Delicioso y Sabroso

Congratulations are in order: Geno Bahena, a great chef, apparently just got an amazing promotion. He may be merely the “Executive Chef” at his restaurant Tepatulco, but at his new spot, Delicioso y Sabroso, his business card reads “Corporate Executive Chief Mentor.” If you can’t figure out what that title means, you’re not alone—especially since it doesn’t seem to imply that any cooking is going on. But, whatever, it sounds pretty important, right? So mazel tov! to him anyway.

Given such a big title, it seemed unlikely that we’d see Chef Bahena at his two-month-old restaurant. When we first arrived at the isolated building, located just this side of the border, and saw that police tape was sectioning off a corner where bricks were crumbling onto the sidewalk, Bahena’s presence seemed even more unlikely. But not only can the chef be seen holding court over his new dining room—the food tastes like he’s in the kitchen, too.

The concept at Delicioso y Sabroso is that it’s actually two restaurants—Delicioso is fine dining, while Sabroso is more casual. A more accurate description would be that this is one restaurant with two menus, as both concepts share the same large room, with only some plants and a wide, empty aisle separating them. On Delicioso’s menu you’ll find a tart scallop ceviche of exceptionally tender fish (but way too much red onion) and addictive enfrijoladas, tortillas soaked in a black bean sauce and topped with a mild, savory, housemade chorizo. But the hallmark of the menu is the mole. A different one is made every day, and on Wednesdays, you’ll find mole manchamanteles (pictured). Served with well-done—but delicious—slices of duck (and some innocuous mashed potatoes), the dish was pretty simple except for the mole itself—like Bahena’s best dishes, its complexities betrayed its plain looks.

There’s a similar dish on the Sabroso menu, except here it’s a juicy chicken breast, and the mole is rojo. It’s just as satisfying—as long as you don’t mind trading in Delicioso’s cloth napkins for Sabroso’s paper variety. But the major benefit of choosing Sabroso over Delicioso are the juicy sopes rancheros; the perfect shrimp coctél; and the gooey chile relleno taco, all Bahena-level quality, yet priced as if you were at your corner taqueria.

However good the food is, eating here can nevertheless be frustrating. Even when the restaurant is close to empty, service can be kind but painfully slow. And the proximity to the Chicago Skyway and casinos can make for some unsavory company (one visit had us sitting next to an aggressive drunken trucker, who growled obscenities at us all night). If Bahena’s Tepatulco is more convenient, stick to that. But when it comes to road trips to the Dunes, this might be the best road food in town. —David Tamarkin

10468 S Indianapolis Blvd between 104th and 105th Sts (773-374-6089). Bus: 30 South Chicago. Dinner (Wed–Sun). Average main course: $15.