Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill, Chicago
Serendipity would have it that the Amalfi hotel where I stayed at in Chicago was two blocks away from Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill and XOCO.
I decided to walk to Frontera Grill as soon as I checked into the hotel. The restaurant was packed, including the bar, but a bar seat for one is apparently pretty easy to come by. One advantage to dining solo (the disadvantage would be having a guy hitting on you while he's hiccuping, but that's another story ...).I'm not sure what the theme was supposed to be, but the decor was rather ... unique, with some awesome-but-a-bit-creepy sculptures hanging by the ceiling, like this one:
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4644758197_086e739a03.jpg)
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/4646335349_27583d5fb0.jpg)
I wasn't used to eating alone at a new place and had a hard time deciding what I wanted to order. I narrowed it down to a few things and with the help of the bartender finally ordered the weekly special of the day:
Barbacoa de Borrego (red chile-marinated Crawford lamb slow-roasted in banana leaves, $23) - available on Thursdays.
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/4646389334_12dd07fc7c.jpg)
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4645374250_3f6dd9010a_o.jpg)
The people sitting next to me were gushing about the Topolo Margarita ($9), so oh, well, why not ...
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4645374430_98fc87dcd1.jpg)
"Sopa de frutas" (velvety tropical mamey-orange ice in guava, orange, and passionfruit afloat in passion fruit "broth", $7.50) sounded pretty light and I didn't want to leave and just review one dish, so I ordered it.
![](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4645779323_af988bbe63.jpg)
It's undeniable that I had quite a good meal at Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill. It had a fun vibe and a solid cocktail program, which may justify spending an extra $20 on Mexican food than I normally spend. Maybe. At least on my very first trip to Chicago, I didn't mind doing so.
Frontera Grill
449 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 661-0381
http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/grill.html
![Frontera Grill on Urbanspoon](http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1423170/minilogo.gif)