After
hearing about it for many years, I finally caved and decided to try
tapas for the first time. After a little research on yelp.com
I decided that I would go to Emilio’s
Tapas in downtown Chicago. From the outside this little
restaurant doesn’t appear to be much, but the red awning hides a
delightful treat. The intimate setting, wandering guitar quartet,
and varied menu proved to be very fun and exciting.
Walking
into Emilio’s, you are greeted by the pleasant hostess. Tables are
small, and the restaurant has subdued lighting, making it ideal for a
date night, or just an intimate dinner with friends. There is a full
bar, and a wine menu which features mostly Spanish wines. The wait
staff proved to be very helpful with the wine list, and my server,
Luis, recommended a rather pleasant Temperillo which complimented
most of the dishes, and had a very unexpected spicy finish. He
explained that tapas is little dishes, designed to be shared, and
just a few bites for each person. After detailing the night’s
specials, we decided to order six tapas dishes, including a paella,
one of Emilio’s specialties. In fact the paella has won several
awards in Chicago, including the Chicago Critic’s Choice Award. We
started with a Salmon a la Taverna with hard boiled egg, dill cream
sauce and capers, and a watermelon salad with Serrano ham, arugula,
and olive oil dressing. We also ordered a Dijon chicken breast with
cauliflower puree, a special for the evening, Lome De Cerdo Al
Ajillo, a pork dish, and Albondigas De Cordero, lamb meatballs. We
chose the Paella A La Valenciana for our paella dish, one which has
chicken, shrimp, langostinos, shrimp, pork, mussels, and clams in it.
For dessert we ordered a triple mousse cake, profiteroles with ice
cream and bittersweet chocolate sauce, and crepes filled with vanilla
and peach custard.
I
came up with four criteria for judging my experience: taste, menu
variety, service, and ambiance.
Taste
While
I was impressed with some of the dishes, like the Dijon chicken and
the watermelon salad, some of the regular menu items weren't so good.
The paella was overly sweet and the seafood in it was very
overcooked. The Dijon chicken dish was very well balanced, and the
velvety cauliflower puree paired very well with the kick from the
Dijon sauce. The chicken was perfectly cooked and fork tender. The
lamb meatballs were good themselves, but the sauce they came in
tasted like a spicy Campbell's tomato soup. For the cold tapas, the
watermelon salad was absolutely divine. The sweet watermelon with
the salty Serrano ham and peppery arugula was refreshing and light.
The salmon a la taverna had a good balance too it, but the salmon
itself had a fishy taste that was off putting. The pork tenderloin
dish was decent, but it came with mushrooms, which was not listed on
the menu. The pork itself was slightly overcooked and a little dry,
but not to bad. The Spanish potatoes were okay, slivers of potato
pan fried with some spices. The desserts were out of this world.
The puff pastry profiteroles were wonderful, and the bittersweet
chocolate sauce on them was a great pairing with the sweet pastry and
ice cream. The vanilla and peach crepes highlighted the fresh fruit
on the dish, and were a great seasonal desert. Finally, the triple
mousse cake balanced rich dark chocolate mousse with lighter white
chocolate mousse, and a creamy caramel mousse. The flavors went very
well together, and the lighter mousses kept it from being too rich or
too sweet. Overall I would give the taste three out of five starts.
Overcooking seafood and pork is a horrible offense for a high end
restaurant, but the specials were well balanced and well put
together.
Menu
Variety
One
thing I will give Emilio's is that they have a wide range of options
on their menu. There are many dishes, and they cover the range of
seafood, pork, chicken, and beef, giving a diner a wide variety of
proteins to order from. They also have a range of not spicy to very
spicy, and this works well for a wide range of palettes. I give them
four out of five stars, just for the lack of vegetarian dishes.
Service
The
service was phenomenal. The server was attentive and discreet. He
was well informed on not only the dishes on the menu but the
specials, and the wine menu. The wine he recommended was great, and
he only knew that I liked pinot noir to go off of. You
can tell that a great deal of training is given to the servers both
on the food menu and the wine list. The bussers were prompt and
efficient in clearing the table, and did so quietly and
unobtrusively. I give the service five stars.
Ambiance
This
restaurant is designed for more intimate gatherings, so it has
smaller tables and low lighting. It is a great place to go for an
intimate family dinner, or a romantic evening, but I wouldn't
recommend it for a night out with friends. I would give the ambiance
three out of five stars.
Overall
Rating
Overall,
the service made the night for me, and I will give Emilio's 3.5 out
of five stars. I would go back there again to try some different
things, but stay away from some of the dishes. The kitchen could use
some work in making sure things were cooked properly before they get
to the table, but for the most part, it was an enjoyable date night
with my boyfriend. Kudos to Luis our server, he made the meal an
enjoyable experience, and is the main reason I would go back.
