LA PENA
4212 N. MILWAUKEE AVE.
CHICAGO  60641
(773) 545-7022
TYPE OF FOOD  ECUADORIAN
PRICE RANGE     $$  
RATING   

DATE OF VISIT    5/15/08, 6/29/07, 2/26/05, 5/17/03,                                                        4/10/03
     This wonderful little double storefront restaurant  has been around since 2002. It has a pleasant bar in the back serving Ecuadorian and other beers, a small wine list with a good variety and all the blended tropical drinks.  On the table to start were crispy fried plantain chips and a mild salsa. We shared a cerviche of shrimp and fish. Another appetizer we enjoyed was a cerviche made with snapper and shrimp.   Among the entrees I tried were the grilled herb shrimp with an avocado salad, the shrimp in a coconut sauce, carne apanada, and the grilled lamb with a potato cake and rice with a tomato and avocado salad. The lamb was in pieces and grilled crispy. I also liked the grilled rib-eye with fried plantains. The coconut flan was more like a bread pudding with grated coconut. The service was friendly and efficient despite a crowd on a Saturday night and a very large party taking up half the restaurant. There is also live Ecuadorian music.
ANDREW COMENS' CHICAGO RESTAURANT REVIEWS