A pink drink in the West Loop and a killer Mexican dish in Wicker Park top my list of must-try options this month.
Tete a Tete ($12) at Tete Charcuterie
1114 W. Randolph St. 312-733-1178
Since I graduated college, my taste buds have trained themselves to avoid pink drinks. You know the kind I’m talking about: sickeningly sweet, Jolly Rancher-flavored, vodka-infused monstrosities that are usually accessorized with a curled lemon peel. While that kind of libation used to serve a purpose in my life (i.e. when I was ordering highlighter-hued martinis at a piano bar in Iowa City, Iowa), the stuff just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. That’s probably why I felt a bit disappointed when I saw an unassuming pink drink emerge from the bar at West Loop’s Tete Charcuterie.
But upon first sip, my taste buds were confused. How could a drink that looks like this taste like that? Lesson No. 1: Don’t judge a drink by its color. Bar manager and Aviary vet Owen Worley combines cranberry juice, lemon oleo (a fragrant syrup), quatre epices (a mixture of ground pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger) and vodka to create this flavorful fall cocktail.
With cranberry juice and vodka on the docket, one might expect a watered-down, flavorless sip. Lesson No. 2: Don’t judge a cocktail by its spirit. Working with the berry undertones, the mixture of fall-friendly spices makes this drink taste like a slice of warm pie. Add in a subtle hint of lemon oil and you’ve got a hit.
Lesson No. 3: Worley said he reuses this recipe and swaps out the major flavors from season to season, so you’ve got time on your side.
Enchilada con pollo ($16) at Dove’s Luncheonette
1545 N. Damen Ave. 773-645-4060
Sometimes you don’t want a dainty brunch with frosted scones and cups of coffee served with sugar cubes. Sometimes you want enchiladas at 11 a.m. on a Sunday. When I get cravings like that, I head to Dove’s Luncheonette in Wicker Park, a diner-style counter that’s constantly packed. Waiting is only made tolerable with the help of bloody marys ($10), but food is the real reason I go.
Last week I ventured away from my usual order of chicken fried chicken ($16 and smothered in chorizo verde gravy, sweet peas and pearl onions) to try something new. I wasn’t disappointed with the enchilada con pollo, which I happily shared with a friend after we devoured an order of garbanzo hushpuppies ($8).
Tender corn tortillas are stuffed with smoked chicken and covered in mole verde, queso fresco, cilantro, onions and pepitas. For $1 more, you can add a fried egg to anything on the menu, which is exactly what we did. I could’ve licked the mole verde right out of the skillet, and the chicken-to-tortilla ratio was just right. This is the dish you wake up craving no matter what kind of Saturday night you had.