Rios d’ Sudamerica
2010 W Armitage Ave- At N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL; Phone 773 276-0170
Date of Review: February, 2007
Have you ever wondered about the food and culture of the countries of South America? I don’t know about you but discussions of the Argentine tango, Peruvian Inca culture and the overall beauty throughout Brazil make me a bit curious. Well, if don’t have the time or the means to make it to South America just yet, a visit to Rio Sudamerica is a good place to wet your cultural appetite with your own bottle of wine (BYOB).
Rios d’ Sudamerica is a simple storefront from the outside but has one of the most impressive interiors of any restaurant I have been to in Chicago. It is worth going to just to see the beautiful hand painted mosaic of Macchu Picchu, the landscape murals of Rio and its beautiful beaches and Argentines dancing the tango and cooking their wonderful meats. The host gave us a tour of the restaurant and described the beautiful artwork. There is a more private room upstairs that has a DJ booth and a lounge like area for dancing. As you walk down the stairs descending from the lounge area upstairs, the view of the restaurant below is particularly impressive. There is a lot of space in the restaurant and the tables are spread out making it a good place for large parties.
Rio Sudamerica has an impressive menu that includes traditional and innovative items focusing on Peru, Argentina, and Brazil. The range of starters is vast and varied. From empanadas, small pastries filled with beef, walnuts, raisins, onions and spices to various types of ceviches and some interesting starters that combine meat and fish in numerous different ways, there is a lot to choose from. We started with the Pinzas De Cangrejo Apanadas which are crab claws rolled with crab meat and spices which are then breaded and pan fried. They are served with golden yucca and a rocoto cream sauce. They were excellent as I literally dug the remaining crab meat out from the base of the claw. We also had the Ceviche Mixto which is a combination of sole, shrimp, octopus, scallops, squid and onion in a citrus marinade. The seafood was fresh and tasty but I found the marinade too tangy as the citrus flavors were a bit overwhelming. The ceviche is served with Peruvian corn which is very different from the corn we are used to. The kernels are much large and the flavor is less sweet and is much more starchy, like that of yucca.
For entrees, there is a wonderful variety of seafood and meat (beef, duck, rabbit, lamb) dishes that make it hard to pick between land and sea. I had the Moqueca de pescado which are corvina filets (sea bass) steamed with coconut milk and served with sautéed garlic, onion, green onion and green and red pepper. It is served with yucca and white rice. I was very impressed with the dish as the coconut milk based sauce was not overwhelming but a perfect compliment to the other flavors in the dish. The presentation was impressive also. My guest enjoyed the Quinua al horno con chuletas de cordero. For us Americans, this is lamb chops served over AuGratin style quinua with roasted peppers, carrots, parsley and spinach.
For dessert, we split the chirimoya ice cream which was wrapped in 3 separate chocolate crepes. Chirimoya is a tropical fruit with leathery skin and soft pulp that is related to custard apples. The crepes were average but the ice cream had an interesting and refreshing flavor that I would describe as somewhere between a lemon and an apple.
Rios d’ Sudamerica is a good value. We had 2 starters, 2 entrees and 1 dessert for $91 which included tax and tip. The fact that the restaurant is BYOB helps keep the costs down. Most appetizers are under $10 and the entrées are under $20.
