Čálli is a good restaurant in Chicago, featuring well-tested recipes from the talented Jonathan Zaragoza. But as it stands, it feels like no one is home.
While Jonathan Zaragoza basically grew up working at the restaurant, he also spent time in kitchens all over the city, before traveling extensively. Follow him online, and he’s often eating around Mexico or maybe helping out a restaurant in Dubai or London. Last year, he consulted on the menu at a short-lived Logan Square restaurantThe dining room at Čálli inside Soho House in Chicago's West Loop is seen July 12, 2023.
Čálli shows best in the snacks and starters sections. The sikil p’ak, a specialty from the Yucatán Peninsula, is a creamy pumpkin seed dip that might look pale brown but thanks to a hit of citrus, tomato and habanero, each bite is nutty, fruity and deliriously spicy. It’s paired with extra-crisp tortillas along with a bevy of bright and crunchy vegetables.
The starters section includes a very good leche de tigre, the Peruvian classic Zaragoza loved enough to put on the menu. But what you really want is the Caesar salad. I know few people more enamored with the dish than Zaragoza. “I’ve eaten it at the restaurant it was invented at in Tijuana,” Zaragoza said. “If it’s on a menu, I’ll order it every time.
The pescado zarandeado is a carefully grilled piece of fish that’s also very expensive for the size . The flour tortillas served on the side are disappointingly chalky and brittle.
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