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i'm with you michael and stevez. while i wouldn't call sol de mexico expensive, i was disappointed when i went for lunch recently, and the menu pretty much was entrees- all priced the same as dinner. i'm not used to spending so much for lunch. i miss the former left side of the original menu with the small plates. i think he is losing daytime business by not having a cheaper menu of small plates. carlos did tell me when i complained about the missing cochinita pibil that he would bring it back soon. but this was in april.....

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"the only things money can't buy are true love and homegrown tomatoes" (guy clark)

We just tried SdM today and it was outstanding. The skirt steak was grilled perfectly and the mole was yummy. Also, my 3-year-old daughter was treated very well and enjoyed the black beans and tortillas.

The service was also very good-- not disorganized at all. The server and other staff were attentive and friendly.

On a Friday night just after 6, it wasn't very crowded. I hope this neighborhood gem survives-- we live only 3 blocks away in a very neglected area!

Another wonderful dinner at SdM last night, highlighted by the Pork Chop in the Manchamanteles Mole, which stained my shirt far more than the tablecloth. The dense coconut pie, very similar to one I've had in the past at Frontera, was a nice sweet ending. I was disappointed that no more than three tables were occupied at any given time (although on my past couple of weekend visits the place has been packed), so spread the word.

Oh my gosh I was there last night too. We were the two dorks with our margarita set up complete with martini shaker, salt and grand marnier.

Had the guacamole to start and had the alaways impressive tampiquena.

Which table were you at. It was a slow night at SdM.

Dorks??? I noticed the martini shaker with jealousy! I just had my couple bottles of beer. My friend and I were the only ones there initially, sitting in the front of the restaurant near the hostess stand.

Ha! Small world. I rememebr you guys, you were drinking Goose Island.

The martini shaker et al. is out standard SdM kit.

See this is why we need some sort of LTH lapel pin or forehead tatoo or something.

I'd have sent over a few margaritas for you guys had I known.

Yes, that was us . . . and after the Goose Islands, I appeared to be chugging Manchamanteles!

Visited Sol tonight, had the lamb ribs with red wine/pasilla(?) sauce - and the sopasitas - all was superb in the Chilpancingo vein. Unfortunately, the place was completely empty at 7pm on a Thursday night, which can't be good.

Definitely will go again soon to keep feeding the mole machine.

Wow, empty on Wednesday and Thursday. I was going to bring my brother here tonight for his first Sol experience but now I'm a bit scared of the food quality since nothing has been flying off the shelves.

I thought that too at first, but don't worry, my wife's ribeye and my lamb ribs were excellent quality, as were the veggies and potatoes that came with the lamb...

I have never heard or read a single instance of anybody complaining about the freshness of food at Sol de Mexico. I have been there on slow nights and have never had an issue. I suspect Carlos would rather tell you that an item is not available than serve you something less than fresh. It is that kind of place. Please go, and enjoy yourselves. They will be happy to see you.

I treated two friends/neighbors of mine to an early dinner at Sol de Mexico tonight. I'd not been back to SdeM since last year's LTH get together. Though I thought the food served during last year's event was excellent the large crowd (of LTHers) present didn't allow for a very careful examination/tasting of the food. What we had during tonight's much smaller dinner was excellent - some of the best I've tasted in Chicago (and comparable to some of my favorite places in Mexico).



When we arrived at about 4 p.m. there were (in addition to our table of three) two other tables occupied (of two persons each), the restaurant was otherwise empty. During the course of our 1.5+ hour meal 4 more people came and went, and when we left at about 5:45 p.m. the restaurant was empty. The food quality here is too good for the place to (seemingly) be ignored this way.



Service was not a problem - the one waitress (and the bus boy) was very attentive and one of the first things she asked was whether or not we'd been to the restaurant before, if we needed help understanding the menu, etc. She also said that the restaurant launched a new menu last Thursday.

New Menu



My guests aren't familiar with Mexican food as good as is served at SdeM and as I was explaining the use of condiments - mole, salsa, etc. - the waitress overheard me (as she filled our water glasses) and asked if we'd like to order a sampling of four mole's accompanied by some house-made tortillas. It was a great idea and it's a great introduction to mole for people who may be unfamiliar with them. The mole's were exquisite.

Along with the mole I ordered an agua fresca - Agua de Jamaica (made from the hibiscus flower). Though I enjoyed the agua fresca, my friends didn't.

During the sampling of the mole, restaurant owner Carlos stopped by our table to answer questions about the different mole's - he was very specific and gracious, and my friends thoroughly enjoyed the attention he gave us.

Sampling of Mole, and Agua de Jamaica



My guests were a bit indecisive - understandable because they don't often eat Mexican food - so while we further studied the menu and asked the waitress for some explanations, we ordered some starters: an order of Guacamole and an order of Quesadillas Norteños. The guacamole was very fresh - probably prepared to order - and the flavor of both the cilantro and lime juice made it enjoyable. I was convinced the totopos (nacho chips) were home-made.

Accompanied by fantastic and well-presented black beans and flavorful white rice with kernels of corn and diced carrots, the chicken quesadillas (which are presented with flour tortillas instead of corn, as is the custom in the north of Mexico) were excellent, also. We were batting 2 for 2.

Guacamole



Quesadillas Norteñas



Trio of Starters



We'd already been filling-up on the starters, so we decided to order two entrees and share them. I'd asked the waitress if there were any house specials for the day, and she replied no. When I asked her about dishes coming out of the kitchen that looked good and/or about which customers had complimented today she mentioned one: Dorado al Mojo de Ajo (Mahi-mahi) - and we ordered one of those.

Since my dining companions don't eat pork and weren't interested in the ostrich, quail and other offerings - I went with a safe, beef choice for our second entree: Tampequeña.

The Dorado al Mojo de Ajo was prepared with roasted garlic and virgin olive oil and served with a salsa-like preparation of avocado, green onions - and a pyramid-shaped helping of the white rice with diced carrots and kernels of corn. The fish was nicely firm, but I don't know if it was grilled (I sensed it was, but I forgot to ask). The salsa-like condiment which was cooked with the fish was excellent - without it I don't think I would have wanted to try the dish. The recommendation of the waitress was appropriate for our group.

Dorado al Mojo de Ajo



We ordered the Tampequeña "medium," and medium it came out of the kitchen. One of my dinner companions remarked how flavorful the meat was - a grilled/charcoal-like taste delayed reaction once you let the meat set on your pallate, and when working your way through the skirt steak. Maybe I'm mistaken, but I sensed a rub or sauce had been applied to the meat, also. Maybe some of the mole negro was used.

As is typical with Tampequeña, the platter included a healthy scoop of guacamole, the great black beans and the healthiest (largest) chicken enchilada I've seen in a long time . . . smothered by a helping of SdeM's fantastic mole negro. We created our own version of "Surf and Turf."

Tampequeña



Though we were stuffed with fantastic food, none of the three of us was about to walk away from the table without having dessert. Again, we chose to share two desserts: Crepas con Cajeta, and Natillas. I'm a huge fan of cajeta, no matter what you pour it over - and though I found the crepes thicker than I prefer, this was an excellent, and enjoyed by all, choice. The star of the evening though - the most raved-about thing we tried - was the Natillas.

Dessert Menu



I must have been hiding under a rock for all of my 58 years, not to have tried Natillas before tonight. When Carlos heard our "ooh's" and "aaahs" when we tried the Natillas he came over to the table and explained how the restaurant prepares it. One of my guests is a fantastic cook/baker and she took notes - and I fully expect to be eating some home-made Natillas in the not too distant future. Creme Brulee is what came to mind when I had my first spoonful. The one negative to the dessert, though, was the not-yet-ripe mango used to dress it. When I commented on that to Carlos he said it was difficult to get ripe mango's. Not true. Ripe mango's are all over the place and he should have found them for this otherwise fantastic dessert. Now, having said that: the custard, and the flavors of vanilla and cinnamon - WOW! Talk about a rich dessert, this is it.

Natillas



The crepes, as I've already mentioned, were thicker than I'm accustomed to - but the cajeta and the garnish of pieces of walnut and fried banana's - well - desserts really don't get much better than this. Had it not been for the impression the Natillas made, I'd have raved more about the Crepas con Cajeta. The cajeta was thinner than I'm accustomed to having when I visit Mexico - but it worked very well with the crepes.

Crepas con Cajeta



The three of us feasted for a cost of just over $70.

Though Sol de Mexico features some dishes and preparations from parts of Mexico other than the state of Guerrero, the Guerrero influence seems predominant to me. Guerrero cuisine, and in particular the fantastic mole's prepared (and originating) in that state (not to forget mention of pozole, which originated there), often gets overlooked in Mexican food discussions . . . by talk of Oaxaca. Given the choice between food from these two interesting Mexican states - I most enjoy what I've eaten in Guerrero.

It's a shame - disgrace - that a restaurant of this quality isn't being patronized by more people. The food quality/freshness, the presentation, the ambiance, the excellent service and attention to detail . . . what's the wider (other than LTH) dining public waiting/looking for?

Speaking as part of a party of two who "came and went", we figured the camera-toting fellow two tables over from us was an LTHer.


That's funny, because we had the opposite reaction - that a place where half the tables (5 out of 10) were occupied at a total off hour like late Sunday afternoon must be doing a pretty good business!

FWIW, our meal was quite good (with the previously-mentioned unripe mango topping the natillas the only negative), although not necessarily great. We thought Sol de Mexico was comparable in quality to the equally good Lupita's in Evanston (but with larger portion sizes) and other places downtown (Salpicon, Adobo Grill), but easily topped by Flamingo's, in Mount Prospect, where we've had the best Mexican food we've had in recent memory. Flamingo's is great, and is a destination place worth a long trip to. Sol de Mexico, like Lupita's and the downtown places, is worth going to if you happen to be in the area, but I wouldn't bother going way out of my way for any of them.

Oh my gosh! I panicked when we pulled up to SdM tonight to find the lights off and the store obviously closed. Before pulling away, with heads hung low, I had to check the hours posted. "CLOSED TUESDAYS" Whew!

Guess I'll need to hit Los Nopales for my tampequena fix if it hits on a Tuesday from now on.

God, I love this restaurant.

Also, it was awesome to see the restaurant completely filled at 7:30pm tonight.

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Ed Fisher
my chicago food photos

RIP LTH.

I was there on Thursday for the first time and it was excellent.

I have really high standards and whereas places like Wholly Frijoles, which I think is good, or the place in Evanston on Main St. that someone else mentioned which isn't as good as Wholly, Sol de Mexico is in another league. It's a step or two above them and places like Zapata in the South Loop that has better decor than food.

Frontera comes to mind... The sauces are at Frontera quality. Where Frontera rises up is in the quality of the produce: fresh, organic and currentlly local. Also, Frontera makes their own ice cream and I don't think Sol does (I could be wrong). Sol makes their own tortillas and I ate 14 of them. Yes, there were none left for anyone else!

The steak was excellent! As was the ceviche and the company but... you'll have to take my word for it because I am not sharing her.

I found out that in December, if all goes well, they are getting a liquor license. Three or four margaritas and although I am taking a taxi home, I am in heaven.

Cheers!

Mainly a word of thanks for LTH and all you posters, because without you I never would have known about SdM, and never would have been there last night.

It would be sheer idiocy to go into detail at this point in the thread, but some bullet points anyway...at the risk of repeating or unintentionally ignoring something that's been said:

For some reason (the location? the fact that until LTH discovered it I assumed the place was just getting by?) I was expecting a plain, utilitarian storefront interior. I wasn't prepared for how attractive the restaurant is. It doesn't just contain some interesting art, it pulls everything together in a real design. The place makes a pleasant aesthetic statement even before you've taken a bite.

At 7:20 on Friday night, the place was bustling. We had expected a place maybe half or two-thirds full, with walk-ins easily accommodated. In fact, reservations had claimed the whole place. However, the host (owner, I assume), was very friendly and encouraging and indicated he would do his best to get us a table after a short wait, and he did. (Seemed like only about ten/fifteen minutes, which our party of 4 spent enjoyably in the back "bar" area.)

The food--amazing. To pile on superlatives this late in the thread would be carrying coals to Newcastle. Three appetizers, four entrees, two desserts, four happy campers. The only disappointment was one of the entrees. mrs. riddlemay ordered a waitress-recommended special, a halibut dish that she requested without the sauce (since she is spice-averse). With the sauce, it probably would have been OK, but without it, the fish itself was dry and close to flavorless. Granted, sauceless was not the way the chef preferred to serve it, but you'd hope the basic ingredient--the halibut--would have stood up to examination on its own, which it really didn't. (You may choose to focus on the question of why go to SdM if you're going to order something sauceless. I would choose instead to focus on mrs. riddlemay's being a good sport who was happily willing to go to SdM despite her spice-sauce-averseness. I only wish she had been better rewarded for that spirit. Perhaps a different sauceless fish dish next time will be the ticket.)

And I feel sure there will be a next time.

figjustin and I finally made it to SdM last night (Monday) to enjoy a dinner all by ourselves. Felt like we should have invited some friends or other LTHers so we weren't keeping them open for our $65 tab. Oh well. At least we got the benefit of enjoying some delicious food.

Great ceviche and sopa de azteca to start (fj thought the soup needed a little more spice and a little less stock, but I thought it was wonderfully rich. figjustin ordered the tampiquena and I ordered the pato (duck) with all intentions of sharing. I realized after the server left that he hadn't asked for a temperature for my duck and was semi-worried it would come out too rare for me (I like my duck medium rare, leaning towards medium rather than rare.). Well, it did come out too rare, but I ate the ends with the delicious mole verde and veggies then switched with fj who likes his duck just that way (I know, I know, I could have easily sent it back, but it's not in my nature. And, I did get to enjoy more of the perfect tampiquena.). I saved room for natillas for dessert which was lovely. Our only quibbles with the meal were we could have used a charred onion or jalapeno with the steak. And the mango in the natillas was stringy and flavorless (easy to accomplish in a mango, but I wouldn't have objected if they just left it out).

Hopefully we'll make it back sooner rather than later.

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Happy to report a nearly full house when my friend and I arrived at SdM last night (Wednesday). The other diners really seemed to be enjoying themselves.

I had the fish enchiladas. The ingredients were impeccably fresh and the dish well-prepared (including rice), but the flavors were a bit bland even for this connoisseur of blandness (the almost complete whiteness of the food brought to mind a postmodern painting). This small deficiency was easily remedied by a few spoonfuls of poblano cream sauce borrowed from my friend's dish. I cleaned my plate.

With the copious amounts of sauce my friend had the sauteed sea scallops. She found them a bit dull, but I was impressed with their freshness and the classic medium-rare preparation. On the other hand, she loved the garlic mashed potatoes that accompanied the scallops, while I found the pairing of the two to be a crime against texture (the few tortilla chips propped up around the potatoes seemed a lame effort at addressing this issue).

Also happy to report that the mangoes in the natillas were ripe, at least on this night. I sensed a rather high grade of cinnamon in this dish. Delish.

I can't quibble with prices, given the obvious attention to quality of ingredients and the high level of execution in the kitchen.

The lovely wife and I were also at SdM on Wednesday night, and were also pleased to find it bustling.

We didn't stray too far from our "usual" orders. We had the super-fresh guacamole to start. I had the chicken in mole negro -- wonderful. My wife had the tilapia tamales. They are usually served in a creamy tomatillo sauce, which my wife has found a little bland in the past. This time, she asked for the mole verde, and it was quite a bit more flavorful.

We shared the volcan de chocolate for dessert. It usually takes about 15 minutes to prepare; this time it took about 20 minutes, and it was a little too long, because the volcan was a little burnt on the edges. Not a big deal -- still tasty. (And we didn't mind the wait, as it allowed us to enjoy the rest of our bottle of Spanish wine and to digest our meals).

All in all, a typically lovely evening at SdM. I love this place.

' ...enjoy the rest of our bottle of Spanish wine..."

There was some talk of SdM getting a liquor license in December. Is it still BYOB?

My fiancee and I enjoyed our first meal at SdM tonight, and it most definitely is still BYOB. We picked up a six-pack from an Argentinian sundries shop a block or two north of the restaurant.

Many thanks to LTH posters for recommending this outstanding spot.

Went to Sold de Mexico last night in a group of 5 (plus a 1 year old). Not much else can be said other than it is excellent, and amazingly well priced. 3 appetizers, 5 entrees and 3 desserts came out to $30 each, inlcuding tip. The Tampiquena I had was incredible, which leads me to question why I can't make it this good? The cut was incredibly tender and flavorful.

Overall a great experience and I can't wait to be back. The menu choices are quite impressive.

It is also still BYOB.

Jamie

Jamie

Susanne and I also ate at SDM for the first time last night (where you the group in the front window?). I had the Tampicano as well and was blown away by it. I'm wondering if the meat may be marinated in something to tenderize it. This is a dish I make at home fairly often but not quite to this standard.

JSM

Yep, we were the group in front window from 6-8pm or so. Small world

Jamie

Dinner for 12 at Sol. I'm going to ask Carlos if he would prepare a fam style dinner for us. I'm going to assume that would be much easier on his kitchen than asking them to spit out 12 diff entrees at the same time, and also be as attentive as they want to be to the other patrons.
Any suggestions on what to try to get? My thoughts:

Starters:
A few orders of guacamole for the table.
Mole samplers/ tortillas.
Tostaditas de ceviche
A platter of the Ostrich if still avail, If not, then a fish prep. Just want everyone to try ostrich.
A platter of the Chicken in Mole
A platter of the steaks from the tampiquena
A platter of enchiladas
Roasted plantains, and the prerequisite rice and beans.
Dessert samplers for the table.

Any suggestions? Better options for platters? Also, I'm bringin a case of Pacifico, several reds, several whites, and prolly some premade mojitos. Any white wines go well with mole? I'm not a white wine drinker at all.
TIA if you got anything.

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

That sounds delicious!

But, it would be inconceivable for me to go to Sol de Mexico and not order the lamb in mole negro. I don't even like to share it (and I usually want to share everything). Perhaps you could get lamb instead of chicken in mole negro? You could get your chicken fix in the enchiladas?

All sounds good . . . I wouldn't waste my time with the guacamole though. It will fill you up and there's nothing very special about SdM's guac.

Noted. However, the person who the dinner will be in honor of is not going to eat red meats (beef, lamb, pork is a stretch, the ostrich should be fine.)
I was just thinking the chicken would be a safe choice for all. It may, however, turn out to be redundant with the enchiladas as you suggested, and I should maybe think about a fish prep instead.

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

The guac was just something that could be set on the table to munch on while waiting for everyone to show, pouring drinks, chatting, etc. But thanks for the intel. Might go with something else now, or skip it altogether.

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