Ushering in its fourth year with an extensive roster of restaurants, cafes and bakeries, Latin Restaurant Weeks runs Aug. 16 through Aug. 30 as organizers hope to spotlight the diversity of Latin flavors in Chicago, beyond the usual tamales and tacos.
“We focus on the diversity of Latin cuisine because there are so many nuances, different tastes and different processes from region to region — even in Mexican food, people think they know it, but they don’t know how to differentiate from Oaxacan or traditional foods to coastal Mexican cuisine,” said Karinn Chavarria, founder of Latin Restaurant Weeks. “We try to be kind of an educational platform so that consumers can try something new; we try to cover as many different countries that are available in each city as possible and really encourage people to try the cuisines that they might not have had yet.”
Chavarria said events like Latin Restaurant Weeks make cultural cuisines accessible to people who wouldn’t otherwise have something like arepas in their weekly rotation.
“We want people to try the different ways Latin food appears in Chicago,” she said. “The Latino population is one of the reasons why Chicago is such a vibrant city with vibrant neighborhoods.”
Fernanda Guardado, head of marketing for Kie-Gol-Lanee in the Uptown neighborhood, said the Oaxacan restaurant has been in Chicago for eight years, but most people don’t know what the cuisine is known for.
“Oaxaca has very rich flavors — one of the best things is mole and in Oaxaca, there are many, many types of mole,” Guardado said.
Mole is a sauce made by toasting, grinding and pureeing nearly 25 ingredients into a smooth sauce that’s typically served with protein, rice and tortillas. Guardado said the process of making mole is not taken lightly in Oaxacan cuisine and results in deep and complex sauce with notes of chocolate and chili.
“Oaxacan food is more ancient and there are a lot of little towns that still preserve old techniques and traditions, and the recipes still come from their grandmas,” Guardado said. “Our name is very particular, it’s the Zapotec name for where the family who owns the restaurant is from — and some people have no idea what it is. This morning someone asked me if we were a Thai restaurant.”
Zapotec is an ancient, indigenous dialect in southern Mexico that is spoken by only a few communities, Guardado said, adding that the family and the restaurant workers at Kie-Gol-Lanee speak the language fluently.
Guardado noted some standout items for Latin Restaurant Weeks for those wanting to try Oaxacan food: a corn-based flan called Nicuatole and tamales oaxaqueños, tamales wrapped in banana leaves.
The puerco en mole verde tamal at Kie-Gol-Lanee. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune)
Chavarria said Latin Restaurant Weeks first started in 2019 in Houston as a two-week initiative to raise awareness of the city’s Hispanic culinary community and its impact. Chavarria and co-founder Warren Luckett wanted to help businesses thrive by providing a marketing vessel along with a celebration of the culture, history and food. It’s expanded to seven cities, including Miami, New York City and Atlanta.
This year, 49 restaurants are participating in Chicago. Chavarria said there are no rules or parameters businesses have to follow.
“We ultimately leave it to the restaurants to create something — whether it’s something they’ve been wanting to debut for a while, or maybe it’s their best seller. If it fits their model, they’ll create a prix-fixe three-course menu or they might opt for a two-course, or they might opt for a nicely discounted meal,” Chavarria said. “But we encourage all of them to create something very special and exclusive to Latin Restaurant Weeks, so consumers can enjoy a nice price break.”
For example, Café Con Leche, a trendy spot in the Logan Square neighborhood serving Latin American fusion food, is offering four courses for $49 with options like shrimp ceviche and a Cuban classic, ropa vieja, which is pulled steak with aji amarillo and pico de gallo. For dessert, there’s flan or torta chocolate.
The Old Plank, also in Logan Square, is opting for a three-course menu at $32, with several vegetarian options like mushroom tacos featuring portobello and cremini ragu, salsa macha and queso fresco.
Alisar el-Farmaoui, director of marketing for The Old Plank and Café Con Leche, which are both owned by Esam Hani, said Latin Restaurant Weeks is more intimate than Chicago Restaurant Week in that it fosters personalized connections among independent chefs and restaurant owners.
“A notable advantage of (Latin Restaurant Weeks) is that it’s free to join, making it particularly beneficial for smaller, independent establishments,” el-Farmaoui said.
Chavarria noted there are several legacy restaurants like Mima’s Taste of Cuba in the Irving Park neighborhood that are taking part. Tacotlán — another returning Latin Restaurant Weeks player — is experiencing a renewed customer base.
Quesabirria tacos at Tacotlan. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune)
Recently, the taquería in the Hermosa neighborhood saw a boost in sales and popularity after well-known social media food reviewer, Keith Lee, stopped by the restaurant and posted a video raving about the quesabirria tacos.
“They’ve been our participants since Year 1,” Chavarria said. “Latino ownership is so vast and we wanted a platform for them.”
Fernando Sotelo, general manager of 5 Rabanitos in the Pilsen neighborhood, said the restaurant name means “five little radishes,” an homage to the radish farm his father’s family owned in Mexico. Their menu specials for Latin Restaurant Weeks include roasted potatoes in tamarind chile salsa called tamarindo papitas and chile en nogada, which is roasted poblanos stuffed with meat, apple brandy and pomegranate. A tres leches cake soaked in a chocolate mixture is the dessert option.
“Latin Restaurant Weeks is a really, really big thing for us and is a great way for people to find out about the restaurant, explore Mexican cuisine … I’ve traveled to a few countries and when people ask, ‘Where are you from?’ ‘Oh, I’m from a Mexican background,’ it’s ‘Oh, so tacos,’” Sotelo said with a laugh. “It’s way more than just tacos. And this helps us show the variety we have.”
For a full list of Latin Restaurant Weeks restaurants, visit latinrestaurantweeks.com.
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