Topolobampo

Got the tasting menu. Dishes were interesting but the taste of the food itself was bland. Drinks were not very good either. Not worth it.

The service was outstanding & the food was amazing.  Hubby & I tried 2 different tasting menus, he had a few cocktails & I had the wine pairing.  Everything was delicious.  There were some very spicy dishes but we love spicy so that was fine by us.  If you like this type of food but for some reason don't like spicy you might want to ask about the heat level of the dish(es) you are interested in.

The portions are naturally smaller on a tasting menu but we both still left stuffed. They also gave everyone complimentary appetizer bites at the beginning and some chocolates at the end - complete with a little bag if you were too stuffed to eat one more bite & wanted to take the chocolates home.

So, why only 3 stars?  2 reasons:  the restroom situation and the price.  While it's interesting to get to peer into the kitchen, it's quite awkward to have to walk through a portion of the kitchen to get to the stairway leading to the downstairs restroom. The staff is always on the lookout & dutifully announces "guest coming through" when you are coming at least.

As for the price...I guess you are partially paying for the Rick Bayless name, which is expected at any celebrity chef restaurant.  I don't mind paying for quality food & a quality experience but I still feel the pricing was a bit out of line for what it was.  I've been to Alinea, which to me, wasn't that much more than Topolo, and it was truly entertaining along with the food itself - the price tag at Alinea in my opinion was worth every penny.  You can certainly cut the bill in half or less at Topolo and just order from the regular side of the menu rather than having a tasting and wine pairing.

In all, I'm glad we went.  Excellent food & service, but I don't think we'll be back.

I was a fan of Rick Bayless during Top Chef Masters where he won the final with a Mole.

So I got the Mole with Carne Asada in Topolobampo. The Mole was very good, the meat was OK, but it is the most expensive mole I have ever had. $50 dollars OMG, it is not worth it. I guess you are just paying the name of the Restaurant and the Chef.

So if you compare price vs value, you don't get what you eat.
I could you go to any fondita and in Chicago and have a much better Mole with lots of rice and chicken (Mole is usually served with chicken, not meat) and have a better meal, for $12 dollars or less.

I went to Topolobampo and I understand the concept. Is "elevated Mexican food" with selected ingredientes but I don't buy it (well, I did but I wouldn't do it again).

The service was great, the place as OK and it is in a very popular area in Chicago, River North.

I would never come back, I guess it is not really for Mexicans like me, but for gringos with money.