Photo via Facebook / Frida
Frida (in Crossroads Collective, 2238 N. Farwell Avenue) may have a name and decor inspired by a painter best known for self-portraiture, Frida Kahlo, but its culinary creativity can bring at least as much pleasure to others as it must chef Martin Magana. Magana employs the same gastronomical imagination he exercises with the food at East Side haute fare haunt Tess in service to lower price points at Frida. The duck confit po’ boy sandwich it was my joy to lunch on at a recent visit seems a fair enough summation of the inventive vistas in flavor explored at Frida. Dark rich waterfowl flesh in a marinade with a hint of heat is topped with spring greens, all of it nestled between diagonally-cut focaccia. The tartness in a cup of tomato bisque garnished with garlicky croutons balanced the marinade's sweetness and duck's richness. Specials change often enough to merit return trips to Frida.
