Tama

-Grubbing in Chicago  
Modern Greek Eats in Bucktown 

It wasn’t planned this way but today we’re going to check out a new restaurant in yet another building that has yet to find the perfect pairing as far as a long standing tenant goes. Tama is the latest place to take up residency at 1952 N Damen in Bucktown. The restaurant space that looks like a home has previously housed a few fine dining restaurants though none of them were able to stick around long. Chef Avgeria Stapaki and Chef Adalberto Olaez, co-owners of Tama, hope to change that. 

Recently Opened in Bucktown 

Stapaki originally moved to Chicago from Greece to run the kitchen at Nisos, a West Loop fine dining destination that was later scrapped and replaced with a steakhouse. While Nisos was reflective of the River North area, Tama is geared towards Bucktown. It has less flair and more substance. It just might be what was needed as far as a lasting relationship between restaurant and space. With the recent success of Pompette and the ever lasting success of Le Bouchon, Bucktown can be a good 'hood to open up a restaurant but you have to have the right mix there as much as anywhere. I think that mix needs to be a step above typical but a step below extravagant and that’s Tama. They turned the space into an inviting place for a last second dinner decision. By which I mean the type of spot you can just walk into and grab a drink and something to eat from the chef driven Mediterranean menu. 

Patatas Bravas at Tama 

Empanadas at Tama

I suggest starting with the Patatas Bravas which substitute Greek yogurt for mayo. The potatoes are fried to a perfect crisp and the yogurt sauce is pleasantly refreshing. An order of empanadas filled with spinach, feta and herbs was also wonderful while clams with linguine was well done but nothing to get excited about. The most intriguing item on the menu is the 'Avgolemano Ramen' which mixes avgolemono soup, swiss chard "nori", chili, crispy garlic, and crispy chicken thighs plus made in house noodles with a rich and creamy chicken broth blended with lemon and eggs. My only complaint was the noodles were more like spaghetti than ramen in terms of texture but at least they were al dente. The chicken was crisp with a smooth shake and bake type of coating so it's best to take it out of the bowl so it doesn't get soggy. With just a little bit of tweaking I think this could become one of those day one dishes that never leaves the menu as Tama could have staying power. You can click HERE for five more relatively new Bucktown restaurant openings. See ya next time @chibbqking. 

Clam Linguini at Tama

Avgolemano Ramen at Tama

Tama
1952 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(312) 955-0212
Website

Amici

-Grubbing in Chicago  
An Arancini Specialist in Lakeview 

The building at the corner of Broadway and Clarendon is what some in the restaurant world would call a cursed space. But I always thought the rotation of places was more a product of the renters than the spot itself. For ex. it was a bootleg Harold’s Chicken before the newest tenant moved in. 

Recently Opened in Lakeview 

Amici is Italian in origin in that the owner Alfio Sciacca moved to Chicago from Sicily at a young age. But as he’ll tell you - Amici isn’t an Italian restaurant. Amici means friends in Italian but here is short for A-frican, M-exican, I-ndian, C-aribbean, I-talian as Amici is a specialist type of spot and arancini is their specialty. Alfio stuffs mountain shaped balls of rice with African, Mexican, Indian, Caribbean, and Italian flavors. The current menu is a melting pot of rice balls including the “Masalacino” which has chicken tikka masala and the “Dorowattino” comes stuffed with Ethiopian berbere chicken. He also makes the "Birriacino" stuffed with beef birria and the "Jerkicino" which comes stuffed with jerk chicken plus a handful of other options. All rice balls are $8 and served fried to order with your choice of fresh cut fries or pasta salad plus a sauce unique to each arancini. I got the jerk chicken bc for as many foods as I’ve seen jerked in Chicago I hadn’t seen jerk arancini. You really notice the quality of the rice upon first bite. Inside of the rice you’ll find shredded chicken with a jerk forward flavor profile. You can up the flavor with a side of jerk sauce. So if you like the flavor of jerk chicken you’ll enjoy a jerk chicken arancini. The pasta salad is delicious with crisp bits of giardiniera mixed in. 

Jerk Chicken Arancini at Amici (click pics to enhance) 

I’ve enjoyed the jerk and the tikka for a change of pace but the classic arancini that Alfio makes is f’ing great. They’re made Sicilian style with meat sauce, mozzarella, peas. I’ve had a few of these over the last couple weeks and they always come out piping hot and really hit the spot. The fries are fresh cut and on the softer side with a nice potato flavor that’s enhanced with a bbq rub. It’s tough to find a good meal for under $10 these days which in of itself is a reason to visit. Meanwhile Alfio is a good reason to return. I brought Erica here and she wanted one without any meat but he doesn’t have any vegetarian options at the moment as they weren't selling. So she didn’t get anything but when my arancini arrived so did a plate of steaming hot pasta made just for her. Alfio quickly threw together a gratis plate of penne pasta mixed with a smooth tomato sauce, sautéed cabbage and peppers. I had a few bites and might’ve ordered my own plate if it was an option. It had me intrigued with the menus other offerings which include a jambalaya, Penne Bolognese and virtually all of the rice ball options sans rice. This place is great. Where else in the city can you choose between a plate of Doro Watt chicken or a fried rice ball stuffed with some? Amici is a unique opening in today’s restaurant landscape as it’s truly a one man operation and that man makes some awesome arancini. 

Arancini

Amici
3933 N Broadway
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 904-8492
Website