Top Chef Master Rick Bayless's Topolobampo Restaurant....

The initial plan for tonight was to eat dinner at Frontera Grill in Chicago. This afternoon I tried to call for reservations and was told that it was first come, first serve. So I then tried to make them for Topolobampo, the sister restaurant to Frontera Grill which is attached to the latter, and was told there were no reservations available. We figured to press our luck and try Frontera Grill anyway. We get there and are then told it is a 2 1/2 hour wait. I put our name on the list, but then ask about the other restaurant. Low and behold, the maitre d then tells me he can seat us right now in Topo and we decided to go that route instead. The difference? Frontera is the more rustic and causal fare, Topo is the high end high class four star meal. I now have no regrets about making the choice to go to Topo.

For starters...the Topolo Margarita's. These are the signature drinks that are mixed right that the table and then poured into the glasses. I went through 3 of these and I have to say, it was the best margarita I have ever had. The then brought out the very special guacamole with jicama & cucumbers. This guac had some kicked up peppers in it and was amazing with these vegetables as chips.

The apps then came out. At the last min I decided to order the Sopa Azteca and it was a great decision. This is basically chicken tortilla soup. They pour it into the bowl at the table and this soup had flavors that goes on for days. This is a must have and the soup is as follows: dark broth flavored with pasilla, with grilled chicken, avocado, Meadow Valley Farm hand-made Jack cheese, thick cream and crisp tortilla strips.

We also got the Trio, Trio, Trio. This is a sampling of Ceviche Fronterizo, Ceviche Yucateco and Coctel de Atun Tropical which is then served with fresh made tortilla chips.

It was time for the main course. I got the duck, two others got the pork, and one other got the scallops and lobster. You will see via the pics was is in the first two dishes. I got to taste the famous "mole" and I have to say...it lived up to the hype and then some.

Rick Bayless has earned the title of Top Chef Master for a reason and this mean proves it. I highly recommend you try either of his establishments when you are in Chicago. You won't regret it.

Anniversary Dinner @ Driftaway Cafe

We got a taste of Driftaway Cafe a few weeks ago when they catered a party we were at. So tonight for our 3rd Anniversary dinner, we decided to try the restaurant out for the first time. One word: Outstanding. We started off with the crab dip. It was supposed to come out with bread, but we had them change it up to the homemade tortilla chips. These things are like crack! I enjoyed a nice Argentine Malbec and for my meal I had the Scallop & Crab Carbona. This had all kinds of awesome written all over it.

Cajun Bay Scallops App & Salmon Salad...