Maybe you’ve heard of miracle fruit.
Synsepalum dulcificum. Comes straight out of West Africa.
You eat it and, for about the next 30 minutes, everything sour tastes sweet.
Lemons taste like lemonade. Cheap tequila tastes top-shelf.
Now, there’s a whole café fully dedicated to it: introducing Berrista from futurist chef Homaro Cantu, opening Friday in Old Irving Park.
Originally slated to open today, Cantu and company were so overrun during this weekend’s sneak preview that they ran outta’ food.
Why?
Well first, there’s chef Cantu: mad scientist at Moto. Pioneered miracle berry pairings and made dining crazy entertaining at the now-debunked iNG. Authored a cookbook about his natural chemical quirk. Even did a TED Talk on the stuff.
We call this pedigree.
In short: he’s the miracle fruit chef.
Second, the menu: Carbonated grapes in custom portable CO2 bottles. Fresh, sugar-free donuts. Chicken and waffle sandwiches with maple syrup mustard.
Every item tastes good with or without the berry, which you’ll take by cookie, traditional pill or pure liquid form.
Your typical coffee shop fare, really. Just turned the f— sideways.
Oh, and the coffee? Brewed using an ultra-modern contraption called a Steampunk. You gotta see this thing.
Cantu’s overall mission: “healthy junk food.”
Get some.
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