José Andrés lets loose, slings sangria

👋 Hey, it's Monica. Earlier this summer, I met up with chef José Andrés at his River North Jaleo restaurant before he hosted a Capital One cooking demonstration.

Why it matters: The Spanish-born chef and subject of Ron Howard's new "We Feed People" documentary is better known for bringing food to crisis zones with his World Central Kitchen than for having fun.

• So it was nice to see Andrés engage in some levity as he whipped up sangria for his guests.

What he's saying: "In Spain, we say sangria is what you give to the tourists … especially the British," he laughed as he chopped strawberries for the drink. "But really it's just like any other cocktail: If you use good s---, you get a good drink."

The intrigue: Andrés started his restaurant empire with Jaleo in Washington, D.C., in 1993 but revealed to the crowd that he almost skipped that location to open a tapas bar in Chicago with Rich Melman and Gabino Sotelino.

• After a tip from chef Rick Bayless last year about River North vacancies, Andrés finally put down stakes in Chicago with four local restaurants: Jaleo, Bazaar Meat, Bar Mar and Pigtail.

Quick take: I recently ate the most umami-packed bite of my life at Bar Mar on Wacker.

• Called José's Asian Tacos, they feature caviar and bellota ham wrapped in a square of seaweed nori ($14 for two).

What he's saying: The chef was in town mostly to promote an interesting new partnership with Capital One in which he curates dining experiences — like the sangria cooking demonstration — for card members at restaurants all over the country.

• "If this is something that can get people to start celebrating our cities and our lives again, then it's worth supporting," he said, noting continuing struggles in the hospitality community.
• "When I visited Chicago [to distribute food to frontline workers] during the middle of the pandemic, it was so sad to see everything so empty. I love to see so many more people out now and I want to help that."