Chef Norman Fenton will open a tortillería with “masa-driven treats” next door to his Michelin-starred restaurant Cariño in Chicago. Molino Los Hermanos hopes to start grinding in Uptown this summer. Fenton’s new dual-concept business will feature a double volcanic stone mill on one side and a 24-seat chef’s counter on the other, though both will focus on house-made tortillas.
“We plan to sell wholesale and retail tortillas,” said Fenton, the chef and owner. Masienda and Tamoa will supply single-origin, heirloom, non-GMO grains of corn from farmers in Mexico.
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The menu is still evolving at the space that’s currently under construction.
“For sure you’ll see a suadero taco,” Fenton said. The tender beef on house-made tortillas was inspired by a classic Mexico City street food staple and has become a highlight on the Cariño taco omakase and tasting menus.
There will be some luxury ingredients too.
“You’ll see foie gras enmoladas,” said Fenton. Enmoladas are similar to enchiladas, but sauced with mole.
There’ll also be seasonal quesadillas with nasturtium and epazote, plus possibly ramps next spring.
“We’ll definitely have some ceviches with tostadas that we make in-house,” Fenton said. And crackers made from their masa will be served with aguachile.
The new restaurant will be more accessible, with no reservations.
“I don’t want to say traditional, because we’re still going to add our little chef touch to it,” said Fenton. “But someone could probably have a full-on meal — an appetizer, something else and a drink — for around 50 bucks for a person.”
Desserts are in the works, with a flan in discussion.
Meanwhile, they’ve been approved for a liquor license.
“We’re gonna have a little bit more fun with it,” Fenton said about the beverage program. “I think there’ll be a pretty large list of Mexican beers. While you’re eating a taco, you can have a Modelo. But if you want a nice Mexican craft brew from somebody local here in Chicago, or somebody out of Mexico City, we’ll have that too.”
A very limited wine selection with just a couple of bottles will be available by the glass.
“We’re gonna definitely have a margarita slushy,” he said. “We can change the flavors and have fun.” Those flavors may include a nopales margarita slushy. Tequila and other agave spirits will also be available in additional cocktails.
Nonalcoholic drinks will feature house-made agua frescas as well as Mexican sodas, including Jarritos, Coke, Sprite and the apple-flavored Sidral Mundet.
But first, there are the tortillas.
When you walk up, said Fenton, you’ll find two entryways. One, right on Broadway, enters into the wholesale and retail side, open to the public to buy tortillas by the dozen.
“We’re going to do a baker’s dozen,” Fenton said. “There’s always one tortilla that’s just not right in those 12-count bags wherever you go, so we’ll give you 13.”
You also can buy salsa, chips and five different masas with one rotating flavor. The tortillas will be priced from $1.50 to $3 for 13 pieces, depending on the grain.
“Or if we make an epazote one, those might carry different pricing,” he says. “It could be $10 for a dozen if they’re made with black truffles.”
They also plan to make proprietary blends for other chefs and restaurants.
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“If you’re a Mexican restaurant down in Little Village, and you want your own tortillas made by us, but you want them done a certain way, with a certain amount of salt, or certain corn grain, or certain blend of corns or flavor added to it,” said Fenton. “We’ll do that for that client.”
On the corner, the entry to the restaurant side will lead to floor-to-ceiling windows along Leland Avenue, exposed brick walls and a barrel-vaulted ceiling over the volcanic stone molino and tortilla machine, both imported from Mexico, to your right. Then there’s a 24-seat chef’s counter to your left.
“As soon as you walk in, you’re fully immersed into the entire process,” Fenton said. “Just like a small street counter.”
Moth Architects, based in Andersonville, drew inspiration from heirloom corn in designing the 2,800-square-foot space, which will include a six-person booth.
Cariño was created while Fenton’s wife, Karina García, lived in Mexico. Molino Los Hermanos is for their two sons. The family waited through an immigration process that lasted for more than four years. Mother and sons finally received their green cards at the end of September last year.
García plans to remain behind the scenes for the time being. Their sons are young, but the chef has hopes for them.
“Hopefully one day they will take over the business,” said Fenton. “But that’s really up to them.”
“All I want is my family to be happy and do what they like.”
4666 – 4668 N. Broadway, instagram.com/molinoloshermanos
New bar and restaurant openings, in alphabetical order
Bar Bambi: Award-winning bartender Katie Renshaw (The Aviary, Billy Sunday, GreenRiver) just opened a dreamy neon-pink cocktail bar. Bar Bambi began pouring in West Town on Feb. 14. Her Three Decibel Rule cocktail mixes Ketel One vodka and Cocchi Americano aperitif wine with lychee and crème fraîche; a nonalcoholic Cloud 9 drink riffs on the classic citrusy and creamy Ramos gin fizz. Food by chef Nicklus Byrns (Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Elske, Claudia) includes his “Best Fried Fish Sandwich with halibut and white cheddar on a brioche bun.
1703 W. Chicago Ave., bambichicago.com
The Barn Steakhouse: Amy Morton, of the famous steakhouse family, has opened another North Shore restaurant of her own. The Barn Steakhouse, with a big sister location in Evanston, started sizzling in Highland Park on Feb. 16. You’ll find a 14-ounce dry-aged, bone-in ribeye, plus a $1 oyster happy hour special, and Arnie’s chocolate velvet cake dedicated to family patriarch Arnie Morton.
1900 1st St., Highland Park; 847-926-7373; thebarnsteakhouse.com
October Cafe on Elston: Audrey Borden and Michelle González, winners for Coffee Shop of the Year in our Readers’ Choice Food Awards last year, just launched a new location. October Cafe on Elston began percolating in Gladstone Park on March 21. The year-round, fall-themed, Latina-owned, mom-and-mom shop offers a pumpkin toast, their We Fell in Love in October coffee flight, plus a plant-based sausage and cheese breakfast sandwich available with tater tots.
5961 N. Elston Ave., 773-397-9986, octobercafe.com
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In closing news
Ann Sather: The home of the beloved frosting-slathered cinnamon rolls, will close after 81 years on Belmont Avenue in Lakeview this summer. A developer is tearing down the old building for new apartments. Meanwhile, two other locations remain open in East Lakeview and Edgewater. CBS Chicago first reported news of the closure.
909 W. Belmont Ave., 773-348-2378; 3415 N. Broadway, 773-305-0024; 1147 W. Granville Ave., 773-274-0557; annsather.com
In brewery closing news
Casa Humilde Cervecería y Cocina: The brewery founded by Mexican American brothers Javier López and José López in 2019, has ceased all operations, including the brewpub in Forest Park, on March 1.
Whiner Beer Co.: The brewery, founded by brewmaster Brian Taylor and business partner Ria Neri in 2016, closed with one last celebration at the taproom in Back of the Yards on March 28. Do note that Raza’s Pizza and the woman- and Mexican-owned SomosMonos Cervecería are staying open in the same space.
1400 W. 46th St., 773-475-6189, whinerbeer.com
Illuminated Brew Works: The brewery, co-founded by head brewer and co-owner Brian Buckman and business manager Matt Shirley in 2014, and ranked as one of the nation’s 50 fastest-growing breweries in 2019, will close in Norwood Park on June 28.
6186 N. Northwest Hwy., 708-669-7287, ibw-chicago.com
Breweries in Chicago adapt to changing drinking and health habits or face closures
Do you have notable restaurant news in the Chicago area? Email restaurant critic Louisa Kung Liu Chu at [email protected].
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