Cafe 787

6019 W Fullerton Ave
Chicago, IL 60639
(773) 237-0787

COME HERE!! If you think you'll find better Puerto Rican food in Chicago, you are one crazy MOFOngo. Seriously, hands down, THE best Puerto Rican fare I have had in the Second City. Cafe 787 hits on all points.

Yes, it's a drive. No, it's not in Humboldt Park. Yes, you will come here again and again. I was not ready for this jelly. Cafe 787 was too Boricua-licious for me. My friend had been fiending for some mofongo. Y'see, I'd taken her to a recommended Southside Rican spot - for mofongo. We were served matzah balls and told it was mofongo. We were unamused. After we set it off in there (and went on the run to avoid prosecution), we decided to give the search another try. We made the long drive west on Fullerton and found a parking spot right in front.

Visually, this place is awesome. Hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, Puerto Rican masks, paintings of Puerto Rico, mounted tvs, black wood seats, comfy & plush booths - the place is decorated really nicely. Even the bathrooms are nice - Kohler faucets, high tech hand dryers, sparkly black tile floor... I was in a good mood from sight alone.

My friends and I ascended to the second level, settled in and got to the business of ordering. Champagne cola, mango juice, Malta, aranitas (with garlic bread & sauce already mixed), el trio (maduros topped with creole chicken and bbq pork - OFF THE FREAKING CHAIN good), three orders of mofongo (two pork, one chicken; ask for it because it's not currently on the menu) and three orders of arroz con gandules. Our waitress repeated the order as though to verify we knew what we were ordering. Yep! We weren't scurred. We wanted to eat like we were chillin' with Don Omar in Old San Juan as we plotted to backhand that f00l, Daddy Yankee.

Seeing we weren't playing around, she put in the order. The owner came out to chat us up and he found out we were for real when a member of my party made some bioluminescence from Vieques magically appear in her Malta. Impressed, he went back to the kitchen to make sure our food was on point.

How good was it? We didn't speak for nearly twenty minutes after the food came out. We barely used utensils and managed only to grunt for hot sauce for the pork and mofongo. Unbelievably good. The maduros were sweet and huge & the meat on top served as perfect savory compliments to every bite. The aranitas were crunchy, filling and nicely seasoned. My Cola Champagne on ice was the nectar of kings. And the mofongo...oh me oh my. It was HUGE. Gigantic portion of the plantain delight (full of cracklins) and the pork and chicken that accompanied it could have fed two people each. Add to this: salad AND three orders of arroz con gandules? Wow. I'm flashing back to the eating and I am both ashamed and proud of myself. We took so much food down that Kobiyashi bowed down to us and took notes.

After we gorged ourselves and stretched out to lie down (you think I'm kidding; we had grease on our mouths & fingers and in our hair and our bellies were distended), the owner and waitress came out to have a conversation. We found out that they've been open about a year. A liquor license is a couple of weeks away and they have plans to keep the place open to 2 on the weekends with live music and dancing. All this food AND Puerto Rican Rum AND booty shaking? It's about to be on & poppin' - literally! Even though we didn't have room for dessert, the owner gave my friend a huge container of freshly made sofrito just because it came up in conversation. And, oh yeah, tax & tip came out to $30 a person. That's right.

There is no other place in Chicago one should go for Puerto Rican food. Great decor, nice music, friendly service, COOL owner and fantastic food. Man, I am getting hungry again just thinking about it. Come here and bring me along. Think of it as a finder's fee.

Fiestas Puertorriquenas

1400 N Sacramento Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 292-1414

If you weren't at the spot, I don't know what you were doing. Every year, the Puerto Rican Fest brings it!

First things first about the Fest, it's free. That's right. No matter where you happen upon the Park to enter into a Boricua wonderland, you won't have to pay a penny for the privilege of having some world class fun. You hear that, Art Fairs and Neighborhood fests??!! Here at the FP, there are no jack booted Chads and Trixies shaking folks down for a $20 'donation' just to enter the 'free' festival aka public streets and walkways [but what a great scam that is; wish I'd have thought of it]. If you're not a fabulous jet-setter like Vamsi or Preet (mm-hmm, that's right; I called you out for going to Puerto Rico and not taking me), this might be the next best thing.

I like to enter the Park/Fest at North & California. I walk south down California, past the shirt, corn and other vendors and then cut up into the Park at the first closed gate. This route will also let you gaze into one of the many water ways of Humboldt Park and marvel at its beauty. Walk past the big rig trucks and you'll come upon the midway. Remember when you were a kid and went to the state fair? Well, all the awesome rides of your youth are here for you to enjoy: haunted house, tilt-a-whirl, bumper cars, etc. But watch out: there are plenty of youngsters and families about and, apparently, it's bad form to push the little kids out of the way so you can cut in line. Who knew? You need tickets to ride the ride, but there are plenty of booths that will trade your money for tickets.

After you've thrown up from the rides (or been escorted out of line by the CPD, potato potatoe), play some carnival games (whack a mole, ring toss, dart throw, that water-gun-horse-game that makes no sense and a host of others) or get some grub! Games are everyday. Corn pancakes with melted cheese inside only comes once a year. There's so much food! Rice, pork, sweet plantains, pinchos (pronounce the "p"; otherwise it'll sound like you asked for a bicho which will get you either a slap or a date), empanadillas, pinonoes, alcapurrias and other fried deliciousness. As tempting as it will be to get food at the first booth you see, don't. Window shop, compare prices and go for the places with the longest lines.

Some people walk and eat. Um, no. I need a seat. You can try to blend in with the bingo-playing grandmas (prime real estate with a tarp, chairs and everything) but they tend to side-eye you if you aren't playing. There are plenty of grassy tree lounges or benches. I don't do dirt, so I recommend the bench. Be aware that they are hot and you will burn your culo. Be prepared.

Has all that food left you thirsty? If so, grab a hollowed-out pineapple filled with pina colada. They look great and are re-fillable. They're also huge (around $8). I heard that this is an alcohol-free event, but I also heard someone got a $10 strawberry daquiri that was 60% rum, 35% ice and 5% strawberries. I also heard this person fell down after drinking half of it. No, I don't have a bruise.

While you sip your fruity beverage, tour the various booths. Register to vote, buy a quality knock-off (no Fendis out of trunks at this Fest), get some body oils, various Puerto Rican flag clothing or people watch. I saw a little kid with a tricked out tricycle that played, no, BUMPED, music and had a chrome box on the back. But for the witnesses, I would have jacked him for it. It was really nice.

Still anxious for more? Good. The event producers are on top of their game and they have a ton of corporate sponsors. That means money for great music acts, quality sound systems, corporate tents (the Wrigley tent has Wii games to play, flavored oxygen to breathe and cooling centers) and various contests. My favorite contest is the reggaeton dance-for-concert-tickets contest which always devolves to an ass-shaking competition. It's awesome. There's plenty of popping, dropping, toe touching, wiggling, shaking, stripping and floor humping - and those are the men; seriously. But male contestants have to leave their shirts on. "There are kids in the audience."

I've never stayed to see the night concerts. Invariably, I am sunburned, tipsy and in the early throes of a food coma. From what I hear, the night concerts are a lot of fun...but the frolicking family atmosphere of the day is replaced by the tomfoolery of teens and young adults. Since I am a brownstone stoop away from beating those self-same youngsters with a cane, I leave before dark. But the really good reggaeton, bachata, etc. acts are at night so...choose wisely according to interest.

Forget what you heard about how 'scary' HP is and get to the Fest. It's so much fun. For a week, everyone is Puerto Rican. Get your flag, attach it to your car, cruise the circuit, honk your horn and viva boricua/Puerto Rico.