did have on a black turtleneck, I turned it into a layering tunic top. It would have been more stunning without my green rubber snow boots on and post meal bloat. Once home, I tried it on again with the right shoes and yep, it was definitely very, very cute. On me it looked more like a dress that one wears with leggings. Out of curiosity, I did a search for the top on Nordstrom’s website and was surprised to see that the top was supposed to be just below the hips.

One of the advantages of just going with an interesting piece of clothing based on how it strikes you in the store is that the look you can achieve from the piece becomes the primary factor in purchasing it. Had I seen the catalog photo I would have never purchased it, for one, because the item was not my size as a blouse so it fit like a dress on me, and for another, the details were insipid and flat in the photographs.

We stopped off here at the end of our Bucktown visit, so I was pretty tired by then. Pedro sat on the “man couch” as owner Stephanie suggested he do, while I looked at the merchandise. They had many lovely sweaters, as well as tops with a little twist. The brown blouse was my improvised display, not the store’s so please don’t credit the lopsided look to the shop. They also had some coats, including this warm and stylish shearling coat in the photo.





Vive La Feme
Style Beyond Size
http://vivelafemme.com/
2048 N. Damen
773/ 772-7429

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boutique, Bucktown, fashionable, larger sizes, plus sizes, size 12, trendy, Upscale, womens clothing
October 23rd, 2008
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Topolobampo

Topolobampo, finally!! Nancy and I decided to have lunch and we were planning to go to Frontera Grill. It turned out that there were tables available in Topolobampo, so this is where we went. We have a wonderful time and the food was exquisite! And, as it turned out, this was a lovely Birthday gift from John and Nancy. Thank you again, so very much!!

Now for the food part. I love my limonada, and have had some pretty good ones, and some pretty lousy ones (mixes). I had to order one, and it was perfect, not too sweet but not too sour.

Nancy ordered this beverage which was a mixture of tea and juice. It also was good, and the presentation quite interesting.

One of the many bus boys (I almost hate to call them that because they almost function like back up waiters) brought a complementary guacamole. It was wonderful!

The next item is part of our appetizer. I was so interested in tasting it that I forgot to take a photo when it came. It is a mixed green salad with chayote. Chayote basically is tasteless, but it absorbs the flavor of foods that it is cooked with and lends a nice, crunchy flavor. The salad was different and quite good.

We ordered sopas, and our waiter requested (without us asking) to have them brought after the salad and in separate dishes. It was a good decision because the salad was seasoned more delicately and had we had the sopas first, the stronger flavors would have overpowered the greens. The sopa was tasty and had just the right balance of vegetables and broth. I love that a lime wedge was included, as fresh lime really does create a better balance of flavors at times.


Now for our main courses. Nancy ordered the carnitas. The presentation is a bit “mind blowing” if you are used to carnitas on 18th Street or in Little Village. I had a taste and it was very, very good. This included the 50 hour cooked pork!

Here is a close up of the carnitas:


The dish I ordered was the duck with negro mole. It was lovely!! The duck was not greasy, and everything was done to perfection. Both of our dishes came with blacked kale, which was also very good. The blend of flavors was magnificent. The duck also came with these masa rolls, and those were wonderful as well.


Of course we wanted dessert, and I ordered a Mexican hot chocolate. The chocolate was one of the best that I’ve had.

For dessert, our waiter suggested this dish made of masa and corn. It was very different from anything that I have ever had, and it was ever so good. And yes, it came with home made ice cream. There’s a bit of caramel inside the dessert and it is garnished with red and yellow corn.

As we were leaving I stopped to look at their Day of the Dead display. Of course now I wonder who some of the people were. One of them liked his Corona Beer.

I am looking forward to returning here either for dinner or lunch, and trying Frontera Grill as well. This was a very different dining experience than what I am used to when I have Mexican food, either everyday dining or upscale. If you love mole, this is a definite destination. And if you love fine dining that is not pretentious, this is a your go-to place.
PS Hello to our nice table neighbors!
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frontera grill, Mexican Food, rick bayless, topolobampo, Upscale

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