Sweet Willie
Oct 10, 02, 7:32 am
Have had the chance to eat twice at Irazu which is touted as “Chicago’s only authentic Coata Rican Restaurant.”
I’ve had two meals here:
Chicharron, fried pork chunks, served w/either boiled or fried yucca and a cabbage salad.
The pork was either like the tender morsels of seasoned pork roast that grandma used to cook, or were very tough/hard to eat. The cabbage salad was just ok, after all it is just sliced cabbage. The fried yucca was outstanding. Irazu will ask if you like garlic, if you say yes as I did, they will place a heavenly helping of chopped toasted garlic over the fried yucca. I could have eaten this all day, wow.
The Costa Rican sandwich: french bread, thinly sliced beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and Costa Rican Lizano sauce. The bread is pressed, making for a crispy sandwich, beef was tender, produce fresh and the Lizano sauce was good w/kind of a peppery taste w/a hint of cumin. Tasty.
On the menu was the dish called “Costa Rica’s authentic dish”. Casado which consists of steak, white rice, black beans, plantains, 1 egg and salad. I hope to try this next time I’m at Irazu.
Both times I had the passion fruit drink, a large glass of pulpy, tangy passion fruit juice. A guy from Panama I was speaking with mentioned that passion fruit juice is served all over Panama and Irazu served the best version of it in Chicago, I really could not argue with that.
Irazu is located in the near NW side of Chicago, 1865 N. Milwaukee Ave. Open from 10am-9pm Mon-Sat, closed Sunday.
I’ve had two meals here:
Chicharron, fried pork chunks, served w/either boiled or fried yucca and a cabbage salad.
The pork was either like the tender morsels of seasoned pork roast that grandma used to cook, or were very tough/hard to eat. The cabbage salad was just ok, after all it is just sliced cabbage. The fried yucca was outstanding. Irazu will ask if you like garlic, if you say yes as I did, they will place a heavenly helping of chopped toasted garlic over the fried yucca. I could have eaten this all day, wow.
The Costa Rican sandwich: french bread, thinly sliced beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo and Costa Rican Lizano sauce. The bread is pressed, making for a crispy sandwich, beef was tender, produce fresh and the Lizano sauce was good w/kind of a peppery taste w/a hint of cumin. Tasty.
On the menu was the dish called “Costa Rica’s authentic dish”. Casado which consists of steak, white rice, black beans, plantains, 1 egg and salad. I hope to try this next time I’m at Irazu.
Both times I had the passion fruit drink, a large glass of pulpy, tangy passion fruit juice. A guy from Panama I was speaking with mentioned that passion fruit juice is served all over Panama and Irazu served the best version of it in Chicago, I really could not argue with that.
Irazu is located in the near NW side of Chicago, 1865 N. Milwaukee Ave. Open from 10am-9pm Mon-Sat, closed Sunday.