Abita and Chilam Balam

One of the best things about working with actual Chicago natives for me is hearing their recommendations about where to eat and drink. So when my friend at work told me she was going to her favorite restaurant that weekend, I had to inquire and I was excited to find out it was located just down the street from our apartment. It is a little basement place called Chilam Balam (I had walked by it probably 20 times and would of never noticed it). It is a little Mexican food place that specializes in using fresh and sustainable ingredients in tapas and small plates. It is BYOB (so many places are in Chicago- it is crazy), so we went to Binny's (an awesome liquor store similar to Spec's) and got a few six packs. I went with the intention of finding Abita's Strawberry Lager. Abita is a brewery out of Louisiana- their Strawberry Lager is one of my favorite beers. It tastes like Betty Crocker strawberry flavored cake to me- subtle strawberry with a bread-like sweet finish. It is refreshing and delicious- it goes fast so hurry to the closest store and get it before it is gone!

Above: Abita Strawberry Lager; Below: Chicken flautas at Chilam Balam

Anyway, we walked to Chilam Balam with our beers- got on the 45 min wait list. (We waited upstairs at a local Irish Pub- which was a fun time in itself). Once we sat, our very friendly server told us about the rotating menu and got us a ice bucket for our beers. We had (in this order) the chips and guacamole, mushroom empanadas, chicken flautas and lastly, the lamb barbacoa.  It came out hot, quick and nicely plated. The guacamole was fresh, the empanadas were soft and warm, the flautas perfectly crispy and the barbacoa surprisingly lean. The food was truly delicious and the service was fantastic. Yet, it seemed that for the size of the plates it was very over priced- even with high quality ingredients. I left hungry! (That never happens where I come from-maybe coming from Texas, I just expect large portions of good Mexican food for little money.) In conclusion, I can definitely see why Chicago natives love this place- it is cozy and authentic. But for us- it was just a reminder of how much I love/miss Texas Mexican food- such a tease!