 Ceviche, mole and empanadas were once considered exotic fare in Chicago. Then along came Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ Nacional 27 with fresh-from-Miami chef Randy Zweiban over a decade ago to educate diners on south-of-the-border flavors and ingredients. Now, he cooks at his own West Loop spot. Spain and Central and South America still have a strong presence on the extensive menu---which includes bites and raw selections as well as small, big and bigger options---but the restaurant’s roots are American, with farm-to-table cuisine leading the way. Inside the gold-level LEED-certified, hot-pink-punctuated space with recycled chocolate brown leather chairs, cork floors and eight-foot wine wall, Zweiban is having fun, creating dishes like house-made rabbit sausage flatbread with herb salsa and mustard-dressed greens; and ten-hour braised lamb, plated with roasted eggplant, house-made chorizo and cornbread. End with an artisanal cheese course or molasses-scented cocoa and Capriole Farms goat cheese stack. Open all day during the week, you can stop by at lunch for a burger or come mid-afternoon for a snack---some fluke ceviche, perhaps?---and a glass of wine from the boutique or biodynamic selection.
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