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March 30, 2007

African

Grace African Restaurant
This Ghanaian restaurant feels less like a dining establishment than a roomful of guys hanging out and occasionally shouting “Fix this man some nice food!” The nine entrees on offer include boiled yams or plantains with spinach stew and amala (dry yam) with okra; they’re all $8. Cash only; no reservations. | Lunch and dinner daily | $ | 4409 N. Broadway | 773-271-6000

Palace Gate
Authentic Ghanaian, down to the pervasive smell of palm oil and dried fish. Ampesi, intensely flavored stews or soups, are eaten with fufu, a firm, starchy dumpling made from plantains or cocoyam. Jollof, spicy fried rice, is served with your choice of long-stewed beef or fried fish. Side dishes like plantains and beans help to round out the meal and extinguish the fire in your mouth. Cash only; BYO. | Lunch and dinner daily | $$ | 4548 N. Magnolia | 773-769-1793

TBS African Restaurant
Nigerian restaurant with a $10 all-you-can-eat buffet featuring three kinds of rice, three fufus, two kinds of fish, and a few meats, along with egusi, beans, and yams. The variety is nice, but the age and temperature of many of these items might make cooked to order meals a better bet. Cash only. | Lunch Mon-Sat, dinner daily | $$ | 4507 N. Sheridan | 773-561-3407

American

Cafe Too
Cafe run by the nonprofit Inspiration Corporation (see Volunteering). For lunch there’s an assortment of salads and sandwiches; brunch offers a half-dozen standards, including French toast, eggs Benedict, and a steak breakfast burrito. The dinner menu is eclectic: quiche, pastas, chicken piccata, teriyaki salmon. | Breakfast Mon-Fri, lunch Tue-Fri, dinner Thu-Sat, brunch Sat-Sun | $$ |4715 N. Sheridan | 773-275-0626

Magnolia Cafe
Upscale, globally influenced cuisine from chef Kasra Medhat—for example, duck-confit spring rolls with grilled red onions, watercress, and a sweet soy glaze or grilled lamb shank over roasted tomatoes and polenta. Servers aim to please and the wine list has some fine selections. Valet parking on weekends; reservations accepted for large groups only. | Dinner Sun and Tue-Sat, brunch Sun; open till 11:30 PM Fri-Sat | $$$ | 1224 W. Wilson | 773-728-8785

The Spot
Restaurant and bar from chef and improv performer Frankie Janisch; upstairs is a theater (see Theater & Comedy). The menu features “the best frigging calamari you’ve ever had,” a handful of mix-and-match pastas, grilled salmon done four ways, and a hand-cut, mesquite-grilled Black Angus strip steak. Sides are good—especially the bacony coleslaw—and there’s a long list of novelty martinis whipped up by a bartender who’s been known to juggle. | Lunch and dinner daily; open till 3 AM Sat, 2 AM other nights | $$ | 4437 N. Broadway | 773-728-8933

Tweet Let’s Eat
Art-filled boite next to Big Chicks, also owned by Michelle Fire (see GLBTQ). Brunch, served six days a week, features dishes named for local artists (Tony Fitzpatrick’s skirt steak and eggs, David Sharpe’s omelet with shallots and asparagus); lunch items include organic burgers, a Cobb salad almondine, and a vegetarian bi bim bop with organic brown rice and house-made chile sauce. Cash only; no reservations. | Breakfast, brunch, and lunch Sun-Mon and Wed-Sat | $ | 5020 N. Sheridan | 773-728-5576

Bakeries

Chiu Quon
Drab storefront brightened by the toasty golden glow of its bakery cases, lined with Asian buns, rolls, and flaky cakes filled with sweet bean pastes, vividly yellow egg custard, sugary ground peanuts, or even a mix of candied melon and onion. They’re not quite panaderia cheap, but they’re close: a deep-fried sesame ball filled with adzuki-bean paste will set you back 60 cents and a barbecue pork bun costs $.75. Cash only. | 8 AM-7 PM daily | $ | 1127 W. Argyle | 773-907-8888

La Patisserie P.
This Argyle Street bakery offers Filipino, Japanese, and Chinese treats as well as European-style layer cakes, cookies, and sweet rolls from a graduate of the French Pastry School. Soft savory buns are a mainstay, with stuffings like barbecued pork, ground pork and vegetables, chicken, Chinese sausage, or sweet bean paste. And chef-owner Peter Yuen’s croissants are exceptional—he’s a finalist for the U.S. national baking team, set to compete in Paris next March. | 7 AM-7 PM Sun and Tue-Thu, 7 AM-8 PM Fri-Sat | $ | 1052 W. Argyle | 773-878-3226

Sun Wah BBQ

Jim Newberry

Belgian

Hopleaf
The Hopleaf can get unbearably crowded and smoky on weekends, its servers harried by out-of-town pilgrims and Check, Please! viewers. But the extremely detailed beer menu helps ease the pain, and there’s no place like this one to explore the deep Belgian tradition of pairing great beer with food—and it’s good food, too, cooked with great beer, the most celebrated example being the mussels steamed in Wittekerke white ale, servied with long, crispy frites and a tangy aioli. The red cabbage and endive salad is also good, as are the Nueske ham sandwich on pumpernickel with Gruyere and apple coleslaw, the steak frites, the fried smelts, and a really hearty wild boar stew with root vegetables cooked in Leffe Brun. No reservations; no diners under age 21. | Dinner daily; kitchen closes at midnight Fri-Sat, 11 PM other nights | $$ | 5148 N. Clark | 773-334-9851

Chinese

Anh Linh Seafood
Most of what’s on the 300-item menu at this Argyle Street storefront is familiar Chinese, but with that much on offer there are a lot of less-familiar choices too, like fried pigeon and crab-stuffed fish bladder. The “Special Dishes” include sizzling deer meat, grilled wild boar, and curried rabbit, and there’s a separate section just for frog. Reservations for large groups only; BYO. | Lunch and dinner Sun, Tue-Sat | $$ | 1032 W. Argyle | 773-506-4848

Furama
Though a regular menu is available, Furama is best known for its dim sum—small plates loaded with a variety of Cantonese and Mandarin specialties, including pork dumplings, warm stuffed buns, duck egg rolls, turnip cake, chicken feet, and crunchy jellyfish, all served all day. | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily | $ | 4936 N. Broadway | 773-271-1161

Silver Seafood
The focus at this Mandarin restaurant is fresh seafood; they’ll steam a red snapper or sea bass (or whatever else is swimming in the tank) to order, then top it with aromatic herbs and a drizzle of soy sauce. You can get your egg rolls and your pot stickers, but ask to see the Chinese menu, which has English translations, for offerings like fried crab claws, braised cuttlefish, and boneless duck web. Main courses come in a few familiar categories—seafood, chicken, beef—and then venture into the unusual: abalone, roast pigeon. Servers are welcoming, professional, and willing to make suggestions. BYO. | Lunch and dinner daily; open
till 1 AM | $$ | 4829 N. Broadway | 773-784-0668

Sun Wah BBQ
While the barbecue here is definitely worth trying, the seafood selections should not be ignored—they’re fresh, flavorful, and good-sized for the price. And don’t forget the soups: there are a number of noodle varieties, plus more exotic ones like shredded duck with dried scallops. You can’t beat the barbecued ducks and bible tripe hanging in the window for ambience. | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Sun-Wed and Fri-Sat | $$ | 1134 W. Argyle | 773-769-1254

Coffeehouses and Tea Shops

Mocha Cafe
Boutique-style coffee shop serving specialty drinks, panini, and ice cream. Look for expanded hours in the summer. No reservations. | Breakfast and lunch daily, dinner Mon-Fri | $ | 4133 N. Sheridan | 773-353-0607

Unique So Chique
In the back of this clothing boutique (see Shopping & Services) is a tearoom offering an assortment of teas and chocolates made on the premises—a good match since tea doesn’t overpower the delicate flavors of fine chocolate the way coffee can. There are also baked goods, creative omelets, quiche, and a few gourmet sandwiches, and from 11:30 AM to 5 PM weekdays and 3 to 5 PM on weekends a proper afternoon tea is served on tiered platters, including an assortment of scones, pastries, and finger sandwiches. | Lunch Tue-Fri, brunch Sat-Sun | $ | 4600 N. Magnolia | 773-561-0324

Indian/Pakistani

Marigold
Upscale Indian restaurant with impressive fusion cuisine: grilled scallops dusted with garam masala and sprinkled with marigold blossoms; a dahi kebab salad of microgreens with a warm peppercorn-encrusted yogurt cheese; lamb vindaloo served in the form of a whole shank. The inviting interior is jewel toned and dimly lit, and specialty cocktails are worth trying. | Dinner Sun and Tue-Sat; open till 11 PM Fri-Sat | $$ | 4832 N. Broadway | 773-293-4653

Shan Restaurant & Grocers
It looks like a convenience store, but the food’s good: lots of savory vegetarian stuff, plus curries and stews of beef, chicken, goat, or lamb, heavily seasoned with coriander seeds to aid digestion and served with a tiny side of salad and spicy yogurt. | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily; open till 12:30 AM | $ | 5060 N. Sheridan | 773-769-4961

Agami

Joeff Davis

Japanese

Agami
Loungey, psychedelic space with an extensive menu of elaborate signature maki, pristinely fresh sashimi, and cooked items such as the ginger-chicken roll—a hefty battered cylinder of chicken, asparagus, and bell peppers. There’s a long list of novelty cocktails. | Dinner daily; open till 2 AM Fri-Sat, midnight Mon-Thu | $$ | 4712 N. Broadway | 773-506-1845

Tokyo Marina
This sushi house dates to a time before sushi was so chic. But locals appreciate it for a quick, cheap fish fix and praise its friendliness. In addition to the regular sushi, sashimi, and maki, there are traditional Japanese cooked dishes such as chicken katsu, a flavorful, mostly dark-meat fried cutlet served as it should be—alongside an iceberg lettuce salad with Thousand Island dressing. | Lunch and dinner daily | $$ | 5058 N. Clark | 773-878-2900

Mexican

Fiesta Mexicana
This ho-hum margarita joint packs ’em in on the weekends, and many of the customers are on a first-name basis with the servers. The food—salsa and chips, guacamole, enchiladas, and tacos—is standard and cheap. No reservations. | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily; open till 3 AM Fri-Sat, 2 AM other nights | $ | 4806 N. Broadway | 773-769-4244

Playa Azul Ostioneria
It’s not fancy, but you can count on basic, good Mexican seafood—pico de gallo, seviche, soup of the seven seas, langoustines, huachinango a la Veracruzana—at a good price at this family restaurant. There are also several preparations of carne asada and chicken in red or green mole. No reservations. | Lunch and dinner daily | $$ | 4005 N. Broadway | 773-472-8924

Rique’s Regional Mexican Food
Colorful Uptown storefront offering regional specialties: at lunch, Yucatecan deep-fried chicken tacos, tortas ahogadas, and Bajaian soft fish tacos; at dinner, guacamole with huaraches, seviche, a chalupa with chicharrones and cactus, and a range of entrees. Every Saturday there’s a four-course prix fixe meal featuring the cuisine of a different Mexican state. BYO. | Lunch Sun and Wed-Sat, dinner daily, brunch Sat-Sun; open till 11 PM Sat-Sun | $$ | 5004 N. Sheridan | 773-728-6200

Middle Eastern

Alma Pita
No-frills storefront serving Middle Eastern staples–falafel, hummus, baba ghanoush, dolmas, fattoush, and a variety of kebabs–plus a few Indian curries. No reservations; BYO. | Lunch and dinner daily | $ | 1254 W. Wilson | 773-561-2787

Thai

Siam Cafe
This 38-year-old restaurant, a well-lit, conversation-friendly neighborhood spot, offers the usual soups, noodle dishes, and curries. The $6.50 lunch buffet is a bargain. | Lunch and dinner Sun, Mon, and Wed-Sat | $ | 4712 N. Sheridan | 773-769-6602

Siam Noodle & Rice
Thai comfort food: starchy, sugary, on the bland side, and slightly overcooked, like green beans at Christmas. But that doesn’t stop large groups from lining up outside by 4 PM. BYO. | Lunch and dinner Sun and Tue-Sat | $ | 4654 N. Sheridan | 773-769-6694

Thai Aroma
Strip-mall restaurant serving cheap, simple, clean-tasting Thai standards. The dining room is neat and comfortable; the TV’s usually tuned to the game, and linens the colors of Easter candy cover the chairs and tables. | Lunch and dinner daily; open till 11 PM | $ | 4144 N. Broadway | 773-404-9386

Thai Avenue
In addition to the usual dishes, this storefront offers specialties from northern Thailand: Thai fried chicken accompanied by a vinegary sauce with cilantro and rice powder; Issan sausage made with funky fermented rice and lots of raw garlic; rich, chewy pork-neck strips; “waterfall” beef marinated in lime, fish sauce, and chiles—which the chefs here are not afraid to use. There’s also a range of bubble teas and tapioca drinks; BYO for anything stronger. | Lunch and dinner daily | $ | 4949 N. Broadway | 773-878-2222

Thai Binh
The menu at this family-run restaurant covers all the standards and then some. Dishes such as sizzling shrimp and spicy shrimp soup are tasty, but if you’re not sure what to order, the owners’ daughter, Linda,
is often on hand to advise you—and, sometimes, join you at the table. BYO. | Lunch and dinner daily; open till 11 PM | $ | 1113 W. Argyle | 773-728-0283

Thai Pastry
Chef-owner Add Kusub creates exquisite pastries: pink-and-green rice vermicelli served with a sweet coconut-milk sauce, jewel-toned mini gelatin molds, and a variety of beautiful cakes. But the savory menu is just as enticing, full of offerings like baby egg rolls with minced shrimp; mee krob; kuchai, pillows of freshly rolled rice noodles stuffed with chive greens; and a showstopping clam curry. There’s also an array of whole fish like red snapper. Cash only; BYO. | Lunch and dinner daily; open till 11 PM Fri-Sat | $ | 4925 N. Broadway | 773-784-5399

Vietnamese

Ba Le Sandwich Shop
The banh mi at this modest storefront are pictured and numbered for easy reference. Crusty rolls get prepped with mayo, cilantro, a squirt of fish sauce, jalapenos, and pickled daikon and carrot. Next come the fillings, all made in-house: pork sausage, paté, shrimp cake, lemongrass sausage. There’s a vegetarian version with tofu, too—a rarity in these parts. A refrigerator case holds an exquisite variety of Vietnamese drinks. Cash only. | 8 AM-8 PM daily | $ | 5018 N. Broadway | 773-561-4424

Cafe Lao
The menu is short and straightforward: a sampling of traditional appetizers, pho, bun (rice noodle salad), grilled-meat-on-rice dishes, and meals cooked at the table in hot pots. But the execution is exceptional. Spring rolls are meticulously wound and bountifully stuffed, pho is subtly spiced and not oversalted, and beef tenderloin on rice with watercress is phenomenal. The hot pots—for example, duck with salted bean curd and oxtail with ginger—serve four to six. BYO. | Lunch and dinner Sun-Wed and Fri- Sat; open till 2 AM Fri-Sat, midnight Sun-Wed | $ | 1007 W. Argyle | 773-275-5092

Dong Thanh
At Dong Thanh flexibility is the rule–the owners gamely offer to adjust spice levels or put any number of protein combinations into play, including seafood, chicken, pork skin, and barbecued duck. Bun bo hue, a nourishing bowl of rice vermicelli and beef broth similar to pho, is a fiery and slightly sweet brew bobbing with green onions, chives, cilantro, a chewy pig’s knuckle, and silky cubes of congealed pig’s blood. It’s served with raw shredded cabbage, fresh chiles, mint leaves, bean sprouts, and limes, all of which lend an extra element of texture. Cash only, no reservations, and BYO. | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily | $ | 4925 N. Broadway | 773-275-4928

Hai Yen
The extensive menu at this cheerful Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant features several dozen appetizers, salads, dumplings, soups, and noodle dishes and a host of seafood, meat, and poultry entrees. Many are served family style, and there are a number of multicourse family meals available, including a traditional Vietnamese option called bo bay mon: seven courses of beef prepared seven different ways, including a seasoned ground-beef porridge. Lunch and dinner Sun-Tue and Thu-Sat | $$ | 1055 W. Argyle | 773-561-4077

La Banh Mi Hung Phat
La Banh Mi Hung Phat serves some of the best banh mi on Argyle: the tender roast pork sub is flecked with delectable bits of caramelized skin, the shredded chicken is redolent of spices, the Chinese barbecued pork has large chunks of meat, and the grilled marinated pork is steeped in a visibly herby mixture. A favorite, the “steamed pork ball,” is an eviscerated meatball, sort of like the coarsely ground, extrafunky Issan-style Thai sausage. Cash only. | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Sun-Tue and Thu-Sat | $ | 4942 N. Sheridan | 773-878-6688

Pho 777
Along with an array of pork and seafood soups and hot pots, there are 19 varieties of pho to choose from here, among them the signature Special 777 (round steak, flank, brisket, tendon, bible tripe, and meatballs). Group meals are popular in this utilitarian dining room, which is BYO (there’s a Foremost Liquors just down the street). | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Sun-Mon and Wed-Sat | $ | 1065 W. Argyle | 773-561-9909

Pho 888
There’s more to Pho 888 than pho. Spring rolls thick as a Maxwell Street Polish; cha, a popular house-made sausage of minced ham, potato, and fish sauce; congees (rice porridges); fish in clay pots; and banh mi stuffed with meat and vegetables are just some of the choices from its menu of around 200 reasonably priced items. You can also sample durian, the infamously stinky “King of Fruit,” here rendered edible with cream, sugar, and ice—plus an odor-containing plastic lid. BYO. | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Sun and Tue-Sat | $ | 1137 W. Argyle | 773-907-8838

Pho Hoa
Tucked inside a Broadway strip mall with a tight parking lot that’s in perpetual gridlock, Pho Hoa dishes out sublime bowls of soup available in 20 combinations. The list is broken into three categories: “For the Beginner,” offering lean cuts of steak, brisket, or meatballs; “A Little Bit of Fat,” which augments those cuts with flank steak, tripe, or fatty brisket; and “Adventurer’s Choice,” featuring still fattier cuts and tendon, plus a version with chicken broth. Fruit shakes, coffee drinks, and several varieties of che, a popular pudding-type sweet, fill out the menu.| Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily | $ | 4925 N. Broadway | 773-784-8723

Pho Xe Lua
With 200 food choices and 28 nonalcoholic drinks, the menu at Pho Xe Lua is practically inexhaustible—a list of congees, pages of noodle dishes, rice steamed and fried, firepots. But creatures of habit will get stuck on a favorite, like the tasty number 175: a bowl of cool steamed rice noodles under warm, lightly blanched vegetables and tofu with fish sauce on the side. Most entrees are under ten bucks, except for the specialties, which range up to $15: a whole roast quail is $12.95. BYO. | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Sun-Wed and Fri-Sat | $ | BYO | 1021 W. Argyle | 773-275-7512

Quan An Ba Mien
The menu here is full of decent dishes in small portions at cheap prices, including some interesting specialties such as ca keo kho to, an evil-looking stewed spring goby fish in a clay pot. The meat cuts reflect the low cost, but the flesh is used well (even the pig’s feet) and the produce is generally fresh. BYO. | Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily | 4941 N. Broadway | $ | 773-878-8811

Tank Noodle
Tank Noodle offers a long menu of low-priced Vietnamese treats and a few Chinese dishes. You’d swear they’ve got a sushi chef trapped in the kitchen, though: the food is
presented with attention to color and space, and when your pungent dish arrives you realize there’s no need to drown it in spice. One favorite is item 203: silky marinated squid stir-fried in a light sauce and mixed prettily with multicolored bell peppers. BYO. | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Sun-Tue and Thu-Sat | $ | 4955 N. Broadway | 773-878-2253

Tian Giang
The food at this airy Chinese-Vietnamese double-size storefront is pricier and less flavorful than what you can get elsewhere on Argyle; in one beef stir-fry, the meat and vegetables were covered in sugary, cornstarchy Chinese-American goo rather than a spicy, light Vietnamese-style sauce. Soups and seafood might be a better idea: there’s catfish, squid with mustard greens, mackerel with lemon grass, plus six congees. BYO. | Breakfast Fri-Sun, lunch and dinner Sun-Wed and Fri-Sat | $$ | 1104-6 W. Argyle | 773-275-8691

Vinh Phat
Really two restaurants in one, Vinh Phat sells barbecued meats on one side and banh mi (Vietnamese subs) on the other. The barbecue side displays hanging ducks, chickens, and pork hacked and sacked for takeout. A few tables let you linger over meat-on-rice plates or bowls of meaty soup, none over $5. The duck soup with egg vermicelli has a leg on the bone as well as chunks of thigh meat. Tiny fried pork skin “croutons” add richness to the five-spice-flavored broth, which comes with fresh bean sprouts. | Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Sun-Tue and Thu-Sat | $ | 4940 N. Sheridan | 773-878-8688

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