Coobah

Our latest trek was to Southport hotspot Coobah, a hip Cuban inspired latin-fusion bar and restaurant in Chicago. With nightly food and drink specials during the weekdays, Coobah manages to keep customers coming through the door, even in times of a weakened economy. The decor and interior design seems to be shooting for a 'rustic modern' feeling, and it pulls it off very well with a great lighting scheme and exposed natural timbers. There are large windowed panel doors that can swing open in the summer for open-air seating. The feel is very cozy, and seems to be a great place to head to for date night, or if you just want to hang with some friends.

Coobah features live music on Wednesdays (Bossa Saravah Live Band) and Thursdays (live Cuban jazz), from about 7:30-11pm. The kitchen is usually open until 11pm on weekdays, and 1am on weekends, and the bar stays open until 2am. Hoping to check out some live entertainment, we visited on a Wednesday night around 8pm, and were able to be seated immediately. The band did not disappoint, kicking out the jams at a nice noise level until after we left around 10:45pm.

Coobah's menu changes frequently, but features many staples of Cuban fare (such as the Cubano Sandwich), as well as infusing their own modern takes on other dishes, using a blend of ingredients from Latin America, the Phillipines, and Spain. For example, the basic Caesar salad is called a 'Sugarcane Caesar,' and features romaine, raddichio, sugarcane caesar dressing, and Manchego cheese (which is a frequently used cheese throughout homes and restaurants alike in Spain). The 'Pork Tenderloin Bicol' is a lean pork tenderloin stuffed with shrimp, bacon, coconut, and pineapple, served on a bed of Jasmine rice. Side dishes available include tasty things like tamales, carmelized plantains, saffron potato au gratin, and more. It seems to be a truely unique and inspired menu overall, with an adequate wine and drink list to match.

Speaking of wine, Wednesdays also feature half price bottles of wine, so we sampled the 2005 blend of Malbec & Tempranillo, by Urban Uco. Our server was professional in her presentation and serving of our wine, which was an Argentinian red blend featuring hints of blueberry, vanilla, dark cocoa, and oak. It would have been a decent deal at the regular price of $30, but with the half off special on Wednesdays it was only $15, which felt (and tasted) like a bargain (as far as drinking bottles of wine in restaurants goes).

Overall, the wine list is moderately priced, features wines from throughout Latin and South America, and offers plenty of options for both whites and reds. The drink list also offers 18 types of tequila, 16 types of rum, and plenty of the basic drinks like Sangria, Margaritas, Mojitos, Caipirinha (and its cousins the Caipiroska and Caipirissima). It also features some house favorites like the Mexican Coffee, Creme Brulee Martini, and the Horchata Martini, which I'll touch on later.

For dinner, we ordered the Grilled Skirt Steak and the Cubano Sandwich. The Skirt Steak was cooked perfectly and was juicy, but not quite brimming with flavor as hoped. It was served with Jasmine rice and carmelized plantains, which were tasty. The Cubano Sandwich however, made up for this. The flat bocadillo roll was grilled nicely and contained succulent slices of ham, sliced thin and topped with swiss, mustard, and pickles. Every Cuban place can usually be measured by how they prepare this signature Cuban dish, and Coobah delivered big time here. The sandwich was delicious, filling, and is served with a choices of one side dish. The fresh pork tamales on the side menu looked great, but we ended up going with the coconut mashed potatoes, which were all-worldly.

After dinner we were too full to order a dessert, so we headed over to the bar area for a drink. The bartender Julie was making mojitos all night, and often adding fresh strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries at the request of customers. Similar to how you can judge a Cuban restaurant by it's Cubano sandwhich, you can often judge a bartender by how they make a mojito or mint julep. Julie took the time to properly muddle all the ingredients when making mojitos from scratch, while chatting up everyone in the bar area. We sampled a strawberry-raspberry mojito and the Horchata Martini, and they were both tasty and appealing to the senses.

Overall, I thought our first experience at Coobah was very good. It offers an intimate yet lively dining experience that is good for both couples and groups. They offer enough specials throughout the week to please the budget minded crowd, while still delivering great food and service, and I will be checking this place out again for sure, making sure to save room for something from the dessert menu. ; )

Coobah
3423 N. Southport Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
773-528-2220
Visit: Wednesday October 22, 2008
Food: 4 out of 5
Service: 5 out of 5
Ambience: 5 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5