Even among the ever-increasing slew of spots in the Wicker Park restaurant row on Division Street, Mama Delia Restaurant & Sherry Bar stands out.
From its pink exterior to its extensive shelves of items that include wine, vinegar and even broth (all for sale) to its Spanish cuisine and the European dance music emanating from the speakers, Mama Delia is a comfy neighborhood stop that revels in its uniqueness.
Formerly known as Black Bull, Mama Delia has tapas, paellas and sweets prepared by Executive Chef Marcos Campos and Executive Pastry Chef Shannah Primiano. Brian Sturgulewski leads a mixology team that showcases cocktails that often feature sherry—and Mama Delia touts itself as having one of the best sherry collections in the country. (Sherry’s a fortified wine made from white grapes grown in a particular region of Spain.)
And I started by ordering a Sherry Cobbler (which would be a great drag name, by the way); it incorporates a blend of four sherries as well as strawberry (which is having a moment right now) and mint. I have to say that it was quite tasty and refreshing, although there was a bit too much ice. (Proportion was a slight problem with another item down the line, which I’ll get to.)
The tapas at Mama Delia are second to none. The selection—a mix of the classic and modern—includes anchovies with heirloom tomato; croquettes with mushroom and onion puree along with sherry; AQUA vegan tuna with fried egg and potato strings; and even crispy pig ears with salsa brava, basque corn talo and morcilla kimchi. I opted for three impressive items: an Ibiza-style chorizo spread with goat cheese, truffle balsamic and pan de cristal; grilled covina with piparra gel and piquillo pepper relish; and truffle huevo rotos—French fries with truffle sauce and fried egg. The fries actually needed two eggs to actually cover all the fries, but that was my only quibble with these apps.
Mama Delia also offers various paella dishes (under the heading “Arroces y Fideua”), including arroz negro, which features monkfish, head-on shrimp, squid ink and lemon; arroz de Tuetano, which has dry-aged beef, bone marrow, hen-of-the-wood mushrooms and sofrito; and arroz al horno (the one I ordered), which contains morcilla, pork belly, garbanzo beans and cocido stock.
I thought the paella was good although, again, proportion was a problem. There were plenty of rice and beans, but the meat was pretty hard to find. And considering that the full paellas start at $49 each, you want to make sure you get more bang for your buck, so to speak. (Also, the dish needed some salt—and I’m someone who tends to stay away from sodium, although it’s possible that the night’s chef, who was not Campos, was hoping the saltiness of the blood sausage would carry over to the rest of the dish.) However, when I did get the combination of all the key ingredients, it was much better.
I concluded the Mama Delia experience on a particularly high note—the tarta de Santiago, a mix of hazelnut ice cream, confit peach and sherry caramel that was accompanied by a slice of orange-almond pound cake. The combination of flavors was divine, and I’m glad I saved a little room for dessert.
As I was dining solo this time (as my dining companion pled sickness and not wanting me to catch anything, which I appreciated), I asked a couple seated nearby what they thought of their dishes. Much like my experience, they preferred their apps/tapas to the paella, which the guy gave a “six out of 10.” His girlfriend agreed, and they added that they loved the goat-cheese-stuffed dates.
Would I return to Mama Delia? Absolutely—although I’m more likely to order the tapas than the paella. It’s such a welcoming, plush place that it has to be (re-)experienced.
And when you dine there, be sure to ask for Germaine, if he’s there. He was extremely helpful in explaining the dishes and even in urging me to scrape the fond (bottom tasty bits) of the pan when I spooned my paella—and he is just a ray of sunshine.
Note: SAVOR visits are pre-arranged, unless otherwise indicated.
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