Loco for Xoco

Rick Bayless, as I have said many times over, is a genius. His restaurants around the country are routinely praised and always hoppin' for a reason...

So it's no surprise that every time I visit Chicago, we go straight from the airport to Xoco, Rick's super trendy Mexican quick food restaurant, offering scrumptious sandwiches and other delights (don't even get me started on the churros!). Xoco deserves a full and long post (which will sadly have to wait until another day), but I just had to show you what I ate on Friday. We'll have to thank my blackberry for these on-the-fly pics.

I started with the vanilla soft-serve with maple-bacon streusel and caramel.


I almost died of happiness. The salty-sweet combo of the bacon and maple, mixed with yumminess of the caramel and the creaminess of the soft-serve... yeah. This baby is legit, and every single calorie is worth it.

I also ordered a cubana torta: smoked pork loin and bacon, black beans, avocado, Jack, and chipotle mustard.




Grilled to perfection, this torta oozed in all the right places. The flavors were fresh and complex, and I'm just sad my stomach wasn't big enough to finish this meal off with churros...

Visit Xoco, my friends! And be prepared to wait in a line. :)

Xoco
449 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60654
(312)334-3688