Omnivorous

The Pupusa King

A Salvadoran street treat in Albany Park

Hugo Gutierrez Jr. with pupusas and curtido A. Jackson (photo), Mike Sula (video)

October 18, 2007

By Mike Sula

Pupuseria Las Delicias
3300 W. Montrose, 773-267-5346

Hugo Gutierrez Jr. can make a pupusa, but unless it’s Wednesday or Thursday, when he takes over the cooking at Pupuseria Las Delicias, he leaves them to “the professional,” Ceci Roman, an eight-year veteran of his restaurant.

“Most of the time it’s a woman who makes the pupusas,” he says. Gutierrez, who’s 32, is an exception: he grew up making the thick, stuffed, griddled tortillas on Saturdays during soccer matches near the lake at Montrose. (His father was a professional soccer player in Guatemala, and his uncle founded the local intramural Central American Soccer League.) In Gutierrez’s youth the family had the lakefront pupusa trade locked up. “At that time, like 15 years ago, we used to be the only ones there,” he says. “In one day you can make $2,000.”

A pupusa starts out as a fistful of cornmeal mixed with water. The cook makes a pocket in the masa and fills it with a schmear of beans, cheese, pork, or a combination of all three—for a pupusa revuelta—and slaps it back and forth until it flattens into a thick discus. Then it’s tossed onto a hot griddle, where it’s cooked a few minutes to a side. On the good ones a bit of the filling oozes from the edge and crisps up. Pupusas are served with a side of curtido, a vinegary coleslaw, and some thin red or green salsa. “We put the cabbage on top,” says Gutierrez. “And we just fold it like a taco and eat it like that.” Simple, nutritious, filling, and portable—though they’re best eaten right off the griddle—pupusas digest at the same satisfyingly sluggish metabolic rate as a slice of pizza.

The national dish of El Salvador, pupusas are honored there every November 13 with a holiday, Dia Nacional de la Pupusa, that involves academic lectures on, say, their meaning as Salvadoran cultural identifiers or their pre-Hispanic origins among the indigenous Pipil tribe. But there are less sober expressions of appreciation as well—parades, music, dancing, and of course pupusa eating. Pupuserias large and small can be found in most Central American countries and wherever Salvadorans land—the world’s largest pupusa was constructed in LA earlier this summer. But they’re not always treated so reverently—the word pupusa is also slang for vagina, which can make for some bad double entendres. “Sometimes the people come in and talk to the waitresses like second graders,” says Gutierrez.

Nine years ago, when he and his first wife, a Salvadoran, had their first child, they decided to capitalize on the business their family had built up at the lakefront. The cramped ten-table space they opened at 4911 N. Western in Lincoln Square also served Guatemalan food: tamales; their smaller cousins, chuchitos; taquitos; and dobladas, tortillas filled with meat and vegetables, folded, and fried. But the focus was pupusas, with an array of fillings beyond the usual—chicharron, chorizo, chile and cheese, ham and cheese, fish, chicken, shrimp, zucchini, the herb chipilin, the loroco flower blossom. On Sunday nights people crowded into the tiny space to sing karaoke to Central American pop. In 2003 Gutierrez threw a pupusa festival in the adjoining church parking lot.

In August a larger space opened up on Montrose in Albany Park, in a part of the neighborhood packed with Central Americans. Gutierrez happened to drive by just as the rental sign was being hung and snapped it up. He took the opportunity to expand his menu too, adding fruit drinks, chicken soup, and atole de platano, a thick, sweet drink made from plantains, similar to the more common corn version, atole de elote. On Fridays there’s a special of chow mein, which is particularly popular in Guatemala. He’s also added the option of pupusas made with rice flour, which gives them a chewier texture and a milder flavor that puts the focus on what’s inside. And then there’s the supersize pupusa loca—a seven-incher stuffed with the customer’s choice of five fillings. The loca’s $5; all other pupusas run between $1.75 and $2.50.

After an early September opening, Gutierrez, his second wife, Emilia, and his Salvadoran kitchen staff were ready to celebrate Central American Independence Day, which was marked on the 15th with a parade down Montrose. “They pass right in front of the restaurant,” he says. “And it stops over there on Kimball, so everybody came in and had a good time until two in the morning.”

For more on restaurants, see our blog the Food Chain.

Restaurants

Below the Equator

Where to eat like a Latin American

Al Primo Canto
5414 W. Devon | 773-631-0100
$$$
SOUTH AMERICAN, ITALIAN | DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY | OPEN LATE: THURSDAY-SATURDAY TILL 11

Georges Elbekai, a former partner in Semiramis, spent two years developing this Brazilian galeteria specializing in galeto al primo canto, marinated young grilled chicken (the stunning stainless steel churrasco was imported from Brazil). The menu reflects Brazil's multiethnic composition, starting with rich, silky baba ghanoush served with warm Lebanese-style pita and ethereal cheese puffs. For $29.95, an all-you-can-eat "endless feast" comes to the table, beginning with a delightfully crisp polenta frita topped with Parmigiano Reggiano and pasta with three sauces (funghi, marinari, and aioli). Then comes the meat: crisp-skinned, flavorful chicken, tender grilled beef tenderloin, and luscious marinated lamb. Salads are nicely composed, and sides include seasonal vegetables and crunchy double-cooked potatoes with an addictive Gorgonzola sauce. Under talented Brazilian-born chef Luciana Godoy desserts are a highlight as well: classic vanilla flan, warm guava cake with mascarpone sauce, and nutmeg-dusted acorn squash with cinnamon ice cream and caramel sauce, the topper. There are no sword-toting tarted-up gauchos to trouble you, and in all Al Primo Canto offers the churrascaria experience in a significantly more civilized manner than other spots for a lower price. The restaurant is now offering an a la carte menu and brunch as well. --Gary Wiviott

El Arpa
3446 W. Peterson 773-588-9922
$$
LATIN AMERICAN, SOUTH AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY | BYO

The sign on the front window of El Arpa advertises food from Bolivia, Peru, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Mexico, but don't expect to get that range of cuisine on any given day. The restaurant seems to be a popular nucleus for rotating-Pan American get-togethers: every Sunday it serves Bolivian food, and on the Saturday we were there it was Peruvian night, which was a wild time, though not actually much of a culinary experience. We had a bland empanada and dry tamale, and though we did enjoy the lomo saltadao, a marinated steak with sweet peppers and french fries stirred into a tasty mess, the aji de gallina, chicken stew with boiled potatoes in a thin tomato sauce, was in no way extraordinary. Still, food aside, you might consider visiting El Arpa for the lively vibe: we very much enjoyed the high-energy performances of musicians who came to eat and then just strolled onstage to pluck a guitar, pound a cajon, and croon a few ballads, much to the immense enjoyment of the crowd who sang along and applauded wildly. El Arpa is BYO, though the proprietors seem sometimes to serve alcohol, and you'll want reservations on weekends, when folks flock here to enjoy the tastes and tunes of home. --David Hammond

Ay Ay Picante
4569 N. Elston | 773-427-4239
$
SOUTH AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 | BYO

It's all about seafood and starch--mainly in spud form--at this Peruvian spot owned and operated by a husband-and-wife team. For starters we tried the ocopa, a traditional appetizer of cold boiled potatoes served with a strong, somewhat minty-flavored sauce made with cheese, ground walnuts, and huacatay, a herb native to the Andes. An ample plate of ceviche offered copious calamari and shrimp plus sweet potato, onions, and corn. Fresh and delightfully tangy, it could've served as a main course. When it comes to entrees and soups, vegetarians are pretty much out of luck: the dishes are all meat or seafood based (though boiled potatoes show up again with a number of them). We tried a dish of steamed shrimp served with tomatoes and onions in a white wine sauce, and the bistec encebollado, a thin cut of beef also prepared with sauteed onions and tomatoes, and while neither left the impression of our appetizers, they were savory and satisfying. Service was excellent, and the cheerful pre-Columbian murals on the walls do a solid job of brightening up the storefront space. --Susannah J. Felts

Brasa Roja
3125 W. Montrose | 773-866-2252
$$
SOUTH AMERICAN, STEAKS | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | BYO

This outpost of Jorge and Jeanette Gacharna's excellent Lakeview churrascaria, El Llano, has one major advantage over the original: pollo rostizado. Every morning the birds start spinning over hot coals in the window of the Albany Park storefront; plump and round, with steadily browning skin, they beg to be tucked under the arm like a football and carried away. In the dining room the Gacharnas have disguised the ghosts of retail past, festooning the dropped ceiling and walls with folkloric gimcracks and posters of South American ranch life. The scent of sizzling flesh precedes the arrival of wooden boards laden with grilled steaks, short ribs, or rabbit, accompanied by a sharp salsa verde and the four starches of the apocalypse--rice, fried yuca, boiled potato, and arepas. Milk- or water-based jugos like blackberry and mango are surpassed by the sweet but oddly peppery passion-fruit variety, and desserts include brevas con arequipe (caramel-filled figs). Doors open at 9 AM for calentado, the traditional Colombian breakfast featuring beans, arepas, potatoes, eggs, carne asada, and cheese-stuffed pastries called buenelos. --Mike Sula

Brazzaz
539 N. Dearborn | 312-595-9000
$$$$$
SOUTH AMERICAN, STEAKS | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS

Well, no one ever went to a Brazilian steak house expecting subtlety, and in that Brazzaz doesn't disappoint. From the cavernous room to the endless salad bar to the final tab, River North's latest churrascaria is all about living large. For a set price ($48.50) diners can partake of an array of grilled meats, delivered tableside by saber-wielding "gauchos." Stick with the various cuts of beef--the garlic steak, filet mignon, and tender rump cuts were all delicious, grilled to perfection and packed with flavor. But the pork tenderloin was dry, the shrimp tasted frozen, and the lamb? Tough and gamy, the less said about it the better. Various starches (yuca, plantains) are provided as filler, and once the meat is gone servers circulate with a tray of glutinous desserts and shots of a mystery liqueur no one, not even staff, seems able to identify (you'll pay extra for both). But the salad bar is truly impressive: piled high with veggies, fruit, cheese, olives, salami, lox, seafood, and chafing dishes of risotto and other sides, it's available on its own for $29.50 and a lot more reliable than what's coming off the grill. --Martha Bayne

Buenos Aires Forever
939 N. Ashland | 773-486-8081
$$
SOUTH AMERICAN, STEAKS | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: SATURDAY TILL 11 | BYO

Traditional Argentine parrillada, or mixed grill, is the showstopper at Buenos Aires Forever, a casual BYO storefront. An order for one or two, served from a tabletop grill, includes bits from all over the cow: ribs, sausage, sweetbreads, kidneys, and flap meat, a thinly sliced short loin cut similar to skirt steak. But if you can't stomach a mound of meat for dinner, there's a decent range of alternatives, including salads, hot and cold sandwiches, grilled chicken, and pasta. The ensalada rusa was daunting--a heap of potatoes, peas, carrots, and hard-boiled eggs dressed with ladles of mayo. An entree of beef Milanesa is pounded thin, breaded, and fried; top that with ham, mozzarella, and tomato sauce and it's the dressier, more satisfying napolitana. The menu also offers a bunch of flaky empanadas, baked (not fried) and stuffed with traditional specialties like creamed corn or ground beef spiked with raisins and green olives. Desserts include a mild, milky flan, served with whipped cream and dulce de leche, and ultracrumbly cornstarch cookies layered with sticky-sweet caramel. --Martha Bayne

Carnivale
702 W. Fulton | 312-850-5005
F 8.4 | S 7.8 | A 9.2 | $$$ (12 reports)
LATIN AMERICAN, SOUTH AMERICAN | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11:30

When, early one weekend evening, we arrived at this theatrical offering from Jerry Kleiner (Room 21, Marché, Red Light), we were led across the nearly empty dining room to a small, cold catacomb near the rear service bar. "Are you familiar with mojitos?" our server asked. "Are you familiar with horchata?" Pardon me, but we're familiar with a number of things, overweening waiters among them. We started with the ceviche tasting, small portions of five marinated fish options; our favorites were the scallop, flavored with coconut curry and basil oil, and the crab, glazed in habanero jelly and served in a tomato, mango, and horseradish sauce. The main courses we tried were homey: rum-glazed pork shoulder served with smoky Puerto Rican rice and beans, a ginormous slab of filet mignon served with Peruvian potatoes and a roasted garlic mojo, an extracreamy four-cheese mac 'n' cheese offered as a side dish but hearty enough to serve as an entree. By the time we finished, three hours after arriving, the main dining room was packed to the rafters, festive Latin music blaring above the din. There's live music on Wednesdays and a DJ spins on Fridays. --Kathie Bergquist

La Cocina Criolla
2420 W. Fullerton | 773-235-7377
$$
LATIN AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS

More than once a friend and I unwittingly lingered well past closing time in the dark, cozy front booth of this Caribbean and Puerto Rican place, talking over bowls of sweet, eggy flan and bottles of Negro Modelo from the liquor store next door. My companion's dish was often a simple, well-cooked skirt steak; mine was the complicated cabrito en fricasse, a bony, tangy dish of soft baby goat in a white wine stew studded with green olives and raisins. It's great mixed over arroz con gandules. Appetizers are heavy on the starch and light on meat; mofongos, big balls of fried mashed green plaintain around a pocket of oily garlic and pork, need the garlicky dipping sauce they come with. I've never tried the jibarito--it's supposed to rival the one at Borinquen, the beef-and-plantain sandwich's supposed inventor--but I hear it's good enough to merit a return visit. --Tasneem Paghdiwala

Col-Ubas Steak House
5665 N. Clark | 773-506-1579
$$
SOUTH AMERICAN, CUBAN | BREAKFAST, LUNCH: SEVEN DAYS; DINNER: SUNDAY-MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | BYO

At Col-Ubas Steak House the grill man is Colombian, the kitchen cook Cuban, and the menu evenly split. Arepas, Colombia's tortillas, are good starters; these griddled disks of cornmeal mingled with cheese are crunchy outside, luscious inside, and serve as a foil for spicier stuff, like Colombian chorizo, which doesn't come in the familiar loose-meat Mexican form but is more like a Polish. Ropa vieja--pot roast stewed, shredded, and looking like "old clothes"--was very good, accented with crispy strips of fried plantain and benefiting from crunchy-cooked red and green pepper (nontraditional, but it made up in flavor what it lost in authenticity). Lechon asado, another Cuban classic, is a very large pork shank, big as a piglet and perfectly roasted, in a pool of orange-lemon mojo criollo that's somewhat tart for the meat. These and other dishes are served with potatoes in red sauce, plump sweet plantains, and flaky fried yuca. Col-Ubas is BYO, though some interesting South American soft drinks are available, among them Inca Cola and La Colombian, a citrusy cream soda. Go there while you can--the restaurant is closing in November. --David Hammond

Fogo de Chao
661 N. LaSalle | 312-932-9330
F 8.3 | S 9.1 | A 7.7 | $$$$ (24 reports)
SOUTH AMERICAN, STEAKS | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS

The huge industrial space works well with the service concept at this Brazilian churrascaria (steak house): not only is there plenty of room for the enormous center salad bar, but the circulating "gauchos" can glide easily from table to table with their huge metal skewers of meat. At this branch of a Sao Paulo chain, the gauchos serve as many helpings as you want of spit-roasted beef, lamb, pork, and chicken for a set price ($48.50, or $29.50 for lunch). You flip a cardboard marker to green when you want them to approach the table, red when you've got enough on your plate. You can request a desired degree of doneness, but with the meat cycling back to the fire after a few cuts, chances are you won't get anything that resembles rare (we didn't, anyhow). The room is detailed in granite, slate, and natural-colored stones, and an enormous wine rack acts as a divider between the main dining room and the private space in back. Mashed potatoes, fried bananas, polenta, and cheese fries come as sides, but it's hard to give them any attention with all the activity. --Laura Levy Shatkin

La Fonda Latino Grill
5350 N. Broadway 773-271-3935
F 8.2 | S 7.4 | A 8.2 | $$ (14 reports)
SOUTH AMERICAN, LATIN AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY

The bulk of the dishes at this Edgewater eatery are Colombian--including starters like the wonderfully crisp spinach-and-mushroom empanadas, delicate arepas (white corn cakes) topped with mushrooms and cheese, and morcilla (blood pudding) with guajillo chile sauce--but Mexican and Cuban influences show up, as in the sopa de frijol negro (black bean soup, topped with raw onions and cilantro). Entrees like lengua en salsa roja (beef tongue simmered in a creamy tomato sauce with green peas) and arroz con camarones (yellow rice with shrimp, peas, onions, and peppers) are so generously portioned they'd be best shared, perhaps with soup or an order of churrasco (grilled loin of beef served with chimichurri sauce and sweet plantains). To drink there are margaritas, mojitos, sangria, and a concise but well-selected list of inexpensive wines, with glass prices ranging from $6 to $8. The servers are genuinely helpful and gracious. A lunch buffet Tuesday through Friday offers a limited sampling of the dinner menu for $8.95. --Laura Levy Shatkin

Gloria's Cafe
3300 W. Fullerton | 773-342-1050
$$
SOUTH AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | BYO

Reopened this summer under new ownership (with an actual Gloria at the helm), this little Colombian joint is putting out lovingly made home-style plates, along with more casual coffeehouse-oriented bites and drinks (sandwiches, juices, smoothies). If that sounds like they're spreading their supply lines thin, they're doing a helluva job in spite of it. My admittedly limited experience with arepas (corn cakes) had me believing they were dry, lifeless pucks, but here the cheese and sweet corn (choclo) arepa appetizers both were moist and cakey--a lesson well learned. Empanadas with mild chimichurri were swell, particularly the spinach, garlic, and potato variety, as was a "Colombian Hummus" with no identifiable South American traits. Among Caesar and house salads there's an unusual rice and shrimp ensalada with sweet plantains, chile flakes, and a sweet-and-sour sauce that wouldn't be out of place on a Thai menu. Rotisserie chickens are marinated, blazed well, and available in various sums of their parts. The traditional and steak dishes come with ample starchy and fibrous sides (rice, cassava, plantains, beans). I'm particularly partial to the bandeja paisa (country platter), a manly pile of sides, chicharrones, chorizo, grilled flank steak, and a fried egg. --Mike Sula

La Humita
3466 N. Pulaski | 773-794-9672
$$
SOUTH AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY

This small but elegant corner restaurant serves Ecuadoran specialties including the namesake humita, a tamale filled with corn pudding instead of meat. Other typical dishes include empanadas; fried flank steak served with lentils and rice or fried eggs, avocado, and potatoes; llapingachos, or potato pancakes, served with fried eggs and chorizo; and shrimp with saffron rice. There are also grilled lamb chops, pork chops, and a couple of pasta dishes. Desserts include flan, quimbolito (steamed corn pudding with raisins), and a citrus-flavored cheesecake with a rich chocolate crust. Live music Thursday through Saturday. --Holly Greenhagen

Irazu
1865 N. Milwaukee | 773-252-5687
F 8.1 | S 7.3 | A 6.0 | $ (11 reports)
LATIN AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | CASH ONLY | BYO | VEGETARIAN FRIENDLY

Located just up the road from Damen, North, and Milwaukee, this Costa Rican restaurant provides a refreshing alternative to that intersection's traffic nightmares and high prices. Tiny and always crowded, it serves food that's cheap, tasty, and plentiful. Standouts are the burritos (big enough to feed two) with optional mushrooms and hot peppers, and interesting nonalcoholic drinks like the tart, refreshing tamarind shake. Night owls be forewarned--Irazu closes at 9 PM. --Laura Levy Shatkin

Latin Sandwich Cafe
4009 N. Elston | 773-478-0175
$
LATIN AMERICAN, SOUTH AMERICAN, CUBAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED | BYO

Billed as the "House of Empanadas," the Latin Sandwich Cafe offers Puerto Rican and Mexican selections, but if you've got a hankering for Chilean chow, this is the place to go. Authentic Chilean empanadas are made with pino, a savory blend of ground beef, raisins, chopped egg, and olives, all baked in a wheat-flour shell. Baking is big here, and rolls made fresh on the premises are used for the sandwiches, including the chacarero, a Chilean specialty featuring tender steak, tomato, and green beans. Humitas are Chile's version of tamales; "blind" (no filling, just sweet cornmeal), they benefit from a little salsa. The dish that captured my heart (and most of my stomach) was pastel de choclo, a baked bowl of masa with ground beef, onion, olives, egg, and a chicken leg: the cornmeal was caramelized and crisp around the edges, while in the center the casserole had the consistency of corn pudding. Pastel mil hojas, a cake of a "thousand layers" and caramely dulce de leche, is so good you forgive the hyperbole. Reservations are accepted Fridays and Saturdays only. --David Hammond

Machu Picchu
3856 N. Ashland | 773-472-0471
$$
SOUTH AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 | BYO

The extensive menu at Machu Picchu resembles Rinconcito Sudamericano's, and for good reason: cooks Violeta Abad and Abraham Contreras worked there for years. Some of the standouts are the same too, including the anticuchos, spicy grilled beef hearts marinated in oil, vinegar, garlic, and peppers. Other openers range from ceviches to papa rellena, a deep-fried mashed-potato ball that arrived lukewarm with a bland beef stuffing. Chupe de camarones, a creamy corn-and-pea-studded chowder, was stocked with jumbo shrimp and spiked with huacatay (black mint); sudado de mariscos, steamed shellfish and chewy squid in tomato sauce, was served with boiled potato but not the promised white rice (a problem with other entrees as well). Arroz con pollo, cooked in Inca corn beer, featured green rice and bone-in chicken chunks nicely flavored by cilantro, which also brightened seco de carne, a beef stew with reasonably tender meat. Aji de gallina, finely shredded chicken in a blend of ground walnuts, milk, and cheese, was very mild despite the aji panca chiles listed in the description, and cau-cau, honeycomb tripe and cubed potatoes, was downright tame compared to fiery versions I've had laced with yellow chiles. Machu Picchu is currently BYO. --Anne Spiselman

Mi Ciudad
3041 W. Irving Park | 773-866-2066
$$
SOUTH AMERICAN, STEAKS | LUNCH: SATURDAY-SUNDAY | DINNER: SUNDAY-MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED TUESDAY

Manuel Aguilar spent years cooking at Chicago's best steak houses--the Palm, the Erie Cafe--before opening this storefront restaurant, which serves his native Ecuadoran cuisine as well as steaks and pasta. Service is warm and gracious, and it's a family affair: Aguilar's wife and nephew help in the kitchen. Appetizers include a torta de chodo con queso, a sweet-corn pancake topped with melted cheese; shrimp ceviche; and Aguilar's version of empanadas--hand-rolled dough stuffed with mildly seasoned meat and deep-fried to a crispy finish. (Melted cheese is an option here, too, but the piquant tomatillo salsa found on each table makes a great alternative topping.) There are several steak preparations plus a variety of chicken and pasta dishes and some creatively conceived seafood plates. The chupe de camarones, for example, is a succulent serving of pan-seared jumbo shrimp with green plantains and yuca in a savory cumin-scented mani sauce; there's also a fish version. Mi Ciudad offers a wide range of fresh fruit juices and shakes (everything from banana to sweet tomato) and Ecuadoran sodas. --Laura Levy Shatkin

El Nandu
2731 W. Fullerton | 773-278-0900
F 7.2 | S 6.3 | A 6.8 | $$ (8 reports)
SOUTH AMERICAN | LUNCH: MONDAY-SATURDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: THURSDAY TILL 2, FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11:30

At El Nandu there are eight kinds of empanadas to choose from, including criollo (ground beef, bell pepper, yellow raisins), maiz (fresh corn, hard-boiled egg, cheese), and espinaca (fresh spinach, white and green onion). We enjoyed the molleja, charbroiled beef sweetbreads, which were firm, remarkably crispy, and lightly meaty. There's a simple grilled chicken breast zebra-striped with garlic, or pollo with chimichurri sauce, but meat's the thing here--just driving past the place could give a vegetarian the heebie-jeebies. Asada a la parilla is a platter of juicy and wonderfully crusty short ribs; steak Milanesa is a traditional Argentinean preparation, breaded and fried. There's a full bar where you might try Quilmes, a light Argentinean lager. For desserts there's quince membrillo (a firm Spanish jelly) with cheese, one of the blandest sweets ever, or a fantastic flan--tough choice. --David Hammond

Papa's Cache Sabroso
2517 W. Division | 773-862-8313
$
LATIN AMERICAN | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED FOR LARGE GROUPS ONLY | BYO

Marinated overnight, spun to moist, crisp-skinned goodness on an open-flame carousel, and aggressively spiced, Papa's rotisserie chicken has as much in common with grocery-store offerings as a convent with a strip club. The starchy simplicity of sides, coupled with a nice hit of garlic, makes for a difficult choice among fried tostones, boiled yuca with onion, and arroz con gandules; sauteed sweet plantains are also a favorite. Papa's makes a terrific jibarito, crisp pounded plantains sandwiching griddled steak, cheese, and onions topped with garlicky mayo. Steak or chicken tacos, the chicken particularly good, and chicken salad round out the menu, though on weekends Papa's also offers two shrimp dishes and excellent Puerto Rican-style roast pork. Be sure to ask for the mildly spicy green salsa. --Gary Wiviott

La Peña
4212 N. Milwaukee | 773-545-7022
F 7.0 | S 7.0 | A 7.3 | $$ (6 reports)
LATIN AMERICAN | DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY

Jaime Fidel Castillo mans the front of the house at this Portage Park storefront, while his wife, Maria, and her mother, Rosa Sanchez, cook the coastal Latin fare. A complimentary plate of homemade fried plantain chips starts off the meal, accompanied by a tomato-based hot sauce with carrots, onions, and cilantro. The many appetizers include five ceviches, a rich Ecuadoran tamale, fried sweet plantain croquettes, and muchin de yuca, deep-fried yuca with egg and cheese. Ensalada de rabano, with sliced radishes, jicama, and thin yellow and red pepper strips tossed in a lime vinaigrette, tastes as good as it looks. Entrees, mostly meat- or fish-based, include churrasco, a pork chop, and three rice dishes that come with a choice of shrimp, steak, or seafood. There's also llapingachos--a fried whipped-potato cake topped with thick peanut sauce and served alongside a refreshing avocado-and-tomato salad, a fried egg, white rice, and beef sausage. There's live music Thursday through Saturday and karaoke on Thursday and Sunday. --Laura Levy Shatkin

Punta Cana
1024 N. Ashland | 773-252-7200
$$
LATIN AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 | BYO

Fans of Rudy's Taste will be sorry to learn that the festive little storefront serving Guatemalan, Dominican, Mexican, and Puerto Rican food is no more. But don't despair: chef Rudy Figueroa occasionally can be found in the kitchen, training cooks or helping Johnny Mora's wife and co-owner, Elizabeth, and her mother, at its replacement, the mostly Dominican Punta Cana. Variations on plantains and empanadas currently dominate the limited appetizers; I preferred the piquant shredded chicken empanadas to the mildly seasoned ground beef variety, but at $2.50 for two, both beat fast food for greasy, deep-fried crunchy goodness. The highlight of the meal was whole red snapper with coconut sauce, a bargain at $14: also fried (but not greasy), the crispy scored fish was decorated with thin lime slices, set off by a subtle coconut sauce, and accompanied by grilled vegetables as well as rice and peas. Goat with spices in red sauce sounded intriguing, but the meat was dry and so chewy that the flavorful sauce and sweet fried plantains didn't quite compensate. Skip the dense, cheesy flan but be sure to try the aptly named morir soñando ("to die dreaming"), a fizzy Dominican blend of orange juice, milk, sugar, and ice. There's a whole lineup of fresh juices and shakes, and Punta Cana is permanently BYO. --Anne Spiselman

Tango Sur
3763 N. Southport 773-477-5466
F 7.3 | S 6.7 | A 6.7 | $$ (9 reports)
SOUTH AMERICAN, STEAKS | LUNCH: SUNDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11:30, SUNDAY TILL 11 | RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED FOR LARGE GROUPS ONLY | BYO

At this dark, dreamy Argentinean steak house one eats beef and not much else. Why would you? The steaks are imported from Argentina and ridiculously inexpensive for their size. My perfectly grilled strip steak, for instance, cost $20; I nibbled on it for breakfast for three days running. My wife's steak was stuffed with cheese and spinach and served with a ladle of chimichurri sauce, a smoky, smooth combination that had us nodding our heads in appreciation. We took three-fourths of it home. Our meal ended with an immense chunk of flan topped with dulce con leche and chaja, a yellow cake made with vanilla and coconut, both excellent if a bit difficult to wolf down after the meat fest. --Chip Dudley

Taste of Peru
6545 N. Clark | 773-381-4540
F 8.4 | S 8.0 | A 5.6 | $ (5 reports)
SOUTH AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 | BYO

My first visit to this Peruvian strip-mall storefront was enjoyable--and has set my expectations high for future trips. Of special note: it's BYO, ambience is spartan, service is sloooow, portions are huuuuge, and the neighborhood dinner rush seems to peak at 6 PM on Saturday. That said, the food is pleasant and a tremendous bargain--be prepared to take leftovers with you (or order one entree for two diners). We especially enjoyed the pollo en salsa de mani (chicken with Peruvian peanut sauce), the shrimp picante (served in a creamy, savory sauce), and the mixed ceviche. There was a superb jalapeno-chile-onion dipping sauce served with simple, tasty bread. Be sure to try an Inca Kola soft drink! There's a grocery store a few doors south on Clark that has a decent selection of wine and beer. On weekends the restaurant features live music. --Patrick Brown, Rater

La Unica Foods & Cafeteria
1515 W. Devon | 773-274-7788
$
CUBAN, LATIN AMERICAN BREAKFAST, LUNCH: SEVEN DAYS, DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY

Tucked in the back of a Cuban market is this gem, serving a mostly male and incredibly jovial crowd. It's counter service only, and it closes at 9 PM. A few Colombian specialties like arepas (corn pancakes with cheese) and tamales are regular offerings, along with a pork-and-garbanzo-bean soup. The Cuban sandwiches (pressed ham, cheese, marinated roast pork, and pickles on a hard roll) are famous; plain roast pork sandwiches are another favorite, as are the rice and black beans. There's even bacalao--Spanish salt cod--served with potatoes and boiled yuca. Plantains come in several preparations, from a fried green version to a roasted sweet version. Drinks include juices, shakes, and sweet, milky Cuban coffee. --Laura Levy Shatkin

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