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ZAGAT
Survey.
2006
Review Highlights
A self-described "modern-day taqueria", this much-needed Market District
hot spot fills a niche for casual Mexican fare, with everything made to
order - including hot-off-the-griddle tortillas comprising unusal indredients
and accompanied by the likes of pear-cilantro or hibiscus margaritas; equally
refreshing are the blue floors and walls that evoke a south-of-the-border
beach escape. |
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New
York Post . November
1, 2005
It's do or dine
CHICAGO
What’s cooking: The
best Mexican food north of the border
Why: A century’s worth
of immigration has left the metropolitan area with a Latino
contingent numbering in excess of 1 million, largely from Mexico.
The result? A hyper-sophisticated local scene, ranging from
some of the best street food this side of Juarez, to artful
high-end dishes.
Where to eat: De Cero (814
W. Randolph St.), a chic West Loop taqueria owned by the people
behind one of the city’s hottest sushi bars. |
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Brunch: |
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sun 11 am~3 pm |
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Lunch: |
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tue-fri 11:30-2 pm
spring-fall (Apr 30-Dec 31) |
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friday 11:30-2 pm
winter hours (Jan-Apr 30) |
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Dinner: |
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tue-wed 5~10
pm |
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thur-sat 5~10:30
pm |
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sun 4:30~9:30
pm |
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Chicago
Magazine . May
2005
Best New Restaurants
by Jeff Ruby
Randolph Street's modern taquería-the brainchild of Sushi Wabi's
owners-has its problems. The place is too loud; it charges for chips and
salsa; the stylized décor is best described as Roadhouse Chic. But
you'd have to be an insufferable grump to fault Jill Rosenthall-Barron's
food, a savvy mix of regional Mexican flavors, à la Frontera Grill.
The name De Cero means "from scratch," and the queso-oozing chiles rellenos
with smoked tomato salsa prove it. Even better is the selection of eight
diverse fresh tacos (containing everything from braised duck with sweet
corn salsa to sautéed salmon with cilantro and pesto) accompanied
by three house salsas and warm corn tortillas for $26. It gets my vote
for best shareable new dish. Entrées are secondary, but there's
a smoky boneless grilled chicken mole, and wonderful cheese enchiladas
with queso anejo alongside tomatillo salsa. Desserts are terrific, even
the simple bowl of fresh berries in Mexican lime honey. Don't ignore the
big tequila list, but go easy on the hibiscus margaritas-one bolsters the
smart menu, two obliterate it. |
 
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Center
Stage . May 5,
2005
Viva La Mexican
Gourmand!
Say ta-ta to taquerias with our guide
to high-end
Mexican eats
Owned by Angela Hepler (the glorious co-owners
of Sushi Wabi), De Cero takes an innovative approach to standard taqueria
fare, dressing up tacos, tamales and nachos with succulent meats, unique
flavoring and fresh ingredients. The design is sleek urbanite meets rustic
coastal village, and it all comes together in a delicious, stylish package
that fits perfectly into West Randolph Street's restaurant corridor.
The 15-item taco list best exemplifies De Cero's Mex-with-a-twist approach,
with items like rajas roasted pepper, ahi tuna and braised duck. You can
order each separately or opt for a combo platter featuring eight of your
favorites and three salsas for a reasonable $26.
The tamale list, while not as extensive, gets creative with typical fare,
too: Try the goat cheese and black bean, cilantro pulled pork or fresh
corn versions. Sample a cocktail, made with fresh fruit and herbs, along
with your meal, and save room for dessert: the Jarritos float, made with
sorbet and the ubiquitous Mexican fruit-soda, is intriguing.
- Stephanie Kuenn |
NEWSRADIO 780 WBBM.
November 12, 2004
Sherman Kaplan's list
of best restaurants of 2004
De cero is much more than a neighborhood taco stand, and not nearly as
pricey as the high end Mexican destination restaurants. De cero is a hip,
sometimes noisy and crowded eatery with uncommonly good food.
The taco chips are unlike any I’ve had before. They are almost puffy,
bubbly, might be a better description. With a trio of spicy sauces, it
takes no effort at all for a party of four to go through several bowls,
without breaking a sweat. Then, there are the margaritas, just part of
a two page listing of drinks including more than a dozen tequilas, plus
wines and beers. I don’t presume to be a Margarita Nobel Laureate,
but what I tasted, tasted pretty good, even in chilly weather.
After the preliminaries, go for the appetizers, including tiny bite size
chili rellenos that look like small firecrackers, with almost the same
sort of tasty bang. Mushroom quesadillas are mild, no less enticing with
melted white cheese and a garnish of peppery sauce and chopped cilantro.
Other apps range from freshly made guacamole to complex duck nachos, sweet
corn soup with poblano peppers and char grilled octopus among choices.
There are also nightly specials. If codfish fritters are served when you
visit, grab ‘em before they’re all gone.
It would be easy to simply do a meal of tapas. For instance, order any
of the ala carte tacos, or a combo plate with three sauces. The plate brings
8 tacos with your choice of fillings. Grilled skirt steak and potatoes
is OK, as is vegetarian black bean taco with avocado and sour cream. But,
roasted peppers with cheese and potatoes is my version of a great taco,
and yes, some tacos do achieve greatness.
If you want more in the way of tapas, try one of the tamales. Like the
tacos, they can be ordered ala carte, or in a platter of three, black bean
and goat cheese, pulled pork with cilantro or fresh corn. The corn tamale
gets my vote. And, you have to love the presentation; each tamale of course
is wrapped in a corn husk, but each is also tied in a corn husk ribbon,
kind of like an early Christmas present.
Entrees include shrimp fajitas, grilled pork chops or ahi tuna, among choices.
Flan is the headline dessert, but not the only one.
Service is excellent. By the way, de cero more or less means from scratch,
which is how foods are prepared. But, De cero doesn’t take much scratch;
about $40 a couple plus add ons should do it.
K/RATING of 19/20 AMBIANCE/DECOR 3.5/4 SERVICE
5/5 FOOD 9.5/10 VALUE 1/1 |
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ABC7's
Hungry Hound.
September 29, 2004
Made from scratch
tacos
Nearly every Mexican restaurant offers
tacos but few take the time to make them
from scratch. Our Hungry Hound says there
are only a handful of upscale taquerias
in our area, including a new one on West
Randolph Street that's really taking
the concept to new levels.
There's a wide spectrum of tacos available
in Chicago. From the do-it-yourself kits
in a box to the fast-food joints, even
the mom-and-pop neighborhood taquerias.
But few restaurants take the time to
make every element from scratch. You
can get upscale Mexican at a handful
of restaurants in our area but only one
place claims to be a "modern day
taqueria."
You think all taquerias are the same?
Forget the hard corn shells and shredded
iceberg. On West Randolph, De Cero -
which means "from scratch" -
is changing the approach to tacos. "Just about everything is from
scratch here, we make our own tortillas, cook everything on premises, we
try to make as many things as possible in-house."
That means chunky, vibrant green guacamole... enchiladas wrapped around
cotija, manchego and chihuahua cheeses...even bold entrees like a boneless
half-chicken that's grilled, and served atop sauteed escarole, basmati
rice and dark, intensely-flavored mole. House margaritas are good, but
even better is the frozen peach and camomile colada.
The menu is loaded with authentic Mexican fare, and nearly everything is
less than 15 dollars. But it's the 15 kinds of tacos that take center stage
here. You can get them a la carte - they're about three dollars a piece
- or, if you can't make up your mind, try the combo platter: your choice
of eight different tacos for 25 bucks.
They all begin the old-fashioned way, as fresh corn masa, or dough, is
flattened in a tortilla press. It's cooked briefly on a flat top grill,
then it's off to the kitchen line, where it can be stuffed with anything
from battered shrimp and fresh avocados...vegetarian black beans...braised
duck with sweet corn...grilled skirt steak with potatoes, onion and chipotle
mayo or grilled tuna with mango and habanero salsa. Speaking of salsa,
every order comes with three homemade versions... usually a chuncky pico
de gallo, a vibrant red, and a tangy green with cilantro, jalapenos and
tomatillos.
"We're taking ingredients and making them as fresh as possible. We
are trying to do things last minute, we are making unusual combinations
still within the realm of Mexican food." |
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Chicago
Magazine . September
2004
"You know how a typical taqueria in the Mexican neighborhoods makes tortillas
fresh on the griddle? asks Angela Hepler, a co-owner of the brand-new De Cero
( 814 W. Randolph St.; 312-455-8114). "We're going to do the same." But
that's where the similarity ends. Consider this: Jill Rosenthal, the chef responsible
for the smash hit Sushi Wabi (down the street), created De Cero's menu, too,
including the three-chesse enchiladas with tomatillo salsa (pictured to the left).
A sampling of the place's nuevo tacos and braised duck nachos has us thinking
that Randolph Street may be the new promised land of hip Mexican fare.
- Penny Pollack
"... But the frontera family tree doesn't have a monopoly on the Chicago
area. The folks behind Randolph Street's Sushi Wabi introduced an upscale West
Loop taqueria called De Cero in July. Lucky me: At a fair in June, the Taste
of Randolph Street, I got and advance tasting of the tuna tacos made with chunks
of lightly grilled fish with mango salsa ingnited with habanero chilies"
- Dennis Ray Wheaton |
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Owner Angela Hepler who also co-own Sushi Wabi, converted the former Mar y
Sol space into an urban-meets-rustic Mexican taqueria,
with high-backed wooden chairs, aged-looking wooden
tabletops, and perky Latin beats. The menu features
innovative coastal Mexican cuisine with a focus on
fresh ingredients. Appetizer choices include cumin-rubbed
ribeye skewers with avocado crema and smoky tomato
salsa; and charred baby octopus with lime-cumin dressing
and tomato. There are 15 tacos on the menu, including
innovated choices like battered shrimp with avocado
cream, and grilled tuna with mango and habanero sauce.
Tacos can be ordered individually, or opt for the make-your-own
combo platter of eight. Entrees feature a skirt steak
marinated in pickled jalapenos, cumin and garlic, and
a tequila-marinated pork chop. Try the Jarritos float,
made with the popular Mexican soft drink and house-made
sorbet for an off-the-beaten path dessert. The specialty
cocktail list offers herb and fruit concoctions like
the banana-dill daiquiri and the strawberry-mint margarita. |
The
Scene
Old Mexico meets Randolph Street in this stylish, uncluttered space, where
rustic pine furniture and tortilla-colored walls blend comfortably with
industrial metal accents and deep-blue stained floors. West Loop loft-dwellers
and local business diners fill in at tables in the main dining room or
linger at the bar for a specialty margarita (hmm, peach chamomile or raspberry
cilantro?). Service is fast and friendly.
The
Food
This ain't your typical taco stand--de cero's modern Mexican fare includes
decidedly upscale options like duck nachos, shrimp fajitas, and tacos filled
with seared marlin, battered catfish and tomatillo pork. Ceviche with rock
shrimp and baby scallops is a fresh, zingy start; guacamole is good and
chunky and served with still-warm tortilla chips. Crunchy battered shrimp
with avocado crema makes for a taco favorite. Tamales are excellent too--moist,
fall-apart tender and rolled around chipotle chicken, cilantro pulled pork,
or fresh corn. Desserts include a firm, fab flan with ripe berries. |
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