Hmmm . . . a vaguely regional taco-focused Mexican restaurant opens in a neighborhood with an ever-diminishing Mexican population. What do you call it?
No, no, no. Lonesome Rose is the name of the latest spot from Land and Sea Dept., the outfit that starting in the aughts conquered Logan Square with Longman & Eagle, Parson’s Chicken & Fish, and Lost Lake before landing downtown at Michigan Avenue’s Chicago Athletic Association reboot. But it does bear a certain affinity for Wicker Park’s original gringo taco sensation, Big Star.
And then we approach the aforementioned “borderlands”: a collection of larger dishes, not really identifiably border inspired, ranging from “truck stop nachos” with black beans and carne asada to shrimp aguachile (a restrained version, with faded heat and acidity) to a griddle-crisped double-stacked chorizo burger topped with a messy gob of aioli, shredded iceberg, roasted chiles, and chihuahua cheese. On top of that there’s a nicely balanced pile of black beans, avocado, and a fried egg on a tostada resting in a pool of salsa verde, and a creamy, rich sweet-corn soup better than it has any right to be in the depths of winter.
2101 N. California 773-770-3414lonesomerose.com
