I've wanted to try Frontera Grill ever since Rick ...

I've wanted to try Frontera Grill ever since Rick Bayless won the first Top Chef Masters all those years ago. I finally got the chance on a mini family vacation to Chicago when we stayed at a hotel right around the corner, so we walked over and put our names on the reservation list to sit outside. The wait was initially an hour, but a previous reservation cancelled, so we were sat in perhaps less than 20 minutes. Our server, Albert, was very knowledgable about the menu and the drinks. He brought me and my sister delicious seasonal cocktails and recommended a fantastic sipping tequila for my husband who is a serious whiskey man. My mom has a pepper intolerance (they give her nasty migraines), and when she told Albert about it he was absolutely thorough that there wouldn't be cross contamination. He even alerted management to the issue, who came out and introduced himself (Jay) and double checked that her allergy wasn't as severe to air-borne contamination, and he worked with her to create a dish that would fit her dietary needs. It was above and beyond anything we expected, we just wanted to be certain no peppers got tossed on her salad, but Jay made certain a dressing was especially created so there wouldn't be any oils or seeds in it. Truly a testament to any great restaurant! I'm vegetarian and there were plenty of incredible options for myself, and I loved the Wild Mushroom Mixotes I ordered. Even though that might have been enough, since we didn't do appetizers, my table split the desserts Mexican Chocolate Cherry Tart, Frontera Chocolate Pecan Pie, and Local Corn 3 Sweet Ways. Everything was amazing and you can't get it prepared like Frontera prepared it anywhere else. The experience was absolutely amazing and will be hard to top: 5 stars all the way! There will be a wait, but it is 100% worth it!