There’s something irresistible about eating food off a stick. At Canton Regio, the brochetas arrive dangling from a little metal stand. It’s a setup that’s satisfyingly medieval, and it’s tempting to grab one and point it at the person across the table, and shout “En garde!” But then a piece of meat or a shrimp might fall off and land on the floor, lost forever, and that would be sad because those brochetas really are quite tasty. So is the arrachera, or grilled skirt steak, which is available by the kilo and arrives at the table on its own wrought-iron stand (though without weaponry, alas). It should also prove once and for all that inexpensive cuts of meat don’t have to be tough and tasteless.
Canton Regio is the latest restaurant from the Gutierrez family, who hurried to open it after Nuevo Leon burned down last winter. It’s more upscale than Nuevo Leon was, though you still have to pay cash. The music is loud. Make sure you shout your order, otherwise your server won’t hear and you’ll be sitting impatiently at your table wishing they hadn’t cleared the brochetas so you’d have some means of getting his attention.
Canton Regio, 1510 W. 18th, 312-733-3045.
