- Overall 5
- Food 5
- Service 5
- Ambience 5
Restaurant Week exists so people who are out of the loop (literally, figuratively) can experience a remarkable place like Tzuco. Tzuco immediately welcomes you with intriguing design that alludes compellingly to memory, construction, and deconstruction.
All around the room are shelved glass boxes, filled with beautiful and elemental detritus, like dessicated cacti, sheeps' wool, thorny branches, pottery, imprinted clay, et cetera. Where most restaurants might hang paintings of a countryside, Tzuco immerses you within the landscape. There's elegaically skeletal collection suggests nostalgia.
We were seated near the open kitchen and this vantage underscored an intimate relationship with cuisine. The artistry is skilled but not gatekept, and there is pride in the process. The RW menu had something for every diet, but most items were present on the a la carte menu as well. The whole beverage list looked like bangers, spirited or spirit-free. (Between the three of us, we managed three fantastic cocktails and a great NA cocktail that was perfect for a cucumber-positive kid.)
I enjoyed the juicy, generous tuna ceviche and the tamarind-tangy ribs. My partner devoured his queso fundido and chile relleno. Our kid loved the pulpo enamorado and shared a bite with me -- it was the tenderest roasted octopus I've ever tried.
The desserts were lovely (we shared the guava pavlova and the gianduja) and I look forward to trying more of their inventive postres.
Our table experience was absolutely fantastic. Service was immaculate, teamwork was on point, and I wish I'd written down the name of our expert and warm server. All around us, I could see other diners delighted with their drinks, their entrees, and the ambiance. Occasionally, I even saw strangers comment to each other on how delicious and enjoyable their meal was, and that is Not a common occurrence in Chicago.
Even a trip to the washroom was an opportunity to explore and experience.
Muchas Gracias, Grupo Tzuco!
