ABIERTO HASTA TARDE

Sticking with Chicago for a bit until something better comes along locally. This River North bar and restaurant has a command of Spanish that only goes so far, despite the area’s large Hispanic population.                  

IT WILL BE OUR LITTLE SECRET

Another odd wall painting in Cantado Mexican restaurant. The women's shirts resemble Cardinals baseball uniforms, appropriate since the stadium is across the street. I'm not sure what the number 13 on the earring means, other that it was the uniform number of a popular player who retired a couple of years ago. The place serves excellent margaritas in jars such as the one pictured.

The woman on the left seems to be whispering something. Does she have inside information about the team's chances this year with the season starting later this month? The Cardinals finished last in 2023 so they can't get any worse.        

DID AL CAPONE EVER VISIT MEXICO?

Mixed messages and images. We took the kid to the symphony yesterday for a screening of Encanto with a live score. She loved it. Afterward, we went to dinner at a new Mexican restaurant downtown called Cantado. STL has a large number of Mexican restaurants that basically serve the same slop. This one was a real cut above. The decor, however, was decidedly non-Mexican, more like comic book-graffiti-trippy. A good day all around.                 

Tacos On Cherokee (The Joy of Guacamole)

The family went out for dinner last night at Tower Taco on Cherokee Street, in what passes for our Hispanic district. I can't think of a medium or large American city that has as small a Latino population as we do. But it is there and it is enthusiastic.

Madeleine loves guacamole. (An early example here.) She could pack herself as full as a dog with a bottomless food bowl, and the style served here was terrific. Locals, we highly recommend the restaurant. Very good quality, modest prices, nice people.