Mixteco Grill

A visit to Mixteco Grill necessitates comparison's to Rick Bayless for two reasons. One, Rick Bayless is more than a man, he's a product and his runs quite an empire of refined Mexican food in Chicago. Second, Mixteco is headed up by a team that honed their chops at Bayless' flagship Frotera Grill. So, how does Mixteco compare? I see a lot of similarities with the heavy emphasis at both places at cooking up some fantastic sauces. I shared two plates, the oven cooked trout and the enchilidas divorciadas, and ended up with three very different, very delicious sauces. The trout came accompanied by a creamy tomatillo sauce and the enchiladas were paired for both a black bean haberno and white bean sauce. The trout was phenomenal! The filling combination of the mushrooms, ricotta cheese, and spinach was awesome and the tomatillo sauce was creamy and complex. The enchilidas were a hit and a miss as the white bean sauce seemed quite plain next to the spicy black bean foe. Another big plus of Mixteco is it's BYOB so you end up with a much friendlier bill than you might see at a Mexican restaurant at a similar level. I'd love to come back and get the trout again but there's so much on the menu I didn't order I think I might have a hard time doing so. The dining room was a little loud so don't come expecting a nice quiet meal, but if you're looking for flavor, you won't be disappointed.

Besides Frontera Grill, this is my go-to place for huevos motulenos.  And since Frontera Grill is closed on Sundays this is definitely the best place for a Sunday brunch of huevos motulenos.  The yucatan style dish balances the richness of an egg over easy, salty spicy chorizo, earthy black beans, sweet fried plantains and smoky grilled zuchini, with the bright acidity of roasted tomato sauce.  I add a few drops of habanero salsa and I'm ready for Sunday.  On a recent visit the garnachas with crab filling and sweet corn tamales were very good starters.  A chocolate orange tart with candied chiles was a very good ending.  The service was very good.

I went with friends due to all the great reviews.... It was nothing special.   The menu is small with entires that average about $18.00+... The unanimous agreement amongst us was that the entrees were "ok"... Certainly nothing worth the price.  BYOB is a nice perk.  Lastly.... They have a policy of no more than 2 credit cards per group... A turn-off at the end of our meal that won't have us coming back.