Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Balkan Food in Chicago

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)  
A Balkan Food Tour

Today’s post is a special one because it’s unlike any I’ve done before. In fact the Balkan restaurants in Chicagoland have gone largely overlooked by not just me but everybody. This is despite the fact that the Chicagoland area is home to the largest Serbian and Bulgarian communities in the country and along with St. Louis we also have the largest Bosnian population in the country (and the largest outside of Bosnia at that). There doesn’t seem to be complete agreement on exactly what countries make up the Balkans but Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia are typically included. Each of these countries has its own cuisine but their proximity to each other means it’s similar from one to the next. Many dishes across the region are referred to using a similar vocabulary but with national variations. If you had to focus in on one thing they do particularly well in the Balkans that would probably be grilled meat in all its various proteins which is also why this post is at least a few years in the making - as much as I like Balkan cuisine it’s not one I want to eat every day. But over the last few years I’ve really started to seek it out thanks to places like Balkan Treat Box in St. Louis popping up. Or then there was Kiosk Balkan Street Food which was a great ghost kitchen setup in Avondale that I hope one day returns as it’s only a matter of time until Balkan food takes that next step as more and more places follow in the footsteps of a restaurant like Rose Mary on Randolph. Just for the record I've featured a handful of Chicagoland Balkan establishments over the years but never in a special blow out post like this one. 

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Stefan Grill (Hodgkins)

We’ll start in the Southwest Suburbs with a Serbian breakfast at a restaurant hidden in the bowels of Hodgkins. Stefan Grill sits in the middle of an industrial park where 18 wheelers are commonly parked and picked up but they have a serene outdoor setting that puts you in a much nicer place. Its location is a strategic one though in that a large chunk of Balkan immigrants are truckers and many of them stop in Stefan Grill upon completing their jobs for the day. The breakfast plate at Stefan Grill comes with two eggs and two slices of extra thick and chewy bacon plus feta, kajmak (fresh, unripened cheese), ajvar (red pepper spread), toasted bread and fresh vegetables - nice way to start the day.


Serbian Breakfast at Stefan Grill 
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Coffee Slasticarna Drina (Chicago)

Head to this strip mall find on Lawrence in Lincoln Square for freshly baked burek (25 min) by a Bosnian grandmother type. If it’s not the best in town let me know what is because ‘tis the season for these savory flaky pastries found throughout the Balkans - best enjoyed on a cold and grey day. The fillings can vary but I've always preferred the beef and potato mix. I don’t know how she gets it so crisp on the outside and so soft and fluffy within but I bet lots of time and practice has been put into it.

Burek at Coffee Slasticarna Drina
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Toscana Grill (Chicago)

About a mile south of our last stop in Lincoln Square is where you’ll find this next one. Toscana Grill might low key serve one of the best grilled chicken sandwiches in town. One thing I love about food culture is you’re always learning something new and the last few years I’ve come to learn that when it comes to good bread for making tip notch sandwiches, the Balkan baked stuff is outstanding. Nothing about the fillings in this sandwich are special - the chicken is cooked well and the toppings are fresh but it’s the bread that sets this chicken sandwich apart from so many of the others around town.



Grilled Chicken Sandwich at Toscana Grill 
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D-4 Cafe & Bar (Chicago)

It’s possible that the best cevapi outside of the Balkans are found in the Chicagoland area - where the largest Bosnian community outside of Bosnia itself resides (if not here then maybe St. Louis where there’s also a big Bosnian community). So with that it’s also possible that the cevap at this nonchalant Bosnian bar next to an auto repair shop in Arcadia Terrace is the best cevap not just here but anywhere outside of the Balkans. D-4 Cafe is way up north on Western and has no menu nor a geotag but their skinless sausages are some of the best I’ve had thanks to the matriarchs family recipe which the patriarch told me is made with mostly beef and “just a little lamb.” But it’s the texture that sets these apart from many others I’ve tried. It’s said the combination of sparkling water (or beer) plus baking soda on top of a lot of kneading is what results in the most texturally pleasing cevapi but I bet there’s more to these than just that. The Lepinja bread is also made on site and along with raw onions and kajmak it all makes for a great snack paired with a beer and some Bosnian banter.


Cevapi at D-4 Cafe & Bar 
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Rosewood Tavern (Chicago)

Next stop is only about 500 feet from the last one. Rosewood Tavern is a low key bar with a bomb ass burger. At some point smashed burgers joined hot chicken, quesabirria, and poke among the trendiest foods of all time which means they’re no longer distinct as so many of them are all the same. I had thought I was done with smashed burgers outside of the classics but the Balkan Smashburger at Rosewood Tavern pulled me back in. It’s not smashed crispy but it's dressed in a unique way that works really well - spicy red pepper sauce (ajvar), feta, and grilled onions are a fantastic match with high quality organic beef. This is a chill bar ran by a mother and son team with Montenegro roots.


Balkan Smashburger at Rosewood Tavern
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Zimi's Pizza & Grill (Chicago)

We’ll continue along Western Avenue to our next stop - Zimi’s Pizza and Grill is an Albanian owned pizzeria in West Ridge. It’s not a one off as pizza is very popular in the Balkans resulting in lots of Balkan born people in the States that run pizzerias. Zimi’s serves up NYC style pies and grilled meats like Qebapa and Qofte. The former is how Albanians spell Cevapi and the latter is how they spell and pronounce Kofte which is a type of meatball or meatloaf dish popular in a variety of cuisines including those in the Balkans. The Qofte at Zimi’s are well charred and dripping with flavor. They come five pieces to an order with cabbage, tomatoes, raw onions, kajmak, ajvar, and fresh baked bread.


Qofte at Zimi's Pizza & Grill
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Lazic Deli (Chicago)

Up next we head west towards O’Hare to Norwood Park and the Serbian owned Lazic Deli. This place doubles as a butcher and a restaurant as most everything in the display case can be cooked to order.  They have a specialty gourmet Serbian burger called the 'Gurmanska Pljeskavica' which comes stuffed with cheese and bacon and spicy peppers and served on homemade lepinja (Serbian flatbread) with lettuce, tomato and cucumber and includes fries, raw onions and creamy kajmak.


Gurmanska Pljeskavica at Lazic Deli
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Sofia Grill (Des Plaines)

There’s two predominant forms of dining in the suburbs these days - one is franchised chains and the other is independent eateries serving some form of international cuisine to the diaspora it represents. You’re pretty much always going to eat better going with the mom and pop spots like Sofia Grill in Des Plaines. They serve a surplus of grilled meats to a mostly Bulgarian speaking clientele as there’s a big Bulgarian community in the Des Plaines area where there’s also a handful of Bulgarian dining options. Sofia Grill is a full fledged family run spot where they have a daily changing menu of home cooked Bulgarian comfort food and a surplus of Bulgarian grilled meats available daily. I recommend that all first time visitors try the Kebapche which is a must at any Bulgarian barbecue. Sofia serves one that’s a mixture of  pork with a little bit of beef and it has hints of cumin and black pepper with lots of juicy liquid released each time it’s cut or bitten into. Both the cabbage slaw and the potato salad are mixed with dill which along with a cup of spicy feta really freshens everything up. The Karnache Sausage is another item from the grill menu worth getting. Ground pork is seasoned with Bulgarian spices and encased and it goes great with a chargrilled chicken thigh, a big pile of fresh cut fries and an addictive red pepper spread called Lutenitsa. Sofia Grill is easily one of my favorite food stops out by O’Hare.

Grilled Meats at Sofia Grill
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Broosters & Babba Grill (Darien)

One of the things you might notice about the Balkan communities in Chicago is there is no set area where they settled. There's pockets like the strip along Western avenue we just hit but Balkan restaurants in Chicagoland no know bounds which is why our next stop is way out in DuPage County. Broosters & Babba Grill is a two for one restaurant by which I mean it’s two restaurants in one. Babba Grill and their unique Macedonian hamburger was previously featured on here but they’ve since moved into a new space that they seem to share with a Romanian grill. Lots of the online reviews of Broosters mention the shawarma which very much caught my eye. The Middle Eastern favorite is a favorite in many countries including Romania where they tweaked it to their own liking. The shawarma at Broosters comes with your choice of fries inside the wrap or on the side - I tried them inside but took them out after a few bites. I'm not sure what makes it Romanian other than the fact it’s served in a Romanian owned spot with a non spicy sauce but it was a filling lunch nonetheless. Click HERE for my complete review of the Macedonian hamburger at Babba Grill which I tried back in 2022.

Romanian Shawarma at Broosters 

Macedonian Hamburger at Babba Grill 
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Europe 22 Grill (Westmont)

Well I just learned that Europe 22 has closed. The Balkan food stall was running out of the International Mall Food Court which houses a handful of Asian restaurants and what used to be a single Serbian one. But I'm still posting it bc you may come across a dish called Leskovački Uštipci aka Beef Pillows and if you do you should try them. From what I can gather beef pillows are little balls of beef that are mixed with bacon and cheese and grilled until oozing. The order of "beef pillows" that I got at the now defunct Europe 22 in were more like sliders in size but similar to Pljeskavica in taste. I may attempt to make these one day as they seem like they would be a popular party appetizer.

Beef Pillows at Europe 22 Grill (RIP)
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Fresh Farms (Niles)

Last stop takes us back to the Northwest Suburbs and Fresh Farms on Touhy in Niles. I shop here semi regularly and when I do I often grab some Serbian Čupavci from the bakery display case. Čupavci is a soft moist cake dipped in a milk chocolate sauce and rolled in coconut flakes. They’re said to be a Euro version of the Australian Lamington. I guess the biggest difference between the two is in Australia they commonly have a filling in the middle while the Balkan version usually does not.

Homemade Čupavci at Fresh Farms
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Monday, October 28, 2024

Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood Pt. 2

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Logan Square Favorites

Another calendar year is winding down and with it I have a collection of delicious dishes from Logan Square to share. Some readers may remember a post from last year where I declared Logan Square the city’s best food neighborhood and that's still the case today. If you want a little bit of it all when it comes to eating options Logan Square is your top spot in Chicago. Today’s post is a collection of five great things I’ve ate in the neighborhood of late - all from places I've previously featured on here.

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Superkhana International

I’ve never been a big brunch person but brunch has never been quite as exciting as it is these days. Omelets, Eggs Benedict, Pancakes and the likes just don’t excite like the Breakfast Dosa Hash at Superkhana does. For the uninitiated Dosa is a thin and savory crepe common in South Indian cuisine. It's made from a fermented batter of ground black gram and rice and is commonly served as a meal with pickles, chutney, and a variety of fillings. Masala Dosa comes with a flavorful spiced potato curry and is one of the most popular ways to enjoy it. At Superkhana they serve it with cabbage, curry leaf, a sunny side up egg, fried potatoes, and chile crisp and it’s been my favorite breakfast dish in town for a few years now even though it’s a vegetarian dish. But so what it has way more depths of flavor than a plate of bacon and eggs can bring. I just love what Chef Yoshi, Chef Zeeshan and their team are doing over at 3059 W. Diversey - one of my favorite restaurants in town.


Breakfast Dosa Hash at Superkhana International
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Best Intentions

Speaking of my favorite places in town, Best Intentions is another Logan Square spot on that list. I love what they did at 3281 West Armitage in turning an old neighborhood dive into a new neighborhood dive. Best Intentions has everything I want in a local bar - the drinks are reasonably priced and can range from a bottle of High Life to a well crafted cocktail - there’s a really nice sized patio and an outdoor bar to boot - and most importantly they have some damn good bar food. The burgers and fries are top notch but of late I’ve been planning my visits around the Filet ‘O’ Friday - their take on the Filet-O-Fish. It’s a pretty classic rendition down to the square shaped filet of breaded cod they use. The fried to order fish is dressed with a miso tartar sauce plus shredded lettuce and chile oil on a toasted potato bun and it’s the best fish sandwich in town right now (Friday's only).

Filet 'O' Friday Sandwich at Best Intentions
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Bar Parisette

Back in February I posted about ‘atta girl at 2829 W. Armitage which was a collabo between the Table, Donkey and Stick team and a chef from the now defunct Cafe Marie-Jeanne which was in Humboldt Park. Well despite my mostly glowing review it didn’t last long due to the head chef being a bit of a head case and it closed in May. But the team behind Table, Donkey and Stick did a bit of a rebrand and opened Bar Parisette this past July. The French bistro inspired neighborhood spot is led by Chef Madalyn Durant who was recently nominated in the Rising Chef category by the Jean Banchet Awards. I visited this past summer and had one of this year’s better burgers there. The ‘Cheeseburger Maison’ starts with a thick patty of high quality beef topped with a smoked onion mayo, shredded lettuce, pickles and cheddar, on a house baked sesame seed bun. The bun is incredible and I hope more spots start to take that part of the burger more seriously. Also of note are the fantastic fresh cut fries that come with it. I really liked the burger at ‘atta girl but the one at Bar Parisette is just as good.

Cheeseburger Maison at Bar Parisette 
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Izakaya Nomonomo

The family behind Ramen Wasabi continues to low key be one of Chicago’s best restaurant groups. They’ve built a bit of a mini empire over at the corner of Milwaukee and Maplewood where they also run Nomonomo Japanese Pub + Grill next door to Ramen Wasabi and Nomonomo Sushi across the street. I’ve been a repeat visitor at both places of late. We enjoy the happy hour deal(s) at Nomonomo Sushi which has $8 spicy tuna rolls and $14 Hamachi Kama (fried tuna collar) on Tues-Sat from 5p-7p. When it’s nice out they open the windows and you can people watch on Milwaukee and the rolls are always fresh. We also like hitting up their izakaya across the street which is kind of the opposite of the sushi spot in that it’s dark inside and instead of fish they focus on Japanese bar food including grilled meat skewers. As the weather starts to shift you’ll want to take note of their ‘Tan Tan Udon’ which is a Japanese version of Chinese Dan Dan Noodles using nikumiso pork, scallions, sesame, bok choy, chili oil plus thick and chewy udon noodles in a spicy bright red broth - good slurping.

Sushi, Fried Fish Collar, Udon at Nomonomo Sushi and Izakaya Nomonomo
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Bungalow by Middle Brow

You may already know this by now but ‘Tavern Tuesday’ is a thing over at Bungalow by Middle Brow in case you didn’t (2840 W. Armitage). Count me among the impressed when it comes to their take on one of the the hottest food trends in the country at the moment. It’s just called thin crust in Chicago but "tavern thin pizza" is a thing throughout the Midwest and now the rest of the country too due to hip spots like this putting their own spin on the preferred style of pizza among Chicagoans. They usually make a really great Neapolitan style pizza with a bit of sourdough starter except for on Tuesdays when tavern style thin takes over the menu. You can choose from a handful of offerings including a traditional version made with sausage or a more novel offering like the Cacio e Pepe. Whichever option you choose it’ll be a contender for the thinnest and crispiest pizza you’ve ever had. We got both of the aforementioned options and each of them was like a pizza mixed with a pasta. The sausage is loose like you might find in Northwest Indiana and the Quad Cities region and while I prefer it in chunks, this was like a hearty Bolognese spread on some crackers and it slapped. The Cacio e Pepe was giving off all the flavors of the Roman classic but in pizza form. It was rich and sharp and it was loaded with fresh pepper. This was the first time I’ve ever had a tavern thin pizza paired up with a seasonal salad. You won’t find any Old Style here but their signature Bungalow lager is a much better partner for your pizza. Only on Tuesdays in Chicago's best food neighborhood - Logan Square.

Tavern Thin Sausage Pizza at Bungalow by Middle Brow
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Monday, October 21, 2024

Bigsuda

-Grubbing in Chicago
Noodles & Dumplings in Wicker Park

The couple behind one of Chicago's original ramen shops has opened a new spot across the street from Oiistar ramen bar. Chef Sunny Yim and his wife Kathy recently opened the doors to Bigsuda in Wicker Park. It's their ode to dumplings in the form of Korean Mandoo and Chinese Xiao Long Bao. The Yim’s were in part responsible for upping the city’s ramen game when Oiistar first opened back in December of 2012 so one can only hope they shape the city’s dumpling game in a similar way.


Recently Opened in Wicker park 

The opening of Bigsuda was more than five years in the making according to an article in Block Club. They acquired the space at 1362 N Milwaukee in 2019 but the pandemic required them to put every ounce of energy into allowing Oiistar to live on. You would never call what happened during the pandemic a blessing but the delay allowed Chef Yim to further master his craft. Yim traveled to Asia to study dumplings and from there he took all that he learned and perfected his own versions. I admit I was surprised how good the soup dumplings at Bigsuda were. First off they’re about twice the size of your typical soup dumplings or Xiao Long Bao as they’re called back in their native of China, Shanghai specifically. Bigsuda's Kurobota pork soup dumplings passed the pick up test in that they bounced when dangled. You can see the liquid moving around inside. They also passed the taste test with a delicious mix of soupy umami punched pork that explodes in the mouth upon first bite.

Xiao Long Bao Soup Dumplings at Bigsuda

The Mandoo (Korean dumplings) at Bigsuda are also skillfully prepared and can come fried or steamed. We tried an order with pork and kimchi and another with shrimp and pork. The pan fried dumplings arrive as one thanks to a beautiful lattice laced skirt, a common thing with Japanese gyoza. Both versions were very tasty with the kimchi and pork packing some real nice spice. It’s just one visit but I’m ready to place the dumplings at Bigsuda among the best in town right now.

Fried Mandoo at Bigsuda

But they do more than just dumplings. The menu also features a section of rice and noodle dishes as well as a selection of tapas style treats titled “and more.” The latter is where the chef and his team branch out a bit and create menu items unique to Bigsuda. We started with a bowl of "Oiji" which is an invigorating cucumber salad made with sesame, garlic, brown rice vinegar and the Korean dried chili powder called Gochugaru. The “lamb gochu twigim” wasn’t what we expected in that I envisioned a stir fry but ended up with a few egg rolls stuffed with spicy lamb served with a basil and sesame yogurt sauce. You couldn’t really distinguish that the meat was lamb but it was still  a tasty dish. We also enjoyed an order of the “crunch crunch shrimp” which are fried wonton stuffed with shrimp, water chestnut, shiitake mushrooms and served with sweet Asian chile sauce.

Appetizers at Bigsuda (click all pics to enhance)

The shrimp and egg fried rice was well made in terms of the flavor evoked from the wok. I prefer when the egg is mixed in with the rice when cooking but I also like when it’s fried and put on top as that allows the runny yolk to be mixed in. The noodles were the other item I was interested in trying as Oiistar helped change the city's ramen game back when it first opened. The “fiery stir champon” is right up my alley as I always enjoy a bowl of Champon Noodles when the chance arises. Champon is a regional dish native to Nagasaki Japan by way of China. Though there’s different versions in Japan and Korea and China the basis of Champon is made by frying pork, seafood, and vegetables with lard and adding a broth made with chicken and or pig. Ramen noodles made especially for champon are added and boiled in the broth with all of the other stuff making for one big pot of deliciousness. Bigsuda makes a spicy stir fried version with pork, shrimp, squid, napa and sesame plus noodles and a subtle amount of liquid. It was good but I wish the noodles were a bit thicker with more chew. The same can be said for an order Kung Pao Clam Spaghetti which features littleneck clams, chili pepper, scallion, cilantro mixed with spaghetti noodles. Overall I liked the dumplings slightly more than the noodles but everything was pretty damn good and I look forward to returning for some more.

Shrimp and Egg Fried Rice

Fiery Stir Fry Champon 

Kung Pao Clam Spaghetti

Bigsuda
1362 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(872) 206-8678

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