Aikana - Chicago
Aikana is aiming to serve the high-end of Central and South American food in Chicago, focusing on well-known Mexican cuisine as well as lesser known (in Chicago) cuisines of Venezuela and Columbia. Aikana's pan-American menu means you're going to see some foods you know and some you don't, so you can dine with as much familiar comfort or adventurousness as you please.
Having worked in the kitchens of the Ritz-Carlton and the Four Seasons, Chef Alexander Quintero knows fine dining, and it shows. His menu is a splendid review of South of the Border (and WAY South of Border, like Venezuelan) cuisine.
Tiradito is Latin America's (specifically Peru's) answer to sushi: an octopus terrine, with smoked frijol. leche de tigre, pickled apple, serrano, and huacatay gelee (in case you're wondering, huacatay is the Peruvian cilantro). Want to start meatier? Check out the Apache Carne, a stunning starter of lime-cured wagyu, rice cake, chipotle aioli, and uni (pairing this pungent gift of the sea with the world's finest beef is a bold move).
The Chef's Specialties are, indeed, special. Fish is big in Latin America, so there's a fish of the day which you can count on to be excellent, but also two other unusual and delicious offerings. The churrascaria is a plate of prime cuts, tubers, peanut chimichurri, arepa (a Venezuelan bread) and chilera (a condiment of pickled peppers and banana vinegar). The Bandeja Aikana is a spectacular platter of wagyu picanha, king prawns, Cheshire pork chicharron, mollejas (sweet breads), morcilla, chifrijo (a Costa Rican mashup of beans, pork rinds and salsa), yuca, house aji, peanut chimichurri, and chipotle aioli.
There's also a selection of dishes in the Fuertes (meaning "vigorous" or "intense) section of the menu. If you tend to eat adventurously, check out the lamb with beluga lentils, olives, guasacaca (Venezuelan avocado dip) and burnt carrot puree. You might also like the Bay Bug (don't fret, it's a type of lobster, quinoa and bulgur tabbouleh).
Ben Schiller is a nationally respected bar professional, having won a Jean Banchet award and Bartender of the year recognition several times. You really should try one of his cocktails.
