11 replies to this topic

[little ms foodie]

I'll be in Chicago next month and am thinking of eating at Topolobampo, is this place ok for a single diner? Does anyone know if they serve the tasting menu in the bar?

Thanks!

[awbrig]

Its a great place but Topo doesnt have a bar, FYI. The bar is in Frontera Grill which is the connected sister restaurant. And you can order from both menus at the bar - although you really should eat inside Topo since it can be pricey and Topo is beautiful. The bar is very very crowded!

[Scorched Palate]

Wendy, I think you'd be very happy dining solo in the dining room at Topolo.

[little ms foodie]

Great!! thanks for the info you two!

[little ms foodie]

I had a wonderful dinner at Topolobampo last week while in Chicago, the dining room and staff are really top notch.

I did the Chef's tasting menu with the wine pairings- very well matched and interesting combos!!

Tamal Colado ~ polenta style tamal studded with tepary beans and steamed in banana leaves. Topped with Dungeness crab and achiote infused morel mushrooms with roasted tomato habanero sauce. Paired with 98 Iron Horse Brut Rose, Sonoma CA

I'm not a huge fan of the Iron Horse Brut Rose but it went pretty well with this. I really liked the tamal and thought the texture with the beans in it was great.

Crema de Espinacas ~ creamy soup of spinach and parsnips with morita chile, smoked chicken and bacon. Paired with 03 Loimer "Kaferberg" Gruner Veltliner, Austria

The wine was maybe just a bit light for the creamy soup but the balance of the acidity against the smoky meats in the soup were great.

Langosta en Pipian de Pinon ~ pan roasted Main lobster topped with pine nut infused ancho chili sauce, chayote gratinado and microgreens. Paired with 01 Sierra Cantabria Crianza, Rioja Alta, Spain.

Amazing pairing!! The rioja went so nicely with the sauce in this dish and I loved the chayote gratinado!

Ribeye en Mole Poblano ~ chili marinated ribeye served with Pueblan mole. Paired with Saxum "Broken Stones" Syrah, Paso Robles CA

This wine was such a winner, I even overheard another dinner ask for 'just a spash more'. The mole was amazing! I couldn't eat much of this though as I was getting very full by this time.

Delicia de Coco y chocolate blanco ~ white chocolate cream scented with Mexican vanilla and studed with preserved sour prickly pear, sandwiched between layers of coconut Mexican chocolate meringue cake; mango blueberry salsa. Paired with 04 Domaine de Durban Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Rhone Valley, FR

yum, yum, yum!

[Vital Information]

Thanks for the report!

I've been meaning to do that dinner (w/wines) soon. Your report surely moved that soon up sooner.

Rob

[rancho_gordo]

Sounds like a gas. I wish we had something even vaguely like that on the west coast.

Tamal Colado ~ polenta style tamal studded with tepary beans and steamed in banana leaves. Topped with Dungeness crab and achiote infused morel mushrooms with roasted tomato habanero sauce.

What is polenta-style? Is it super moist rather than bready?

[little ms foodie]

it was moister but not super moist. I didn't expect to like the restaurant soooo much. It is really great.

[rancho_gordo]

it was moister but not super moist.

Maybe it was cornmeal rather then nixtamal.

[Orik]

Topolobampo is one of these unlikely restaurants that, despite being owned by a celebrity chef with a mini-empire, and despite having little competition, is improving over time.

It's not just executing the same dishes better, but that RB (who was there cooking) keeps up with the times and has introduced modernist/molecular techniques without making a fuss about it (or even mentioning it). Of course the moment your lips touch something that's been suspiciously thickened, or when you see this kind of plating (not my photo):




Or when there's a mention of an espuma, you know what's going on.

The food though, is just absolutely delicious - not a misstep in six dishes we tried (I'll post about them later). A much better lunch option than the CME club.

[Steven Dilley]

I like this place a lot and don't think I've ever been without seeing RB there cooking. (I like Frontera as well.)

[Anthony Bonner]

Are there very many Bayless acolytes out and about? Why can't one of you rich people bribe one of them to come to NYC?

Topolobampo was one the first fine dining meals I paid for out of my own pocket and I used to try to go every time I was staying over in Chicago, but I have not been there since '05