Sorry for the long gap between posts.  I was off enjoying the holidays and the time off.  I hope all of you were able to do the same.

One of my adventures was to the Windy City with my wife and her friend since high school, Stephanie.  Stephanie lives in warm, sunny California, and wants everyone to move there.  Walking around Chicago with snow blowing everywhere, I wished for a moment that I was blessed with the warmth of the Golden State.

We drove downtown and found our way to the corner of Clark and Illinois, where Xoco is located.  If you’ve ever been to Bayless’s other restaurants, Frontera Grill or Topolobampo, Xoco (pronounced sho-ko, meaning “little sister”) is right on the corner of the same block.  Looking through the window you can see the preparation of chocolate and churros (see my earlier post on churros) for eager guests.

When you enter, the space looks very small, just enough for a small kitchen and a winding line to wait in before you order.  While waiting in line you can look at surreal images, like the one at right of children in a churro-cactus forest, or one of a woman riding a torta flying through the air (see that one in the gallery at the bottom of the post).  As you enter, there are only a few tables visible, but it turns out that there is another section of tables further back, but the total seating capacity is probably only 40.

We went in the mid-afternoon, around 3:30, since we wanted to be able to try the caldos (soups) that they start serving at 3PM.  There was already a line all the way to the door, which meant about 12 people in front of us, along with a handful of people standing near the door waiting for their carry-out order.  While in line, we saw the board displaying the numerous local farms that they source from.  This is a quick-service sandwich and soup place, but it’s still firmly rooted in Bayless’s strong commitment to supporting local farmers.  Our local Prairie Fruits Farm is listed as a source, along with Rick’s own family garden.

The ordering process got a little awkward as they handle carry-out orders separate from dine-in orders (but through the same register).  We had to wait for a table to open up before we could order.  Luckily, a table opened up just a moment after we were told to step aside.

We ordered heartily, including chips, sandwich, soup, dessert, and a delicious Goose Island beer.  You can serve yourself still or sparkling water from a pair of faucets as you leave the cash register.  We carried our water and beer and were escorted to our seats, a set of high stools at an interior counter.  It wasn’t the nicest view, but the other tables were filled.  Soon after we sat down, we got our appetizer of chips and guacamole.  We splurged for the pair of salsas for an extra buck.

The chips were fine, but nothing memorable.  The guacamole was good, nice and creamy with balanced flavors.  The salsas were great, but they are the same ones you can get in Frontera jars.  The biggest problem I had was the portion was way too small.  For $4 (5 with the salsas), I wanted more chips.

The tortas (sandwiches) and caldos (soups) are prepared to order in their small kitchen from fresh ingredients.  While in line, I saw the cooks tasting the food as they were prepping each order, which gave me high expectations for the results.  In our case, they really did deliver.

First is my wife’s torta cubana.  From the menu: “smoked Maple Creek pork loin and bacon, black beans, avocado, artisan Jack, chipotle mustard”.  I tried a bite and it was very tasty, and held together well as a sort of torta-meets-panini creation.  For $11, I don’t know if it would have filled me up, but my wife loved it.

Stephanie got what I would have had if I didn’t get the soup–the torta ahogada.  This “drowned” sandwich has “golden pork carnitas, black beans, tomato broth, spicy arbol chile sauce, pickled onions”.  I wanted to steal this sandwich, but opted only for a bite.  The carnitas were cooked and seasoned perfectly (maybe could have been crisped a bit more).  The brothy sauce at the bottom of the bowl can be ordered as mild or spicy as you like, and it is the perfect foil for the torta’s extra crunchy bread.  I did my own take on this sandwich after we returned home from the holidays, but that post will have to wait for now.

I had the pork belly vermicelli soup.  The menu says “crispy-tender pork belly, toasty-tender noodles, woodland mushrooms, zucchini, avocado, salsa negra”.  If that’s not a close enough look, here’s a spoonful of pork belly with the noodles, fideos, it’s hiding.

This was simply amazing.  The soup stock  had a depth of flavor I haven’t had in any other quick-service restaurant soups.  It had the mouthfeel of a long-simmered stock, almost thick and chewy, but it still tasted fresh and vibrant.  I didn’t see any salsa negra, so I assume it was the source of the sesame seeds floating in the broth as well as the spicy kick it contained.

The pork belly itself was thick and meaty, cooked until tender, and browned enough on the outside that it still held up to a little chewing instead of dissolving into so many porky threads in the soup.  The noodles were alright, sort of like a rustic spaghetti.  They added to the bulk of the soup, but I would have been just as happy if they weren’t there.  The vegetables offered nice variation in each bite, and each offered a flavor and texture that the soup needed.  The avocado was cool and creamy, the zucchini still tender-crisp and bright, and the mushrooms were dark and deliciously chewy.  The arugula on top wilted into the soup and performed as a slippery sidekick as it draped itself on many of my bites.  For $12, this soup is a meal that should not be passed up.  I would have loved a bit of one of their toasted bolillos to dip and crunch on as I ate.  Maybe Rick will read this and add it as an option al lado.

We all gorged ourselves on our main dishes, accompanied by Goose Island Matilda, a Belgian-style beer brewed in Chicago.  It was an expensive 22 oz. bottle ($13), but shared among three people, it paired perfectly with the rich food.

Of course, with the fresh chocolate being made here, we couldn’t pass up dessert.  We were given the option to order chocolate and churros with our meal and they would serve them to us later after we finished our food.

The pacing at the end of the meal was the low point.  As we were finishing, a couple staff members checked if we had ordered chocolate or churros.  After being left with nothing in front of us for what felt like forever, a plate of three churros arrived.

They are, dare I say, perfect churros.  Crispy, soft, light, warm, coated liberally with sugar, cinnamon, and ground cacao.  I could have eaten a dozen of these, even after the huge portion of soup.  What I wanted, though, was my chocolate in which to dip it.  I ate slowly, bite by bite, savoring each bit of the churro, but no chocolate arrived.  Finally we saw the chocolate man come with his tray of dark cacao goodness.

No table-side preparation, really, just pouring already-prepared chocolate into mugs.  There is a wide array of choices on how you want your chocolate prepared.  We tried three different choices, the authentic, made with water, the classic with 2% milk, and the almendrado, made with almond milk.

The chocolate was good, and had all the fresh vibrant flavor you’d expect from Bayless’s bean-to-cup operation.  If you click through the gallery of photos at the bottom of the post, you’ll see pictures of their chocolate grinding away in the same machine that local chocolate maker, Dan Schreiber, uses.  The almendrado, made with almond milk, was perfect for my wife, who loves chocolate and almonds.  The main difference between the authentic (water) and the classic (2% milk) is the milk tempers the bright flavors of the ultra-fresh chocolate.  Neither is “better”, just different.  My only disappointment was the portion, which seemed undersized for the mugs they serve it in.  The photo above is before drinking any, and it shows that my mug was only about 2/3 full.

Overall I HIGHLY recommend Xoco.  Try everything you can and bring your friends.

If you haven’t entered the Taza chocolate contest, do so now.  The entry deadline is now this Saturday, January 9, at noon Central time.  The winner will be announced shortly after.

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Tags: carnitas, Chicago, chocolate, churros, pork belly, restaurant, review, Rick Bayless, sandwich, soup, torta, Xoco

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at 1:54 PM and is filed under chocolate, review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.