Mi Tocaya Antojeria made such a splash when it opened three years ago, there was hardly a drop of water left in the pool. And rightly so. Here was a Mexican restaurant intent on being unapologetically authentic in addition to unabashedly wonderful. Even though Chicago boasts the second largest population of Mexican immigrants in the country, none of the top Mexican restaurants at the time were run by anyone of Mexican descent. But when Mi Tocaya, headed by then 35-year-old Diana Dávila, threw its doors open in 2017; it was named one of the 50 best restaurants in the entire country.
Since then scoring reservations had been understandably difficult until Covid knocked the legs out from under the global restaurant industry. During the initial months of the crisis, Mi Tocaya simply closed its doors because of safety concerns. They didn’t re-open until Chicago reached stage 3 of its recovery trajectory and allowed restaurants to have limited outdoor dining. That’s when we were introduced to its food.
Still not comfortable with sit down dining of any kind, curbside pickup remains City Pleasures modus operandi for all restaurant encounters. Broken down into components like familiares (family style), antojos (cravings), antojitos (snacks) and un poquito mas (a little more); Mi Tocaya’s “traveling” menu proved surprisingly broad and gives you a feel for the restaurant’s potential range. The menu also hasn’t changed over the past few weeks.
The restaurant by now is accustomed to accolades; including being designated a Bib gourmand establishment by Michelin. Both the food and the value are solid. Main entrées right now consist of a beef option, a marinated and grilled carne asada and chicken. Served here with a traditional dark mole.
According to one of the restaurant’s staff, chef Dávila is particularly proud of her moles and if you want to get a feel for what makes Mi Tocaya special, the mole is a part of the equation. This one didn’t have the chocolate notes found in many; which were missed. Their presence certainly wouldn’t have detracted from the mole’s appeal. Dry in spots, the Amish chicken appeared grilled as well. Rounded out with generous slices of tender zucchini squash and a pleasing corn studded rice side, the chicken was an appetizing, if safe, dish. Naturally more assertive with the tang of lime used in the marinade, the skirt steak tasted the way you’d want a true Mexican skirt steak to please the tongue. Joined by a banana pepper stuffed with queso fresco and grilled spring bulb onions, it stands as an all season hit. But it was the humble bean that really made the taste buds shimmy. The frijoles charras, usually known as cowboy beans and recast by the restaurant as cowgirl beans, were delightful in the depth of their flavor influences. Using black beans instead of kidney and chorizo rather than bacon, they’re their own version of wonderful and typify what Dávila means when she says she likes to “make nostalgic things seem new”. If anything is an indication of what the restaurant is capable of and a reason to return for a sit-down experience, it’s those beans.
The service side of the pick-up and go scenario fell dismally flat. The orders weren’t ready until 30 minutes after the appointed time and the restaurant hung up on us twice when we called to get a fix on the actual ready time. The flan that was ordered got nixed because it had sold out before 6:30p. And the unsolicited but promised credit on the dessert never showed up on the final bill.
Mi Tocaya’s food is good; but, as is true in any business, integrity counts. It’s the second and last point mentioned above that may insure Mi Tocaya remains on the “Don’t Think So” list.
Mi Tocaya Antojeria
2800 W. Logan Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60647
872-315-3947
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