What sets bacaro apart
This review is about ten years past due, I'd guess.
The fact is, I know almost nothing about food by comparison to a fella like Thad Morrow, the proprietor and head chef at bacaro, now in its second decade in downtown Champaign. I've been fortunate enough to have eaten at some of the United States' finest restaurants due to having a wealthy Grammy and a penchant for enjoying fine foods whenever affordable; Commander's Palace and Brennan's in New Orleans were both delicious; Scarpetta and Babbo in NYC were of another world; Cafe Lula in Chicago is sublime; La Maison de la Truffe in Paris was one for the books; Sierra Mar in Big Sur was well, kinda silly, but nonetheless worth it upon having been engaged on the hillside there just hours before.
But I'd never been to bacaro, right here in Champaign, until this past week. The reasons why would likely bore you, and certainly, more than anything, I don't feel like dredging up a bunch of downtown drama for you. So, forget all that. The past is what it is. What I want to do is try to contextualize this fine restaurant in a way that you might understand it, and perhaps even, give it a shot one night coming up this year.
If you are like me, you'll walk out with a game plan in place for the next time. It's really just that good.
There are fine restaurants in Champaign-Urbana. And credit is due to them for both serving up great food consistently, and for operating in 2011, in the midst of a shitstorm economy. We try as best we can to eat out at these places to both support them and to satiate our need to live without having to do dishes here and there. It's that duality that makes it worthwhile.
But bacaro. It's really in a league of its own around here, and honestly, I'd put it up against any of the fine dining establishments that I've been to worldwide.
We were taken care of from start to finish. Upon being seated, we were offered plenty of space to decide on what we wanted, and were given as much information as we needed. Our server, admittedly, was a friend of ours, but you can't bullshit this type of thing; when I asked about something, she knew what I needed to know. She had been trained. It's her job, sure, but she did is so well.
She began the meal with a small plate of pea tendrils marinated in sea salt and olive oil with a piece of house smoked salmon and a kalamata olive, compliments of the house. It was perfect. Two bites — big and small — all in one.
After that, we started with two appetizers and a bottle of Côtes du Rhône ($24). We're big fans of octopus ($10), and Mario Batali does his right at Babbo in NYC. We ordered it with no debate and Thad's version went toe to toe with Batali's without question, and the portion was larger and more rewarding.
We were also easily swayed into ordering the special of the night: buratta ($12), an Italian cheese made by Brian McKay of Art Mart, which was served with grilled ramps and just a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar. Again — delicious, and the portion, just silly large. And that should've tipped us off right there; bacaro doesn't fuck around when it comes to serving its patrons.
The prices aren't really that steep at bacaro, especially if you are comparing them to say, other formidable restaurants in town. But you get what you pay for here. These aren't nachos or wings, after all. And if they were, you'd likely pay, what — $6.99 for a portion? Great. You pay $10 or so for this instead. It's rich food. And you don't really need a lot of it. But, you get more than you should at bacaro. See? Makes perfect sense if you contextualize it. The bread alone, served warm, and with house churned butter, should be enough for it to all start to make sense.
A quick aside about the wine: I know nothing of what works and what doesn't. What I know about wine you could fit in a soup spoon. I have but one measurement about wine, and here it is: does it taste like rubbing alcohol? This did not, and for $24, it was a steal. That was about three 5 oz pours for each of us. Roughly $4 a glass. Please — find me a bar in town that serves wine at that price. I beg you.
Upon downing our first glass of wine, our server decided it was time to give us a taste of the house duck liver pâté, accompanied by a layer of black truffle and crostini. This is what food is supposed to taste like. It was so marvelous, that I ate my entire portion without batting an eye. The next thing I knew, my stomach was telling me I was likely in trouble for the rest of the night.
This is because we ordered not one, but two pasta dishes, and that was to be our greatest mistake on this night, but not because the food was poor, not by any means. Again, these portions are not for the faint of heart. Our Gnocchi with lamb meatballs and shaved pecorino ($17) was delightful, filled with flavor, both light and toothsome.
But it was the Risotto with peas and cured pork ($17) that was the star of the show. And it was a massive bowl, filled to the brim, and far too much for either of us to even consider eating any more than a few spoonfuls. It's so dense, rich, and creamy, that one has to pause between every bite. I cannot give this dish its due justice by writing about it. It was simply that good.
By the time our main course arrived, my wife and I were both lit up like a church, and filled to the brim with some of the finest food we'd ever consumed. About an hour prior to this, we'd thought it rational and pragmatic to only split one entree. We decided on the N.Y. Strip steak, served with fava bean puree and house made croutons and greens ($32).
When it came to the table, we started to laugh. This is no measly 6 oz bullshit portion reserved for the dainty type or those looking to cut back on the red meat. No my friends — this is thick cut, organic aged USDA beef — the good kind. 14 oz. And cooked to perfection.
I am the kind of fella that knows how to properly cook a steak. On the grill, sure — but better on the stove top for a minute on each side at searing hot temperatures, and then into a 550 degree oven to finish it off. Oh, it sets the smoke alarm off each and every time, but it's damn worth it.
So, I rarely, if ever, order a steak at a restaurant.
I'll leave hyperbole to speak for itself here. I will be ordering this particular steak again, and that right soon.
After having polished off the entire steak together, and with the bottle of wine long gone, we did what anyone else in this predicament might have done. We ordered dessert. The choices were plentiful, and bacaro also gives you the option of a cheese plate to end your night, but our sights were set on the Chocolate Tart, served with a chocolate dipped strawberry and a scoop of cassis ice cream ($6.5). It was tremendous, from top to bottom.
When Smile Politely decided to run a Best of the Decade series at the end of the Aughts, I knew it would come along with some controversy. After all, who among us doesn't feel passionately about food, to some degree? There were many restaurants that opened in the 2000s that didn't make the cut. I even lamented the fact that B-Won wasn't on the list. But what we published was the truth from those who had submitted. bacaro came in at 13 out of 27 restaurants and in the comments of said article, I, along with others, argued that it was likely because of the price point. And it's true — bacaro costs more than your average night out, and I don't think that spending this type of money on food is something to be taken lightly, no matter what you rake in each year. Certainly, like most folks living in Champaign-Urbana, I am just not in the position to be able to dine there all that often.
But, for the same reasons that we buy a nice suit or a nice dress, or treat ourselves to a fantastic vacation when we've worked hard, or simply indulge in something that suits our habitual fancy, well — we should be willing to treat dining out the same way. bacaro is affordable if you want it to be. Sure, you can drop a couple bills in there without trying hard, but I'd also suggest that you and a date could get in and out having spent under $60 for two if you wanted as well. And trust me — you will be full. It's not me just trying to convince you to support a local business. You will be full. And you will be impressed. I guarantee it.
That bacaro wasn't on that list isn't so much a crime as it is a function of a perceived ignorance in the populace; it is easily the best restaurant in 100 miles, and I'd venture to guess that there are more than a few critics out there — far more knowledgeable than myself — that would classify it as one of the best in the Midwest.
That you don't have to be wealthy to enjoy it — well, that's just what makes living in Champaign-Urbana fabulous, isn't it?
Photos by Justine Fein-Bursoni
25 comments
Anonymous
Bacaro can be great. In my view, though, it is not a great restaurant because it is too inconsistent. I’ve eaten there quite often and dishes can vary a great deal from one time to the next, almost like they don’t have a recipe. I’m talking about big differences that make a dish unrecognizable from time to time and I’m talking about successive weeks, nor months or years. I assume this has to do with changing kitchen personnel, but in a market with more competition at the high end this lack of consistency would be a killer.
drew
Some of my best food memories are Bacaro. Been there dozens of times but whatever inconsistency is the same inconsistency that every single restaurant on the planet hopefully strives to avoid.
Also to the reviewer mentioning Batali and Babbo so much, I’m assuming you know Thad worked for and has on occasion gone back to Mario to touch up his game? Can that kind of commitment be said of, ummm ANY CHEF here in town?
I give Bacaro a lot of slack, in fact when I go, I just say, bring me “X” number of courses and match me the wines. Do I dine like a King? Hell yes.
<div>The only time I’ve been there, our waitress could not answer a single question we asked about anything on the menu. When I ordered a Calvados after dinner, neither she *nor* the bartender could figure out what it was—I had to explain it to them. She was real cute, though. Even so, the food was fantastic and I’d like to try again.</div>
Cynthia
Bacaro is my favorite restaurant period. I am very picky about my risotto and I have quit ordering it most places because Bacaro has spoiled me with perfectly done risotto every time. The other thing that has spoiled me is the fish. It is always crisp and tasty on the outside and moist and yummy on the inside. I have never had bad service or even mediocre food. Thad is an artist. The food is fabulous and beautiful and the service is always excellent. I also love that he uses locally produced foods as much as possible.
I travel a bit and I often come away from some of the most highly ranked restaurants in the country disappointed. I am never disappointed at Bacaro. Thank you Thad!
Paula
I, too, have been to some of the best restaurants in the country and have had the pleasure to consume food created by some of the top chefs in the world. I would put bacaro up against any of these restaurants. Chef Morrow is a creative genius as are Chef Mike Miller, Chef Ann Swanson, and Chef Joshua Boyd. The amount of talent in this kitchen is phenomenal.
The service is spot-on with a knowledgeable and friendly staff whose only goal is to serve you food and wine that will dance on your tongue. A staff that always smiles and ready with a wine suggestion if needed.
Bacaro also uses product from local farms and vendors making the food as fresh as it can be. Market Mondays are a steal - 5 courses for $40-$45 depending on the menu which changes every Monday.
Bacaro always pleases the palate. Here’s to the next 10 years of fine eating at bacaro!
mangiare
Nice article, Seth. It is not easy to do a good review that describes a place in such a way that tells others what it might be like according to what they look for in a restaurant. Restaurant reviews is one thing that hasn’t found improvement with crowdsourcing. There are so many yelps, urbanspoon, and opentable reviews that are nothing but complaints that a person with a spine and a little common sense would have taken to the manager or owner, not to the web.
As one who has sought out and sampled a lot of restaurants in my travels, I can agree that bacaro can compare with the best of them. It is an asset to Champaign.
There was a comment mentioning consistency. I see variation as a symptom of creativity. It is true that of the countless courses I have eaten at bacaro, some failed to send me to dining euphoria, or on rare occaisions, it sucked. This has not stopped me from returning, because in balance it is so good (I probably should have pulled out a superlative instead of “good”, but I am a midwesterner, after all). bacaro’s menu is focused on local and seasonal, and of course it changes. For some, the best part about finding a McDonald’s wherever they are is that they know what they are getting. For me, that is the worst part of McDonald’s. Even if I find myself at bacaro twice in a week, there’s always something new and interesting - especially on Mondays, when a prix fixe menu is created of seasonal items. I loath facebook, but I recently found I can find the Monday menu there even though I have no facebook account. For instance, today I found the following posted, “Ramp vischy with goat cheese crostini and grilled ramps, BBQ glazed pheasant with creamy polenta, fried quail egg and arugula, pan seared wild shot duck with ‘southern style braised kale, beans and bacon served with mushroom duxelle, zucchini bread and Meyer lemon sorbet.”
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Anonymous
Come on, man. I’m not talking about McDonalds, and I’ve eaten at as many well-known and fancy places all over the country as you. I’m gald you love Bacaro. I like it, and I’m glad it is here. It would not, however, be in my top 10 go-to places if I now lived (as I have) in a major metropolitan city with a great food scene. That’s all I’m saying. Consistency is rule one of the restaurant industry: if you want to change the menu daily, great! But a dish on the menu should be the same dish a week later if it is still on the menu. It takes skill and discipline to maintain quality, and in a market with many fine dining options, that’s part of what allows a place to maintain its regulars and its niche. That has not been my experience with Bacaro, even when I have eaten there twice in a week. But, whatever: I’m glad you all are having the prime food experiences of your lives. Will not harsh your collective mellow again.
” But, whatever: I’m glad you all are having the prime food experiences of your lives. Will not harsh your collective mellow again.”
I don’t really understand the need to resort to this kind of shit.
anonymous
“I don’t really understand the need to resort to this kind of shit.”
You don’t think it is insulting to have somebody imply in this tread that you prefer McDonalds because you care about consistency? I think that is pretty clearly an insult in a foodie context, and so it made me angry. I don’t think that is unfair, actually, since I was trying to share a perspective that is neither ill-informed nor outrageous.
All this circling the wagons seems very insular and reconfirms that this is not a place I should be posting. If I could delete the previous ones I would. In fact, I’d like to ask you to do that, along with this, and I can just stop reading too.
I like the above comment by Anonymous.
Cynthia
Mr. Annonymous:
Several people differed with your commentary, but only one made reference to McDonalds and yet you attacked the entire group of people who feel the consistency and quality are good. I am sorry you have not had the same experiences.
“you attacked the entire group of people”
Classic internet hyperbole.
WARNING: Opinions diverge ahead!
I’m just saying, I was with you until that bit at the end. I think it’s great that there are differing opinions in the comments. I haven’t eaten at bacaro enough to have eaten the same thing several times and had a consistency problem, so it’s interesting to see someone’s perspective on that. I just hate that stupid shit at the end.
I dunno Anonymous, I think what you say is ok (I’ve only eaten at Bacaro once—and had a mixed experience: a couple of delightful dishes, several meh ones, and one terrible; plus the bar was a mess that night), but I’m not convinced on this notion of consistency. There are several “top of the line” joints I’ve eaten in <*cough* chez panisse, e.g. *cought> where the food and execution was pretty bad compared to the price and rep. But the rep lives on. I’ve had the same experience in one of Batali’s joints. Nice, but…. c’mon man, it’s not that good for that kind of waiter bullshit and price. Maybe I’m just a little repulsed by seeing line chefs hunched and fussing over some dead animal as if they were medieval monks illustrating a gilded bible. It’s just food, man, it’s not art. Well, I suppose that’s heresy in yuptown, but it reminds me that all this started in the Reagan years. Of course the only good thing that came out of that era was a vast improvement in food culture in the US. Still, only a couple of meals at high end joints have stayed with me as memorable, as opposed to many more at places like that Peruvian ceviche place in south central LA, tacos at a joint in Traverse City, MI, that Mario Batali told my brother were the best fucking chicken tacos he’d ever eaten, a particular kielbasa in Cleveland, etc. etc. Which is not say that the whole food revolution of high end chefs is not appreciated, but, c’mon man.
VF
Anonymous, why are you eating there twice a week if you are not having very good experiences?
Anonymous
I try to get out, but they keep pulling me back in.
So: it is true that I insulted a group in response to an indvidual. Sorry about that. It did/does seem to me that there is a circling the wagon phenomenon that is a group phenomenon and has to do with who reads this space, but obviously that is unfair to at least some degree. In truth, I like the fact that people at Smile Politely try to celebrate things in Champaign Urbana, but (as somebody who lives here after living in major cities for my whole life) I am frustrated by the non-Chinese restaurant scene because of what I see as easily correctable problems having to do with lack of competition. So, that’s where I’m coming from. The limits I see at Bacaro seem symptomatic to me: it is literally in a class by itself, I think, which means that it has no competition. That also means that I think it can be very good and that it is more creative and chef-driven than other high-end options in town.
I agree that low end places can be as good as high end places, and that high end places can get famous and live on. I’m in no hurry to eat at Chez Panisse. I also know, though, that in a city with many places competing for the high-end chef-driven restaurant niche, a bad experience can make me just not go there anymore. One of the keys to success in a market like that is repeating the excellence of a given dish. A person goes there, has something memorable, goes back two months later and orders that same appetizer because it was fantastic. If it is not fantastic, they run the risk of losing that person. Chez Panisse is famous because of Saint Alice, and there are obviously a lot of celebrity chefts these days whose places are bosltered by the fame of their executive chefs, but for non-celebrity chefs competing for special-event customers consistency is key. But I’ll keep going to Bacaro no matter what because that is really our only chef-driven, high-end place and that’s a thing I want on special occasions.
My too-frequent visits to Bacaro were work-related. But, again, I do go there for special occasions on my own, too.
I miss Chef Jean Louis.
Dan, you are probably the only person commenting who even remembers Jean-Louis.
I remember Jean-Louis, but hell, I remember Mel Root.
Anonymous 2
Anonymous: After living in LA for a good portion of my life, I 100% agree with your sentiments. Although Bacaro is undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in Champaign, how it would fair in cities like Chicago, LA, San Francisco, or New York is questionable.
I am happy that Bacaro exists in Champaign, but unfortunately there is nothing pushing the restaurant to be better or to pull more accomplished chefs into the town, simply because there is no demand for it. When customers prefer value (the most food at the cheapest price) over quality, there will always be more El Toros than Bacaros. And don’t get me started on the number of people I have met here who think the food at restaurants like Bacaro and Radio Maria are “weird.”
johnny
“Dan, you are probably the only person commenting who even remembers Jean-Louis.”
It wasn’t that long ago.
Chuck
YES! me too- I about jumped out of my seat when I saw Jean-Louis mentioned. I went to both his bowling alley and Urbana restaurants and took a couple of his cooking classes. Loved loved loved him. I recently contacted the UI about a catered dinner and they replied he’d left. I can only wish that he opens a restaurant here again.
Jean-Louis Ledent is listed in the Illinois directory. Yvette Ledent seems to be affiliated with David’s Bridal.
Does anyone remember Jean-Pierre’s at 105 N Market (yes, that building). I’ll bet Stuart ate there.
Jean-Pierre Vasaune has since moved on.
mangiare
I just happened to see a comment from this thread on the SP front page and found that a simple comment I made caused more reaction than intended. I was just trying to contrast menu consistency with creativity and seasonality. I wasn’t trying to slam anyone, I was hoping to point out that if you want a consistent menu, it doesn’t seem Bacaro is striving for that. On the other hand, some restaurants have specialities that people have come to love, and we’d all be heartbroken if we couldn’t go back to get another order of our favorite thing. In other words, I understand why in some cases consistency is a good thing.
W/R/T some of the other topics in the thread:
I have fond memories of meals at two of Chef Jean Louis restaurants.
To the topic of famous/expensive/fancy restaurants versus local/inexpensive/basic food establishments. I have tried to get a simple definition of to use when in a strange town when asking a local for a recommendation. I tend to start by saying 1) not a chain, 2) owner-operated. This seems to be the simplest way to weed out food made by unhappy strangers who don’t care about what they are doing.
Katie Newman
Jean-Louis Ledent is affiliated with the Food Science & Human Nutrition Department at the U of I, where he is the “Chef” of Bevier Cafe, overseeing and the guiding the work of the students in the Hospitality program. For a brief biography, see
http://beviercafe.illinois.edu/thechef.html
Sorry, Bevier Cafe is closed for the summer, but will re-open this fall!
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@Dan - Wow. Unfortunately, I have to refrain from further comment due to a previous employment relationship. But with that brief context you might be able to imagine possible comments or responses I could have.
Oh, by the way, the “Champaign County YMCA” no longer exists. The official name is now the “Stephens Family YMCA” (the website has not been updated, but check out the latest program guide). And no, it’s not just the name of the building. It’s the name of the organization.
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