Luckily, we made the restaurant reservation for four - for Tyler, his parents, and me - days before Bayless won Top Chef Master. Wait times for reservations are even longer now; plan on calling at least six to eight weeks ahead of your desired reservation date/time.
There really is nothing bad I can say about this place. Yes, prices are high, attire is formal, and reservation wait time can be long - but you're not going to find better quality food or service at any other place, whether it's a Mexican restaurant or not.
Whether ordering the ahi tuna in Bayless's signature black mole sauce, or the trio of ceviches, or any number of other dishes like we did this past Tuesday night, the food experience at Topolabampo is an amazing treat to the senses and the tastebuds.
After eating our two appetizers (and oohing and ahhing over the black mole), Tyler just happened to mention to our waitress that he'd love to get a picture with Chef Brian Enyart, the restaurant's Chef de Cuisine, or head chef, at Topolabampo. Amazingly, this tactic worked. Within minutes, our waitress whisked Tyler & I away to the kitchen doors, where Brian appeared moments later to shake our hands and take a picture with Tyler.
The shock of meeting such an amazingly talented chef - who was working on our meals - kind of made us giddy with excitement. Did that really just happen? Was it really just that easy? Sure, people associate Bayless with Topolabampo because he's the owner - but Chef Enyart is the HEAD CHEF. He's in charge of the food we were about to eat!
And the food is why you're reading this - not to hear about my latest food celebrity encounter/handshake. (Granted, it is pretty awesome that I not only met Chef Enyart but also saw Rick Bayless in person all in one week; yeah, I know I'm bragging).
Everyone ordered someone different - the lamb, the halibut, the hen, and the trout. Sounds pretty simple, right? Think again. When deconstructed, each part of the meal seemed somewhat average. I tasted my the main part of my dish, the halibut, by itself and thought it was okay. But the true test of the dish comes when you tie all the different parts together.
Every dish comes with a sauce, poured onto the plate by the server just before you take a bite. The halibut, after dipping it into the green squash blossom sauce, suddenly had layers of flavor. One moment delicate and barely there, another moment sweet. The sauce encouraged me to savor every bite. And then there was the side items that decorated the plate. The crunchy spinach, filled with Oaxacan string cheese, crumbled in my mouth. It, too, tasted absolutely divine with the sauce and the halibut. This was not unusual. Every piece of every dish - in which everyone shared - worked so incredibly well together in large part because of the complex sauces that come with every plate.
While I never ever wanted these flavors to leave my mouth, the servers brought a small truffle to finish off our meal. Considering the chocolate was the size of a marble, it was yet another shock to the system how much flavor exploded with each nibbling bite; again, you have to savor every bite of every thing they serve you. The service itself is spectacular; keeping in mind the fact that the server arranged for us to meet Chef Brian, she also was attentive to the fact that we needed to leave by 7:45 and had many recommendations for what to drink and eat.
My praise for Topolabampo and Bayless's restaurants is done, for now. I hope this answers the question: when you want a special night out and a lavish dinner, where do you go in Chicago?
445 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60654
Chicago, IL 60654
Ph.: 312-661-1434
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