Mercadito- Chicago-River North

[rating=5]Tonight was a pleasure! Dining AT a restaurant, instead of picking up the meal and plating at home. Not just any restaurant either, but in fact, one that I had been told is a “do not miss” Mexican place in River North. During the Covid 9 experience, travel has become a lot easier. In fact, even tonight ( we are IN phase 4 now), we were down in the River North area, from Wheeling , in just about an hour. Back before the crisis, 90 minutes would be a great night! The restaurant we went to: Marcadito Chicago-River North located at  108 West Kinzie. While they have valet parking, we opted to not allow anyone in our car, so we used a metered space ( of which there were many choices) and on a beautiful night, a little walk is always the perfect way to digest a wonderful dinner.

Mercadito has just opened the indoor seating area, but they do have a few tables that are inside with outside exposure giving you the feeling of both. We are still only doing outdoor dining, just to be safe, and so we opted for the table that was as far away from the other diners as possible. We did notice that many River North walkers were NOT wearing masks, but since the restaurant staff and those who were entering the restaurant were following the rules, we felt safe. Our server, Jorge, was quite knowledgeable about the menu as were two young ladies ( frequent diners, for sure) that all pitched in to assure that we had the right foods for our experience. They had some special drinks ( which we chose to enjoy). Jane had the Amiga Sandia (casamigos blanco, fresh watermelon, lime and basil) and I had the Abasolo Smash ( Abasolao corn whisky, ginger, lemon and a hint of mint). Both were tang and flavorful. With our cocktails, we enjoyed a platter of brussel Sprouts, crispy with pickled onions, Chorizo, salsa roja ( a bit spicy for Jane) and crispy shallots. With that, and a great way to test a Mexican restaurant,  we enjoyed the Tradicional Guacamole and chips ( Jane, who is my expert on this said this was the best she had ever tasted in Chicago!).

The menu has many types of salsas, vegetables and botanas along with the tacos. We enjoyed the tacos selecting the Carne ( rosemary thyme marinated skirt steak, leek poblano fondue and avocado salsa) and the Pollo( five spice marinated chicken, mixed bell pepper mojo) and we also had from the Botanas list, the crispy chipolte shrimp (  beer battered shrimp, bibb lettuce, jicama cucumber and tomatillo sauce). These can be made into a wrap with the lettuce, or just eaten as is.  I must tell you, I was impressed by the portions as well as the varied selection. Next time, I will try the brisket and the mac and cheese. They also have a marvelous looking Ceviche called Camaron ( shrimp in a tomato broth with lime).

I am sure they have a dessert menu, but we were filled to the brim. As I mentioned to Jorge, while the portions seem just right in appearance, they are very filling and satisfied our hunger, allowing us no room for dessert and in fact, we brought a few tacos home for Friday’s lunch. Mercadito is not your usual Mexican Restaurant, but in fact one that I would call an experience. It is a place for a special life cycle event and they have the ability to do a party as well. I know we are still getting used to going out and dining at restaurants. I am glad that Jane and I selected Mercadito- Chicago-River North to be the first!

The restaurant is located at 108 West Kinzie in Chicago. They do take reservations ( the out side dining is about 6 tables) but the have a beautiful dining room and several tables that are almost like being outdoors. The phone number is  312-329-9555 and the website www.mercaditorivernorth.com. Hours vary, so please check online for the hours and menu as well as making reservations.