My sister and I were recently in the market for a Mexican lunch on Randolph Street, but she wanted to go trendy at De Cero (814 W. Randolph St.; 312-455-8114) and I wanted to go traditional at Perez Restaurant (855 W. Randolph St.; 312-421-3980). After much sisterly arguing, I agreed to try her fancy place but in the context of a taqueria cage match:
Chips and salsa. At De Cero: Greasy and flaky with three tiny salsas of tangy tomatillo, a tasteless pico de gallo (who forgot the lime and salt?) and a fiery finely ground red. $6.25. At Perez: Bottomless basket of crispy, greaseless chips with a bright pico de gallo and fiery roasted chile de arbol salsa. Free. Winner: Perez.
Guacamole. At De Cero: Fresh and garlicky with bits of cilantro, tomato and red onion. $7.25. At Perez: Almost identical, but smoother and less garlicky. $3.50. Winner: Perez.
Steak taco. At De Cero: Big, succulent chunks of medium-rare grilled skirt steak with potato and chipotle mayo. $3.60. At Perez: Tasty nubbins of meat with cilantro and onion. $1.90. Winner: De Cero.
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Enchilada dinner. At De Cero: Astringent mess of cheese wrapped around soggy tomatillo salsa-drenched tortillas. Decent basmati rice with garlicky black beans. $10.25. At Perez: Huge platter of cheese- and sour cream-topped chicken enchiladas in a red sauce that offered flavor but no sogginess. Plus homey, tasty rice and refried beans. $7.90. Winner: Perez.
Flan. At De Cero: Small but dense with a nice burned caramel flavor and five fresh raspberries. $4.25. At Perez: Bigger and lighter with a maraschino cherry $2.50. Winner: De Cero.
The moral: Fancy fusion places can rarely compete (foodwise or pricewise) with a really good authentic spot across the street. And, your sister is always wrong.
Tea-rific
Taking kids for a fancy afternoon tea always sounds like a good idea–until you arrive and realize that most tots are savages who hate tea and cucumber sandwiches. Even scones are a useless bribe.
The “children’s tea” ($16) at the Peninsula Hotel (108 E. Superior St.; 312-337-2888), however, easily tames the American child. How do we know? We recently tested it out on a (terrible) 2-year-old. Between the silver pitcher of hot cocoa, the sippy cup of water, the shotglass of gummy bears, the miniature hamburger, the glass of fries, the five-tier PBJ, the ham and cheese finger sandwich, the Rice Krispy treat with sprinkles, the fudge brownie topped with crushed M&Ms and the tiny tumbler of whipped cream crowned Jell-O, she was lulled into acting like an angel. The best part? We found out that there is no age restriction to order it. Guess what I’m getting on my next trip to the Peninsula.
Reason to live
The lighter-than-air mini passion fruit souffle at Vong’s Thai Kitchen (6 W. Hubbard St.; 312-644-8664) served only at lunch for 99 cents. Dished up with a miniature scoop of passion fruit sorbet, this dessert would be a bargain at nine times the price, which is what it goes for at dinner, in a bigger version, of course. This four-bite size, however, is just perfect–so full of flavor, so little guilt.