Hearty Ecuadorian Lunch

Restaurant Ecuador
2923 W. Diversey Ave
Chicago, IL 60647

While I’m sure Restaurant Ecuador would be great in the evening with dinner, there is something that truly makes you feel like you are dining in another country when you have lunch here. Maybe it was how the bright light hits the well-decorated wall and blue tiled counter or maybe it’s the soccer game playing in the background. Maybe, it’s the fact that I am not a Spanish speaker and there was not a fellow white person in the room. Maybe it was my mighty appetite that usually hits around lunchtime that made me crave a big hearty lunch. Most likely, it was all of the above. Thank god for Restaurant Ecuador.

Sitting right on the northern border of Logan Square and Avondale sits this great little restaurant. From outside, it doesn’t look like much. From the inside, you will find locals (presumably Ecuadorian, mostly) enjoying this very hearty cuisine. There really is no other word to describe it. It’s extremely flavorful, filling and very lean. I did not find the Ecuadorian food here to be unhealthy in any way (within moderation). If you’re watching your waist, feel free to waddle down here and enjoy yourself.


In Ecuadorian meals, it is traditionally to have three courses: a soup, an entrée served over rice and finally a dessert. For soups, you could always dive right into trying the Caldo de Pata or Beef feet soup with chickpeas. Not that adventurous? A safe, yet interesting option is the Caldo de Salchicha, which is an Ecuadorian pork sausage soup. If soup wasn’t enough for you, one little appetizer that I would recommend is the tortillas de papa. This is one potato pattie that is served over a salad. It is light and flavorful.

The menu has an extensive list of different, tasty looking entrees. Seafood fans, you are in luck! This menu has 16 different seafood dishes for you to choose from. These include a fish and plantain tamale to a fish and plantain soup to a clam cocktail.


If you’re more of a land animal fan, I highly recommend the Seco de Chivo. This dish is goat stewed in a tomato-based sauce and served over rice. Like every other dish here, it comes with plantains. This stew was one of the best goat I have ever had as far as flavor is concerned. It was savory and the tomato really melded well with the goat. The texture, however, was still a bit tough. Understandably, goat is often a gristly meat, but with enough stewing (or braising) it can get fall off the bone. However, let this not deter you. If goat isn’t your thing, try the Llapingacho, which is two potato patties and two eggs with a peanut sauce over rice. Peanuts may throw a few people, but peanuts are often found in Ecuadorian food.

As a nice change of pace from some of the more upscale and more note-worthy restaurants in the neighborhood, Restaurant Ecuador still provides a lot of charm and great food. This place certainly shouldn’t be overlooked if you need a nice hearty lunch.


Getting down to Brass Tax:

BYOB
Date place? Yes.
Friend Hang out? Yes.
Recommended dish: Seco de Chivo
Price Range (2 People): +/- $30

Logan Square’s Adventurous Sushi

S@kura
2507 W Fullerton Ave
Chicago, IL 60647

While many would not associate Logan Square with sushi, this is a much more common type of cuisine being found in our fair neighborhood. Logan Square is lucky enough that it can lay claim to one of the more adventurous sushi places that this Foodie has ever been to in Chicago. This BYOB sushi bar only adds to the diversity of restaurants in Logan Square.


Sitting on the eastern edge near Lincoln Park, some might think that the interior of this restaurant would be something you would find on that side of the river. That said, it has a very low key feel that is perfect for Logan Square. Upscale, but not stuffy. No need to dress up, but would it kill you to wear a clean shirt? Christ! They do have outdoor seating, but unfortunately, Fullerton Avenue doesn’t offer the sort of calm, inviting streetscape that begs for al fresco. Sorry, S@kura. Nice try.

In spite of S@kura’s rather cumbersome seating capacity, its food does pack in locals on most nights. This is because the menu is full of sushi bar favorites like miso soup, California Rolls and Godzilla Rolls. But dig into this rather, large menu a little deeper.


The miso soup is a good start, but you’d be better off starting with a Wakeme Salad—a bowl of seaweed that is coated in a sweet and sour sasemi vinegarette. “Seaweed??” you say? Yes. It’s an acquired taste and texture, but keep going. Eventually you will appreciate how the seaweed and vinegarette blend.

As for rolls, a very popular one is the Godzilla roll. This roll of tempura shrimp, crab with cheese cheese and wasabi mayo has a spicy, yet smooth texture. It’s a mouth full, so make sure you share it with someone else. This one a very strong choice, but S@kura offers a much more notably exciting roll that I recommend—The Tie Me Up Roll.


The Tie Me Up Roll features long, stretchy ingredients (hence the name). Which are those? Raw Octopus and Seaweed. You can’t get more adventurous than this! The flavor is outstanding. The texture, however, is rubbery. You might want to bring some sake and get a few shots under your belt if you are of the faint of heart for this one.

If you’re looking for something not quite as Fear Factor-ish (is that reference still current, or did I just date myself?) then, the P’Dodo Roll is perfect for you. Flavorful, fresh and interesting. This roll has three types of fish, a spear of asparagus, cucumber, avacado, some wasabi for heat and rolled up in soy paper (an interesting change from seaweed paper).


If you really want to go nuts with adventurous, take anything from the Sashimi or Nigiri section of the menu. These items are either raw fish (Sashimi) or raw fish on a little pillow of rice (Nigiri). Here the list goes from anything from the squid to clams to smelt roe (smelt caviar (smelt eggs)). Take your pick. I quite liked the Unagi Fresh Water Eel. This is fresh water eel on a pillow of rice with a little bit of a sweet, brown sauce on top. The texture of fresh water eel is soft and delicate. Smooth, almost.

As mentioned before, S@kura is BYOB. If you’re not looking to drink, try their Thai Iced Coffee or Tea. These are sweet and creamy. The Thai iced tea has an incredible flavor that is simply sublime. Get it.



While Logan Square may not feel like the home of sushi restaurants, this is increasingly becoming a common commodity. S@kura provides a unique menu of this cuisine by providing the neighborhood with exciting, not commonly found rolls.



Getting down to Brass Tax:

BYOB
Date place? Yes.
Friend Hang out? Yes.
Recommended dish: P’Dodo Roll
Recommended drink: Thai Iced Tea
Price Range (2 People): +/- $40