When a restaurant is advertised as having “the best Latin-inspired food you have ever tasted outside of Oaxaca,” you better bring it.
Well, something that favors Ceiba—a new restaurant in the heart of Latin America—is that its chef, Armando Gonzalez, is from that region of Mexico. He learned about the culinary arts under the eye of his mother, who ran an inn, before eventually landing in Chicago and working in establishments such as BIN 36 and mk.
Located in the former Stray Hen Cafe on Clark Street in the heart of Lincoln Park, Ceiba has the right atmosphere, food and drinks to host a crowd. Also, the staff is exceedingly friendly, as exemplified by manager Uriel and server John. John, it turns out, is a huge fan of Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Chappell Roan. And as much as my friend and I enjoyed chatting with John, we were disheartened by the fact that Ceiba was criminally vacant the night we were there; only two tables (including ours) had patrons.
Maybe people don’t know about the place, which is why I’m here—if the place is good. What I can definitely tell you is that Ceiba wholeheartedly represents Oaxaca, with spins of dishes I hadn’t tasted before.
The dinner menu isn’t the most expansive (with 16 shared dishes listed under three headings: vegetarian, meat and fish), but the items there have to be tasted to be believed. We tried items from each list—and were generally quite impressed with what we had.
An especially large and tasty chile relleno (stuffed with goat cheese, wild mushroom, epazote and chile de arbol salsa) was not only delicious but also gustatorily complex, as was a salad highlighted by Asian pears and also featuring arugula, candied pecans, Spanish blue cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. The salad combined freshness, sweetness and saltiness in a way that many people will appreciate—although I only had a smidgen of the cheese, as a little of it goes a long way for me.
The chicken was sizable (half a bird) and came with roasted potatoes, onions, kale, au jus and Spanish chorizo. (We had the chorizo on the side since my friend abstains from red meat.) But it was almost cooked perfectly, as it was a tad salty for us. (My friend correctly predicted that her partner would love the chicken.) And the ceviche mixto provided a cornucopia of flavors, thanks to the ahi tuna and salmon, pineapple, onions, coconut passion mojo, serrano pepper, cilantro and lime juice; it was a dish I’ve certainly had before, but this delicious concoction was unlike any ceviche I’d tried.
Even the dessert was a new sensation to my taste buds—or, at least, it aimed to be a new sensation. The cheesecake (Ceiba’s only dessert so far) supposedly featured the tropical fruit zapote, which I had never experienced before. And I guess I still haven’t experienced it, as neither I nor my friend (who’s had the fruit before) couldn’t detect it. Nevertheless, the dessert was still delightful and was a step above most cheesecakes I’ve had.
And the drinks are also quite different—and fun! I tried The Health Kick—an intriguing mix of mezcal, ginger, carrot, turmeric, lime and Topo Chico. And my friend really appreciated the Flores, which includes gin, orgeat, simple, falernum, Campari and orange bitters. Of course, Ceiba specializes in mezcal and tequila; if margaritas are your thing, this place can certainly whip one up for you.
Ceiba has something for everyone: a very cool dinner menu and a more accommodating (and familiar) brunch menu with items like steak Gorditas, omelets and huevos rancheros. And then on Sunday evenings, there’s “Siempre en Domingo”—a dance party with EDM and other songs to get you to work off those calories. So give Ceiba a try—this spot definitely deserves your patronage.
“8 Crazy Nights”
Through Jan. 5, Wrigleyville spot The Graystone Tavern has been transformed into a Hanukkah wonderland for the fourth annual “8 Crazy Nights.” (Hanukkah actually runs Dec. 25, 2024-Jan. 2, 2025.)
Using more than 30,000 blue and white lights, the place bathes guests in shades of indigo while they enjoy the decor (which includes signage like “Let’s Get Lit” or hung sweaters with phrases like “This Is How We Jew It” on them). There are full-size custom-painted wood characters, lighted menorahs and dreidel ornaments; even the bottles behind the bar have blue caps on them.
I do have a few words of advice: Try to get a spot in the back, especially on a cold night. The front door is slow to close and there were people in the front area who had their coats on the entire time.
The menus are on dreidel cutouts; food items related to the pop-up are on one side while the regular menu is on the other. Offerings related to the pop-up include latkes (which one of my friends were good but needed applesauce in addition to the sour cream); challah grilled cheese with tomato soup; a brisket sloppy Joe; and a divine Messiah melt that comes with two all-beef patties, white American cheese and caramelized onions on challah bread. (That last item is so simple, yet so good.) Last (but not least) is a delightful boozy jelly donut featuring mango-strawberry jam and peach vodka; interestingly, I couldn’t taste the alcohol—but that could’ve been because I already had tried the potent and delicious boozy hot chocolate. One of my friends had the Mensch Mule, which she thoroughly enjoyed.
“8 Crazy Nights” is a delightful pop-up. It won’t have you changing religions—but you will leave with a new appreciation of the festival/holiday.
Note: SAVOR visits are pre-arranged, unless otherwise indicated.
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