Mexique

Last month, Adam and I checked out yet another of the Bib Gourmand restaurants. This time it was Mexique, a French-Mexican fusion restaurant on Chicago Avenue. I hadn't heard anything about this place but the menu looked good and it's close to Adam's work so we thought we'd give it a try.

As usual, we were the first restaurant patrons that evening. The restaurant itself is very cute. The decor is modern and minimalist w/ flashes of bright colors here and there. The light was soft, the music was appropriately non-memorable. It fit the setting but I can't for the life of me remember what kind of music it was!

We were overwhelmed with menu options when we arrived. There was the standard menu, the Restaurant Week menu (they extended the prix fixe menu from Restaurant Week the prior week), and a chef's menu. The chef's menu was six courses of the chef's choosing. Adam and I pretty much always do the chef's menu when offered. Why would a restaurant showcase anything but the best dishes? We were not disappointed.

We started w/ a perfectly cooked scallop w/ beet marmalade, buerre blanc and a third garnish that I can't remember. I think this was my favorite course. It was just delicious and looked like this:

2nd course: fried goat cheese and beet salad

3rd course: pan seared skate wing, cauliflower, Yukon gold potatoes, serrano peppers and grapes w/ citrus butter sauce

4th course: pork belly w/ mole and ratatouille and sweet potato puree (see right)

5th course: lambchop w/ eggplant and barbacoa (our least favorite but still good)

6th course: trio of chocolate ganache, vanilla ice cream and raspberry layer cake w/ more ganache as well as lady fingers

I would certainly recommend this restaurant for the food, ambiance, and service. It's a nice departure from Italian, French and "New American" cuisine (the bulk of high end Chicago places are understandably in those categories). Definitely get the chef's menu. There are very few upscale Mexican restaurants in Chicago- this one is certainly worth a visit!