Tzuco Review

Authors: Elena Gilbertson Hall & Jason Frey

Photographers: Jason Frey and Eve Meadow

Tzuco, a French-Mexican restaurant from Michelin Star-earning Carlos Gaytán, feels sophisticated from the moment you step in the door. The modern aesthetic, dark-grained exposed beam, dim lighting, and copper accents evoke an atmosphere of soft, urban, upscale dining. Gaytán’s design is purposeful; the wood, plants, and accent materials are primarily sourced from his hometown, Huitzuco, Mexico. The main dining room with standard seating connects to a section of high tops framed by an open bar and kitchen. The outdoor covered patio with portable heaters completes the diverse range of seating options in this Near North Loop restaurant. While remaining lively, the restaurant doesn’t resound conversation to a distracting extent.

The dinner menu features a range of vegetarian, pescatarian, and meat options, with most of the dishes portioned as shareable appetizers. To sample a wide variety of the restaurant’s offerings, we selected four appetizers, two main dishes, and one dessert.

Tlacoyo

We started off the meal with the tlacoyo, made with a base of blue corn masa and topped with black bean puree, haricots verts, and salsa cruda. The plating of the dish could best be described as a deconstructed taco or pupusa. The masa base was reminiscent of a thickened corn taco shell, soft on the inside and surrounded by a crunchy exterior. The flavors from the cilantro, salsa, and sour cream toppings combined to create a delicious complexity of flavors, and the haricots verts added a neutral flavor to the dish. A sprinkle of queso fresco topped off the plate, adding a soft texture and salty flavor. The dish had excellent presentation without being at all dainty or pretentious. 

Pulpo enamorado

While we were still enjoying the tlacoyo, a semicircular creation highlighted by jewel-toned vegetable garnishes was set on the table: the pulpo enamorado. This dish was grilled octopus with salsa macha, pickled carrots, peas, potato, and topped with a tonnato aioli. The octopus was topped with crunchy radish and light greens, and was cooked perfectly. Cutting through the slightly crusty exterior revealed a meaty, tender interior set off by a spicy kick from the guajillo chili. 

The crunchy radishes texturally balanced the softness of the inside of the octopus, while the greens and quasi-curried carrots and potatoes provided a slightly more acidic, brighter contrast to the octopus’ meaty flavor profile. And while the salty creaminess of the tonnato aioli was smart choice to balance the guajillo, I wish that the aioli itself was less watery and a little more full bodied so that it didn’t feel insubstantial. Overall, this dish had great composition with more complex layers than the tlacoyo and performed the best in terms of flavor and textural balance.

Tuna ceviche

Following the octopus was another excellent seafood dish. The tuna ceviche was a refreshing addition to our slate of appetizers, offering quite a different flavor profile compared to the other plates on the table. The dish was light, tangy, and fresh—providing a welcome complement to some of the other, richer dishes. The raw ahi tuna was accompanied by tomato, cucumber, onion, and a whole sliced avocado, making this dish feel healthy and full of vegetal flavors. The vegetables were fresh and chopped finely, mixed in with a subtle tomatillo aguachile tatemado, a mild salsa verde. An outstanding element was the popped corn topping, introducing a new texture and providing a satisfying crunch. 

Steak tartare

Make way for, in Jason’s opinion, the stand out dish of the meal: steak tartare. This dish certainly exemplifies the blending of Mexican and French flavors—a cylinder of raw angus beef combined with capers, cilantro, onions, and jalapeño over guacamole topped with a poached egg and chipotle aioli. It is, in my opinion, particularly unique to have steak tartare over a bed of avocado as opposed to over solely a bready carb or other grain-based element. The tartare was constructed next to a rectangle of (restaurant-described) baguette, which in reality was closer to a focaccia, meant for dipping and spooning. This steak was absolutely phenomenal. Not gamey at all, it tasted very fresh and somehow stayed light, to which I credit the avocado and cilantro. The meat itself was spiced thoroughly and the pickled jalapeños imparted a necessary acidity to cut any fatty quality.

Also necessary was the bread. If the dish didn’t have the baguette, it would have been too soft with the avocado, beef, and poached egg all together. Fortunately, the crunchiness from the rectangular loaf completed the textural balance and was perfect for scooping the tartare. This appetizer was my absolute favorite out of all the non-dessert plates, and is a must order.

Chile relleno

With that wonderful end to the first course, we received the first of two entrees. The Chile Relleno was assembled out of a massive poblano pepper stuffed with cheese and wild mushrooms over medium grain rice and tomato fondue, topped with flamed panela cheese, microgreens, and julienned radishes. Once again, this dish was beautifully presented. The stuffed pepper itself was very tasty, but the standout element of this dish was the tomato fondue. Its flavor was well-concentrated in a smooth foam that deepened the richness of the mushroom and cheese.

Something quite different about this dish from the appetizers was that the flavors were not at all segmented. Whereas in the first course most of the dishes had distinct layers in their elements—i.e. you experience one element, then the next, and then the next in succession—the Chile Relleno feels much more traditionally Mexican in the way that all of the flavors hit the tongue at the same time and interact with each other, even while integrating a French element like the tomato fondue. As such, this dish is a prime example of the success of a fusion restaurant: the chef has accomplished a fusion of two cuisines such that the elements cooperate, they contribute to a flavor profile larger than themselves, and they are not clearly of distinct, non-intersecting cuisines. The fact that the flavors aren’t segmented means that the conception of the dish is successful.

Tikinxic

The orange-marinated mahi mahi, known as “tixinxic” on the menu, had a nice flavor profile but was not one of the stand out dishes. The fish was moist and flaky, though a bit overcooked. The tomato and avocado toppings were fresh, though could have been a more integral component of the dish. The fish was served with a side of parsnip puree, a surprising highlight of the plate. The neutral root vegetable puree had the consistency of mashed potatoes and had a unique sweetness that complemented the spiciness of the fish nicely. A habanero beurre blanc accompanied the mahi mahi, which had a spicy, creamy flavor profile. We finished feeling like the components of the dish were a bit disjointed and could have been integrated more tightly, although the individual elements were separately well-conceived.

Maiz y azafran 

Now we can get to the fun stuff! Dessert was maiz y azafran: cornbread topped with honey toffee and served with saffron ice cream, caramel popcorn, and drizzled cajeta ahumada (smoked dulce de leche). Jason loves savory, creative ice creams, so he was excited to try this dessert. Luckily, it lived up to the presentation. The saffron flavor was very subtle and a delicate complement to the cornbread, which would probably be more accurately described as a corn-forward bread pudding.

Some highlights from the dinner table while enjoying this dessert: “Fucking phenomenal”; “The way those flavors just exploded in my mouth!”; “This is the dish where the chef said, ‘I’m going to put on display that I know how to work with texture.’” And in fact, the last comment is especially true. None of the other dishes were as complex in textural elements as this one. It had layered, nuanced flavors in the crunch of the toffee and popcorn, softness of the cornbread, and smoothness of the ice cream. In sum, a perfect dessert.

But at the end of the night, how is Tzuco? Would we recommend it? Certainly. The food, while being excellently executed, doesn’t feel so pretentious and strikes a good balance between upscale and comfortable. The food and dining experience can feel relaxed, yet it’s clear that Gaytán put enormous effort into the details. If you’re looking for a night out to treat yourself to high end, Latin American-based flavors, Tzuco is a no-brainer.