Hidden Gems

Latin tastes and style at Cuatro

Many of the best new restaurants in Chicago have sprouted up in the booming South Loop neighborhood, and Cuatro is a shining example of why heading a few blocks south could be one of the best decisions you make for dinner.

With floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed beams, diverse seating arrangements and a warmly lit interior with earth tones, vibrant colors and splashy paintings, Cuatro creates a welcoming environment that makes it easy to relax with a loved one or group of friends or colleagues.

The centerpiece of the room, located behind a hand-crafted ebony bar, is an eight-foot tropical fish tank, which allows for a peak into the kitchen. The Latin-Caribbean style is accentuated by cabana-like shutters, ocean motifs and an aqua-colored accent wall.

Centering on providing traditional flavors of the Caribbean and Latin America in a modern fashion, Cuatro’s approach is one of simplicity and boldness of flavors, with a particular emphasis on popular Mexican cooking influences.

Cuatro boasts a solid list of wine, tequila and rum options, and it’s hard to imagine a howler monkey mojito or enormous glass of forbidden fruit sangria, topped with a splash of Sprite, won’t hit the spot.

The appetizer list reads like a menu on its own with options like the ceviche de salmon y callos, consisting of citrus-marinated salmon, seared bay scallops, avocado, pickled red onions and tamarind-aji panca vinaigrette, or the empanadas de cangrejo, which are fresh crab and goat cheese-filled dumplings, served with pico de gallo and avocado salsa cruda. Cuatro has only one soup on its menu, but trust us, that’s all they need, as we found the crema de choclo, or creamy fire-roasted corn and potato chowder with a touch of tomato and jalapeno, to be intoxicating.

For the meal, we went with the bistec a la parrila, a generous 12 ounces of Uruguayan New York Strip, served with an incredible chorizo twice-baked potato, sautéed spinach and green chimichurri sauce, as well as the cachapas de papa, which is as much fun to say to the waiter as it sounds. They are Colombian-style corn crepes filled with three-potato mash and Costa Rican irazu cheese, aji mirasol sauce and zucchini con crema.

Nearly filled to the brim, we didn’t think it was possible for dessert to upstage the rest of the meal, but it just might have. Choosing just one to split was the tough part. We went with the pastel de queso, a Mexican vanilla-scented cheesecake, topped with Oaxacan chocolate sauce and served alongside homemade dark Bolivian chocolate ice cream. Truly a perfect cap to captivating meal.

In addition, Cuatro boasts a great private party room and DJs for the late-night scene on the weekends, and it earned three stars from the Chicago Tribune in addition to being named one of the city’s “Best New Restaurants” in 2006 by Chicago Magazine.

Cuatro is located at 2030 S. Wabash. Call (312) 842-8856 or log on to www.cuatro-chicago.com for more information.

– Trent Modglin

 

Ms. Bea Haven’s Art of Burlesque
Do you want to work out, but want a sexy spin to it? With Ms. Bea Haven’s Art of Burlesque, you can stay fit and put on a show at the same time.

The class is taught by local performer J. T. Newman. Ms. Bea Haven is her stage persona. Newman performs throughout the city with Girlie-Q Productions. When she first started teaching the class, her first student was Ann Marie Weinert, aka “Red Hot Annie.” Weinert has since formed her own production company, Vaudezilla.

In the class, Newman teaches the basics of burlesque over several weeks. At the end of the class, the students put on a show for their families, friends and whoever else wants to watch.

Newman plans on teaching two classes, one a basic exercise class for those looking to be fit, and one for those who are interested in learning burlesque.

The class is taught on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. at Design Dance, 4710 N. Damen Ave. The price is $14-$16 per class.

— Robert O’Connor

‘The Hipmas Carol’
HeadCheese Fat Boss Productions presents their ninth annual production of “The Hipmas Carol,” an intimate and rhythmic retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic told through rhyming couplets, and illustrated musically by avant-garde improv/jazz electric guitarist Ritch Valadez.

Playwright/actors Tyler Bohne and Patrick Zielinski play 26 characters and narrate the tale in a “Lord Buckley meets Dr. Seuss beat story scat,” while never changing costumes or leaving the stage.

“The Hipmas Carol” runs Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. from Dec. 5-20 at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, West Town Theater (777 N. Green Street). Ten percent of all ticket proceeds will be donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Call (312) 733-6000 or log on to www.theaterland.com for ticket information.

Pizza cooking class at Frasca Pizzeria and wine bar
On Tuesday, December 9, at 7:00 p.m., chef Javier Gomez and owner Josh Rutherford will teach participants how to make great pizza dough from scratch, along with three different types of specialty pizzas. The class includes demonstration and tastings, along with two glasses of wine.

The three demonstrated pizzas will be:
Margarita — tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and basil.

Caponata — tomato sauce, eggplant, goat cheese, red peppers, mushrooms and artichokes.

Pepperoni — tomato sauce, oregano, provolone and mozzarella.

Tickets are $20 per person. Frasca is located at 3358 North Paulina Street. Call (773) 248-5222 for reservations, or log on to www.frascapizzeria.com for more information.