The long awaited Jaleo, Chicago is finally open. Our meal there this past weekend was pure joy. For years I’ve had friends ask me to write reviews of restaurants I visit but never had the courage to do it, till now. What a great way to start my restaurant review journey.
Full Disclosure: I write from a purely lay person, foodie, perspective. I don’t get paid for it so what I write is straight from the heart. I bear no malice or favor anybody, so its purely my opinion of what i felt while having a meal that day.
Okay, so Jaleo. What can I say but that it is true to its name… joyful, a dance, celebration, all in one, of food , of the different cuisines of Spain. Some rustic (Pan de cristal con tomate), some sophisticated (Aceitunas modernas y clásicas), some playful (Quesos served with Pecos).
Every dish we tried made us want to do a jig. The ‘Crystal” bread soaked in olive oil and rubbed with tomatoes made you think of sitting on a farm table in Spain, eating with the locals. The ‘liquid olives’ , are an ode to his friend and maestro, Chef Ferran Adria`, and boy does he deliver.
The Queso assortment is small but varied enough for one to get a taste of the primary cheeses from Spain. The accompaniments with them are fun and creative, right from the picos (tiny bread sticks), to the membrillo, to the moscatel compressed apples.
Some other recommendations I have are the Sobrassada ibérica ( Spreadable cured sausage from Mallorca made with ibérico pork and Spanish pimentón served with honeycomb and toasted bread), Pimientos del piquillo rellenos de queso de cabra (Seared piquillo peppers filled with goat cheese ) and the Gambas al ajillo, ( classic Spanish tapa of shrimp sautéed with garlic). The Gambia , I would ask the kitchen to go a little easy on the salt but everything else was superb.
For my vegetarian friends , there are a few options ,the Patatas bravas (Fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and alioli ) are the best I have ever eaten, even in Spain. The potatoes are just the right crispy on the outside and soft inside with a spicy red pepper and tomato sauce and a light drizzle of aioli . Heaven!
We finished of with the Rossejat Negra ’..or not!*(Paella’ made with toasted pasta instead of rice with cuttlefish sofrito, head-on shrimp and squid ink). A great take on the traditional paella, nutty, full flavored and a smaller portion than a paella,which worked great for us.
They do have an extensive wine and cocktail offering, but we had taken our own ($25 corkage fee). We had a 2001 Rioja Gran Reservation, Vina Otano from our private collection which paired beautifully with all of the dishes.
Sorry no recommendations for dessert as we were too stuffed to have any but we have saved that for our next visit.
I would love to hear from you so let me know what you think of the review and the restaurant, of course.
