Beer City

August 25, 2006

IF THE MAP Room, the Bucktown beer mecca, has an archetypal customer, then Jonathan Surratt must be it. On a recent afternoon he sat at a table there, drinking a hard-to-find Belgian pale ale (Von Honsebrouck’s Brigand) and scrutinizing a map--a Chicago beer map, no less--on his laptop. “I could do this all day,” he said, scrolling west on Irving Park past an icon for Mike’s American Ale House.

Surratt launched his Web site, beermapping.com, last October. Using Google maps, the site marks beer destinations--breweries, brewpubs, bars, and stores--across the country. So far he’s listed some 3,158 locations in 22 cities; the national brewery and brewpub map covers more than 1,400. All are select, drawn mostly from publications for beer aficionados. The Chicago map has 138 listings. “People will say, ‘There are 400 bars in my neighborhood and only 4 on the map’,” says Surratt, a 32-year-old e-commerce student at DePaul. “Well, if I were to put every place that had PBR on tap what good would that do?”

Thanks in part to a brief mention in an NPR story on Google maps, beermapping.com now attracts about 1,000 visitors and at least ten new submissions a day. The site’s most fervent enthusiasts tend to be beer lovers planning trips, but even knowledgeable Chicagoans can use it to find a good beer store near a BYO place (see this week’s listings) or a quality bar in an unfamiliar neighborhood.

The project was made possible by Google’s decision, back in June 2005, to release the code to its mapping interface. The open code allowed anyone to customize any map for anything, and that’s pretty much what happened: gmapsmania.com, which tracks the phenomenon, estimates there are at least 3,000 polished customized maps, or mashups, in existence. Drvino.com, a popular wine Web site by recent Northwestern PhD Tyler Colman, has had a map of Chicago wine stores up since February. “It’s a pretty time-consuming interface,” he says. “I kind of wish that my tech department in Bangladesh had banged it out, but I had to do it myself.” Surratt, who made his initial maps by looking up the longitude and latitude of each location and pasting that data into Microsoft Excel (he’s since streamlined the process), echoes that assessment: “It took forever. It really took forever.

“The thing that’s kept me going, because I have a short attention span, is the e-mails I’ve gotten from brewers,” he adds. “Greg Koch from Stone”--the founder of Stone Brewing Company, a near legendary craft brewer in San Diego--“wrote and said, ‘This is a great thing you’re doing for small brewers.’” At a cheese and beer tasting at Goose Island, brewmaster Greg Hall heard who Surratt was and said, “Oh, you’re the beer mapping guy!”

Surratt did his early drinking growing up in North Carolina, but he didn’t get into beer seriously until he started working at a swanky Chapel Hill restaurant, where he became friends with a sommelier who’d been a brewer at Goose Island. Surratt started home brewing only to give it up after a few years. “There’s a lot of cleaning involved,” he says. But he stayed active in North Carolina’s beer community, among other things building a Web site that urged the repeal of the state’s 6 percent cap on the alcohol content of beer. (It was lifted last summer.) After following his wife to Chicago in the spring of last year, he figured mapping the city would be a good way to explore it. “I didn’t know much about the area--I’d been here once,” he says.

There’s no advertising on the site, although Surratt has received feelers from companies ranging from Anheuser-Busch to a business that makes keg filters. “I’m not against advertising per se, but all this costs is my labor and about $13,” he says. Surratt’s not even sure whether the site’s success will help his ecommerce career--he might just leave it off his resumé. “I’m wary of including too much info about beer,” he says. --Nicholas Day

Best BYOs

A selection of critic’ picks by neighborhood--plus recommended bottles and where to find them nearby

Lakeview

Kafka Wine Company
3325 N. Halsted | 773-975-9463

West Lakeview Liquors
2516 W. Addison | 773-525-1916

HB
3404 N. Halsted | 773-661-0299
F 7.2 | S 8.0 | A 8.0 | $$$ (6 REPORTS)
AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL | DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY; SATURDAY & SUNDAY BRUNCH | CLOSED MONDAY | BYO

Given all the buzz around Hearty Boys Caterers Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh’s reality show on the Food Network, I had high hopes for their restaurant, and a look at chef JonCarl Lachman’s specials menu buoyed them further. HB’s spin on fish-and-chips--a whole red snapper stuffed with herbs and lemon served alongside fries--seemed both fancy and familiar, as did the deviled eggs on the regular menu. Our appetizer--artichoke-and-prosciutto fritters with a lemon dipping sauce--arrived at the table almost the moment we finished ordering and were crunchy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. Fish-and-chips arrived as a whole fish all right--bones and all. The chips were thin and crispy, just the way I like them, the flavor of the fish mild. Grilled bone-in pork chops, nicely seared, came in a seasonal preparation with a nectarine-corn “mash” and mesclun greens wilted in a balsamic broth. For dessert there was lemon bread pudding, served in a brick-size hunk with lemon and Syrah sauces, and a “tropical fruit en papillote” based on the exotic fruits melon, strawberry, and grape, with just a smidgen of pineapple and toasted coconut. Kathie Bergquist

RECOMMENDED: BROOKLAND VALLEY SEMILLON/SAUVIGNON BLANC 2004, $14.99; AUTARD COTES DU RHONE 2004, $13.99 (KAFKA WINE COMPANY)

Palmito
3605 N. Ashland | 773-248-3087
F 7.7 | S 8.4 | A 7.2 | $$ (5 REPORTS)
LATIN AMERICAN | DINNER: TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY, MONDAY | BYO

At this tiny Costa Rican storefront the room’s bright, the staff friendly, and the food’s comforting Latin American fare with some upscale touches. Appetizers include a seviche of the day; black bean dip served with crisp, hot, fried plantains; and tasty queso frito, fried cheese served with kalamata olives in a pool of olive oil. The house salad is a tempting one of greens with figs, pistachios, and blue cheese; another salad pairs the restaurant’s namesake, fresh hearts of palm, with napa cabbage in a zesty vinaigrette. Grilled meats were even better: crispy-crusted pork loin came in a plateful of peppery, finger-licking white bean sauce; marinated skirt steak was tender and carried just a hint of allspice. Fish and a couple of chicken preparations--arroz con pollo and a sauteed breast with mango sauce--round out the entrees. For dessert, flan and a supermoist chocolate tres leches cake were grandly accompanied by coffee chorreado, a Costa Rican brew prepared tableside. Jim Mitchell

RECOMMENDED: RICARDO SANTOS MALBEC 2004, $18.99; NAIA VERDEJO 2005, $12.99 (WEST LAKEVIEW LIQUORS)

TAC Quick
3930 N. Sheridan | 773-327-5253
$
ASIAN, THAI | LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY, MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED TUESDAY | BYO

Andy Aroonrasameruang, formerly of Banana Leaf, and the likable staff at TAC (which stands for “Thai Authentic Cuisine”) probably make it easier than anywhere else to get traditional stuff the way it’s eaten in Thailand. Aside from the regular menu there’s a clearly translated Thai menu available by request with almost 40 items you’re not likely to encounter elsewhere without a working knowledge of the language--like a salad of shrimp, cashews, and fish maw, sort of a fishy pork rind that soaks up the flavor of the sauce like a crouton. Some were surprisingly rich and luscious for Thai cuisine, like minced chicken sweetened with thick soy sauce, garnished with crispy fried basil leaves, and served over quartered preserved duck eggs. Pad thai--which in many places has turned into the worst kind of bland, oversweetened mush--takes on another life when it’s folded into an omelet. Lately Aroonrasameruang’s been pushing some excellent things on his specials boards too, including a tender grilled pork neck that approaches the narcotic succulence of the best barbecue. He also does a wild-boar curry with green Thai eggplant and meaty chunks of swine rimmed with thick rinds of gorgeous fat. It would take a good week of dedicated eating to work through all the interesting things on the menu. Mike Sula

RECOMMENDED: DR. LOOSEN RIESLING 2005, $13.99; ALLENDORF SPATBURGUNDER 2004, $12.99 (KAFKA WINE COMPANY)

Terragusto Cafe & Local Market
1851 W. Addison | 773-248-2777
$$$
ITALIAN | BREAKFAST, LUNCH: WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY; DINNER: SUNDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY; SATURDAY & SUNDAY BRUNCH | CLOSED MONDAY, TUESDAY | BYO

Terragusto is a casual neighborhood cafe that happens to serve house-made pasta as good as--what the hell--any in Chicago. Owner and chef Theo Gilbert, who’s worked at Spiaggia and Trattoria No. 10 and hawked his pasta at the Green City Market, works off a tiny but pristine menu: a handful of antipasti, a half-dozen fresh pastas, and family-style plates of meat and fish, all seared and roasted. The bywords are local, organic, and seasonal--at the front market counter, alongside the fresh pasta, there are multihued local eggs for sale. A deboned half chicken was glisteningly moist, and if I could I’d order the deeply flavored accompanying spinach as an entree. Baked polenta with sausage and rapini was texturally perfect, simultaneously yielding and firm, with a transcendently simple stock-butter-cheese sauce. If the thin Swiss chard pasta with Bolognese sauce was underwhelming, the Bolognese missing the fatty sensuality of the best versions, that’s in part because the cinnamon-dotted squash ravioli were good enough to silence the loudest conversation. Come early in the day and you can watch the staff make pasta in the front window. Nicholas Day

RECOMMENDED: ARGIOLAS SERRALORI 2005, $14.49; VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO FATTORIA DEL CERRO 2001, $24.99 (WEST LAKEVIEW LIQUORS)

Ravenswood

Fine Wine Brokers
4621 N. Lincoln | 773-989-8166

Glenn’s Diner
1820 W. Montrose | 773-506-1720
$$
AMERICAN, SEAFOOD | BREAKFAST: SATURDAY-SUNDAY; LUNCH: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY; DINNER: TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY | BYO

The back wall at Glenn’s Diner is decorated with counter-to-ceiling boxes of sugared cereal. Glenn’s serves breakfast all day--all-you-can-eat cereal, pancakes made with red hots--and classics like spaghetti and meatballs and country-fried steak for lunch and dinner, but the real attraction is the dozen nightly fish specials, priced in the teens and excellently prepared. Fresh fish and cereal isn’t a combination that makes sense, exactly, but that’s part of the charm: eating here you feel like you’re getting a genuine expression of--well, a peculiar something. A man who likes fish and cereal? The Glenn is Glenn Fahlstrom, a partner at Evanston’s Davis Street Fish Market. His scallops are toothsome and sweet, his mussels juicy, and though the fish dishes aren’t wildly creative, there’s no faulting them. The walleye plate’s weirder than most: coated with grated potato, fried, and served with applesauce and sour cream, it’s like a fishy potato pancake. The food’s so good that it becomes confusing to eat it in front of a cereal display, but maybe that’s the point: no matter the mussels, Glenn’s will never get too big for its Apple Jacks. Glenn’s is awaiting a liquor license, but for now it’s still BYO, with a corkage of $5 per bottle of wine, $3 per six-pack. Nicholas Day

RECOMMENDED: ABBAZIA DI NOVACELLA KERNER 2004, $18.95; CHATEAU DE TRINQUEVEDEL TAVEL ROSÉ 2005, $19.95

Albany Park

Fine Wine Brokers
4621 N. Lincoln | 773-989-8166

Foremost Liquors
4616 N. Kedzie | 773-267-6210

Brasa Roja
3125 W. Montrose | 773-866-2252
$$
LATIN AMERICAN | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | BYO

This outpost of Jorge and Jeanette Gacharna’s excellent Lakeview churrascaria, El Llano, has one major advantage over the original: pollo rostizado. Every morning the birds start spinning over hot coals in the window of the Albany Park storefront; plump and round, with steadily browning skin, they beg to be tucked under the arm like a football and carried away. In the dining room the Gacharnas have disguised the ghosts of retail past, festooning the dropped ceiling and walls with folkloric gimcracks and posters of South American ranch life. The scent of sizzling flesh precedes the arrival of wooden boards laden with grilled steaks, short ribs, or rabbit, accompanied by a sharp salsa verde and the four starches of the apocalypse--rice, fried yuca, boiled potato, and arepas. Milkor water-based jugos like blackberry and mango are surpassed by the sweet but oddly peppery passion-fruit variety, and desserts include brevas con arequipe (caramel-filled figs). Doors open at 9 AM for calentado, the traditional Colombian breakfast featuring beans, arepas, potatoes, eggs, carne asada, and cheese-stuffed pastries called buenelos. Mike Sula

RECOMMENDED: LA PLANETA SEGRETA 2004, $15.95 (FINE WINE BROKERS); ALBITA AMBER, $7.99 (FOREMOST LIQUORS)

Semiramis
4639 N. Kedzie | 773-279-8900
$
MIDDLE EASTERN | LUNCH, DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED FOR LARGE GROUPS ONLY | BYO

The semilegendary Assyrian queen Semiramis supposedly ordered her posse of fanatical drug-addled priests to tear King Nimrod limb from limb, eat him raw, and put her illegitimate son on the throne in his place, but don’t read too much into the name of this spot in the space left vacant by the semilegendary Shawerma King. Joseph Abraham, late of ZouZou and Leo’s Lunchroom, offers a wide assortment of dishes, beginning with nine vegetarian mezes, most notably tabbouleh done Lebanese style: heavy on the parsley, light on the bulgur. Elaborate kebab, falafel, and roast chicken sandwiches reach a pinnacle in the lamb and beef shawirma combo--a textural marvel of juicy, caramelized meat wrapped in thin lavosh with roasted eggplant, red cabbage, tomatoes, pickles, hummus, and harissa-spiked tahini. The shawirma and skewered meat entrees include a marinated roasted chicken resting on a huge blanket of lavosh beside a cup of cool glutinous garlic mousse called toum. At $5.50 per bird it could be the take-out deal of the neighborhood. And Abraham has reintroduced the sumacsprinkled french fries that were so popular at ZouZou. The broad front window is a perfect spot to take a pot of strong, sweet cardamom-laced coffee and watch the street. Mike Sula

RECOMMENDED: CESARI MARA VINO DI RIPASSO, $18.95 (FINE WINE BROKERS); LEFFE BLOND, $8.99 (FOREMOST LIQUORS)

Tagine
4749 N. Rockwell | 773-989-4340
$$
MOROCCAN | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 | BYO

If the food at this Ravenswood storefront seems slow coming out of the kitchen, understand that Moroccan food is slow food, especially when prepared in the namesake tagine, a clay cooking vessel. Certain things on the menu aren’t all that intriguing: briwats (phyllo puffs filled with chicken, vegetables, or seafood) didn’t do it for me, and the crevette pil pila (marinated shrimp in tomato sauce) were too tiny to appreciate. On the other hand, harira soup was rich and tomatoey, and the lentil soup was also good. Entrees, mostly tagines (stews named after the cooking vessel) or couscous plates, are much more interesting. Owing to their lengthy cooking times the meats in the tagines are consistently tender, but they’re best ordered with sides of the very fine, fluffy couscous, especially the Rabat tagine, a circle of meatballs surrounding an egg poached in a rich tomato gravy. Sultan’s tagine and the Kasbah tagine are braised lamb shanks served with peas and artichokes or prunes, hard-boiled eggs, and almonds respectively. Couscous dishes themselves are huge and comforting. If you run low on sauce just ask for more. Mike Sula

RECOMMENDED: TORBRECK WOODCUTTER’S SHIRAZ 2004, $21.95 (FINE WINE BROKERS); TWO BROTHERS FRENCH COUNTRY ALE, $8.59 (FOREMOST LIQUORS)

Bucktown/Wicker Park

Foremost Liquors
2300 N. Milwaukee | 773-278-9420

Sam’s Wine and Spirits
1720 N. Marcey | 312-664-4394

Wine Discount Center
1826 1/2 N. Elston | 773-489-3454

Coast Sushi
2045 N. Damen | 773-235-5775 F 8.4 | S 7.1 | A 7.4 | $$ (13 REPORTS)
JAPANESE | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: MONDAY-SATURDAY TILL MIDNIGHT | BYO

Generally humans take the measure of a fish first by sight, then by smell, maybe giving it a poke and if it seems harmless, tasting it. It could be that the perpetually crowded Coast is a lab for a covert sensory experiment: the fanciful maki rolls are served amid a stygian murk that denies customers the visual test. I suspected something even more sinister at play when a waitress I came to think of as the Sushi Whisperer was drowned out by a young mom at a nearby table bragging about the features on her new double stroller. I really liked the Sunny Side Shiitake appetizer, fried mushrooms bursting with a gooey egg sauce; my companion’s favorite thing was a mango on a stick, something she could have scored five times over on the sidewalk for the same price. We couldn’t much taste the fish more than we could see it, swaddled as it was with hot sauce, fruit, or whatever other goofy, brightly colored (I think) cake decorations they used to humiliate it. There’s sashimi for those who stubbornly remain unimpressed with the clownish “signature maki” this place sells itself on, and actual grated wasabi--not dyed horseradish--is available for a surcharge, which is a nice touch. Mike Sula

RECOMMENDED: ALMONDO ROERO ARENIS, $14.99; BISOL PROSECCO, $13.79 (WINE DISCOUNT CENTER)

Rudy’s Taste Cafe
1024 N. Ashland | 773-252-3666
$
LATIN AMERICAN, CARIBBEAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | BYO

Guatemalan food combines a strong Mexican influence with distinctive flavors of its own, and this clean, bright, and friendly restaurant is one of the best places to discover it locally. Chicken pepian covers stewed chicken and chayote squash in an intriguingly bitter brown sauce pitched somewhere between mole and pot-roast gravy. The Guatemalan version of chiles rellenos is stuffed with flavorful shredded beef and pork instead of the usual oozing blob of cheese. Carne asada is tender and topped with a mint salsa that gives it an unexpected Middle Eastern dimension. And huachinango al mojo de ajo is a whole red snapper, scored and fried, leaving you to pick off squares of tender hot flesh and dip them in a sprightly garlic sauce. Besides the complimentary chips and homemade salsa, appetizers include paches, tamales made with rice dough instead of corn, and chuchitos, pork tamales made with a soft, fluffy corn dough and wrapped in banana leaves. Even the most conventional thing on the menu, an appetizer of little fried taquitos, comes out lighter and fresher tasting than you have any right to expect. The menu also includes a few Puerto Rican items, including a surprisingly good chicken jibarito, which might be the closest thing to a diet version of that delicious but cardiologist-disapproved Chicago invention, a juicy sandwich served on two “slices” of fried tostones (unripened plantain). Michael Gebert

RECOMMENDED: SUSANA BALBO CRIOS MALBEC ROSÉ 2006, $9.99; DOMAINE CHIGNARD BEAUJOLAIS CRU FLEURIE 2004, $17.99 (SAM’S WINE AND SPIRITS)

Schwa
1466 N. Ashland | 773-252-1466
F 9.3 | S 8.0 | A 7.2 | $$$$ (5 REPORTS)
AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL | DINNER: TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY, MONDAY | BYO

The tiny kitchen at this modest storefront is putting out some seriously big food. Chef Michael Carlson, who cooked under Paul Bartolotta at Spiaggia and Grant Achatz at Trio and has done stages in European kitchens including the Fat Duck, combines classical and contemporary techniques to produce progressive American cuisine that’s remarkably creative and refined. The a la carte menu is a thing of the past; in its place are two tasting options, three courses for $55 or nine for $90. The menu changes seasonally, but on my last visit, some old favorites remained: a brioche-crusted soft-boiled egg was served with a tiny spoon of caviar, creme fraiche, and potato puree--a daring dish, beautifully presented. The influence of kitchen scientists like Achatz showed up in surprising flavor combinations like an amuse of cardamom-dusted marshmallow skewered by a dehydrated carrot chip and a palate cleanser of sunchoke-raspberry parfait, served in a tiny wobbly glass and dressed with a single sunflower sprout. Rich, ethereal quail egg ravioli exploded like egg-flavored Freshen-Up gum on first bite. The pork entree paired juicy slices of tenderloin with dark caramelized belly; it was plated with sauerkraut, raisins, and supercrisp strips of house-made bacon. Dessert was pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin puree, a smear of pumpkin oil, toasted pumpkin seeds, and creme fraiche ganging up on a poor defenseless brownie. Schwa is BYOB--and BYO glassware unless you like drinking out of tumblers. The place is currently accepting reservations for the fall. Martha Bayne

RECOMMENDED: LEEUWIN ESTATE RIESLING “ART SERIES” 2004, $19.99; JOSEPH VOILLOT POMMARD 2002, $22.99 (SAM’S WINE AND SPIRITS)

Think
2235 N. Western | 773-394-0537
F 8.3 | S 8.5 | A 7.9 | $$$ (39 REPORTS)
ITALIAN, AMERICAN, GLOBAL/FUSION/ECLECTIC | DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 | BYO

Raters remain high on Omar Rodriguez’s Think Cafe, which has expanded in recent years to three airy, low-key dining rooms, two downstairs and one above. But a recent visit to the Bucktown storefront was a mixed bag. Though we were denied a 7:30 table when we arrived, panting, at 7:15, the place was half-empty and didn’t fill up till well into our entrees--why the hassle? The contemporary Italian menu covers a lot of ground: a half-dozen appetizers, as many salads, and even more pasta and entree options. Raters single out the white asparagus salad with tomatoes and Maytag blue cheese, but my friend went for a plate of arugula, dried apples, and goat cheese in a mango vinaigrette, a nice, teasing balance of flavors. The chilled avocado soup of the day, on the other hand, was so overwhelmed by an aggressive, funky chicken stock that it was practically inedible. Entrees were better: a venison special paired dark, sweet, slightly gamy meat with whipped sweet potatoes, dates, and dollops of now-verboten foie gras--but its $35 price tag came as a bit of a shock. Another special of grilled bass with mango chutney, served over pearl couscous and topped with two lonely asparagus spears, was nothing to get all excited about, though it was unfussy and satisfying. Our dessert looked enchanting, a happy longboat of ice cream and fruit with pastry sails, but tasted like a plain old banana split. The multigenerational crowd is a testament to Think’s appeal. It’s a comfortable, casual BYO spot for a reasonably sophisticated meal--as long as you’re prepared to forgive the occasional boner. Martha Bayne

RECOMMENDED: VIETTI DOLCETTO D’ALBA, $19.99; SELBACH DRY RIESLING 2004, $11.99 (FOREMOST LIQUORS)

Pilsen/Chinatown

Lush Wine and Spirits
1306 S. Halsted | 312-738-1900

Dragon Court
2414 S. Wentworth | 312-791-1882
$
CHINESE | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: DAILY TILL MIDNIGHT | BYO

Dragon Court is a Cantonese restaurant decorated with aquarium tanks of lobster, crab, and astonishingly ugly monkfish. It’s on the farther-than-you-might-like-to-walk side of Wentworth, out on the edge of the expressway, which may explain why it gets too little praise for its excellent menu. The locals know about it, though: on the night we went, the dining room was packed. Aided by an attentive staff of abashed young Chinese men, we feasted on garlicdusted crispy chicken, pork with bok choy and taro root, and a perfectly fried fish and tofu stew. We concluded with a truly terrific lamb and watercress hot pot spiced with star anise. Dragon Court has a running seafood fire sale: two specialty entrees nets you a whole steamed fish, three a crab. Nicholas Day

RECOMMENDED: SAISON DUPONT, $5.25; LEGADO DEL CONDE ALBARINO 2005, $13

May Street Cafe
1146 W. Cermak | 312-421-4442
$$ MEXICAN, GLOBAL/FUSION/ECLECTIC | DINNER: TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY, MONDAY | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 | BYO

On a dismal, industrial stretch of Cermak, the bright, tropical-toned facade of May Street Cafe jumps out like a red-hot tamale. There are other surprises in chef Mario Santiago’s cuisine, and you can imagine mine when we ordered tiger shrimp and got . . . a tiger shrimp--that’s right, just one, but he was a large, meaty, flavorful fellow. Never having met an alligator we liked, we ordered it for an appetizer, and with a nutty, sage-based mojo criollo, it’s not bad, tasting something like--you guessed it--chicken. Michoacan-style mole was more hot than sweet, with pasilla and ancho chiles and just a touch of chocolate, and the chiles rellenos also packed a lot of peppery punch. The Caesar salad wasn’t one--just knife-cut romaine with croutons and what could be bottled dressing, but the doublecream Brie and pear quesadillas were inspired; served with sweet crema and chipotle ketchup and listed as an appetizer, they would also be a rich, sweet way to end the meal. David Hammond

RECOMMENDED: DOMINIO DE EGUREN PROTOCOLO 2004, $8.50; DOGFISH HEAD INDIAN BROWN ALE, $2

Spring World
2109-A S. China Place | 312-326-9966
$
CHINESE | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | BYO

Like many Chinatown restaurants Spring World tries to cover all the bases with Shanghainese, Pekingese, Cantonese, and Taiwanese warhorses, but it’s the Yunnanese and Szechuan section of the copious menu where diligent investigation nearly always pays off. Don’t overlook ambiguously translated dishes like the Szechuan “Unusual Seasonings Chicken,” a cold mound of shredded chicken in a tingling, cuminy sauce, and “Across the Bridge,” a dramatic hot pot of sliced meats and rice noodles (probably the province’s best-known specialty). Very often the owner is waiting tables and quite willing to explain the elements of dishes like the daunting-sounding but terrific lamb stew and fish with sour-pickle casserole. Ask about the untranslated specials on the wall. Mike Sula

RECOMMENDED: ZONIN PROSECCO, $14.50; UNIBROUE FIN DU MONDE, $2.75

Rogers Park

In Fine Spirits
5418 N. Clark | 773-506-9463

Bhabi’s Kitchen
6352 N. Oakley | 773-764-7007
F 7.9 | S 8.0 | A 6.5 | $ (8 REPORTS)
INDIAN/PAKISTANI | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE | BYO

Once a humble storefront, Bhabi’s Kitchen has been swanked up to become one of the more pleasantly appointed Indo-Pak restaurants around Devon (prices have risen accordingly). Mr. Syed, the owner, is a genial presence; ask him what’s good and he’ll passionately regale you with a stream of talk for as long as you’ll listen. This time around he recommended haleem, beef simmered for many hours with wheat and lentils and sprinkled with fried onions, an intriguing combination of flavors and textures. Butter chicken comes bathed in a mild tomato broth, toned down for less adventurous palates. There are a good number of vegetarian offerings here, among them biryani (also available in fish or meat renditions) and sarsoo ka sang, a puree of broccoli rabe sparkling with explosive ginger chunks. Syed orchestrates meals so that tastes won’t blur; for instance, bagarey baigan, an eggplant dish, is cooked in a hummuslike sesame sauce also used in the fish curry, so we were advised not to order both together. Two of Bhabi’s signature dishes, naan with onion, garlic, and green pepper or with pistachio and mixed fruit (almost a dessert), could make a meal all by themselves. Bhabi’s Kitchen is BYOB, to keep spirits high and the bill down. David Hammond

RECOMMENDED: THREE FLOYDS GUMBALLHEAD WHEAT, $5.99

Hashalom
2905 W. Devon | 773-465-5675
$
MIDDLE EASTERN, MEDITERRANEAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SUNDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY, TUESDAY | RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED FOR LARGE GROUPS ONLY | CASH ONLY | BYO

“Best falafel in town” is a claim plastered on signboards worldwide. But often it’s the quiet, less boastful places that really own the title. For more than two decades Hashalom has been serving up perfectly crisp chickpea falafel on a stretch of Devon just slightly off the beaten path. Beyond what may be the city’s tastiest falafel is a hybrid Moroccan-Israeli menu that should please carnivores and vegetarians alike. Meats like the tender lamb kebabs have a nice fire-grilled flavor; kefta, patties of lamb and beef served over rice in a spicy tomato sauce, make a hearty entree. Braised lamb shank, stuffed Cornish hen, and beef goulash round out the meat selections. On the veggie side appetizer samplers, available in both Israeli and Moroccan versions, can easily make a whole meal with warm pita. Or try the bourekas, crispy sesame-seed phyllo triangles stuffed with potato or spinach, with a bowl of one of the delicious house-made soups. With its laminated menus, hodgepodge decor, clientele of regulars, and surprisingly low prices, the vibe at Hashalom feels like a corner diner. Friday and Saturday nights there’s couscous: mounds of properly steamed veggies and semolina grains enhanced by a cup of stewed sweet almonds and raisins. Michael Morowitz

RECOMMENDED: ZANTHO ST. LAURENT 2004, $11.99

Speakeasy Supper Club
1401 W. Devon | 773-338-0600
F 8.3 | S 9.2 | A 8.2 | $$$ (13 REPORTS)
AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY/REGIONAL, GLOBAL/FUSION/ECLECTIC, SMALL PLATES | DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 | BYO

Over the last two years Jody Andre (Tomboy) has turned Speakeasy’s cavernous Devon Avenue space into a comfy, reliable neighborhood spot where the friendly staff is as much of a draw as the eclectic American food. The permanent BYO policy doesn’t hurt either. Appetizers include tempura-battered artichokes in wasabi hollandaise, duck pot stickers, a “duet” of smoked salmon and refreshing tuna tartare with toast points and assorted garnishes; the signature Speakeasy salad includes bacon and Gorgonzola and is dressed with crunchy nuggets of garlic “granola” in lieu of croutons. Entrees are divvied up into half courses and main courses and include tweaked standards like mint-and-pistachio- encrusted lamb chops, bouillabaisse with a saffron-tomato broth, and a vegetarian risotto. On a recent visit my half course of seared sea scallops was delicious--three firm disks in a lemon beurre blanc surrounding an island of garlic mashed potatoes topped with a tuft of sauteed spinach--and given the various starters I had already tossed back, didn’t leave me hungry. But at $20 the price per scallop seemed pretty steep. My friend’s beef tenderloin, with similar sides, was a dollar cheaper and significantly more substantial. Dessert was a rich chocolate creme brulee, spiked with chiles and served with fresh strawberries and two dense curry truffles. As he dropped off the check, the waiter quipped, “How did you like my spicy balls?” Martha Bayne

RECOMMENDED: ELK COVE PINOT NOIR 2004, $24.99; SIMON HACKETT SEMILLON 2004, $13.99

Udupi Palace
2543 W. Devon | 773-338-2152
F 6.8 | S 6.4 | A 6.8 | $ (11 REPORTS)
INDIAN/PAKISTANI, VEGETARIAN/HEALTHY | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | BYO

From the outside, Udupi Palace is bright, spacious, and friendly, which is why the famously bad service inside is so puzzling. Ignore it: you’ll get your food soon enough, and it’ll make you happy. (And the service isn’t always bad: on a recent visit, the waitstaff thoughtfully moved us and our dozen bottles of booze to a larger table.) Udupi’s menu is all-vegetarian and south Indian. Dig deep into the appetizer section: the chaat papri, fried dough dosed with yogurt and tamarind chutney, is addictive, and the vadas, or lentil doughnuts, are great doused with chutney or sambar. The paper masala dosai could double as plumbing pipe: three feet long, the wafer-thin dough is rolled and filled with potatoes and onions. And remember those dozen bottles? Udupi is permanently BYO. Nicholas Day

RECOMMENDED: SUMARROCA CAVA BRUT RESERVA, $10.99

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