Chicago Foodies

Treat: BYO American – Indian Fusion in Humboldt Park

Situated on Kedzie just north of North Avenue, right around the corner from the classic Roeser's Bakery that has been around since 1911 as well as a check cashing place with a giant inflatable gorilla on the roof (at the time of this writing).    One of the first things I noticed is that the place was full, a good sign for a neighborhood that is slowly improving and progressing with more dining options.  The next thing was the counter area with a huge espresso machine (a good way to keep a place profitable by serving coffee in the morning and dinner at night).     Billing itself as "Contemporary American cuisine with Indian influences" it did offer a unique twist by taking western dishes and adding Indian influences.   Marigold restaurant, situated in Uptown, did precede Treat by using the contemporary Indian slant, but perhaps the difference here is that there are Indian twists on very non-Indian foods (gnocchi, crab cakes, panini). 

The Little India Restaurant

I first heard of The Little India Restaurant on Bryn Mawr at the Edgewater Dinner Crawl.  After sampling their samosas at the event I decided to head back to the restaurant to try more but unfortunately, was not as impressed the second time around.

Hema's Kitchen – Lincoln Park

I recently went to Hema's Kitchen in Lincoln Park and had a pretty fabulous meal.  I've been to Devon street several times and even tried some Indian restaurants closer to the city, but I'd have to say that Hema's Kitchen is a great find in Lincoln Park.  The food is very flavorful and spicy; it's reasonably priced; and for me, it's in the neighborhood!

Our party of 3 dropped in on a Friday night in December and even though there was a line, we were quickly seated.  In fact, there was a line the whole time we were there but I don't think anyone waited more than 15 minutes for a table.  The restaurant moves along at a good pace without any pressure as you dine!

Uru-Swati: New Vegetarian Indian on Devon

Uru-Swati opened up a few months ago at 2629 Devon. It's all vegetarian and really tasty. I was there in the afternoon for a late lunch and enjoyed the waiter's willingness to explain everything on the menu. I ended up ordering the Tadka Dal and the Alu Jeera and the pre-req samosa to start.

Cookbook: Moghul Microwave

It sounds too good to be true. Those fabulous sauces whipped up in the old microwave without all of the traditional – fat and time consuming, (and kitchen infusing) methods? Can't be.

Julie Sahni has figured on the adjustable power of the microwave and a variety of glass cookware to cover off on different cooking techniques but it seems that I was operating at 100% in covered glass pots almost entirely. I bailed on a microwavable browning pan since I don't have one and don't know if they even make them anymore. The cookbook is from 1990. She also published Classic Indian Cooking in 1980 and Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking in 1985.

Some interesting additions in the back include mung broth and how to make ghee... basically clarify the butter and then keep it going for about 5 minutes, until all the water fizzles out and the butter darkens. Without getting too carried away I wanted to see how easy these dishes are. I gave it a shot with a mulligatawny, chicken makhani and a gobi vindaloo.  The combined prep time of 20 minutes sounded too good to be true and I have the advantage of getting some of the tough to find ingredients at the local Devon groceries so finding asafetida is easy for me. I have to give this a shot.

Marigold: Nouveau Indian

Marigold is a celebrated addition to the Northside's Uptown, and it fills a void of a city craving something different in Indian cuisine (sorry but Vermilion doesn't cut it).  After visiting for the fifth time I felt like a celebrity, and while I enjoy the service I especially love the food, and almost feel like I cannot write an unbiased review.  Marigold is more like a twist on Indian food as opposed to full-blown contemporary, but what it does it does very well, and at affordable prices, mind you.  And best of all, it's in my neighborhood.

Vermilion

This River North Latin-Indian Fusion spot is one restaurant that, when researched, appeared to have received a lot of hype, especially when it first opened in 2004. The outside does not grab your attention, but the inside is an aesthetically artsy mix of black, white, and red. We were in the neighborhood and went there on a whim on a Friday night, and were surprised to discover the place was half-empty. This led us to question if we made the right decision.

Sabri Nehari - Reopened

That was quick. A bare 2 months after a fire and Sabri is back in business across the street. The dishes are just as good and the restaurant, while smaller, is comfortable. The nehari was better than I remember and tastes of dal, sabri chicken, frontier chicken, lamb kebobs and the wonderful chicken makhani all reminded me why I keep talking about this place.
2502 W. Devon
773-743-6200

First Review 10/17/05
Second Review 7/11/06 
Third Review 10/31/06

Devon's Black Friday

Sabri was not only my favorite restaurant on Devon, it was one of my favorite restaurants in the city. It's one of the few places that I posted about more than once and used unfairly as a yardstick to compare other restaurants against.  Their nehari was spectacular. Their chicken makhani would be my last meal on earth. Usmania is across the street and down a block or two but it's a different restaurant.

I came back from the holiday to the terrible news that Sabri burned down. A fire stretching from Campbell to Maplewood closed many businesses in addition to Sabri.

Sabri Nehari: Kunnah Paya

* Sabri is recovering from a fire late November. They are not currently open.

My entertainment book coupon expires on November first. I went to Sabri Nehari this evening. When push comes to shove and you have several expiring coupons you can tell where your allegiences lie. I thought what could be better than Nehari and chicken makhni? I mean it's basically orange and black. How festive!

A casual flip through the menu brought me to a curiousity. A sticker was stuck in between 2 printed entree options that read Kunnah Paya. No description. So I asked and the waiter's eyes literally brightened. He explained it as like nehari but better. He said that definitively. What was I to do?

Indian Gourmet

One of the perks we envisioned upon moving to Edgewater was the proximity to Devon and all of the Indian and Pakistani restaurants that we'd be able to order delivery from.  Shortly after we moved in we went to Devon and started collecting menus from our favorite places, as well as from those on our list of places to try.  Unfortunately, to our great disappointment, none of them would deliver.  They claimed it wouldn't taste as good.

Bismillah

Bismillah is off of Devon, running south on Ridge. I drive past it often enough for it to come to mind when I'm thinking of a nearby new place.  Having finally been there, I can cross it off my list.

Mind you, I ordered take-out and was limited to one dish– nehari. I added 4 small pakora (for a buck!) and a Pakola, a very tasty fragrant soda from Karachi. The pakora was good and I managed to eat them all by the time I got home. I was pretty grumpy (very late night at work) and maybe that contributed to me not unpacking my dinner properly.

Sabri Nehari– Devon Avenue Favorite

It's usual for some people to order the same thing everytime they go to a restaurant. I ususally try new things, especially when it comes to ethnic foods. However this last time at Sabri I had the perfect meal. Again.

We ordered three things, veggie samosas, nehari and chicken makhani. They are the tastiest things I've eaten from any restaurant offering Indian or Pakistani foods. It may be the tastiest meal in Chicago at the moment. Suffice to say I had a meal that cost 500% more last week and while they're literally half a world apart and figuratively further, I can say that Sabri Nehari offers food that flat out owns Devon avenue. That's high praise.

Arya Bhavan

Arya Bhavan is a small vegeterian Indian spot on Devon. I had a coupon which got sucked into my dashboard but went anyway. We've been impressed before at Udupi Palace (until the incident) and unimpressed by Annapurna's take on fast food veggie Indian. I was excited to potentially have a good veggie spot to mention on Devon.

Viceroy of India

I won't lie. I had a buy-one-get-one-free coupon. Viceroy is across the street from Sabri Nehari. It's tough not to go to Sabri Nehari. Viceroy actually has two parts, a takeout buffet side and a sit down, white tablecloth dining room. It was a good thing that we had the coupon too. The prices start at $8.95 an entree for the vegeterian dishes all the way to $17.95 for specialties.

If you've read more than a couple of the Indian restaurant posts you won't be surprised that we ordered chicken tikka masala. My wife uses it as a measuring stick the same way she orders panang chicken at Thai places. In addition to the tikka we got an order of Rogan Josh. The surprise is that my wife ate all the Rogan Josh and took home the tikka. I was shocked. The tikka was really good on top of it all. The chicken had a distinct tandoori flavor which I thought added lots to a dish that I've always liked.

Ghareeb Nawaz - Awesome Cheap Eats!

Ghareeb Nawaz literally means "sustainer of the poor." In the search for good cheap eats that's a good sign. It's just West of Ridge on Devon and there's usually a line waiting for nan. It's basically a Pakistani taqueria. The food's great and cheap but the trade-off is the dining room. For take-out it can't be beat. Instead of dropping $50 for dinner further West on Devon, $15 is more than enough to splurge for dinner... for four.

Brunch at Tahoora

Tahoora, on Devon, is part restaurant and part bakery. While waiting for breakfast I scored a couple of sweets that were basically really sweet, wet donut holes they were either gulab jamun or very similar. Although I've never had it served without the bowl of sugary rosewater.

Halva Puri is a breakfast dish made from semolina, sugar, fruit and ghee. When you order it you get a styrofoam tray molded into 5 portions, T.V. dinner style. All in all you get spicy chickpeas, a potato dish, yogurt and tomato sauce, hot sauce and the halva puri.

Sabri Nehari

A sure way to empathize with people is to share their food. It brings a uniqueness to a culture that is palpable, a sensory connection that helps with an understanding of what a place may be like.

I have been waiting to review Sabri Nehari for several months and ended up eating there a week before the earthquake in Pakistan. I ate there this past weekend again. The food is terrific.

Usmania

Our old favorite restaurant, Lucky Kebob, is the reason Pakistani food has become a comfort food. While my platemate has a huge thing for chicken tikka masala (note the similarities to her thing for panang chicken) she enjoys the differences of Pakistani food versus Indian.

Usmania is on Devon east of Western. The differences that I have seen might be more in reference to the restaurants I've been to as opposed to cultural cuisine specifics. I've noticed that Indian food is more dairy oriented than Pakistani and Pakistani food is more grill related than Indian. I've also noticed that there is a tremendous menu crossover in most places as well as a significant amount of vegetarian dishes in both.

Annapurna

Annapurna, a vegetarian quick food spot, 2608 W. Devon, was recommended by a friendly cabbie after I asked him about the demise of Lucky Kabob and Nehari House. I went expecting a possible surrogate for my Pakistani habit. As someone who is challenged by dairy I'm more Pakistani food friendly as it uses more oil and less dairy. With $4 in quarters in my pocket I was set.