PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Part sleek dining room, part sultry nightclub, Nacional 27 showcases the cuisine of 27 Latin American nations including Venezuela, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Brazil. Rich walnut and bamboo woods and gauzy curtains lend a tropical air to the grand dining room, which has cozy booth seating and tables arranged around a central dance floor. The innovative drink menu will get you in the mood: You'll find classic mojitos, sangrias, and trendy martini variations. For starters, there are a variety of skewers, ceviches, and empanadas; good choices are coconut-crusted shrimp and scallop-and-shrimp ceviche with avocado. The entrees are divided into steaks, seafood, and "Latin Comfort Foods," which include stick-to-your-ribs selections such as grilled pork tenderloin with corn-mushroom flan or honey-chile glazed duck. (Some of the food can be quite spicy, so ask before you order if you've got extra-sensitive taste buds.) Nacional 27 heats up on Friday and Saturday nights after 10pm, when a DJ spins fiery Latin tunes and couples take to the dance floor.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chicago 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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