Sunday, October 25, 2009
Food Chain / Food & Drink Too New to Review: The Fusion Edition
Posted by Kate Schmidt on Sun, Oct 25, 2009 at 10:09 AM
- Peter Engler
- Meatball-noodle sandwich, tostones with chimichurri, and cabbage-fennel kimchi at Belly Shack
Three recently opened restaurants featuring unusual fusions:
First up: Belly Shack, the much-hyped Logan Square venture from Bill Kim of Urban Belly, opened Tuesday in the former Vella Cafe space, transformed by industrial-chic trappings. The concept is Asian-Latin fusion, with offerings ranging from a Korean BBQ "Kogi" sandwich to a jibarito with Chinese black beans, marinated tofu, and brown rice; sides include kimchi and tostones. Under the heading "U Kud Like Dis" is the dessert menu, which consists solely of soft-serve ice cream in flavors dreamed up by Hot Chocolates Mindy Segal—bacon-chocolate chip and Vietnamese cinnamon-salted caramel are two current options. BYO; no reservations.
The French-Mexican Sabor Saveur opened October 18 on the border of Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village. Born in Mexico and trained there and in New York, chef Yanni Sanchez also put in some time at the Paris Ritz Carlton. Her current menu includes manchego-Roquefort fondue with tequila, chipotle-spiced duck confit, and langosta enchiladas. It's BYO for now, with a liquor license in the works.
Finally, theres two-week-old Fame da Lupo, an Uptown BYO where in addition to the standard pizzas and pastas there are a few eastern European specialties like hot dog pizza, which owner Lubo Vladi Gate says was inspired by slices sold on the streets of his native Bulgaria. The Bulgarian influence also shows up in the Fame da Lupo sandwich, with lukanka, a spicy Bulgarian sausage, feta cheese, and lutenitza, a pepper-and-eggplant spread. It's BYO and open till 11 PM nightly.
Other openings slated for this week: Crepe Crave (1752 W. North), which is too new to have a phone, and Pitchfork Food and Saloon (2922 W. Irving Park), which is also unresponsive.
In case you're wondering about the title of this new feature, the Reader's policy on reviewing restaurants is old-school: we give a place at least a month to get its ducks in a row before sending in the critics. But of course you don't have to wait that long to try them (or to add your review to our site).
Additional recent openings:
BenjYehuda
Blue Ocean
Ch'Ava Cafe
Dolce
Edzo's Burger Shop
La Farine
Folklore
New Line Tavern
Sprout
Zyggyz Indian Grill
If you want this sort of info delivered to your inbox, along with deals, special events, and pointers to our newest reviews and stories, sign up for the Reader's weekly food and drink e-mail blast.
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I loved the desserts at Belly Shack enough to want to comment before anyone gets confused - all of the soft serve ice cream is one flavor, vanilla-coconut water. Vietnamese cinnamon caramel, bacon chocolate chip, and the other three additions are toppings.
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