Chicago Foodies

Lunch in the Loop: Taza

In my never-ending quest to find interesting, reasonably priced food in the Loop, I stopped by Taza, an unassuming storefront offering Middle Eastern and Mediterranean classics. (Alas, being on Franklin, Taza is technically just outside of the Loop, so my search continues on.) Pictured here is the "gourmet" falafel sandwich, which comes decked out with savory hunks of falafel, a smear of creamy hummus, a scoop of Jerusalem salad and hot sauce for a little extra zip. The falafel was hot and crisp, with a soft, pillowy interior. This was topped with crunchy chunks of cucumber and tomato in tahini and lemon dressing. Everything was brought together in a warm, hefty pita pocket. Did I mention this will only set you back $5? Light, delicious, and affordable.

 At 1 pm, there was no lunch crowd and plenty of open tables for seating, which is a major plus in my book. I'll definitely be back to try their gyros and schwarma. 

Taza
176 N. Franklin
(312) 201-9885

Turkish Cuisine and Bakery in Andersonville

I walked in to this place at 6:30 on a Thursday night, and the first thing I noticed is that the large BYO restaurant was empty.  The second thing is that I looked around for the bakery and didn't see one, so I assumed the bread given to our table was the product of the "bakery".   Not being extremely hungry, I only ordered one main course, something called the Hunkar Begendi, also known as the Sultan's Delight.

Chickpea

The first thing you notice upon entering Chickpea is the walls, emblazoned with technicolor posters for Hollywood hits in Arabic. With the wall coverings combined with an oh-so-trendy, synecdochic one word name, I mentally began to typecast Chickpea as a faux ethnic joint catering to hipster aesthetics. I mean, if an Arabic poster of Terminator doesn't scream Irony, then I don't know what does.

Luckily, my doubts were quickly quelled by the emergence of Amni Suqi, chef and matriarch of the restaurant. With a warm smile, she welcomed us and asked us to seat ourselves wherever we liked. We were handed paper menus, and told to be sure to ask if we had any questions.

Like dining at home, Chickpea boasts a pretty low-key environment. Though you can wait for someone to come by, your best bet is to head to the counter to place your order and pay. (Note: Chickpea is cash only.) Food is delivered soon afterwards to your table. Water is available via plastic cups in the corner, and you can help yourself to the bottles of sambal oelek chili paste on the counter, a nice addition if you like added zing to your food.

I Dream of Falafel... and Chicken Sharwerma

I Dream of Falafel on Franklin near Jackson St. is a foodie’s lunchtime dream come true. Mediterranean quick-service competitors Roti and Benjyehuda are nearby, but patronize those locations for excellent salads and crispy fries, respectively. I Dream of Falafel will transform your lunch hour if you are craving smooth hummus, firm falafel, or flavorful shawerma.  

The I Dream of Falafel menu is a simple three-step process to chicken shawerma, beef shawerma, and falafel heaven. My favorite way to enjoy their culinary delights is with a bed of hummus topped with chicken shawerma and falafel, finished with tahini, lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers.

Tagine Home Cooking

Over the holidays, a friend of mine who loves to cook turned me on to a very affordable tagine from Sur La Table. As a fan of cooking and experimenting with new foods, I thought a tagine would be a perfect addition to my kitchen-arsenal and I figured for the price (~$20), it would be a great idea for my Christmas list. Sure enough my husband bought one for me but unwrapping the gift was just the start of my adventures in tagine cooking.

Casbah Cafe

The parallel streets Broadway and Clark have many great (and not-so-great) BYO restaurants. From somewhere around Webster to a bit south of Irving Park, there are lots and lots of BYOs and lots of cuisines to choose from, and this is only the Lakeview section. I once lived three blocks from Casbah, and for whatever reason I never stopped by. Until now.

Al-Khaymeih Restaurant

On Kedzie, just south of Lawrence is the Lebanese restaurant Al-Khaymeih. Just down the street is Semiramis another Lebanese restaurant but one at a time.

Shawarma was the reason for going and well worth it. You can choose either chicken or beef and you can take your time as you watch the meat on the spit. Monday evening I went back for more Tacos Al Pastor from Taqueria Uptown and thought about how similar regional foods are even when geographically they're literally a world apart. Of course you have to mention gyros and there you have it... beef, chicken, pork, and lamb. All we need is a slowly rotating giant spit of fish fillets. Hmmm. I think I'm on to something.

The one dissenting order was for a kefta-kebab type thing that I would order next time. The tahini sauce does wonders with charred meat. In addition to the sandwiches we really enjoyed the hummus and the very smokey babaganoush. Their tabbouleh salad was heavy on the veggies and light on the bulger. A friend explained the regional differences. When you're closer to the veggies - you get more veggies. The kibbeh was also terrific – deep fried spheres of bulger wheat filled with ground meat. Complimentery olives pickled with lemons and salty picked turnips were nice additions.

Olive Mountain Restaurant

In need of food we picked Olive Mountain over Mount Everest having never been to either. A quickly served appetizer of falafel suggested we made a good choice. Olive Mountain is a few blocks from the Evanston theatres and it is a great way to have a reasonable and what could be a rather quick meal (if need be) before a show. What's best about Olive Mountain is that the food is really good.

Oasis Cafe

As my anniversary approaches, and I won't mention which one, I was reminded of a truly special Chicago secret restaurant. In the back of one of the Jeweler's malls on Wabash, behind the stalls of alternately pushy and/or completely distant salespeople, is a group of tables and a middle eastern lunch-counter. I was originally looking for an engagement ring and was distracted by falafel and chicken shwarma pita sandwiches. This time I'm spending less on jewelery so I figured I'd splurge and get the lamb special.

This place reminds me a bit of Pee Wee's Big Adventure where a fortune teller informs Pee Wee that his bike is in the Alamo.... in the basement. While it's not in the basement, the Oasis Cafe is in the 'way-back' of the Wabash Jeweler's Mall...