Chicago: Cafe Iberico (Revisited)

Over the weekend, I had two friends come in to visit me in Chicago. One was on spring break, while the other was checking out a med school in the area. Because they flew in on Thursday at different times, we didn't really get to all hang out until Friday night after my classes and after my friend's med school orientation.

My roommate and I discussed a lot of restaurant options and finally settled on Cafe Iberico. This was my second time at Iberico, but with 5 people around the table (we were joined by a school friend), this time around I got to try a lot more things.

First came the patatas bravas, which were spicy potatoes with special tomato sauce:

Spicy, but so very good.

Next was the jambon iberico, Spanish style cured ham with manchego cheese and tomato bread:

Best ham I've had in a long, long while.

I've been raving about the pulpo a la plancha since my last visit, so of course we had to get that:

Even better than I remembered.

Our server recommended the tilapia with white beans and spinach:

Not only was our server the cutest guy ever, he also knew his stuff. The tilapia was fantastic.

We also ordered the grilled sea scallops with saffron sauce:

And the paella iberica:

It was a lot of food and we all left feeling pleasantly full. On the train ride home we gushed about how great the food was and happily patted ourselves on the back for ordering the perfect amount. Our tune changed a few minutes after we got home.

"I could still eat."

I don't remember who said it, but with those few words, the floodgates were opened.

My roommate ended up whipping up a batch of dukbokki with ramen and we topped it off with half of a homemade pazooki.

Fail.

Cafe Iberico
739 N LaSalle Blvd
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 573-1510
http://www.cafeiberico.com/