Haha, came to review this place and realized I reviewed it four years ago, when I ate the admittedly boring student prix-fixe. Hopefully they don't do that anymore. Since then I move to Stockholm and then New York City. I was back in the area for a few days and decided to try Bacaro again. It was really very good. Yes, despite the fact that there is a lot of mediocre food in the area, it's not the area's fault. Champaign-Urbana has fantastic terroir. There are many producers nearby making food that is world-class and Bacaro uses these ingredients to great effect. I LOVED the goat cheese salad and my rich creamy risotto. Fried sweetbreads were luscious. My boyfriend's chicken with chicken liver was delicious.
I guess the only complaint is that the prices here are the same as in NYC...