Goat cheese baked in tomato sauce with olives and garlic bread
The moment I finished my first meal at Emilio’s Tapas, I wanted to move next door. You may roll your eyes, but the creation of an extraordinary dining experience is an indelible kind of seduction. In the 33 years since that evening, I have learned to appreciate the ways in which this former tavern on a nondescript highway in Chicago’s western suburbs generates its magnetic appeal.
The entrance to Emilio's Tapas
The opening of an exotic tapas bar and restaurant in a local dining desert caused a sensation among adventurous diners in 1988. Emilio Gervilla had won recognition in 1985 as chef at Chicago’s first Spanish restaurant, Cafe Ba-Ba-Re-Ba. That opening was the culmination of a number of successful ventures with Lettuce Entertain You. Once on his own, Emilio chose a property in Hillside near his own home for this first solo venture. That location is a clue to the restaurant’s rational.
First time customers found Emilio’s to be a study in contradictions. The restaurant is situated between to giant fast food franchises: a Wendy’s drive through on one side and McDonald’s on the other. Upon entering the restaurant a new customer feels the interior's strong ethnic character. The surfaces and tables in the bar as well as the floors are covered with Spanish tiles:. The walls of the main dining room are painted with scenes of village life. This intensely festive space radiates informal, rustic cooking with one telling exception. The room is filled with tables covered in white table cloths, a signal the chef has set demanding culinary goal for himself.
Serrano Ham, Manchego cheese, marinated olives and tomato bread
Tapas in Spain are complimentary appetizers served with bar drinks as covers to keep flies out of the glass. Emilio has adapted the tapa concept to a restaurant setting in which diners order several small plates from a list of hot and cold choices and pass them around the table. There are no 'side' tapas. Dishes of garlic potato salad and goat cheese floating in tomato sauce are stand-alone classics. Each plate features a carefully curated, perfectly realized Spanish speciality, from paper-thin slices of Serrano ham, to tangy Manchego cheese and grilled seafood.
Grilled octopus served with mixed greens, roasted potatoes and balsamic vinaigrette
The small plate concept subtly alters the entire restaurant experience. Diners share each plate, mop up juices with a bread round and grab a clean plate when the next dish arrives. The opportunity to deconstruct a meal into several bites of an intensely satisfying ingredient creates a ‘kid in a candy store’ sense of freedom and elation. A succession of plates also has the effect of extending the meal and, at the same time, maintaining a sense anticipation and that stimulates conversation. The only time when this formula weakens is when it's time to order dessert. A serving of Emilio's rich homemade flan, profiteroles or roasted banana with caramel sauce are generous enough to shared but, even though sated, noone wants to.
Caramelized walnut pastry with chocolate buttercream
At the heart of Emilio’s appeal is its owner’s management style. The quality of the food and service has never faltered, even during the years when Emilio was busy supporting other tapas restaurant startups in nearby suburbs. (I can count six over the years.) When he opened, Emilio hired employees who worked for the previous owner, and he has kept most all his current employees through the pandemic.
Late Saturday night with Emilio bottom left and center in the mural.
