Mercat a la Planxa - Chicago, IL

I have a dear friend that lives in Chicago that quite possibly has the best taste in restaurants, and always knows the perfect places to suggest or take me to when I visit.  In this case, I needed a recommendation for my family and he told me about Mercat a la Planxa.  I am a huge fan of tapas, so I was really excited to try it out.  We all opted for the chef's tasting menu, which is a bunch of tapas picked by the chef, timed just right.  Starting with olives!

Flat bread with fresh tomatoes.  

Bread, cheese, fruit and pancetta.  Starting to be impressed.

Apples and brie are such an awesome combination.  Everything tasted very fresh, which made it all the better.

Beautiful spread!

Bacon covered dates.  I'm not normally a fan of dates, but these were something different.  I couldn't get enough!

Shrimp in some amazing sauce I can't even begin to describe.

Sweet potato ravioli, this was possibly my favorite tapa.  It was very different, and tasted amazing.

Here comes the steak!

Huge shrimp, risotto and collared greens.  Great combinations.

Roasted lamb, couldn't get enough of this dish either.  Delicious!

Finally dessert, we tried a little bit of everything and were completely stuffed afterward.

I always think there's no way I can be full after eating small plates, but I was wrong.  Even my brother, who has a good appetite, said he was filled up after all the food.  This was one of the best dinners I've had in a while, and the company was pretty awesome too.

Thank you to Mateo for the great suggestion, as usual!!

Happy Friday, have a great weekend.