-Grubbing in Chicago
New to the 'Scene'
Čálli is the latest project Chef Jonathon Zaragoza has jumped in on. The homegrown talent grew up in the kitchen of Birrieria Zaragoza on the city’s south side. He’s one of Chicagos brightest culinary minds and has offered his knowledge and skill to a handful of projects over the years so it’s not exactly clear to me whether or not he's part owner or if he’s just a tempory resident chef and or a consultant but for now his name is behind this restaurant which resides on the second floor of Soho House. Čálli means “home” in Nahuatl and while Zaragoza comes from Chicago his roots are in Mexico and the dishes he cooks at Čálli represent the flavors, the places, and the people that make it feel like a second home.
Recently Opened in the West Loop
Chicago food media was quick to visit Čálli as is the case with all projects Jonathon Zaragoza works on. Michael Nagrant from ‘The Hunger’ substack asked if it was the best Mexican restaurant in Chicago which is about as high of praise as you can give it. John Kessler from Chicago Magazine called the enmolada the best dish he’s ate in a restaurant all year. Nick Kindelsperger at the Tribune was a bit less enthusiastic but not so much bc of the food but rather the setting and not knowing exactly how much Zaragoza is a part of the restaurant as he was not in the kitchen during Nick’s visits. He wasn’t there when we dined-in a few weeks ago but in truth I was not expecting to see him knowing how previous projects have gone. But I was expecting to eat some good food and that’s what happened. The menu is pretty small with around 12-15 dishes making up snacks, starters, mains, and dessert. Despite the limited options I wanted to try just about everything so it still has a lot to offer. For a snack we tried the Sikil Pak which is a pumpkin seed salsa with the consistency of hummus. It’s a product of the Yucatán and it’s a popular dish in Mexican restaurants these days especially here in Chicago where there’s a handful of spots that serve it. I thought the dip itself was on par with others I’ve tried around town - it was very good. But what I really liked was the extra crisp crudo and the made on site tostadas that came with it. Both were great delivery vehicles for the Sikil Pak.
Sikil Pak at Čálli
Moving onto the starters we decided to try the Caesar Salad in part bc I was interested in Zaragoza’s version knowing he regularly visits Tijuana where the salad originated. For those that didn’t know it’s said to have come from Caesar’s Restaurant at the Hotel Caesar in TJ. The version served at Čálli starts with baby romaine mixed with charred serrano dressing, pepita crunch, and boquerones. It was a very nice rendition of the classic in that it doesn’t sway too far from the original Caesar Salad.
Caesar Salad
Pescado Zarandeado is another regional Mexican dish that caught my eye. It comes from the Nayarit but it’s also popular in Baja California as well as Southern California. It’s made by butterflying a whole fish which is typically rubbed with a wet marinade that varies by recipe but usually includes achiote paste, soy sauce and mayo among other things. Pescado Zarandeado just might be my favorite regional fish dish so I pretty much always get it it when I see it on the menu. This one was a must get since they grill the catch of the day over charcoal. I enjoyed the version at Čálli in big part bc of this. I also loved the addition of mint giving it a bit of a Turkish vibe when chunks of the smoky sea bass were wrapped in made on site flour tortillas while the spicy avocado salsa reminds you it's distinctly Mexican.
Pescado Zarandeado at Čálli
Last up is the enmolada that Fooditor’s Mike Gebert, among others, gave high praise. A mushroom guisado is wrapped up in a made on site corn tortilla and then covered in a rich and complex mole poblano mole and queso fresco. I will reiterate what others have said - it’s really good. I very much suspect it’ll end up on my end of the year list of the best things I ate in 2023. I’m not sure what the future holds for Čálli and or Zaragoza but for now he still seems to have a hand in it and even if not it’s totally possible the restaurant can be just as good without him as it is with him in the picture as he was not in the house during our visit but I was still very happy with everything.
Enmolada
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