Mexique

Photo: Nicole Radja

SOUNDS BETTER THAN “FREXICAN” Before you toss quizzical looks toward West Town’s new Mexique for pairing ratatouille with roast pork and duck confit with a cranberry tamale, read up on Mexico’s history and you’ll learn that the country was introduced to France’s culinary contributions long ago. “In the 1860s when the French invaded Mexico, they brought their own chefs with them but cooked with Mexican ingredients, so the result was this beautiful Franco-Mexican,” says Mexique’s owner and chef Carlos Gaytan. “But after the French army left, no one was really interested in continuing it, and the food was lost. I want to resurrect it, but in a modern style.” At Mexique, Gaytan, a Mexico native, will fuse Mexican flavors with techniques he learned cooking at Frenchie faves like Bistro 110 and Bistrot Margot. For instance, he mixes duck fat rather than lard into masa for a trio of sopes, one filled with escargots, the second with shrimp provençal and another with sweet plantains in Xico mole. And in a true nod to France, each sope is paired with a small wine pour. 1529 W Chicago Ave at Armour St (312-850-0288).