LTHForum.com

Rustico Grill (formerly Rustik) is open for business.

Rustico Grill
2515 N California Ave
Chicago, IL
773-235-0002

Seemed to be a decent sized crowd there when driving by tonight

apparently, despite the similar name, this has nothing to do with the old Rustik, and is actually an offshoot of Mixteco Grill. Very interesting.

Not really. Raul has nothing to do with it, Alma Herrera is one of the forces behind it. She has worked with Raul but this is a completely separate operation.

According to their website, Rustico Grill is "Chef Raul Arreola's newest venture" so I hope he has at least something to do with it.

I went there on Saturday evening with my mother and had a very nice meal. We ate outside (an option that I really appreciate during these last few days of heavenly weather), sharing two appetizers and one main course. The meal overall was perhaps not quite as stellar as some that I've had at Mixteco, but still very good. For appetizers we had sopes (a single order containing one chicken and one mushroom), wood-grilled calamari served on greens with black beans and corn, and one entree of cochinita pibil with absolutely divine house-made tortillas and of course the deadly-yet-addictive habanero salsa. My only complaint (which is fairly mild) is that there wasn't as much of a citrus tang to the pibil as I'd like--but the pork was tender and fatty, and when combined with the beans, pickled onions, and a dash of habanero salsa, I forgot what I was complaining about. Not that I was actually complaining, mind you, my mouth was too full at all times.

The price vs. portion ratio was very good; the appetizers in particular were quite generous. We were pretty darn full with two apps and one main course, needing a long walk before being ready for a dessert at Lula. (Although I am ALWAYS ready for a dessert at Lula, to tell the truth.)

Sadly they are not byob, which I suppose has its advantages--a nice margarita with dinner is sometimes exactly what I need.

I'm very happy these folks are in my 'hood--Montrose and Ashland is a long bike-ride away for me.

I stand corrected. No wonder Raul was not at Mixteco Sunday, they were kind of non-committal about where he was was. We'll have to check it out.

Stopped in last night. Stuck to appetizers, which seemed light compared to many of the heavy sounding entrees.

Our server was…gosh….just so charming. Like that Spanish guy in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. He offered me a beer, and I found myself wanting to cup his face in my hands and take him away from all this. I turned to my fiancée to see her lost in his ponytail. Before the three of us do something we will regret, I snap open my menu and blurt out the first thing I see:

”TILAPIO TACO PLEES!”

It was enough to break the spell. He nods with approval and withdraws with the grace of a Spanish Antelope.

Our beers arrive. Most beer is $4.55. Just thought I'd mention that.

The place was pretty empty, so when a gaggle of loud old bags settles in next to us, their presence is overwhelming.

Cackling and whooping as if they left their hearing aids at home, they comment on everything from the bartender’s hat to the size of their table. A pack of angry geese being slaughtered by a hesitant, one-armed butcher would be less disruptive. Their words were sharp and they hurt my face. I saw my waiter glide over to them and their honking quiets into the flirty coos of a horny mourning dove.

I didn’t hear what they ordered, but it was a lot. My waiter addresses them with gracious charm. I overheard bits of his abridged history of the location, which went back further than when Rustico took over. He politely corrected their harsh, almost evil sounding “RUS-TICK-OH” with a buttery: “Rooosticoh”.

Our first two small plates arrive.

Tilapia Tacos:
Balanced. You’ve had these before and all I can say is these hit the mark. Nothing special, just solid. And at $6 for two? Incredible. Shit…Zacatecas charges $2.25 each.

Sweet Corn Tamales:
$6 again. Two small, but wonderful tamales. Surprisingly sweet and light. The masa (maybe not even masa) was like poundcake. Sweet corn sprinkled over it added texture and more sweetness. A creamy poblano sauce finished it. Wonderful.

Still hungry, we order a few more Modelos, and a few more plates.

Sopes:
I’ve had a lot of sopes, and while they always sound good, I am almost always disappointed. The common issue is the “bowl” is dry, and the filling is dry and they remain distinct. One was shredded chicken in dark mole, the other mushroom in a red salsa. Neither was very good. $7.50

Chile Relleno Escabeche:
A big red ancho that had the thin, cracked skin of being dried then rehydrated. Stuffed with chorizo and potatoes, but neither flavor was detectable over the vinegar. Served cold, this was an unfortunate way to end our meal. $7.50

Question! House margarita is $5.50, but Rustico margarita is $9. I understand the tequila upgrade, but isn’t Rustico the house?

Overall a nice evening and glad to have this lovely room back in service. I’m looking forward to working through the dinner menu soon. Also they are going to start serving brunch.

I was also at Rustico last night. Nice room, very inviting and "open" feeling. Had good guac, squid salad mentioned above, pork pibil and shrimp in mojo de ajo. Food was solid across the board. Sturdy, well balanced margaritas. Ran into people working there that I knew from other restaurants, including Cisco (the server that is losing folks in his ponytail, and arousing mourning doves upthread), Omar (the cowboy bartender) Jeff (owner) and of course Raul. Overall things seem to running smoothly. Sounds like weekend brunch is starting this weekend. Good luck to these guys.

I went to Rustico with a group of friends for my (40th -- ugh!) birthday on Saturday and the food was very good. We had a nice long table setup in the back, which even though it was near the service station was ideal as it was somewhat shielded from the noise of the main dining room and made it easier to converse.

For appetizers we (a group of 9) ordered:

guac: a nice variation with some radish and a jicama garnish. could have used some more spice
queso fundido: tasted good but could have used some more chorizo
chile relleno en escabeche: again, a nice variation on the usual relleno. It had a great vinegary bite. Portion was a bit skimpy (1 pepper ? really ?), however.

My entree was the rack of lamb w/ black mole. The lamb was cooked perfectly medium rare and the mole was supremely good. I especially enjoyed the nutty flavor (pumpkin seeds ?). The potato side didn't taste all that garlic-y, however. They also need to lose the giant parsley garnish.

Others at the table were very pleased w/ their entrees as well. These included the cochinita pibil w/ a *very* scorching habanero sauce, steak tacos, enchiladas in black mole, grilled pork chop and letil cakes that I don't see on the online menu.

The only big negative was that it was universally agreed the house margaritas had virtually no alcohol. I mean, 120lb girls should at least feel *something* after 3 of them. I tasted little to no tequila, either.

Overall, I'd give it a 7.5/10.

Took the family to Rustico for brunch today.

We got chilaquiles and a Oaxacan omelette with cheese, mushrooms, and mole — I think it was the mole negro mentioned upthread. Good quality ingredients and decent overall, but the sauces seemed scaled back for less adventurous palates. I hope the dinner selections pack a bigger punch.

It wasn't very crowded, which is a big plus.

$20 for $50 Groupon deal today - http://www.groupon.com/chicago/

And, now, from Grub Street, the end of Rustico.

I took the Rustico groupon and I am not at all surprised they're closing. Even with the groupon, I was upset we spent money there.

And before anyone asks, "Why didn't you post about it?": I really struggled with this one. I had absolutely nothing positive to say and about a dozen awful things to say. I am very, very reticent to completely rip a restaurant based on one visit. It just feels way too mean sometimes and a bit unfair, especially when there's literally nothing to highlight as a positive. So, I just erred on the side of silence.

Now that they're apparently done, I can say that meal ranks with a meal at Strega Nona as one of the worst restaurant meals I've ever had in Chicago.

Wow, I just ate there a week and a half ago.

FWIW, I liked it - not as much as several other Mexican places around town, but it seemed like a nice place, and I enjoyed the food I ate. The service was erratic though.

< shrug >

FWIW, I had pretty much the same eating experience and post-eating thought process, and came to the same conclusion.

Also in the news, bears have been seen using public lavatories, hell has frozen over and the Pope is now a Buddhist (plus, he no longer wears a funny hat).

Does anyone know what happened to Raul? Is he still in town? Did he split to Mexico? Such a shame and I feel our loss, he was a good chef. I haven't been to Mixteco since he left, can anyone report if it is still as good as it was?

Click here.