Jaleo - Chicago
Jose Andres -- renown Spanish chef, human
itarian and Nobel Peace Prize nominee -- brings to River North the Chicago outpost of Jaleo, a Spanish restaurant that sets a new bar for inventive, delicious tapas. Jaleo goes far beyond small plates, however, with tableside paella and exceptional Spanish cocktails that will make dinner at Jaleo feel like a voyage to Barcelona.
Leveraging the finest ingredients, composed with an artist's eye, the tapas at Jaleo are a thing of beauty and vast deliciousness. In addition to outstanding renditions of Spanish favorites like patatas bravas and grilled octopus, there are some inventive new dishes that play within the tapas tradition to introduce you to the wonders of contemporary Spainish cuisine.
Some of our favorite tapas include the bikini de jamón con queso Manchego, a pressed sandwich of Serrano ham and jamón dulce with Manchego cheese, just magnificent. The endivias con queso de cabra y naranjas, a signature dish, is a refreshing platter of endives leaves filled with goat cheese, oranges, almonds, and roasted garlic dressing.
For heartier appetites, you'll want carne asada con piquillos, a grilled six-ounce flat iron steak with confit piquillo peppers. For pork, there is no better choice than the jamon iberico, the classic ham of spain, skillfully sliced in the traditional manner. For an astronomically delicious adventure in the world of Spanish ham, we suggest the secreto ibérico de bellota con pan con tomate, the
butcher’s "secret cut" from the acorn-fed, black-footed ibérico pigs of Spain, served with toasted tomato bread, green mojo, and honey mustard aioli.
Of course, there are fabulous fish, including crustaceans and fresh catches every day, and it will be hard to visit Jaleo without sampling the paella, prepared tableside. The standout is arroz rabo de toro, a Meloso-style rice with braised oxtail and
mushrooms. Unforgettable.
For cocktails, we recommend a beverage made with justly famous Spanish gin.
