Chicagoist: South Side Review: Delicioso Restaurante y Sabroso Grill

guest

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:29:31 -0600

I have to throw in an "I told you so," now that Tepatulco and Delicioso y Sabroso are *both* closed. I guess you can look at it this way: the quality never slipped.. they weren't open long enough for that. Here's hoping his next endeavors are more successful.

Ed

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:35:26 -0600

I'm well aware of that, and I certainly don't expect him to be slaving over a stove all the time. It's ridiculous to blame the sous chef or chef de cuisine for a bad meal at one of Bahena's restaurants. It is, regardless of anything, Geno's kitchen. If he can't keep the quality consistent when he's not in the kitchen, he should either fire his chef de cuisine or spend more time in the kitchen. If one of Thomas Keller's restaurants, or one of Joel Robuchon's restaurants, or even one of Bobby Flay or Tom Colicchio's restaurants served up a truly mediocre meal, it would be fair to blame the celebrity chef. And they're all much bigger celebrity chefs than Bahena is, with far more restaurants than he has. I love his cooking (and his mom's cooking). I'll never forget a lamb in mole negro that I had at Ixcapuzalco. But I can go get that exact same dish at Sol de Mexico (not to mention lots of non-Bahena enterprises, like Fonda del Mar), without having to worry about whether Bahena is around, and whether the kitchen will be firing on all cylinders. He's a great cook, he comes up with great dishes, but from everything I've seen, he's a lousy executive chef, and a lousy restauranteur. I hope he proves me wrong.

Chuck

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 11:50:34 -0600

Ed: Regardless of what you think of a chef's ego, one of the dirty little secrets of the "celebrity" chef is that he isn't always in the kitchen. Bahena is responsible for setting up the menu at both Tepatulco and Delicioso y Sabroso, but ultimately it's up to his kitchen manager to follow his instructions or offer suggestions to improve the quality of the food. If the quality of the food at Ixcapulzaco dropped off during Bahena's time there, it's because Bahena wasn't keeping tabs of the chefs he placed in charge of those kitchens. That said, Delicioso y Sabroso has only been in his charge for under two months, which is why I mentioned that what it needs right now is hands-on involvement from him. Focus on tweaking the problems there, then when he feels confident that his staff can implement his plans and menu with minimal direction, then he can split time between that and Tepultaco. Now if they can just utilize that space better.

Ed

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:49:25 -0600

" It makes us wonder if Bahena is placing ambition ahead of the food." No, really? Come on, that's been Bahena's M.O. for the past 10 years. He's built a reputation on his mother's fantastic moles and his pedigree from Frontera/Topolobampo. Chilpancingo was good at the beginning, Ixcapuzalco was good at the beginning, and then he gets bored, or stops caring, or something. Bahena's restaurants, if they're good at all, are good only for the first year or two. After that, all bets are off. Go to Sol de Mexico, instead. Mama Bahena's moles without Geno's ego getting in the way.