The next time your mother scolds you for eating dinner leftovers for your morning meal because they are not “breakfast food,” you might want to remind her that, in many countries, dinner leftovers are the traditional breakfasts. Take, for instance, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, where leftover rice and beans are heated in a pan with a little extra oil in making the national breakfast dish gallo pinto (or painted rooster). You can find a nice version of this rice and bean breakfast blend at Chicago’s only Costa Rican restaurant, Irazu. There, it’s served as a neat little dome next to a couple of eggs with a side of warm tortillas. Like a lot of foods that help you ease your way into the day, this dish is less notable for bold flavors than for its comfortable, well-blended, “better than last night” taste. If you want to expand your Costa Rican morning meal, you can order a side of bread and sour cream ($1.75) called pan con natilla, and the cold, chocolate-tasting roast corn and cinnamon drink called pino lillo ($1.95).
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Gallo pinto (GUY-yo pinto)
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Irazu
1865 N. Milwaukee Ave.
773-252-5687
Good morning in Spanish: Buenos dias.
Who makes your favorite gallo pinto?
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