CheekyChicago

I’ve been to Mexico at least 14 times in my life.  It’s truly one of my most favorite places in the world. The people, the music, the food, the culture and the pure positive energy provides a truly magical feeling that one must experience to fully understand.   My dining experience at Las Palmas last week was a lot like venturing to that south of the border paradise. Warm smiles greet you from the moment you step through the front doors as smells of fresh corn and spices come wafting from the modest kitchen.  As we were kindly escorted to the back atrium, which is covered in gorgeous and haunting Mexican art, a musician strummed beautiful Spanish lullabies on his acoustic guitar, filling the intimate yet festive space.  Yes, welcome to Las Palmas.

Before you lose yourself in the lure of ambience and amazingly attentive staff (props to Aldo – our adorable, knowledgable and incredibly sincere server), the crown jewel of the restaurant is undoubtedly the food. Las Palmas hired Executive Chef Armando Gonzalez three months ago, and he’s already elevated the menu without losing an ounce of its authenticity.

Guacamole is prepared tableside and comes out fresh, creamy and complex with cilantro, tomato and hints of jalapeno and sided with homemade corn tortilla chips. This paired with a Cucumber Lime Don Julio Margarita is a study on cocktail pairing excellence.  You may just want to stop by and experience the cocktails…

But let’s keep eating.  The crab cake appetizer may seem expected and overdone (and as a perpetual foodie, I would concur), but Gonzalez’s Pastelito de Cangrejo comes fresh with juicy lump crab meat, light panko and served over jicama-cucumber-avocado relish and garnished with jalapeno aioli. It was one of the most refined and well executed versions I’ve seen of this type. The fresh Ceviche Del Dia changes daily, and the tilapia with red and green peppers, jicama, avocado, lime and hot jalapeno made our taste-buds sizzle a bit, but certainly did not disappoint.

Now the entrees, of which we had not one, not two, but three.  The Atun is seared fresh ahi tuna, marinated in ginger and jalapeño with zucchini, yellow squash, baby carrots, spinach and jalapeño chimichurri, Gonzalez’s signature. The pan roasted fresh Mahi-Mahi over buttery purple potato puree with crab-corn salsa and kumquat garnish is culinary mastery.  It’s extremely easy to overcook mahi-mahi, but the Gonzalez’s version is similar to a buttery sea bass, and the crab corn salsa is served cold, an interesting but successful choice in terms of mixing temperatures.  The placement of the tart and citrus-y kumquats adds a final note of complexity, so be sure to gather it all on your fork-full for the true experience. The Duck is cooked just as masterfully as the fish (maybe even better), over summer squash, sided with sweet parsnip puree and garnished with prickly pear sweet salsa and chile oil.  Have I mentioned how utterly colorful each of Gonzalez’ dishes are? The presentation is some of the most festive and refined I’ve seen anywhere, let alone at a Wicker Park Mexican joint, previously known for its fajitas.

A note on Chef Armando Gonzalez:  he did not go to culinary school, and as our degustation continued, this became more and more obvious. This is a good thing.  Gonzalez began cooking at the age of eight in his mother’s tiny restaurant in Mexico.  Once he moved to the States, he spent the majority of his career cooking for sports bars and fine dining American restaurants. Now, at Las Palmas, he finally has the freedom to do his own thing. And this freedom means cooking non-regional Mexican cuisine from the heart, seasoned with love, carefully thought about and presented with the utmost fine dining sophistication.  It’s truly some of the best food I’ve experienced in Chicago this year.

Oh, and  the triple layer flourless chocolate cake with a white chocolate-coconut ganache must be accounted for as well… So what are you waiting for? Ole!