-Grubbing in Chicago
An Indian Bistro in Wicker Park
As the weather shifts from warm to cold my food cravings switch the other way around from cold to warm. As soon as I get my first taste of the crisp and cold air I also get a taste for food that’s been cooking all day. Curries are a big cause of major craves this time of the year and we recently fed those craves at Kama in Wicker Park. Its story is an interesting one in that it’s a restaurant from the suburbs (La Grange) that opened a location in the city (on Milwaukee avenue just off of Damen and Division). This checks out if you’re familiar with the culinary landscape of the suburbs. Some of the best Indian restaurants are found in the suburbs and not just one area of them either. There’s large pockets of Indian commerce in areas like Naperville and Schaumburg. Indian food is having a bit of a moment in the States and it’s long overdue. Kama Bistro is a part of the movement in the Chicagoland area. It’s a modern Indian bistro serving familiar dishes in different ways. They also have a full fledged happy hour (food + drink) and a nice cocktail menu too. It sure seems like a nice fit for the area.
Kama opened its city location in August but they’ve been serving the western suburbs for close to 15 years. I’ve never been to their La Grange location so I didn’t know what to expect from their new spot in Wicker Park but I liked the look of the menu as far as what they’re serving goes, so we made our way over one night and arrived just as Happy Hour (4-6p Mon.-Fri.) was wrapping up. They still let us order from the HH menu so we got to try a few of the menu items at a discounted price which was nice. Drinks are also discounted during happy hour including $6 drafts and all house cocktails are $9. I like that they have a few options on tap from Azadi Brewing Company which is the city’s only Indian owned brewery, they work out of Pilot Project in Logan Square. I got some beer and also ordered a few of the happy hour snacks including an order of crispy chili potatoes which are one of the most common mentions in online reviews. We also got an order of the Goan mussels which are PEI mussels mixed in tamarind, with coconut milk, leeks, ginger, cilantro. The crispy chili potatoes are chunks of par boiled potato fried and tossed in a chili-ketchup sauce. I’m not a fan of ketchup but this had some Masala seasoning plus other spices in it giving it a nice kick. We both thought they were awesome. I’ll start my meal with them again when I return. The mussels were small and not all that plump but the sauce was stellar. We soaked it all up with an order of garlic naan we got to pair with it.
The menu is broken down in a similar way to most other Indian restaurants. You got your starters that are both vegetarian and meat friendly plus a selection of entrees including vegetarian, curries, seafood, and meats including options from a charcoal tandoori. Plus all of the accompaniments you may want. We’re both big fans of Dal Makhani which is a Punjab dish made with black lentils and sometimes kidney beans. It says on the menu that they slow simmer them for 24 hours and while I can’t verify that I can confirm they make a fantastic batch. In fact this is the best dal makhani that I’ve found around town. I haven’t had a ton but my previous pick would probably have been Vajra but this version not only highly flavorful but there was good texture to it. A lamb shank nihari was equally impressive as far as flavor goes. I only got it medium in spice bc the waiter warned us that the medium spicing was already going to be hot since nihari is typically a spicy dish. Usually it’s made with chopped beef shank but at Kama they serve an entire lamb shank with a Harissa demi-glace in a spicy curry made of coconut stock mixed with Carolina reaper peppers and more. It was an absolute crave killer and exactly the type of spicy I like in that it was legitimately hot but other flavors aside from the peppers were prevalent. There were a few other menu items that we found to be intriguing including a Kerala fish curry cooked with halibut that I want to try next time as I definitely plan on going back.
3 comments:
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Kama Indian Restaurant never fails to impress! From the vibrant flavors to the cozy ambiance, it's always a delightful culinary experience. Highly recommended.Top Of India.
Kama Indian Restaurant is a culinary gem! Their authentic flavors and warm ambiance always make for a delightful dining experience. Highly recommendTop of India.
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