Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining

-Grubbing in Chicago
Khmer Cooking in Rogers Park  

We're more than halfway through the calendar year but I expect a few places to open between now and the end of December that will be named among the years most exciting openings. But for now one of the spots that pops into my mind immediately is Khmai Fine Dining on Howard in Rogers Park. 

Recently Opened in Rogers Park 

Khmai is a Cambodian restaurant that's the latest offering from a mom and daughter duo who did catering and pop-ups before going brick & mortar. Cambodian cuisine is relatively rare in Chicago with the exception being the corner of Armitage and Kostner where Googoo's Table and Hermosa Restaurant reside. Outside of those spots, which come from the same family, this is the only other place to find Cambodian food in town. If you've never had it before it's a little different from the Southeast Asian flavors you may be used to in that it skews sweet with lots of citrus and sour. It's not as hot and spicy as other Southeast Asian cuisines but it's every bit as herbaceous. Chef Mona Sang cooks Khmer style dishes which refers specifically to the cuisine of the Khmer people. Rice is a popular ingredient as is beef so for starters I highly recommend the Sach Koh Ang which are steak skewers marinated in a Kreoung paste which is the Khmer word for the herb and spice pastes that make up the flavors of Khmer cooking. These are a leading candidate for the best thing I've ate this year. I tried them on my first visit and couldn't resist getting them again when I returned to try more. 

Cambodian Beef Skewers (Sach Koh Ang) at Khmai Fine Dining 

Khmai is the type of spot you want to visit with a group so you can try a few things. I was solo on both of my visits so I still need to try more of the menu because for now I find it hard to pass on those skewers. But I also opted for the Lort Cha (stir fried pin noodles) with ribeye on the rec of my waitress and I was happy with her call. Short and chewy rice noodles are stir fried with bean sprouts and two types of onion as well as a mix of liquids including fish sauce which is topped with chopped peanuts and a fried egg plus crispy garlic and a dollop of chili sauce. Khmer dipping sauce comes on the side, it's sweet but seems to work well with just about everything. I've never been to Cambodia but these are the flavors I remember from a visit to Cambodia Town in Long Beach. Happy to have them here. 

Lort Cha at Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining 

Khmai Fine Dining 

2043 W Howard St
Chicago, IL 60645
(312) 626-7710
Website

Quarantine Food Highlights Pt. 3

 -Grubbing in Chicago
Ghost Kitchens, Pivots, and Pop-Ups 

Indoor dining has returned at some spots but I'm not quite there yet. The same can be said for the restaurants themselves many of which have yet to pivot back to indoor dining at all. Many spots have had to shift their business models and menus around to make it easier to get through the pandemic. This has happened a variety of ways including the emergence of ghost kitchens and the addition of sandwiches and such to menus. Today's post takes a look at five spots I've been able to check out during this year long lockdown. Eventually we'll get back to normal but I have a feeling some places that pivoted during the outbreak might not go back to what they were before it. They'll open their doors to diners again and many of the menu items, pop-ups, and walkup windows will remain. 

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Big Kids (@bigkidschicago)

First stop is a sandwich shop born during the pandemic. Logan Square's Young American bar needed to find something they could do with their large bar space located on the square. So they decided to team up with a well known chef in New Orleans who runs a popular chef driven sandwich shop called Turkey & the Wolf. It was named the best new restaurant in America by Bon Appetit in 2017 so it was big news around the food circuit when it was announced they'd be bringing their popular vegan collard melt to Chicago. Said melt has arrived and more than lived up to the hype based on others reviews. Also making an appearance from Nola is an upscale bologna sandwich (as in not the Oscar Meyer stuff on white bread) loaded with potato chips. The Big Kids name is a nod to the vibe this place gives off. Both in it's online presence and also the food they make. The menu has switched up with the likes of sketti egg rolls (spaghetti fried in egg roll form), Veggie CrunchWraps (Taco Bell like crunchwraps with Bahn Mi fillings), and the Space Torpedo which is one of my favorites. It's something a stoner working at the local sub shop circa 1976 might concoct after a “bathroom break” - but boy is it great. Turkey, Pastrami, Pasta Salad, Shredded Lettuce, Garlic Mayo, and Smoked Mozzarella on a hoagie roll. Somehow this tasted nostalgic even though they just opened. Looking forward to checking out their new smashed burger concept - "shiddy burger" which they're currently doing on Monday's. 

The Space Torpedo from Big Kids Sandwich Shop 

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House of Fire (@house_of_fire_chicago)

This next stop has given me new hope for what ghost kitchens can become. When I first started reading about these large venues that host multiple restaurants I was a bit skeptic. Heck I still am and that's bc a decent percentage of the spaces rented out in these ghost kitchen campuses are by the likes of Wendy's and Chick-Fil-A etc. This one in Avondale pictured above hosts a TGI-Friday's. But it's also the home to House of Fire which is the city's first or least it's only current Azerbaijani restaurant. Azerbaijan being a former Soviet Republic that stretches across both Europe and Asia. Thus you can expect those wonderful aromas and flavors associated with Central Asian cuisine. I love both Georgian Dumplings (Khinkali) and also the Russian version called pelmeni. So I was excited to try the Azeri dumplings called Gurze. They're made with lamb and seasoned with what might be cinnamon and dill as well as other bold spices and served with a yogurt dipping sauce. One thing I don't like about ghost kitchens is the fact you don't get to see the people behind these places so it's tough to ask questions. One of the best things I've ate this year was something called a Qutab which is a stuffed Azerbaijani flatbread. I tried the lamb version which is described as a thin pocket of dough filled with minced lamb and spices. They come two to an order and different fillings are offered. 

Azeri Food from House of Fire 

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Howdy Kolache (@HowdyKolache)

Exciting news! Texas style kolache is now found in Chicago. This popular morning snack is found all over Central Texas by way of immigrant families from Czechoslovakia. It's Tex-Czech! Originally called klobasniky and traditionally filled with just fruits these sweet yeast pastries started to get stuffed with stuff like sausage, jalapeño, and eggs after they arrived in Texas. More than a century later they’re as common as breakfast tacos and found at just about every coffee shop, bakery, and gas station throughout the Texas Czech Belt. As of now they’re only available to Chicago during pop-ups and at select coffee shops (The Sipping Turtle Cafe in Avondale is one of them). But keep an eye out and follow their Instagram for updates. They’re just getting started. I got hooked up with a box from one of the owners and I’m patiently waiting for their next public offering. Such a cool little setup. 

Texas Style Kolache from Howdy Kolache 

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Brasseaux's Cajun Kitchen (@brasseauxscajunkitchen)

Here's another interesting option out of a South Loop ghost kitchen. I figured with a last name like Brasseaux that these people would know a thing or two about gumbo and such. Haha. I also read in a Block Club Chicago article that the owner was from down there. Good color and spice in the gumbo but it seemed to be lacking a certain something. Exactly what I don't know but I could tell from the prep of it that the potential is there. The Jambalaya was seasoned well too and even more importantly cooked properly as in not to a mush. Boudin balls were a bit dry and could’ve used some hot sauce but at the same time I knew fried food wouldn’t travel well, another demerit you could give ghost kitchens. As good as the food is in NOLA it’s better in Cajun Country so it’s nice to have a spot doing stuff like etouffee and such. I'm guessing the hope for most ghost kitchens is to go brick and mortar. 

Cajun Food from Brasseaux's Cajun Kitchen

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Hermosa Restaurant (@hermosachicago)

I wrote about the Cambodian fried chicken sandwich from here in my last 'quarantine eats' post. But Hermosa continues to be one of the city's best evolving restaurants as it's still a hot dog stand but it's also a great place to go these days for home cooked Cambodian food stuffed into sandwiches and such. The young owner / chef continues to ramp up his menu offerings and is doing so in a way that's super affordable. Hermosa currently boasts a 'BIG FLAVA .. small price' part of it's menu and most of the items featured on it are Cambodian comfort food like a gridled rice or vegan green curry. There's also a few examples taking Cambodian dishes like Sach Chrouk and turning it into a sandwich. It's a Cambodian style pork chop with Southeast Asian style toppings including carrots, pickles, jalapeño served on a sub roll slathered with garlic mayo. Excellent! I paired an order of Mee Kula noodles with my sandwich and it was perfect. The Mee Kula ($6) consists of rice noodles tossed with pickled cucumbers, radish, beansprouts, crushed peanuts, and dried shrimp powder with fish sauce served with a hard boiled egg and some spicy Sambal Oelek like chili sauce. A noodle dish popular with the Kula people of Cambodia. The fact you can pair that with a hot dog is such a cool Chicago thing. 

Cambodian Food from Hermosa Restaurant 

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See ya next time @chibbqking

Quarantine Food Highlights

-Grubbing in Chicago

Food from the Chicago Quarantine Time

The dining world has been tossed, fried, and smoked since Covid came calling. Restaurants have been forced to switch up their operations entirely by pivoting to completely different menus and such. For many spots what worked before covid does not cut it anymore. Some places were better equipped to deal with it. Maybe they were a majority takeout business anyway or what they sold travels well (comfort food). But most of the city's hipper bars and restaurants had no choice but to change their menus and some did so switching to family dinners or daily specials. I might not have been eating out as much when this all started but I still needed to eat. Some Quarantine highlights.

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Ludlow Liquors 

Ludlow is one of those spots that had to make pretty drastic changes. They relied heavily on their backdoor patio where people love to drink during the summer months. I heard it's opening with social distancing soon but that's not the only way they're trying to get customers. One of the most popular pivots for restaurants has been pizza. Quite a few of the popular spots around town have started selling pizza in one form or the other. Ludlow was already selling slices of grandma style pie on Monday's which I'd tried months ago. It was good and from what I saw on social media had it's fair share of fans. Well now they have access to it on the weekends with a little bit of planning. Ludlow is selling their grandma pies whole to those willing to place a pre-order so they can guarantee a slot to come pick up their pizza. It's worth the planning if you're a fan of the grandma style pizza that's super popular in NYC and bc of that it's now gaining fans across the country. It's lighter than it looks.

Grandma Pie at Ludlow Liquors 

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Hermosa Restaurant 

This off the radar spot just off Armitage in Hermosa has been open for a few years. But it just became well known in the last year or so. Actually I've posted about it before back in 2017. With the help of a little social media campaign by @FartSandwich aka "The Greatest Food Writer in the World" Hermosa became a regular stop on the Chicago food peoples trail. It's a typical looking hot dog stand that has a not so typical menu. It's owned by Ethan Lim who's family owns Googoo's Table with which Hermosa shares a building. They also own Somethin' Sweet Donuts which now has two locations. The Lim's have a Cambodian heritage and Chicago is lucky to have them. It was the Cambodian fried chicken sandwich that wowed the Readers Mike Sula among others. I have to agree with the masses here. This is the best fried chicken sandwich in town. Read Dennis Lee's article HERE. In the last couple months Hermosa has started offering Cambodian meals to go. Here's Mike Sula's review.

Cambodian Fried Chicken Sandwich at Hermosa 

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 3 Little Pigs

Covid pushed the idea of ordering food from instagram into the Chicago area. It's been a thing in places like LA already. But ever since corona arrived I've noticed a bunch of people pushing food though instagram. These could be former chefs, or line cooks, and even just home cooks trying to get into the market but not able to rent an entire restaurant out for the time being. One day one of my buddies @'ed me on insta to an account selling Chinese style BBQ pork and potstickers. You can find Henry @3LittlePigsChi. His family has provided potstickers to restaurants in Chinatown for more than 30 years. With some spots in the neighborhood closed he started offering both his family’s dumplings as well as his own ode to Chinese BBQ Pork which has some dope Chicago style bbq components going for it in the sauce piled on top of some well charred pork. It's fantastic. Special plate appearance from an order of plain and extra crispy chow fun noodles from Three Happiness.

BBQ Pork and Potstickers from 3 Little Pigs

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 Jeong Restaurant 

Jeong is a spot that many considered one of the city's best new restaurants when it opened in 2019 (my post). So it really sucks they've had to put a pause on growth from the restaurants perspective. That said Dave Park and his team have been able to pivot in the most dopest of fashions. Before they ran one of the city's best new restaurants Chef Dave and his wife ran a food court stall in a Westmont shopping mall. They cooked Korean classics at Hanbun which garnered national attention for it's food and setup. Check out my old Hanbun review HERE. People were sad to see Hanbun go but it wasn't the best of setups and what not. It sucked losing Hanbun but we gained Jeong from it and it's in the city at that. So the overall effect was a net positive and even though Jeong isn't in service right now Hanbun is. That's right if you can plan to pre-order for the weekend you can try some of the all time favorites from Hanbun which can be picked up at Jeong. Bulgogi with sliced apples, Spicy Rice Cakes, and the Korean-Chinese favorite Jjajangmyeon (pork belly noodles in black bean sauce) were all wonderful. I don't know how much longer this will last so act accordingly if you haven't already.

Hanbun at Home 

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Shawn Michelle's Homemade Ice Cream 

I don't know why Shawn Michelle's doesn't have locations scattered across the city but I could take an educated guess. Let's be real how many people even know of this homegrown ice cream specialist on 47th and Wabash? Not as many that should know. That's for sure. Chicago's ice cream scene consists of a bunch of corporate brands from out of town. Why don't we have a homegrown brand? Shawn Michelle's is that. They've been open since the 90's and are well known among Chicago's African-American community but just becoming known to most others. Social media campaigns have driven customers to Black owned businesses all summer and admittedly it was some posts from these campaigns that finally got me over to try Shawn Michelle's homemade ice cream. Damn is it good! I loved the Jamaican rum raisin. They should be more well known like other Southside spots. Maybe they don't want to expand but they have the ability to as far as product in the coolers goes.

Jamaican Rum Raisin at Shawn Michelle's Ice Cream

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See ya next time @chibbqking

Googoo's Table

-Grubbing in Chicago  
Cambodian-Chinese in Hermosa

Hey folks, I'm back! Sorry for the delay in posts but I was out of town and rarely near a computer. It's going to be a busy rest of the year as far as posts go. Speaking of 2016 I had made mention earlier in the year how it was the year of Southeast Asian food and today's post is further proof of that. Googoo's Table sits on the corner of Armitage and Kostner is the city's Hermosa neighborhood. It's not the first place you'd expect to find a Southeast Asian spot however it's not the only Cambodian owned business in this area of the city (see: Somethin' Sweet Donuts). The family behind this place are Cambodians that grew up in China so the menu reflects a little bit of both cuisines.

Newly Opened in Hermosa

A quick browse of the menu doesn't really bring your attention to anything specific though there are a few things on it you wont find everywhere. One of those options is the Cambodian Chicken Curry which is indeed a Khmer dish. I found it to be a medium level of pungent which I think is kind of standard in Cambodian cuisine, no? It's coconut based so there was some sweet notes but it's mostly subtle. The big chunks of chicken and potatoes were cooked perfectly. Due to the fact the entire family is most always there this meal felt like I was eating at someone house. The hospitality here is terrific, but even better are the family recipe egg rolls. Again these aren't unique or anything but damn do they hit the spot! There's barely any pork though some is in there, and it's mostly crunch from the veggies inside combined with fact they're fried. I just find them to be as satisfying an egg roll as you'll find when it comes to this style. I'll further explore the menu.

Cambodian Chicken Curry and Family Recipe Egg Rolls

Googoo's Table
4356 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60639
(773) 227-3999

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-Snoopin' around
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