Yusho Packs a Punch; Tavernita Struggles to be Heard

Phil Vettel thinks Yusho is a “masterstroke” with “big, powerful, in-your-face” flavors. The chicken skin is “fried so brittle,” covered in “sharp flavors” and “absolutely addictive.” Must-try dishes include Maitake mushrooms with cubes of jellied dashi and frisee that melt into a “savory, salty sauce,” and a splash of vinaigrette that turns it into “something akin to a salade Lyonnaise.” The “Logan poser” ramen is “terrific” and even the desserts such as the soft-serve bowl of Sichuan-pepper frozen custard are excellent. Vettel says the whole experience is “apt to be a wild ride.” [Tribune]

Tavernita is “loud, frenetic, and sceney,” and its plates fight to be noticed amid all the noise. Mike Sula finds the crudos “overdressed,” and the bread-based bites overloaded too as the thin flatbread “struggles” to support an application of duck confit, oranges, arugula and tomato sofrito. He compliments the beef and pork meatballs blanketed in “vivid” romesco sauce, tasting “improbably of supermarket breakfast sausage,” and a few larger plates are reminiscent of “Missouri picnic food,” pushing the limits of restraint. However, the tap system that dispenses the cocktails result in flavors that are “flat,” “muted” and ultimately “overbalanced.” [Reader]

Libertad is a hidden gem in Skokie specializing in nuevo Latino cuisine. Thomas Wittom checks out the small storefront restaurant and tries a shared remolacha salad that is a “harmonious symphony of tastes and textures.” The pork belly is a “delicious, rich, tender” piece of meat with a hint of truffle oil, and the asada picks up flavor from chimichurri sauce along with chipotle-goat cheese. Triple chocolate cake takes desserts “to a new level of intensity,” with its “gooey chocolate center” contrasting nicely to the peppery milk chocolate mole ice cream resting on white chocolate sauce. [Sun-Times]

Eater Chicago intern Jeffy Mai contributed this article.