ZED451 - Chicago

Easily one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. Food: Imagine going to a Fogo De Chao with a much broader variety of meat options.

A beautiful Sunday of girlfriends, brunch and great Chicago weatherOH and a side of the Chicago Marathon.

Always good food with a nice presentation. We ate outside on a cozy early summer evening. We started by ordering mussels (not as spicy as shown and very good) and the spinach salad with fried oysters - all excellent. The main courses of pork chop and duck were well prepared. The chard with tiny pieces of bacon with the duck was a nice change. The cherry compote was a bit overwhelming. Tried the Bonarda red wine (usually matured in stainless steel so it lacked the soft, fruity taste) but returned to a reliable Malbec. Had a server in training that did a good job; Her mentor didn't smile much, which was disappointing. Overall, a pleasant meal.

We have eaten here many times. Salmon is always great and so is the tuna tartare. The smoky groats and the cous cous are divine! They used to have delicious rolls that they served with olive oil. I was sad to see that they no longer offered them.

Zocalo was recommended to us by a family member and we were not disappointed. The food and drinks were amazing. Everything was fresh and had a vast array of visual as well as palate appeal. Each of us chose a different entre and all of us tried each others. The WOW's kept going around the table from the yellow tomato/cucumber gazpacho, meatballs, steak, soft shell crab, scallops...yum, yum, yum! All the dinners came with lovely sides that were amazing. I will definitely be back.