The Greatiest

Table stakes to get people’s attention these days are to declare something the “best” or “greatest” or “most amazing”. Because it’s hard out here for a pimp writer, I get sucked into the hype-vortex like everyone else. If I don’t overly promote my work, I’m dead, which means even though I want to stab myself in the genitals every time I do it, I play the game. 

The problem with calling everything great is that greatness loses its meaning. When you find something that’s legit, how do you differentiate that from all the other greatness you’ve declared. Do you call it the greatest greats, the greater of all greats, or the greatiest?  

Because those all sound like future Gwyneth Paltrow digital projects, the way I still separate the truly amazeballs is to induct a restaurant or dish into The Hunger’s “essentials” hall of fame. And that’s exactly what I’m about to do here this week. Chicago’s newest essential restaurant is... 

Omarcito’s in Logan Square.  

If you don’t speak Spanish, “cito” is used as a diminutive to mark a smaller or littler copy of the original. In this case, Omarcito is chef/own Omar Cadena. The OG Omar was his grandfather, Omar Jimenez.  

It’s all a little bit of a misnomer tho, because the first thing you notice when you walk into the plaza and see the diamond-tufted stainless steel plated-building that houses Omarcito’s, is how big Cadena’s presence is. 

We don’t even know each other, and he referred to my white ass as “papi”, which is actually spot on, because as we’ve established in previous columns, I’m old as dirt. But of course he meant it, in terms of being a friend. We are not friends. But I want to be. 

Cadena, a vet of another of my faves BIG & Littles, also thanked me for ordering food, otherwise “he’d have to eat it all himself” which as he said wasn’t good, “because then I’m gonna end up alone”. I doubt that’s true, but based on the quality of his chow, anyone out there looking for a dude who can cook, well you better snatch up Cadena, because he’s a killer in the kitchen. 

The food, like Cadena’s personality, is bold. The empanadas are fry-oil dappled like an OG deep-fried McDonald’s apple pie. The exterior shatters while the interiors explode with citrus-kissed mojo pork or steak, chihuahua queso, and scallion. The whole thing breaks open with IG-worthy “cheese-pull” drip.  

The hits never stop never stopping at Omarcito’s. I don’t know if anyone has ever asked the philosophical question what would it be like if you took the idea of quesabirria, but stuffed the tortilla with ropa vieja? Even if no one asked, Cadena answered with his “Quesa Ropa” featuring handmade corn tortillas oozing with chihuahua cheese and silky ropa vieja topped with swizzles of Salvadorian sour cream and green garlic aioli.  

Tacos dorados de pollo con consome feature crisp fluted chicken tacos that you totally toast soldier dip into a winter-warmer of tomatillo-spiked chicken broth.  The vinegar punch of a salsa criolla knocks me out.

There’s a game in my house where sometimes I say to my wife, “If I die and you’re sick and you really need good chicken soup and no one can make it for you, order it from ‘fill in the blank’”.  

I know, you’re all like Mike, why you always think you’re gonna die?  

Because I am! 

The funniest part of this story is that it makes me look like I make chicken soup for my wife a lot. I should. I don’t. The important part here is that I know where to find it. That’s what I do. 

But, anyway, if my wife’s dreams come true and I do expire earlier than she, I love her so much I want her to know that like the won ton broth at Lee’s Chop Suey, Cadenas’ consome will be there for her long after I’m gone. 

Omarcito’s is located in Chicago at 3801 W. Fullerton