Chicago - July 31, 2006

Scout’s Honor

Zocalo Opens

Girl Scouts was good for more than just making popsicle-stick frames: It taught you a thing or two about how to make new friends without dumping the old ones.

So you’ll appreciate the way Zocalo Restaurant and Tequila Bar has taken over the old Chilpancingo space — with an update that brings a fresh perspective while reminding us why we liked it in the first place.

Heaping portions have given way to small plates of off-the-beaten-burrito Mexican eats. A guacamole flight offers avocados spliced with papaya, walnuts, and roasted red peppers. Ceviche Camaron blends shrimp with cucumber and jalapeno-lime puree. And “deconstructed” Carne al Pastor allows DIY mixing of marinated pork, pineapple relish, and creamy tomatillo sauce.

Plus, it’s out with the old folk art and masks and in with a rotating display of local artwork.

But not all things Chilpancingo must end: The joint’s soaring 50-foot bar is firmly intact and set to sling out 60 kinds of tequila.

Because while novelty is silver, Cuervo is gold.

Zocalo, 358 West Ontario Street, at North Orleans Street (312-302-9977).

  Classic Cocktails, Guacamole, Margaritas