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In fact, Season 5 of 'Mexico: One Plate at a Time' is entirely devoted to Yucatecan food.

This thread and this show (which is as good as ever if you can get over the stale sounding dialogue with daughter Lanie) have primed the pump for a Yucatecan winter.

I am cooking the Pot Roasted Pork with yellow chiles, plantain and piloncillo sometime this weekend. I will post pictures somewhere.

And for those devotees of cochinita pibil? Roll your own

An episode later this season shows how to dig a fire pit and a pibil recipe calling for 35 lb. of pork.

What's that I hear? LTH Forum Picnic II: Fire Pit.

That episode was on last week. It really got me jonsing for Cochanita Pibil. That jones was satisfied today at Xni-Pec with the finest version of this dish available in the Chicagoland area IMO.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

We had the cochinita pibil at Xel-Ha last Friday, and it was much better than when we had it a few weeks ago. Oddly, however, it seemed to have been griddled, giving it a caramelized, crusty exterior -- the taste was good, but the texture seem somewhat un-pibil-y.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

I finally made it to Xel-Ha yesterday for lunch with a group of LTHers. The Cochinita was perfection and wasn't grilled in the least. Maybe you had some that had been reheated last Friday.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

I believe you mean you went to Xni-Pec yesterday -- and you are not the first to make this mistake.

I'm sure I've contributed to the confusion by posting about Xel-Ha in a Xni-Pec thread. Reminds me of the time I saw Ixchel at Uxmal...

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Oh...that's different...never mind.
---Emily Latilla

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Where Uma and Oprah were shopping?

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

Hammond,

Our Saturday LTH lunch followed your lead and ordered Queso Relleno, in fact, after just a couple of bites we ordered another. Queso Relleno resonated on all counts, taste, of course, but also the endearing story Antonio Contreras told of it being his grandmother's recipe and, just weeks after they opened Xni-Pec she visited to see if he was doing the dish right. In other words, her way.

Queso Relleno




Relleno Negro was terrific as well, complex with incredible depth of flavor, also Antonio's grandmother's recipe.

Relleno Negro


The other new to us dish was Cochnita Salbutes, described as similar to panuchos but with out black beans in the masa.

Cochnita Salbutes


In addition our group of eight had Vaporcitos, Cochinita pibil and both beef and pork Poc-Chuc. On that particular day my preference was for the beef, even though I'm given to understand pork is more traditional.

Dessert wise we had Xni-Pec's terrific Arroz con leche w/Rompope sauce and a crisp Sopaipilla.


Maria Luisa also brought out an order of Calabaza en dulce.

Calabaza en dulce (D2, Sweet pumpkin)


Our somewhat short notice Saturday lunch was rounded out by Chuck, of Chuck's Southern Comfort Cafe, who took time from preparing for his Mardi Gras bash, and his fiancee Marla.

Marla, Chuck


Delicious lunch, interesting conversation.


Enjoy,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

Gary - I'm curious about the characteristics of the 'salsa blanca' in this dish. i know i read that the consistency is almost gravy-ish, but what is the flavor like? is it a flavorless medium for the rest of the ingredients to rest in/upon?

wishing i could have joined y'all for the lunch,
leesh

The salsa blanca was a bit bland, but was far from the main feature of this dish. Think of it as more of a garnish. The cheese and meat were very flavorful and the addition of pine nuts and raisins made it a textural as well as a taste delight.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

At our lunch last week, the Queso Relleno came at the end of the meal. I found it interesting, but not terribly flavorful and depending on how much of the gravy you got, it could be a bit unappetizing - in the way that the worst, old school Tex-Mex could be with greasy, floury gravy overwhelming everything else.

In retrospect, my tastebuds may have been a bit fatigued. My leftover Queso Relleno was great. Complex, with a bit of zip in the sauce, lots of texture, good tangy cheese. With a small amount of Habanero salsa added, it was even better. As Joan commented, this may depend on how much gravy one gets - if you get a serving with a high ratio of the viscous, white gravy, I doubt you would like it.

I like the dish and would order it again.

We had a bit of an argument over the Calabaza en Dulce, and I am pretty sure it is made from sweet potato and some squash that is not really a pumpkin because it is smaller and has a softer skin. Unfortunately I do not remember what the name is, but it was definitely not called a pumpkin. It was a good dessert, but again I was pretty full, sated even, and it was low on my list of favorites.

I loved the Relleno Negro - probably the best thing for me. I did not love the Cochinita Pibil, and even found it a bit disappointing. I guess I prefer the Pollo Pibil both in presentation and in flavor. Just a personal preference, not really a judgement of Xni-Pec or the food. Hard to believe I prefer chicken over pork.

Very nice place, and I will be back. They are doing some interesting things, and some of them are very good, but it was a little spotty for me. Not yet among the top 5, maybe even top 10 Mexican places in Chicago yet, but I do need to go back and explore a little more just to be sure.

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d
Retired, gone fishing, and exploring my curmudgeon within

Here's the calabaza and comote:

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

I'm laying here finding it hard to breathe as I try to digest the ridiculous amount of food I just ate. My wife and I had queso relleno, papadzules, panuchos, and frijol and puerco. We also sampled an ultra hot habanero salsa that i could only just dribble on my food with a tiny spoon. Everything was of course good and has already been commented on here at length, but I feel compelled to recommend the queso relleno as it was the standout of our meal.

For lunch tommorrow I'll be having a tamal or two that Antonio Contreras gave us on the house to take home. He mentioned on our way out they have free wi-fi and parking (we parked on the street). One of the nicest guys I have met running a business in a while.

I'm more than looking forward to a return visit to try the cochinita pibil very soon.

Leesh,

While mostly flavorless, it's more blank canvas for stronger flavors to shine upon than simply neutral tummy filling starch. Also, as Steve mentioned, the point counter point of the 'salsa blanca', cheese, meat, raisins and pine nuts were a "textural as well as a taste delight"

It's a hell of a dish, maybe my favorite of what I've had to date at Xni-Pec.

Enjoy,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

I wish I could have joined the group last week, but due to the dietary restrictions of celiac disease, I had to do a little more checking before wandering into the restaurant. Fortunately, the manager (who posted here) has been wonderful. He and the chef reviewed the restrictions, went through all the ingredients, read labels, and have declared that we can eat there safely if we order the following (in the manager's words):

-XNI PEC SALSA!!!
-Panuchos
-Sopa de Lima
-Salbutes
-Queso Relleno – Edam Cheese- (with red gravy prepared specially for you) and the white gravy is made with corn starch)
-Codzitos
-Pollo Pibil
-Poc-Chuc (beef,chicken or pork)
-Cochinita Pibil!!!!
-Papadzules
-Huevos Motuleños
-Relleno Negro

And of course our hand made tortillas and chips. (absolutely corn dough)

Sorry about the Vaporcitos (Tamales) I’m sure they could be a problem with the salsa inside them.

We have made reservations for Friday evening. I imagine most of you are "full" of Xni-pec, but if not, we'd welcome others to join us. Not sure of the time my partner made the res for, but assume it's 7:30 or 8-ish.

Me & my boyfriend made plans to take his parents this weekend. They are from Yucatan and i'm curious to see what they think.

I would be very interested to hear what native Yucatecans think of the the Xni-Pec menu. Please do post about your experiences.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

A little after eight, late for our reservation, we eagerly entered Xni-pec. There was a table with two women directly in front of the door and as we walked in one of the women greeted us warmly, saying, "Welcome!" Besides the two women and the two of us, there was only one other table of four men.

True to his email, the manager had left instructions for the kitchen regarding our visit. We also printed out the list he sent us; I wrote descriptions of each of the items from the pictures and descriptions here in case the menu did not provide them. It did, however, but I was glad I had perused the comments here before we went.

I have little to add to the comments made by those who have already visited this wonderful restaurant. We did have the pollo pibil, something I'm not sure has been mentioned. It was not something to have along with the cochinita pibil (the pork in an assertive marinade) and the queso relleno, as it was delicate in flavor. It seemed bland at first. After waiting a few minutes and tasting it alone, closing my eyes and feeling the flavor, it was very good. But subtle, so it seemed bland next to the other food.

As others have mentioned, the service was very friendly. We ordered in bits a pieces, starting out with the soup (without any offending pasta), then the queso relleno, then a panucho for my partner. We decided to try the pollo pabil next; as we were half way through, the server brought a small bowl of the cochinita pibil, saying, "This is on the house. No one has lived until they have tried this wonderful dish." It certainly was delicious with the nice melding of spices and the meltingly tender quality of the meat.

Shortly after arriving, we we treated to singing, mostly by a spiffily dressed entertainer who had an announcer-like quality to his speaking voice, but also by a relatively inebriated customer who gave a riveting, emotional performance with his wonderful gestures and gravelly voice.

We will definitely go back, given that they did indeed understand all the food restrictions (I give them A for effort, but it will take a day before we know if they were able to follow through, something we realize is difficult). Given how hard they tried to accommodate us, we might even go back if my partner does get sick. We would try to find out what went wrong; it would be a shame to have a restaurant that willing to try and not be able to help them succeed.

Thanks for the Rec!

Stopped by tonight with some friends and had a great time.

Two ordered the Pollo Pabil. A nice and tender leg quarter. Juicy, flavorful, along with some awesome steamed vegetables seasoned just right and garnish with some orange slices on top.

Another ordered the salbutes. She enjoyed but did not elaborate.

I had the Cochinta Pibil. Great! I had the dinner as opposed to the tacos or torta and made little tacos out of the traditional and green fresh made tortillas. I have tried the Puerco Pibil at Sol de Mexico and the lime flavor was too strong. Here it was perfect. A side of rice (with some vegetables mixed in) and refried black beans.

The habenero table salsa was more of a pico de guio. Filled with chopped fresh vegetables accompained the chips great. Do not use the large spoon to ladle it on though.

Also was brought to the table was small serving of haberno hot sauce. Yowsa!!! That was spicy!!! A single drop on a chip, eaten all at once filled my mouth with a hot flavor.

On the house, some awesome tamales to taste. Some good tomato soup with spagetti to start the meal and a cup of hot chocolate for the road.

The staff, attentive and friendly without intruding. Very good!

The total bill? $42 with 3 beers and a quesadilla and milk shake for the youngin' we had in tow.

Thanks again!

I really wanna hit this place up, (live pretty close) and have no issue with habanero laced pico de gallo, but from prev posts, it sounds like it might be a bit too spicy for my s/o. How wicked is the stuff? Are other salsas avail? S/o can do hot / spicy, but doesn't quite love it as much as I do.
I NEVER shy away when someone claims "this is pretty spicy." Makes me want to try it even more.

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We cannot be friends if you do not know the difference between Mayo and Miracle Whip.

That is no excuse to miss this gem of a restaurant. I didn't think it was overly spicy, but I've got a high tolerance for heat. There is so much to like about this place, that skipping it because you might not like the salsa is a mistake.

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

The salsa/pico de gallo was not bad at all. One of my dining companions put a large spoonful on her chip and it was a bit much. A regular dip is just about perfect.

Not the habanero hot sauce (in the little creamer type server) is like... Wow!

Do go! It is worth the trip!

FYI: The special this Saturday (3/3) at Chuck's is cochinita pibil.

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Ed Fisher
my chicago food photos

RIP LTH.

But it's so hard not to order the chicken-fried chicken!

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Watch Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago food HD podcast!
New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
Watch the Reader's James Beard Award-winning Key Ingredient here.

As much as I like Chuck's, his version of cochinita pibil pales in comparison with Xni-Pec's

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

Make one of the kids order the CFC and steal his

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Ed Fisher
my chicago food photos

RIP LTH.

After my visit over the weekend I discovered I had forgotten my hat.

My wife stopped by during the day (about 12:30) and the place was almost empty.

Come on folks! Lets give this great place the business it deserves!

Not the night I went it didn't. (Er... despite subject-verb disagreement, you know what I mean.)

Guess I'll have to go back to Xni-Pec one of these days, and see if they marinate mine in the same Kool-Aid everyone else had...

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Watch Sky Full of Bacon, the Chicago food HD podcast!
New episode: Soil, Corn, Cows and Cheese
Watch the Reader's James Beard Award-winning Key Ingredient here.

I wouldn't say it "pales in comparison", though I was more impressed by Xni-Pec's. But I was really impressed with Chuck's. They seem two very intentionally different styles.

I'm interested in trying this place on my next visit. Would love to see a full menu.

I visited the Yucatan last year, spending most of my time in Merida, a great city, one of a few I could definitely imagine living in (along with Puebla and Guadalajara), although I'd say it wasn't one of the better food cities I've visited in Mexico. (If you go, I'd highly recommend getting out of town to Hacienda Teya for the best regional dishes I had on the trip.)

I think that people should go in with qualified expectations. Yucatecan food is very unique, much different than most other Mexican cuisines, in my experience. Chiles and dried chiles seemed to be used much more sparingly. You have the ubiquitous xni-pec, but salsas there are as likely to be very tomatoey, almost tasting like an Italian tomato sauce, than like anything we've become used to. Walking around the markets, there were relatively few dried chiles. And really there were only a few types of fresh chiles: habaneros, of course, the chile dulce, which is like an heirloom bell pepper, and the xcatik, which is a longer pepper with mild to medium heat. I don't know if I ever saw any chiles besides these. Maybe some jalapenos and serranos here and there.

The salsa blanca, kol, usually has little more than thickened broth, maybe some pickly items like capers and green olives.

That said, there are some dishes that I love, and I'm glad I've heard a few mentioned here: papadzules (one of my wife's favorite Mexican dishes of all time; she loved how often they used hard-boiled eggs in the Yucatan), sopa de lima, panuchos, and cochinita pibil.

A couple that I didn't see mentioned and am wondering if they have: lomitos and longaniza.

I have to admit that I'm not a fan of the black sauce in general. However, I think most places start with a paste that they get at the market. There are always lots of vendors selling it and recados, the spice rubs for pibiles (I have a one kilo block in my pantry I've been aching to use).

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