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South Loop, South of the Border
Monday Feb 19, 2007.
By Erin Brereton
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 photo: Erin Brereton
However, the real Mexico, as it turns out, is actually quite far away. So I opted instead for a Mexican restaurant, where I could sit near the fireplace, have a cocktail and eat salsa and chips until summer came.
This town is full of reasonably-priced, delish Mexican eateries. In fact, my sister swears she has yet to find one even close in quality since leaving Chicago…and given that the place she took me in Seattle somehow messed up a quesadilla (how do you do that?! A bowl of cereal has more ingredients!), I would tend to agree.
Finding a local Mexican restaurant with a fantabulous drink special is another story. Unless you find yourself, as my friends and I did, trekking to the South Loop, where you can walk to a museum, buy some discounted mannequins at Carson Pirie Scott (if you hurry!) and get affordable Mexican fare with very cheap drinks at La Cantina Grill.
La Cantina has specials every night, which is nice because drinking can make every night special. On my first trip several weeks ago, I sampled the Thursday night $5 martinis. My second visit, I tried the $6 Sunday special, the Mexican Connection, a mix of cognac and amaretto. It made me feel very connected to intoxication, about 10 minutes after first sipping it. I also had some wine, which goes for $7-$9 a glass on average.
The nightly drink specials range from $4 margaritas (Monday) to double Long Island Iced Teas for $12 (Fridays). Every night, La Cantina patrons can also indulge in $15 buckets of Tecate beer…beer in bulk: A surer sign of spring than the groundhog's shadow.
The good news: The food is tasty—they're happy to special-order dishes like my veggie-intense version of a quesadilla—and if you go for a birthday, they're all about bringing you a flaming piece of cake. The Spanish rice is tasty, the guacamole is smooth and the queso fundido just spicy enough, not to mention very, very fun. (Then again, what cheese isn't.)
But the service—yikes. During my first trip, it was fairly slow. During the second, it was just confusing. We arrived just as the eatery opened, and even with just one other table, our initial drink order took almost 20 minutes to fill. When our drinks did come, they were all placed in front of the wrong people. Not that it was a huge deal, because lifting and repositioning a drink isn't really all that difficult (unless it's drink No. 6), but the same thing happened with the food; a mystery plate of avocado appeared without warning and sort of became our dining companion, and after two requests, we never did get our last drink (which you know, probably was in my best interest).
My concern is, if it's that chaotic on a slow night, what happens on a Friday? Maybe I'll have to stop by and check it out. After all, the food was good, and in this weather, I'm in no rush to get back outside.
Want to try La Cantina Grill's fare for yourself? Check it out at 1911 S. Michigan Ave., or call (312) 842-1911.
Erin Brereton is our resident urban cowgirl on a bi-weekly search for life on the cheap. If you know of a Cheap Thrill, do clue her in.
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