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The ordained Mole Master, Geno Bahena, opened Tepatulco to showcase a mixture of traditional Mexican food and contemporary Mexican cuisine. We stopped in for a quick bite to see if the rumors about good food but poor service were accurate.
We were quickly seated and after less than a minute, when the server had not appeared, the hostess came over and offered to bring us drinks, apologizing that we had waited. She continued to serve us throughout the meal and was polite and gracious. The passion fruit margaritas were served within minutes of ordering and admittedly, tasted like fruit punch and tequila ($9 each). That didn’t keep us from ordering more than one, though.
We began with the entremes surtido for two, described as "an appetizer platter with Mexico City-style quesadillas (turnovers), crispy chicken taquitos with sour cream, tangy ceviche tostadas, and guacamole" ($12.50). The ceviche tostadas were flavorful and light. The turnovers were delicious but heavier and slightly greasy. Next time, we’ll try the vuelve a la vida, on the menu as "a seaside cocktail of shrimp, ceviche, fresh-shucked oysters, and avocado in Tangy, Tamazula-sparked cocktail sauce" ($10).
The main entrée was yellow-fin tuna marinated in achiote and garlic, cooked over a fire and served with pickled red onions, xnipic and yellow rice ($18.50). The fish was just slightly dry but had a lot of good flavor. The best part of the dish was the grilled zucchini served alongside the fish; the zucchini had that delicious grilled taste that worked well with the pickled red onion and it had the right amount of bite and salt.
Overall, the food was good, but not extraordinary. The restaurant was slow (only one other table was occupied) and so it was odd that the server was not prompt – but this did not take away from the service at all since the hostess filled the shoes readily and capably. With the wealth of good Mexican restaurants to choose from in Chicago, Tepatulco would not be our first choice but it does warrant a visit.
2558 North Halsted Street.
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i was hoping you'd say the food at tepatulco made the spanish conquest of the aztec empire worth it, but doesn't sound like you were that impressed...still sounds/looks better than typical mexican food you would find in the northside. i'm too lazy to venture out too far from my hood.
Why don't your restaurant reviews ever list the exact location of the place being reviewed?
Peteypants - That was my general feeling; you hit it on the head. It was good, but not WOW.
It's sort of what I expect from a Bahena-run restaurant. It's great initially, then the overall quality level dips off precipitously. It was the same way at Delicioso y Sabroso, before it was shuttered.
It's almost as though Bahena suffers from attention deficit disorder; he has to have multiple projects going on. I'd be happy to see him sustain the quality level of one project.
Oh, and the address is listed.
ThisGuy - D'oh! Because I'm a putz and forget to list it sometimes which is...really rather necessary. My bad.
Tepatulco is at 2558 N. Halsted.
It's really too bad that someone who has so much talent in the kitchen cannot seem to handle the operations end of the restaurant business. I've dined in most of his restaurants over the years, and invariably the service has been slow, orders inaccurate but the menues interesting and the moles incredible.