Tag Archives: Topolobampo

12 Days of Mexican Christmas, Day 3: Rompope

rompope_DIA217

It’s Los Doce Dias De Navidad. Day three. Time to talk about rompope.

The big question about rompope is, is it eggnog?

The answer: Basically.

It’s true that eggnog often incorporates egg whites that have been whipped but not cooked, and that, in contrast, rompope is usually cooked fully. But in all other ways the two are twins.

Sometimes this sweet, custardy drink is spiked with booze, sometimes not. Sometimes people buy it at the store, where it’s available year-round (despite having strong ties to Christmas); other times, people make it at home.

rompope

It goes without saying that we like rompope much better when its made from scratch. Our housemade version is being sold in adorable little bottles at XOCO. Alas, those are meant to be consumed in the restaurant only. (If you want rompope at home, there’s a recipe right here.)

But wait. There’s a third option: Come to Topolo, order the Fiesta de Rompope and eat your rompope instead.

Behind The Scenes of Topolo’s New Art Menu

Slide background
DIPTYCH WITH YELLOW CIRCLES AND FLYING FIGURES (detail) Rolando Rojas (b. 1970)
Slide background
UNCAGED Lime-marinated Alaskan king salmon, Santa Barbara sea urchin, aji amarillo, creamy coconut, saffron-pickled knob onions, Bayless Garden micro greens, corn masa “jaula”
Slide background
SERIES: CHILDREN’S GAMES IV (detail) Rubén Leyva (b. 1953)
Slide background
JOY AT PLAY Tender local asparagus and radishes, spiced pumpkinseed “hummus,” savory tropical flavors, unexpected herbs
Slide background
BICYCLES AND CONSTELLATIONS (detail) Enrique Flores (b. 1954)
Slide background

TIMELESS WONDER Creamy tamal colado, tepary beans, garlic chive oil, homemade lardo,
allium in various guises

Slide background
THE CRY (detail) Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991)
Slide background
THAT MOMENT OF SELF REALIZATION Viking Village scallop crusted in sal de gusano, braised beef tongue, sorrel salsa verde, sea beans, cured nopal, Japanese root
Slide background
LEDA (detail) Rolando Rojas (b. 1970)
Slide background
THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM Halibut steak, camote potatoes, escabeche vegetables, guajillo chile demiglace
Slide background
UNTITLED (detail) Filemón Santiago (b. 1958)
Slide background
THE WARM FLOOD OF MEMORIES Sweet-savory brioche bread pudding with Prairie Fruits tetilla cheese, blackberry-brandy sorbet, spiced rhubarb and almonds, local cream, young herbs
Slide background
UNTITLED (detail) Jane Alt (b. 1951)
Slide background
THE GOLD-PLATED HUG Cajeta-ganache tart (sweet spice, 2 chiles), fruits & flowers,
prickly pear meringues, gilding

Browse all seven courses of our new art menu—and the artworks that inspired them—in the slideshow above.

Six weeks ago, Rick gathered the Topolo chefs around the big wood table in our library.

“This is going to be absolutely the most difficult thing in the world,” he told them. “You’re taking an emotional reaction and turning it into another emotional reaction.”

The chefs—Andres Padilla, Joel Ramirez, Jennifer Jones— looked at him a little wide-eyed.

“You’re going to have to let yourself get into the artworks,” Rick continued. “Not study them in a studious way, but really get into them. You have to step back and think: How does this make me feel?”

I was the lucky one at the table—I didn’t have to create a dish—yet even I could feel the weight of the assignment. In embarking on the Topolobampo Art Menu, the chefs had to grapple with the intersection of aesthetics and emotions. Then, somehow, they had to make it edible.

Still, when Rick looked at the chefs and said “So, how does this feel as a way to start?” the chefs said it felt good. Then they got to work.

Each of the three chefs picked a few pieces from our walls—whatever they were drawn to. And, as Rick instructed, they spent time with that piece and paid attention to their guttural, emotional reactions. When Joel stared at Enrique Flores’s “Bicycles and Constellations” (pictured, as all the artworks on the menu are, in the slideshow above), he felt pangs of love mixed with childlike wonder. “It’s about relationships and space,” he told me. The dish he created—the third of the seven courses—is built around two ingredients entangled in a famous love affair: onions and garlic.

When Andres considered Leda by Rolando Rojas, he felt almost toyed with. The painting is based on the Greek myth about Leda and the swan; what appears to be just a bird on the canvas turns out to be a commentary on rape. “It can feel like a bait-and-switch,” Andres says. So his dish, the fifth of the seven courses, is a bait-and-switch as well.

Filemón Santiago’s untitled depiction of a picnic was nostalgic for Jennifer. It took her to a place “of eating in a place that you typically don’t, in a way that you typically don’t.” Her dish, the first dessert course of the night, contains all the elements of those all-to-rare picnics, including that feeling of excitement.

This is not the first time that Topolo has developed an art menu; the first was a few years ago. But everybody who was around then has commented that, while the first one was good, this is the one that got it right. When Deann ate it for the first time, she encapsulated many people’s thoughts: “This,” she said, “is the most brilliant work we have ever done.”

Make a reservation to experience the Art Menu 2014 here, or call us at 312-661-1434.

 

Celebrating the Women Behind Mexican Wine

Tickets available now!

On the eve of International Women’s day, Chef Rick Bayless and Wine Director Jill Gubesch will be hosting an exclusive celebratory wine dinner at Topolobampo featuring the work of Mexican Winemaker, Nicole Martain, her sister, wine Importer Michelle Martain, and Local Distributor Susan VanKoughnett.

These three women bring great wine from Mexico to Chicago for you to enjoy, and Topolo’s own women-led team is delighted to share the story of their international artisanship. 

Nicole Martain at Valle de Tintos

Nicole Martain started Valle de Tintos in 2013 with just seven barrels. Now, she produces over 4500 cases a year between five different labels, producing wine that carries an elegance and structure inspired by the great wine traditions of Italy.

Nicole’s success can be traced all the way back to her childhood at her family’s winery, Cavas Valmar, which is one of the oldest boutique wineries in the region. And after studying Engineering and Enology, as well as enjoying a handful of internships in Napa valley and Mendoza, Argentina, Martain returned to her roots and is now the winemaker at both Valle de Tintos and Cavas Valmar.

With such esteemed guests, it is no surprise that Jill Gubesch, Topolobampo’s Wine Director and 2021 Michelin-Chosen Chicago Sommelier, is as excited as she is to have put this evening together.

Gubesch has enlisted Chef de Cuisine Meagan O’Connor and Pastry Chef Jennifer Melendrez to craft a unique run of courses (yes, it’s unlike anything you’ve seen in Topolo!) to showcase FIVE of Nicole’s beautiful bottlings. 

Topolobampo’s Wine Director, Jill Gubesch, after earning her official 2021 Michelin Guide Chicago Sommelier Award.

Ever charming, Nicole will set the stage for each wine you taste, and our sommelier host, Jill, will highlight the interplay between the flavors on the plate and those in your glass. 

The evening is sure to enthrall and educate, pairing some of Mexico’s best wine with four, never-before-seen courses (and a few Topolobampo surprises).

Tickets can be reserved here!

Chicago Restaurant Week at Frontera!

Diners of Chicago, we’re here for you. Chicago Restaurant Week is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our great city’s vibrant dining scene. Here’s the full list of participating restaurants. 

At Frontera, it’s another chance to do what we do best: to serve you lovingly prepared regional Mexican cuisine, with generous-spirited hospitality. Here’s a look at the Chicago Restaurant Week happenings at Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and Leña Brava.

Couple things to know: Keep in mind restaurant “week” is actually two weeks — Jan. 25-Feb. 7 — so there’s even more opportunity to experience our restaurants. And of course you’ll still be able to order from our full menus throughout the promotion.

Frontera Grill
Three-course lunch: $24
Three-course dinner: $36

Topolobampo
Three-course lunch: $24

Leña Brava
Four-course dinner: $48

Cook Topolobampo’s chilaquiles for dinner (or breakfast, or lunch) tonight

Chilaquiles8

We can think of many words to describe chilaquiles. “Sophisticated” is not necessarily one of them.

Topolo Chilaquiles

But when we saw what Julio DeLeon, a cook at Topolobampo, is doing with chilaquiles on the new lunch menu (that’s his dish pictured above), “sophisticated” is exactly the word that came to mind. There’s nothing rustic, nothing “artfully messy,” about these chilaquiles. No, these are chilaquiles you can serve at a dinner party.

That got us thinking—could we serve this at a dinner party? Really?

Yes, really. Let’s get started.

Chilaquiles1

The sauce is simple enough. In a large (10-inch) pan (we use cast-iron lined with tin foil), dry-roast 3 unpeeled garlic cloves, half of a large onion sliced 1/2-inch thick and 1 or 2 habanero chiles. Get them nicely charred, like you see above. (This will take about 7 minutes.) Let cool.

In a medium-large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat. When the vegetables have cooled slightly, chop the onion, add it to the pot and cook, stirring, until it’s golden brown (3 or 4 minutes). Chop the garlic, add it to the pot and cook for another minute. Chop the chile and add it to the pot along with 2 15-ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes and 2 sprigs of epazote. Let all of that simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then blend it until smooth and season with salt (usually 1 teaspoon).

Chilaquiles2

Now comes the fun part. Return the sauce to the pot, place over medium heat and pour in 10 ounces of tortilla chips. You want thick chips here—thin chips will get mushy.

Chilaquiles3

Fold the chips into the sauce until all they’re covered in sauce. (If you want to toss in some spinach, or some pulled [cooked] chicken, this is the time to do it.)

Chilaquiles4

Cover the pot and let the chips soften in the sauce for 3 minutes.

Now you’re ready to plate. The guys at Topolo use ring molds for their chilaquiles, and this, essentially, is what gives them that white-tablecloth-ready look. Ring molds aren’t expensive (unless you buy them at Williams-Sonoma) but you probably don’t have them in your house. We don’t even keep them here in the test kitchen. So we came up with a hack: Ramekins.

Chilaquiles5

It totally works. Line 4 6-ounce ramekins with plastic wrap, leaving a good amount of overhang on either side. Divide the chilaquiles among the ramekins, filling each ramekin to the rim and packing in the chips lightly with the back of a spoon. Put a plate over each ramekin and invert the chilaquiles. After you (gently) remove the ramekin and plastic wrap, you’ll have a plate that looks like this:

Chilaquiles6

Don’t worry, it gets prettier. Top each mound of chilaquiles with 1 tablespoon crema and sprinkle the whole plate with 1 tablespoon queso fresco.

Chilaquiles7

You could eat it just like this if you want to, maybe with a sprinkling of chopped cilantro. But to make it more Topololike, we added a little salad and topped the chilaquiles with a fried egg.

Chilaquiles10

It was so sofisticado.

 

TOPOLOBAMPO’S CHILAQUILES

Servings: 4
Print

Ingredients

Instructions

Heat a large (10-inch) (non-stick or lined with foil) skillet over medium-high. Lay in the garlic, onion and chiles and cook, turning occasionally, until they’re softened and darkened in spots, about 7 minutes. Let cool.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium-large (4- to 6-quart) heavy pot (preferably a Dutch oven) set over medium. When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, give the onion a rough chop and scoop it into the pot. Cook, stirring, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Chop the garlic, add it to the pot and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute more. Stem and chop the chile and add it to the pot along with the tomatoes and epazote. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Transfer the sauce to a loosely-covered blender jar and process until smooth. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1 teaspoon. Return the sauce to the pot, set over medium heat and bring back to a simmer.

Pour the tortilla chips into the sauce and fold them into the sauce with a spatula until coated. Cover the pot and let the chips soften in the sauce for 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.

Line 4 6-ounce ramekins with plastic wrap, leaving about 4 inches of overhang on either side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chilaquiles to the ramekins, filling each ramekin to the rim and packing the chips in lightly with the back of a spoon.

To serve the chilaquiles, place a plate over each ramekin, grasp the plate and ramekin firmly, then reverse the two. Gently lift off the ramekin and remove the plastic wrap. Top each mound of chilaquiles with 1 tablespoon of crema and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of queso fresco. If you like, crown the chilaquiles with a fried egg. Arrange the greens around the chilaquiles, sprinkle the radishes over the greens and drizzle the salad with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Finish the plate with a sprinkling of salt and you’re ready to serve.

 

Escape to Topolobampo’s Winter Beach Vacation

Winter is coming. Let’s get out of here.

Escape to Topolobampo, where our chefs have planned the perfect getaway from the blustery cold. The new “Winter Beach Vacation” tasting menu whisks you away to our favorite Mexican beach towns, each of the seven courses capturing the sun, spirit and soul of Mexico.

Your travel package includes exquisitely matched wines by newly minted “Best Sommelier” Jill Gubesch and perfect agave pairings by Spirits Director Lanie Bayless.

Yellowtail Aguachile | Baja hiramasa yellowtail, Baja uni, spicy Beck Grove citrus, avocado, pitahaya (dragon fruit), cucumber, finger lime
Mussels, Bacon, Green Mole | Ensenada mussels, Gunthorp bacon, corn masa “noodles,” calabacitas, oyster-infused Oaxacan green mole (tomatillo, serrano chile, corn masa, 4 herbs)
Tongue Taco | Fresh-made blue corn tortilla, tongue two ways (crispy, cured), black olive-pasilla compote, foie gras crema, añejo cheese
Lobster, Chipotles | Grilled Maine lobster, enchipotlada salsa (chipotle chiles, piloncillo, roasted garlic), winter spinach with sesame & morita chiles, bone marrow-roasted potatoes
Scallop, Traditional Black Recado | Seared Hudson Canyon sea scallop, delicata squash stuffed with scallop “relleno negro,” sauce of recardo negro seasoning paste (charred chiles, garlic, spices, tomato, black beans), charred lima beans, black mint
Tascalate | Tascalate sorbet (cacao, achiote, toasted tortilla, milk), candied cacao nibs and torched corn masa tuile, achiote gelatinas
Tamarind, Chocolate | Tamarind-date cake, chocolate-tamarind ganache, guava sorbet, mamey panna cotta, caramelized pineapple, chocolate pozol

Explore Topolo’s New Menu – “Mexico: Taste & Time”

Slide background
Chileatole | Fresh-ground corn masa "porridge,: charred fresh corn, serrano chile, wild greens, bitter herbs, quail egg, flowers
Slide background
Quail, Escabeche | Grill-roasted Texas cross quail, wine escabeche (olive oil, caramelized onion, sweet spices, sherry, wine and pineapple vinegars), crispy peasant bread, pea shoots, radishes
Slide background
Mextlapique | Corn husk-roasted Alaskan black cod, herby butter (lavender, parsley, dwarf basil), salsa of orange güero, garlic and snails, caramelized eggplant purée, snail caviar
Slide background
Chiles en Nogada Roasted poblano chile, pork picadillo, (roasted tomato, fall fruit, almonds), creamy nogada sauce (walnuts, goat cheese, cream, sherry), pomegranate, parsley
Slide background
Braised Shortrib, Clemole Oaxaqueño Crispy braised Creekstone shortrib, Oaxacan clemole (pasilla & ancho chiles, nuts & seeds, garlic, avocado leaves, epazote), charred chayote purée, patty pan squash, knob onions
Slide background
Bien Me Sabe Airy cake, Chartreuse drizzle, orange flower pastry cream, candied ginger & apricot, sugared nuts
Slide background
Chocolate, Olive Oil, Cactus Mexican chocolate-pumpkin seed cake, Mexican chocolate-olive oil mousse (with damiana), prickly pear gastrique, dragon fruit, Mexican sea salt

A well-known fact: In order to know someone intimately you must eat their food.

But tastes are not static. Cuisine is ever-evolving. Flavors change over time.

This menu invites you to get to know Mexico intimately over the last 500 years, from Aztec days, through its Spanish domination and evolving independence, to today’s modern kitchen.

Reservations

Introducing “The Library Series” at Topolobampo

Every three months, the Topolobamo team creates a new, innovative tasting menu that transports you to a new place, perhaps a different time.

This year, shortly after these menus debut, we’re offering an exclusive opportunity to experience them—with exceptional wine & spirits pairings—in the intimacy of Rick Bayless’ private cookbook library and test kitchen.

The “Library Series at Topolo” offers guests the opportunity for rich interaction with chefs, sommeliers and spirits experts who will demystify their creative process and share a little of the magic that goes into creating the award-winning Topolo’s elegant, soulful menus.

On-hand for these intimate five-course dinners will be our wine team (led by sommelier Jill Gubesch), spirits team (led by Lanie Bayless) and chef team led by Rick Bayless and Zach Steen.

Feb. 12: Winter Beach Vacation
April 29: Flavors of Pre-Columbian Mexico
July 15: Modern Mexico City
October 29: TBD

James Beard Awards: A Weekend Full of Fiestas

Next week, The James Beard Foundation Awards are coming to Chicago for the first time ever.

beard12_photoby_danwynnWe’re looking forward to a few whirlwind days of top-flight food, good company and high hopes as the Foundation bestows its annual awards to the world’s best chefs and restaurants, including our very own Topolobampo, which is up for an Outstanding Service Award.

But first things first.

Nothing can really start without a great brunch.

For that, we head to Kendall College on Sunday, where Rick and Chicago-based food journalist Steve Dolinsky — co-hosts of The Feed podcast, which just earned the Foundation’s 2015 broadcast award for Best Podcast — will interview an all-star panel of six Beard-nominated chefs and dish to a rapt audience of the culinary school’s students and various VIPs from across the city.

Later that evening, we’re breaking tradition and opening the doors to Frontera Grill and Topolobampo on a Sunday evening  to accommodate our chef friends, their guests and anyone else looking to be part of the dining excitement in our fair city.

On Monday, we head to the elegant Lyric Opera for the awards ceremony, colloquially known as the “Oscars of the food world,” for a black-tie evening of camaraderie. (OK, OK, a little competition too.)

Later that night, we’ve invited our friends to “Circus de Mayo,” a Beard after-party like no other at Frontera Grill.

Table Lady-8

To help us celebrate, we’ve enlisted the help of the Table Ladies (elegantly serving dual purposes as live-art and snack table), the whimsical Wine Bike to pour special wines, the Napkin Ladies, whose dresses are made from cocktail napkins to be picked off as needed by guests and stilted servers passing fresh churros.

We’re going to have a DJ and dueling taco stations pitting Yucatecan conchinita pibil tacos against Oaxacan tacos with smoky brisket in black mole. Oh, and we’ll make the tortillas in the spot. We’re also serving Agua Chile (Mexican ceviche).

The Libation Machine, a human-powered cartoonish contraption, will serve our guests cocktails, and a contortionist will prowl around the restaurant, dazzling guests with feats of bendability.

All in all, it should be a really wild night to cap off what’s sure to be an unforgettable weekend.

Photo credits: Dan Wynn; Redmoon Events

Let Topolo Take You to Another Oaxaca

Slide background
Oysters on the Coast: Shigoku oysters, homemade chamoy (guajillo, apricot, lime), tomatillo-mezcal raspado, sal de guzano
Slide background
Taco Corridor: Wood-grilled ribeye tasajo and pork chorizo, Fermín Ibérico smoked pork loin, avocado-chile de agua salsa, grilled knob onions, charred tlayudas, cucumber, radish
Slide background
Caldo de Piedra: “Stone soup” of wild mushrooms, ayocote beans, local squash, Oaxacan dumplings, black garlic broth
Slide background
Fish a la Talla: Wood–grilled walleye, red chile adobo and chipotle-garlic mayo, fresh tomato-arbol sauce, warmed romaine and radishes with butter and lime
Slide background
Shortrib, Estofado de Boda: Gilded slow-cooked shortrib, estofado de boda (ancho and guajillo chile, three fruits, tomato, sweet spices), custardy plantain, turnip espuma, charred pineapple
Slide background
Frozen Hillside: Sorbet of prickly pear cactus and lime, sweetened tomatillo water, Honey Crisp apple salsa
Slide background
Mole Dulce: Spiced buttercream, Oaxacan chocolate ice cream, red mole

Oaxaca is legendary among Mexico’s regional cuisine. It is, of course, the land of the SEVEN MOLES! But it’s a whole lot more. And that’s where Topolo’s latest menu will take you.

First we head to to the beach for oysters and a little mezcal. Then we’re off to the infamous, smoke-filled “taco corridor” in downtown Oaxaca City for a little primal goodness.

In the Chinantec highlands, there’s a rustic “stone soup” cooked right in its serving vessel, a technique we’ve emulated at your table.

And all along the Pacific coast, folks are grilling red chile-glazed fish a la talla over wood fires.

Out in the wind-swept Isthmus of Tehuantepec cooks spend days creating ceremonial estofado de boda.  

But wait! No mole on the Oaxacan tasting menu? Yes, a little chocolate-laced mole coloradito—perhaps a touch sweeter and chocolatier than usual—with your spiced layer cake and Oaxacan chocolate ice cream.

Expect anything — Oaxaca is always filled with surprises.

Presenting the 2017 “Art Menu”at Topolobampo

Slide background
That Misunderstanding Smoky tomato cocktail with mezcal. Tender octopus, king crab, shrimp, cucumber
Slide background
Surprise Package Tortilla pillow, spring vegetables, roasted poblano-ramp crema, farm egg
Slide background
Bliss of the Inner Fire Slow-cooked Atlantic tilefish, salsa macha (pasilla chile, pine nuts, Baja olive oil, Szechuan peppercorn) caramelized onion with black pepper, local morel mushrooms
Slide background
Unimagined Memories Braised short rib, time-honored red chile sauce, potato (sweet, white). Enchilada or creamy rice, depending on your upbringing
Slide background
The Odyssey Squab three ways, Oaxacan black mole, seared foie gras. (Beans, nettles, plantains, almonds.)
Slide background
Unexpected Prizes Ice cream, chocolate, spiced chocolate peanut butter cream
Slide background
Starburst Pistachio, guava, lemon, chocolate, cherry, kafir lime, prickly pear. And whipped cream on top of the tart

I think we can all agree: Food can make us feel good. It can make us feel comforted, too. Or nostalgic. Or giddy with pleasure and desire. Or even a little uncertain. Sometimes I feel surprised, even shocked, by what I taste. Art can evoke feelings, too, of course, whether it’s in the form of a novel, a movie, a song or a painting.

Tonight, I and the Topolo chefs invite you to taste the dishes we’ve created to evoke familiar feelings — betrayal, anticipation, euphoria, triumph, wonder, exuberance. Then reflect on paintings and lithographs we’ve chosen from our highly lauded collection of Mexican masters. We think you’ll be pleased with the resonance.

Presenting the Topolo Art Menu 2016

Slide background
TIERRAS (Detail) Rolando Rojas (b. 1970)
Slide background
EXUBERANCE Wild Salmon, Veracruz Tsunami Alaskan king salmon, sea urchin, roiling flavors of Veracruz (tomatoes, jalapeños, capers, olive oil, herbs)
Slide background
BICICLETAS Y CONSTELACIONES Enrique Flores (b. 1954)
Slide background
DESIRE Ostiones Cachondos Poached oysters (pasilla chile, truffle, black garlic), crema, creamy foie gras, paddlefish caviar, truffle slices
Slide background
UNTITLED Rodolfo Morales (1925-2001)
Slide background
UNCERTAINTY Carnes Apache Tartares (ribeye cap, yellowfin tuna), east-west spice, citrus, nutty sesame salsa macha, kohlrabi crunch
Slide background
UNTITLED (Detail) Filemón Santiago (b. 1958)
Slide background

SERENITY Pastured Chicken, Squash Blossom Porridge Slow-cooked Gunthorp chicken, slow-cooked rice porridge infused with squash blossoms, crema & rich chicken stock, crispy chicken crumble, roasted serrano "salsa"

Slide background
IGUANA IS EATEN IN THIS HOUSE (Detail) Román Andrade Llaguno (b. 1959)
Slide background
NOSTALGIA Am I in a 1960s French Restaurant? Braised Creekstone short rib, woodland mushroom bread pudding, creamy wild greens, white sweet potato, mole de olla (rich beef broth infused with guajillo chile & aromatics)
Slide background
EL CRITO (DETAIL) Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991)

I think we can all agree: Food can make us feel good. It can make us feel comforted, too. Or nostalgic. Or giddy with pleasure and desire. Or even a little uncertain. Sometimes I feel surprised, even shocked, by what I taste. Art can evoke feelings, too, of course, whether it’s in the form of a novel, a movie, a song or a painting.

I and the Topolo chefs invite you to taste the dishes we’ve created to evoke familiar feelings — exuberance, desire, uncertainty, serenity, nostalgia, betrayal, joy. Then reflect on paintings and lithographs we’ve chosen from our highly lauded collection of Mexican masters. We think you’ll be pleased with the resonance.

Reservations

Restaurant Week at Frontera!

Braised Short Rib, Oaxacan Pasilla Salsa at Leña Brava

Chicago Restaurant Week is one of our favorite times of the year. Why? We get another chance to show off what we do best, while you get a great bargain. Here’s the rundown of what our restaurants are offering Jan. 24-Feb. 9 2020. Pro tip: Make those reservations now – we always fill up quick!


Bar Sótano
$36 three-course dinner MENU

Frontera Grill
$24 three-course lunch MENU
$36 three-course dinner MENU

Topolobampo
$24 three-course lunch MENU

Leña Brava
$24 three-course brunch MENU
$48 four-course dinner MENU

Cruz Blanca
$24 three-course lunch MENU
$36 three-course dinner MENU


The Topolo Timeline Menu Offers the Best of the Past Decade

Over the last decade, the chefs at Topolobampo have had the opportunity to explore first hand many of the rich regional cuisines of Mexico.

When you taste dishes that have been made by traditional cooks in Villahermosa, say, or Oaxaca, Veracruz or Chiapas, you can’t help but respect the generations of experience that have led to a perfect taste.

Those flavors form the bedrock of our inspiration in Topolo, the springboard for creating beautiful dishes that prove how seamlessly tradition plays in the contemporary kitchen.

We looked back at some of our favorite dishes over the past decade and offer you our 2016 interpretations. — Chef Rick Bayless

Head over to Topolo’s page to see the new menu.

Topolo brings it for late summer

Slide background
FRESH: Summer Tomatoes, Yucatecan Flavors Leaning Shed Farm baby tomato salad, modern sikil pak, clay-baked tropea onions, habanero-lime dressing
Slide background
ANCIENT:Joel's Shrimp Caldo Mexican shrimp, xoconostle caldo (arbol & serrano chiles, tomatillo, cilantro, sour prickly pear), local sweet corn, Italian cucumber, nasturtium
Slide background
SOULFUL: Black Cod, Yellow Mole Smoked Alaskan black cod, savory yellow mole,
roasted Gunthorp slab bacon, braised baby fennel, charred eggplant-corn purée
Slide background
BOLD: Lamb Loin, Green Pipian Grill-roasted Gunthorp lamb loin, herby macadamia
green pipian,tepary beans,grilled escarole with Kaskaskia cheese
Slide background
LUXURIOUS: Cacao Tree Moist chocolate cake, Rosita de Cacao ice cream with Chiapas chocolate chunks, cacao fruit mousse, caramelized cocoa nibs

Check this: Late summer eats are everywhere in Topolo’s newest dishes. We’ve got baby tomatoes paired with creamy sikil pak (it’s sort of like hummus—you’ll love it). There’s sweet corn paired with Italian cucumbers and prawns. There’s eggplant and baby fennel (and more corn!) in our black cod dish. And we’ve got chocolate. Because chocolate is so good it’s seasonless. So…see you before autumn hits, right?

 

Topolo Earns Four More Stars From the Chicago Tribune

Slide background
UNTITLED (Detail) Simon Sparrow (1925-2000)
Slide background
DESIRE Once is Not Enough Puckery cucumber ice, sweet-spicy sea scallop, lime-infused jicama, smoked pineapple, sour salted plum, sweet honey Manila mango, edible gold leaf, toasted hazelnuts
Slide background
MAGIC ACT Rubén Leyva (b. 1953)
Slide background
EXUBERANCE Spring Has Sprung A riot of herbs and flowers, creamy green "flan" (local goat milk and cheese, garlic chives and ramps), trout roe, fresh peas and shaved asparagus
Slide background
UNTITLED Paula Pia Martinez
Slide background
COMFORT Beans and Rice Heirloom Mexican beans three ways (creamy white been puree, three varieties braised whole, chipotle-black bean sauce), crispy homemade rice-sesame cracker, house-cured suckling pig ham, aromatic wild ramp mojo
Slide background
UNTITLED (Detail) Filemón Santiago (b. 1958)
Slide background

WONDER All's Right Wood-grilled Alaskan halibut, rich-and-meaty roasted poblano broth, spring snap peas and favas, spicy chamomile-infused carrot crema, pea tendrils

Slide background
THE CRY (Detail) Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991)
Slide background
SURPRISE After the Fall Black garlic-glazed lamb shoulder and freshwater eel, black zapote sauce, black salsa (chile pasado, cuttlefish ink, roasted rhubarb), yesterday's bread, charred broccoli
Slide background
WOMAN CARRYING A CATHEDRAL Felipe Morales (b. 1959)

Chicago Tribune food critic Phil Vettel has bestowed some lavish praise on Topolo in years past. 

Last year’s four-star review, the one where our fearless chef de cuisine Andres Padilla was credited for “triumphs of technique and scholarship that stimulate the mind as much as they do the palate,” simply blew us away.

Imagine our delight, then, when Vettel published his latest review of our Art Menu, a seven-course culinary journey designed to elicit an emotional response.

The verdict? Four stars.

“‘Art,’ ultimately, is fascinating,” Vettel writes. “It’s Topolobampo’s most overtly collaborative menu ever, and shines a well-deserved light on lesser known members of Topolo’s team (Bayless’ name isn’t associated with a single dish, and Padilla’s only once).” 

As Rick put it, we’re “button-busting proud” that our sous chefs, those hardworking creative souls, are not only credited by name in the review (how often does that happen?) but that their contributions to this special menu were so incredibly well-received.

Of Lisa Despres’ opening dish, a “tart, teasing plate” appropriately named “Once is Not Enough,” Vettel said “there’s enough heat and acidity in the dish to make one salivate, and, true to the title, I wanted more of this.”

Pastry chef Adriana Martell’s dish, called “Birthday Party,”  is “a symphony of chocolate and coffee flavors,” while Joel Ramirez’s “Spring Has Sprung” is described as an “explosion of “herbs, vegetables and flowers.”

For Vettel, Ramirez’s “After the Fall” dish was the “best dish of the night” for it’s “remarkable composition” of lamb and eel, as well as the daring, suprising manner in which it’s plated.

As ever, sommelier Jill Gubesch’s wine picks, are “unerring.”

News of the four-star review broke while Rick was out of the country.

But in this electronic age, news travels fast and transcends time zones, so Topolo’s guiding force was quick to post his kudos to his staff by way of his popular Facebook page.

“I’m button-busting proud, not just because I’m chef-owner of the place,” Rick wrote, “but because Mr. Vettel focused on each of the brilliant chefs who created these stunning dishes that explore flavor, art and emotion.”

Topolo in 60: A three-course lunch in under an hour

Enfrijoladas

Life isn’t always as luxurious as you want it to be. Take your daily commute, for example. Chances are you got to work this morning via a car or train. A yacht would have been a more pleasant way to start your day, but there’s that whole time/money/body of water issue.

Lunch at Topolobampo used to be the same way: Fabulous. Luxurious. But time consuming, and thus something you couldn’t do every day.

Today, we change all that. Because today, we introduce Topolo in 60, a fabulous, luxurious prix-fixe lunch that gets you in and out of Topolo in an hour for $25. (Of course, if you feel like extending your stay, be our guest!)

What does a Topolo in 60 menu look like? Luxurious, obviously. Here’s a sample menu so you can see for yourself:

TOPOLO IN 60

STARTER CHOICES:
Classic Salad
Bayless greens, toasted walnuts, walnut oil, lime, chile threads

Sopa Azteca
Pasilla broth, chicken, crispy tortillas, avocado, local cheese, crema

Classic Ceviche
albacore, lime, tomato, serrano chile, olives, cilantro

MAIN CHOICES
Carne Asada
wood-grilled natural-raised flank steak, Oaxacan black mole, chepil tamal, smoky green beans

Atlantic Striped Bass
yellow mole (guajillo, hoja santa, tomato), crispy Chesapeake Bay oysters, fennel, local mushrooms

Enfrijoladas
homemade tortillas, parsnip-camote mash, creamy cincho cheese, luscious black bean- habanero sauce, frisee salad

DESSERT CHOICES
Cajeta Brownie Sundae
Mexican vanilla-milk chocolate ice cream, Mexican chocolate brownies, cajeta, whipped cream, meringue

Sopa de Frutas
creamy mango-coconut swirl sorbet, papaya, honey Manila mango scented with Bayless Garden kafir lime, sparkling Beck Grove lime-pineapple “broth”

THREE COURSES | 25
WINE PAIRINGS 15 | 25

Topolo’s Chefs Get Evocative with the 2015 Art Menu

Slide background
UNTITLED (Detail) Simon Sparrow (1925-2000)
Slide background
DESIRE Once is Not Enough Puckery cucumber ice, sweet-spicy sea scallop, lime-infused jicama, smoked pineapple, sour salted plum, sweet honey Manila mango, edible gold leaf, toasted hazelnuts
Slide background
MAGIC ACT Rubén Leyva (b. 1953)
Slide background
EXUBERANCE Spring Has Sprung A riot of herbs and flowers, creamy green "flan" (local goat milk and cheese, garlic chives and ramps), trout roe, fresh peas and shaved asparagus
Slide background
UNTITLED Paula Pia Martinez
Slide background
COMFORT Beans and Rice Heirloom Mexican beans three ways (creamy white been puree, three varieties braised whole, chipotle-black bean sauce), crispy homemade rice-sesame cracker, house-cured suckling pig ham, aromatic wild ramp mojo
Slide background
UNTITLED (Detail) Filemón Santiago (b. 1958)
Slide background

WONDER All's Right Wood-grilled Alaskan halibut, rich-and-meaty roasted poblano broth, spring snap peas and favas, spicy chamomile-infused carrot crema, pea tendrils

Slide background
THE CRY (Detail) Rufino Tamayo (1899-1991)
Slide background
SURPRISE After the Fall Black garlic-glazed lamb shoulder and freshwater eel, black zapote sauce, black salsa (chile pasado, cuttlefish ink, roasted rhubarb), yesterday's bread, charred broccoli
Slide background
WOMAN CARRYING A CATHEDRAL Felipe Morales (b. 1959)

“Draw what you see; paint what you feel.” – Francis Boag

Let us now alter the artist’s bromide to explain the challenge issued to Topolobampo’s chefs for creating the restaurant’s 2015 Art Menu: “Cook what you see; taste what you feel.”

“Much like absorbing an intriguing painting, eating brings forth powerful bursts of emotion. That’s the territory we’re exploring here,” said Chef Rick Bayless.

The concept for the 2015 Art Menu began when Rick asked Topolo chefs Andres Padilla, Joel Ramirez, Lisa Despres and Adriana Martell to list the different feelings associated with dishes they love to eat.

They eventually settled on six: desire, exuberance, comfort, surprise, wonder and nostalgia, tying each emotion to a painting found in the plush collection of Mexican art adorning the restaurant’s walls.

The tasting menu begins with Lisa Despres’ “Once is Not Enough,” blending sweet, sour, spicy, smoky and salty flavors that will leave you desiring ever more. It ends with Martell’s magic, nostalgic “Birthday Party,” which arrives at the table like a fine dining dessert but with one bite transports you immediately back to warm, wistful childhood.

In between, the dishes will take diners on a journey designed to elicit an emotional response.  The full menu, complete with descriptions, can be viewed here. 

We invite you to experience it for yourself.

To make a reservation, visit this page or call us at (312) 661-1434.

 

 

Topolo’s new March dishes

Slide background
Winter Salad Lime dressed beets, grapefruit, avocado two ways, Baja Olive Oil, olive wood-smoked scallops, homemade carne seca (dried beef), serrano chile.
Slide background
Tortita Ahogada Pork belly 2 ways (wood grilled, lardo), homemade "porridge bread," spicy tomato arbol sauce, pickled rutabaga, Mexican oregano.
Slide background
Lamb in Mole de Calabaza Smoky, slow-cooked lamb "porchetta," pumpkin mole (ancho, tomato, spices, pepitas), roasted sunchokes, fingerlings.
Slide background
Winter Walleye Cured Lake Erie walleye, braised heirloom white beans with guajillo chile, spinach & clam, creamy Iriquois white corn fritter.
Slide background
Tropical Tastes Papaya sorbet, pumpkin “pudding” & tropical mamey, crunchy amaranth alegrías, warm local honey.
Slide background
Queso y Frutas Warm brioche bread pudding (infused with queso anejo), poached quince, queso anejo ice cream, Seedling Farm persimmon puree, hazelnut crumble.
Slide background
Peaches in Cream Goat milk crema mousse filled with Masumoto peach gelatin & Klug Farm raspberries. Buttery shortbread, Bayless Garden geranium natilla.

The kind words we’ve received about our Mexico City 1491 menu have inspired us to keep those dishes on the menu a little longer (they’ll be around until March 29th). But we couldn’t help adding a few new things here and there. Our winter salad (yes, it’s still winter here) pairs silky scallops with rich dollops of avocado and crispy shards of carne seca (dried beef); our new lamb dish makes good use of chef Andres’s lamb porchetta; and we’ve not one, not two but three new desserts on the menu, including one topped with a geranium from Rick’s garden—a subtle hint that spring might finally be on its way.

 

 

 

Topolo’s Stunning New Menu: Chicago’s Winter Bounty

No one believes it (certainly no one expects it): a luxurious menu of local ingredients…in the winter…in Chicago. Still, the deliciousness that unfolds on this menu celebrates joyously that it can be done.

In fact, Chicago cooks a century ago wouldn’t have understood what the fuss was about. They cooked with local ingredients all winter in those days — they had no choice — which I learned nearly 30 years ago from our restaurant’s first farmer (an octogenarian) who’d grown up on a winter-producing farm west of town.

What’s old is new again. Which is why we choose the winter to showcase local farmers’ bounty. Much is freshly harvested or produced, some comes from the modern root cellar, some we’ve preserved for just this occasion.