Spanish regional cooking expands in Chicago
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Spanish food and drink are enjoying a resurgence in Chicago, and we're not talking about tapas bars. That "small plates" concept is certainly still around, but we've now entered the next phase of Spanish dining in the city.
That next phase is regional Spanish cooking, as well as the concept of "pinxtos," or small bites typically eaten in the Basque country up north. Barcelona is another hot spot, and since it sits in the region of Catalonia, we're also seeing some of those culinary traditions showing up on plates and bar counters in the city, from restaurants like Salero in the West Loop to more casual bars in the neighborhoods.
Not all of the food at Bom Bolla is tiny, but this new Spanish-inspired bar in Wicker Park is definitely all about sampling, since it takes its cue from Northeastern Spain.
"In the last few years, definitely in Barcelona and Catalonia, it's exploded," said W. Craig Cooper, the general manager and beverage director. "It's olives, it's potato chips, it's sardines and it's simple."
And those simple items - be they aged and sliced pork, sheep's milk cheeses, briny olives or umami-rich sardines, go exceedingly well with a number of Spanish drinks, namely cava, the sparkling wine that is to Spain what champagne is to France.
"We led with cava but followed with sherry and vermouth and a lot of other things," Cooper said.
Vermouth on tap is almost unheard of in Chicago, yet it's everywhere in Barcelona. It's a perfect match with nearly everything on the menu here.
"We're trying to do a true, Boqueria-style counter service with olives and little pinxtos and cheese and sardines and all of those kinds of things but also bocadillos and montadillos - little Spanish sandwiches," Cooper said.
Cooper says this current wave of interest in Spanish food is a little different from the last time this happened a decade ago because now there's more information about regional cuisine.
"People are traveling more and they're trying to do things a little bit more authentic and then in a certain way a little simpler," he said.
Bom Bolla
1501 N Milwaukee Ave
(773) 698-6601
Every Saturday and Sunday from noon- 3 p.m., their entire vermouth selection is half off, both by the glass and bottle.
Also mentioned:
Salero
621 W. Randolph St.
(312) 466-1000
