The Clove

-Grubbing in Chicagoland
Excellent Indo-Chinese (and more) in Glenview

The Clove is a relatively new South Asian restaurant in the Northern suburbs but it also has a bit of history in the North Shore area. It opened in Glenview last summer but the guy behind The Clove used to run now closed The Red Hot Chili Pepper in Evanston which I visited Pre-Pandemic. 

Recently Opened in Glenview

The menu is split into two - there’s an Indian-Nepali and an Indo-Chinese menu. This is fairly common but what’s not is having two separate kitchens (and cooks) for each menu. The Clove is located in a large strip mall so there’s a nice amount of space inside including a full bar which along with the food is 25% off on Mondays. The Indo Chinese food at The Red Hot Chili Pepper was the best I’d had in Chicagoland so I had The Clove pretty high on my list but it took some time to find myself out that way. Well that recently happened not once but twice in the span of a week so I got to try a pretty nice portion of the menu and as I suspected it would be - the Indo-Chinese food here is excellent.

Gobi Manchurian

Indo-Chinese food is a blend of Chinese style cooking techniques with Indian spices and chiles. It comes from the Chinese community that was living in India back when it was said to be created in the 1970’s by Nelson Wong, the same guy said to create Gobi Manchurian. There’s a set of dishes you’ll see at every Indo-Chinese restaurant whether it’s in India, Pakistan, or the suburbs of Chicago and Gobi Manchurian is perhaps the most popular of them all. Crispy fried cauliflower is wok tossed in a spicy soy-garlic sauce but despite the name it has nothing to do with Manchuria in China. It’s said to be invented in India in the mid 1970s at China Garden in Mumbai. I’ve had my fair share of Gobi Manchurian over the years and the version served at The Clove sits at the top my list. First off it’s a dry version so it’s not gloppy from a sauce and it’s got a really nice spicing to it while the fry job is also done well. Resulting in a crisp and tasty product. I would highly recommend starting with an order. 

Dry Chili Chicken at The Clove

Chili Chicken is another dish you’ll find on every Indo-Chinese restaurants menu. It too comes served wet or dry depending on the spot but at The Clove they do both. Again I’m a dry guy when it comes to Indo style chili chicken. This can be traced directly to Yueh Tung in Toronto where they serve a legendary chili chicken that I still think about now and then (fyi the Indo-Chinese food in Toronto aka “Hakka Chinese” is as good as it gets). To me dry is better because it’s crisper and tends to be more intense as dry is the preferred way in places like Mumbai. I’ve been searching for something similar to the version served at Yueh Tung for years now and the chili chicken at The Clove is the closest I’ve found up to now. This is in big part due to it being dry when most spots serve it wet but it’s also got great flavor from the ginger and chiles, speaking of which if you order it hot they bring the heat.  

Manchow Soup

Just like its American-Chinese food cousin, Indo-Chinese is popular to eat in large groups. Usually you order for the table and get a few apps plus entrees and sides. Manchow Soup is another one of those standard Indo-Chinese dishes. The soup has a few defining features including a soy-based broth, strong use of garlic and ginger, and lots of chili flavor. It’s thickened with cornstarch and packed with cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and a variety of other vegetables plus chicken, tofu and other stuff depending on the recipe. Supposedly the name has no meaning other than to sound Chinese. The Manchow soup at The Clove is flavorful and filled with a ton of crisp vegetables leading me to believe it’s made to order as they wouldn’t be that crisp if it was made ahead. The only thing missing was the crispy noodles on top that typically come with Manchow but all the crunchy vegetables made up for the lack of crunchy noodles (note: they were included on my return visit). 

Hakka Style Noodles at The Clove

The Hakka noodles at previously mentioned Red Hot Chili Pepper in Evanston were among my favorite noodles in town and they’re just as good at The Clove. They get a ton of wok hei in the flavor. You can add chicken or tofu but I like it as it is as it already comes with a ton of crisp veggies. I haven’t gotten to try the fried rice bc I can’t pass on the Hakka Noodles but I’m guessing it’s just as good if it’s cooked the same way with lots of wok hei given off by an extra hot wok. Momo Dumplings aren’t Indian-Chinese but the Nepali and Tibetan style dumplings pair well with the rest of the Indo-Chinese food here. I don’t think of Chicago as a great Momo town but the chicken ones at The Clove are as good as I’ve had in the city or suburbs. The wrappers are thin and soft and the chutney is on point. 

Chicken Momo Dumplings

On my initial visit I was with my wife who really likes Dal Makhani and any type of seafood curry. I'm also a fan of these things so we got an order of the Dal and decided to try the Goan style snapper curry alongside it. The former was good but not great, though it tasted even better the next day. The latter was really good. The coconut based gravy had a sneaky hot spice to it and the fish was perfectly cooked making them the perfect match for each other in the same way The Clove is the perfect match for Glenview. The space is large and clean while the food is fresh and flavorful. 

Dal Makhani and Goan Snapper Curry

The Clove Indian & Nepali Cuisine
1827 Waukegan Rd
Glenview, IL 60025
(847) 999-0862
Website

Chicago Sweatlodge

-Grubbing in Chicago
Sauna Food in Portage Park

Today’s post is a bit out of the ordinary, even for this blog. But I’ve been out of the country the last couple weeks thus I haven’t been eating out a ton in Chicago with the exception of a couple spots I hit up before we left for South America. One of which is a place that few food publications have gone before - the Chicago Sweatlodge. Now there's a good reason for this in that the Sweatlodge is a sauna that happens to have a grill. Though the main reason for our visit was to spend some time sweating we also ended up eating dinner there and this is how it all went down, albeit in a rather reluctant way. 

(SORRY NO PICS)

The idea to go here came from my friend who took me and a few others one day after work. It wasn't the worst idea as it was one of the first colder days of the Fall with both rain and wind in the picture. That said I wasn't sure what to expect going to one of these spots as the closest I've come to visiting a sauna was the locker room at Lakeshore Athletic Club where you could never get too comfortable with a bunch of old guys trancing around eating apples with their stuff hanging out. So I didn't really have high hopes but I'm always down for an adventure. We pulled up to what looks like it could be a Portage park corner tavern and it kind of is but this isn't your typical neighborhood tavern as there's a cover charge to enter. You pay and trade your license for a key to a locker plus towels and sandals if needed. We paid and made our way into the locker room which was quite small and full of Eastern Europeans. After wiggling and waggling my way into my swimsuit and managing to get all of my belongings stuffed inside my locker I hit up the wet and dry saunas for about 45 minutes but decided to skip the cold plunge which consists of a bunch of naked guys jumping in and out of what's basically a full body bath. Not for me so I took a shower, put on my clothes, and made my way to the bar. 

Rehydrate in the Chicago Sweatlodge

The bar / restaurant is called Rehydrate which sounds like a place you would visit in Boystown, not that there's anything wrong with that! There's about 8-10 sets of tables and most of the people there are joined by a few friends, some are playing card games and others are eating, none of them have anything on except a towel covering their torso and everything directly below it. I'm not going to lie the first thing I wondered was whether or not this place was up to health code standards as far as none of the customers having shoes or socks or even shirts on but I didn't think about it much past that. I ordered a can of Sapporo and then another plus a Chebureki which is a deep fried turnover stuffed with minced meat and onions. It's a popular street snack in former Soviet aligned counties. The version here is made with both pork and beef and comes served with sour cream. I enjoyed it for what it was which is basically an Eastern European empanada. I was tasked with doing most of the ordering and I had to explain to our group that Eastern European food is unique but maybe not for the reasons you want it to be. There's not a ton of spicing used when it comes to this type of food but I still ordered pretty well starting with a salami salad. Nothing to fancy but this was fresh and filling and a good start for a group. I also got us a plate of the homestyle potatoes made with sliced and fried potatoes tossed with mushrooms, onions and sour cream. I suggest adding some steak sauce too.

Appetizers at Chicago Sweatlodge

Moving along my friend who brought us all there insisted on getting a couple soups which he claimed were great so we tried the chicken and the seafood soup and I wouldn't call them great but they were pretty good. My seafood soup had a nice tasting seafood broth going for it but was a bit light on the seafood and the seasoning. Even a few dashes of Old Bay would've gone a long way. The potato pierogi was pretty standard ns lacking the fragrant fried onions that all the good ones come with. A plate of chicken kebabs was most hurt by the lack of seasoning and it didn't help that it was breast meat either. The fried fish was tilapia which can be rather tasteless but it was well breaded and the lemon gave it some good flavor but again it needed some sort of seasoning or even better some mild sauce. I thing I really liked was how you could order pitchers of fresh squeezed juices which is rare enough that it stands out. Overall it was an interesting experience. I think it was a bit too crowded but I did enjoy both of the saunas about as comfortably as one can in a situation like that. The food wasn't bad but it's not the main reason most of the people are here - it serves a purpose rather than a plan. 

Dinner at The Chicago Sweatlodge

Chicago Sweatlodge
3500 N Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 202-1777

Noodles Party

-Grubbing in Chicago
A Thai Style Noodle Party in Albany Park

The holiday season is around the corner and with the year winding down it’s time to start thinking about the best new restaurants of 2025 plus the best pop-ups etc. This week we visit a spot that would qualify for both. When I first learned of ‘Noodle Party’ as I’ve come to call it, I knew it warranted an immediate visit (as do most places that Mike Sula features in The Chicago Reader). According to Mike he was tipped off by a local about this interesting pop-up taking place in Albany Park and upon further review he uncovered one of the coolest setups I’ve come across in a Chicago food operation. 

Locals Favorite in Albany Park

Noodle Party is hosted by a lady named Pramereothai “Aomjai” Phumpardit, aka Mae (or “mother”). Mae grew up in Bangkok where she began helping out at her mother’s noodle shop at a very young age. According to Mike’s story she was running it herself at the age of 11 while her mother would go sell snacks at a factory. The name ‘Noodle Party’ comes from the storefront where Mae and her husband and their team set up shop every Tues. and Wed. at 4205 W. Lawrence. When you step inside you’re transported to what feels like a noodle shop in Bangkok. Each week the menu features a different Thai noodle dish as well as a few supplemental dishes. The only thing is you have to have the link to her page on Facebook where she announces the menu each week, completely in Thai. Luckily for those of us who can’t speak Thai, the Facebook translation button translates it into English. Even if you don’t have Facebook you can go to her page and see these posts by clicking HERE. 

Behind the Scenes with Mae at Noodles Party

I attended my first Noodle Party the day after learning of it thru Mike Sula’s story. I think they may have strategically planned to feature her most popular offering the week the article came out as Boat Noodles were on the menu that week (Note: they’re also on the menu this week for 10/28 and 10/29). Boat Noodles are basically the unofficial dish of Bangkok dating back to the 12th century when this dish got its name due to it being served from boats on the canals. Eating Boat Noodles along the canal in Bangkok is one of those food experiences that stick with you. Mae and her team want to help trigger those memories to her fellow Thai people residing in Chicago and they've shown up in droves. 

Boat Noodles 

Diners can customize their bowls by choosing what type of noodles you want and there's often the option of getting them with or without broth. In the case of the Boat Noodles they're offered with pork or beef. I had plans to try a couple of different bowls thinking the very reasonable $10 price-tag would result in a smaller serving of noodles as is the case in Bangkok where customers often go thru multiple bowls of noodles mixed into a rich and dark and savory broth made with beef and or pork bones plus cubes of Mini Coagulated Pork Blood, which is how it gets its cloudy color. That said one bowl ended up being a complete meal when paired with a refreshing bowl of Thai Style Shaved Ice. 

Thai Style Shaved Ice

I was the only non Thai person on my initial visit but with each visit after that it’s gotten a bit more diverse as word starts to spread. I think I’ve been five times now as the timing works out really well for me as I usually work a little later on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Noodle Party goes from 11a-11p. So I’ve been heading over around 8:30/9p when most places around town are closing for the day.  

Bouncy Pork Noodle Soup at Noodles Party

As good as the boat noodles are my favorite to date has been the bouncy pork noodle soup made with Thai style pork meatballs. Mae and her team make these on site and there’s a big difference in their homemade version and the ones that come frozen that most places use. The frozen ones always seem to be way too compact which they’re supposed to be to an extent, hence the bouncy pork name, but they’re so packed they can be hard to put a fork thru let alone chew. The Thai style meatballs at Noodle Party have just enough bounce to give a little pushback when sliced. They work great with thin rice noodles in a soup broth that can be enhanced to your liking with condiments at each and every table. The meatballs are also awesome when covered in a spicy green curry and served with a plate of white rice. They do a fair amount of takeout too but it’s $5 extra per dish.

Meatballs in Green Curry

I really love how each and every week there’s a new treasure to uncover here. On one visit the special was Kuay Jab, or Peppery Noodle Soup, a streetside dish made with wide rice noodles and pork organs that makes for a sweet and a unique flavor. Every now and then they’ll do Khao Soi in addition to whatever is being featured that week and it’s tough to pass on that when they do. They make a textbook version utilizing a braised chicken leg with meat that easily falls off the bone into a rich and creamy coconut curry based broth with a wonderful balance of spicy, sour, salty, and sweet. It’s a contender for the best rendition in the city for sure. As previously noted this is a Tuesday and Wednesday operation but they’ve started to do Fridays and Saturdays too - with a completely different menu at that. Simply put this is the “find of the year” in that without Mike’s story many of us wouldn’t have a clue that there was such a high quality operation operating right under our noses. 

Khao Soi

Noodles Party
4205 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60630 
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Roadfood in North Florida

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties 
- Passing thru Jacksonville 

We drove down to South Florida at the end of December and stopped overnight in both Nashville and Jacksonville. We didnt have a ton of time in either spot as we arrived in the late afternoon and left the next morning. But since we were only four hours from South Florida we weren't in a rush to get out of town thus I was able to check out some spots on my list. But we didn't stay directly in Jacksonville instead opting to stay near the water in Atlantic Beach and most of my roundup reflects that. 

Atlantic Beach Florida
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Lubi's Hot Subs (Jacksonville)

As longtime readers know - I love the unique roadfood stops. It's not always about the food at places like Lubi's Hot Subs in Jacksonville. I'd had plans to stop in Jacksonville previously to this and Lubi's was a spot I found while searching around. I knew I wanted to go there as soon as I saw the pictures of it. It's a prototypical 1970's sandwich shop having first opened in 1969. I visited Lubi's semi early on a Sunday morning and it was pretty busy with customers mostly there for a bacon, egg, and cheese on pita. There's a very obscure regional sandwich thought to originally be from Jacksonville called the Camel Rider or sometimes Desert Rider, as it can also be called. It's a pita stuffed with cold cuts plus lettuce, tomato, and Italian dressing. You can read all about the Camel Riders history in this fun and informative read in the New York Times by Southern Food Historian and fellow regional food aficionado John T. Edge by clicking HERE. All the popular spots known for their Camel Riders were closed on Sundays. They did have one on the menu at Lubi's but I was there for a steamed sub. 

Sign inside Lubi's

According to my friend / fellow food blogger Sef Gonzalez (aka Burger Beast) - Lubi's was founded in 1969 by a lady looking for a new hobby. It grew to five locations in the Jacksonville area at its peak but today there's just one left which I believe is ran by the founders daughter and grand daughter. As you can read in the picture above Lubi's is popular for their steamed subs which are made with ground beef, steamed onions and cheese. They offer six different subs ranging from the original Lubi to the Fiesta Lubi which is the original Lubi topped with chili, sour cream and both American and Mozzarella cheese plus lettuce and tomato. That sounded like a bit much plus from what I read in reviews it seems like the Mozzarella Lubi is the most popular - ground beef, onions, and American cheese is topped with sour cream, mozzarella and marinara and the whole thing is steamed on a boat made of Aluminum foil. Lubi's sandwiches are served with a fork and a knife as they basically morph into a soggy mess when steamed. I was glad to have made it but not sure I'll plot a return. 

Mozzarella Lubi at Lubi's Hot Subs
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Singleton's Seafood Shack (Mayport Village)

Unfortunately O’Steens down in St. Augustine was closed the Sunday we would be passing through. The 2022 S'C'&C 'Stop of the Year' serves up the best fried shrimp I've ever had but they aren't the only popular stop for fried shrimp in these parts. So we visited another old Roadfood favorite instead as I’d never been to Singleton's Seafood Shack. It's located in the Village of Mayport which some call a fisherman's dream, it's an authentic Old Florida waterfront village located on the St. Johns River two miles east of the Atlantic Ocean. The locally caught Mayport fried shrimp isn’t as good at Singleton's as it is at O’Steens but it’s still better than the majority of fried shrimp elsewhere. The Minorcan chowder, another local specialty, was bland but improved with a few drops of locally produced Datil Pepper Hot Sauce. I feel like this place may have passed it's prime as it too opened in 1969 and although it's still the definition of a shack it seems like more of a tourist trap than a locals stop as the shrimp wasn't cheap despite it being abundant in the area but it is on the water so there's that.

Fried Shrimp and Minorcan Clam Chowder at Singleton's Seafood Shack
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Safe Harbor Seafood (Mayport Village)

If you only have time (or the stomach space) for one Mayport Village stop I would go to Safe Harbor Seafood Market / Restaurant. We started off at their seafood market where locally caught large head on Mayport shrimp was on sale for $3/lb. I had planned ahead and brought a cooler down with me so we went ahead and got ten pounds of shrimp to bring down to South Florida with us - it took forever to shell and devein all of it but we ate well for a couple weeks. After procuring our shrimp which they loaded up on ice for us we went across the street to the restaurant. The setup at Safe Harbor is like pretty much every other popular fried seafood stop in that you order at the counter and then take a number to the outside deck where they come find you. We got an order of the fried shrimp which was thinly coated with just the right bite. I wish they sold it by the pound as the fries and cole slaw that comes with it aren't much more than filler. We also got a 1/2 lb of the steamed shrimp which was nice and plump and had the taste and texture of mini lobsters. Safe Harbor is a smooth sailing operation. 

Lunch at Safe Harbor Seafood (click pics to enhance)
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AB Kitchen (Atlantic Beach)

We stayed at a cute little boutique hotel in Atlantic Beach which is the northernmost of Jacksonville's three beach communities. The menu at AB Kitchen looked more like one you would find in a trendy food neighborhood in the city than that of a popular beach vacation community. We stopped in for an appetizer and some drinks while waiting for a table at another restaurant nearby. The crab fried rice was the reason we stopped in as Erica had scoped it out - good call by her, she learned from the best. Haha. After a few runs of average fried rice in hip and trendy restaurants like this I was very much surprised with the cooking quality of this version served with snow crab, shiitakes, scallions, bean sprouts, fish sauce, cilantro, lime. The rice was smoky and the taste of the crab was clear. 

Crab Fried Rice at AB Kitchen
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North Beach Fish Camp (Atlantic Beach)

I wasn't sure what to expect from this popular stop with tourists and what not. But North Beach Fish Camp is ran by a local restaurant group who also owns a popular seafood restaurant in the city so we decided to give it a go. After all it was a short walk from the hotel and I was very much intrigued with the many mentions of their shrimp and grits. We started out with their fried shrimp dinner and it was the best fried shrimp of the trio of plates we tried. It was bigger than the previous two spots and had slightly better texture to it too. The breading was a bit thicker and it did slip off a bit but in the end we both agreed this was the best of the bunch. The shrimp and grits are served with a white wine butter sauce and was one of the best preps I've tried. This makes sense when you come to understand this part of Florida is considered a part of the Low Country region which extends up the coast thru Georgia and into the Charleston South Carolina area. Every aspect of their shrimp and grits was good from the plump and abundant locally caught shrimp to the rich and creamy grits loaded with butter.  

Fried Shrimp at North Beach Fish Camp

Shrimp and Grits at North Beach Fish Camp
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Central Asian Food in Chicago

-Grubbing in Chicago (land)
Five of a Kind: Central Asian Restaurants

 A few years ago I started to notice quite a few Central Asian restaurants were opening up around Chicagoland. This is usually the first sign of a growing Ethnic community. According to Wikipedia Central Asia is made up of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. “The Stans” were once a part of the Soviet Union until they gained independence in 1991. Fast forward to today and there’s a few thriving Central Asian communities across the country. One of the largest is in NYC where there’s said to be more than 30,000 people of Uzbek descent. But the largest Central Asian community in the U.S. resides right here in the Chicagoland area where there’s said to be more than 40,000 people from Kyrgyzstan - that number differs depending on where you look but there’s enough that they felt the need to open a Kyrgyzstan General Consulate in downtown Chicago back in 2022. There’s also a Kyrgyz community center out in Arlington Heights. As is the case with most immigrant groups they came to the U.S. to seek a better life and in many cases to avoid the war between Russia and Ukraine. Many of them got jobs driving for cabs or rideshare services and others found jobs with trucking companies which is one of the big reasons they settled in Chicago - it’s geographic location in the middle of the country means there’s lots of truck routes in the area. Today we’re going to check out five spots that have opened up shop during this current boom in Chicago. Overall the total number of people in this community is pretty small but their economic footprint is expanding thanks to a network of people that really seem to stick together as far as supporting their own goes - these places are constantly packed with groups there to support their fellow people. 

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Tary Coffee House (River North)

Our first stop is in a bit of an unlikely place. Tary Coffee House in River North is the first U.S. outpost of a famous Central Asian chain based out of Kazakhstan - important to note the four countries that make up Central Asia are all similar in terms of food and culture. Tary is named after a variety of millet grown only in Western Kazakhstan. This Ancient Grain with a toasty taste to it finds its way into a few menu items at Tary. I visited early one Sunday morning which meant breakfast was being served. The early morning menu consists of a few egg based dishes plus a couple of porridge options. Even though I’m not much of a porridge eater I wanted to try the namesake porridge which is clearly one of their most popular dishes. It starts out with a bowl of those distinct grains of millet sitting in the bottom of a warm bowl of whole organic milk dotted with pomegranate seeds and served with sides of raspberry jam and organic ghee. The first sip without the sides was pretty standard as in it didn’t taste like much of anything but that changed when the jam and ghee were added in and it became a bit more flavorful. The texture of the tary was pleasant too but since I didn’t grow up eating oatmeal or porridge it wasn’t quite my style. I liked it then and there but don’t think I’ll seek it out again though don’t let that deter you from trying it or any of the other interesting Central Asian dishes on offer. I’ll likely be back to check out some of the interesting pastries made with tary. Read more about this unique spot over at The Reader where the great Mike Sula got the complete story - Click HERE.

Tary Porridge at Tary Coffee House
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Arzan Cafe (Albany Park)

There’s lots of intriguing options on the menu at this Central Asian cafe on Kedzie. So many in fact that on my first visit I had to hold off on the kebabs and dumplings (two of my favorite foods) in favor of the Boso Lagman which is a stir fried noodle dish - noodles being another one of my favorite things to eat. At Arzan Cafe they stir fry hand pulled noodles with beef and vegetables to make a dry version of the Uzbeki beef noodle soup known as Lagman which is commonly found in Central Asia and much of Russia. The noodles were nice and wholesome with a delicious tomato based sauce clinging to them while the beef was tender and the vegetables crisp. I also tried a Samsa which is similar to a Russian Pirozhki in that it’s a savory pastry. The Samsa is typically filled with beef and onions and not much different than the Pasty by way of Michigan's Upper Peninsula or Empanadas estilo Argentina. Though Samsa are traditionally baked in a tandoor oven which goes all the way back to its Silk Road roots. I talked to the owner of Arzan and he told me he comes from Kyrgyzstan as does much of the customer base with Chicago having the largest Kyrgyz community in the country. I’ll be back for for some of that manti as well as the shawarma. I was also intrigued with a weekend only special of Uzgen Plov, a rice pilaf cooked with devzira, a special type of rice grown in southern Kyrgyzstan. 

Samsa at Arzan Cafe

Lagman at Arzan Cafe
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Anor 1985 Restaurant (Lincoln Park)

One of the more interesting things about Chicago's Kyrgyz community is there doesn’t seem to be a single area where they settled. There is a big group of them out in the city’s Northwest suburbs but their restaurants are scattered throughout the Chicagoland area. Our next stop takes us to Anor 1985 which opened across the street from the Webster Place movie theatre in Lincoln Park a few years ago. I came here not too long after they first opened with John Kessler, my colleague and lead food writer at Chicago Magazine. We tried a handful of items incl. two different soups, Samsa, Manty, and a plate of the Plov. Both the Samsa and the Plov were clearly reheated but I liked the Mastava soup made with chopped beef, potatoes, onions, carrots, peppers, tomato paste, broth, and spices. It was basically a Central Asian style beef and veggie soup. The Manty were pretty good. Manti / Manty being a dumpling that originated in Central Asia. Kyrgyz style Manti is typically larger in size and commonly filled with lamb or beef and lots of chopped onions. The address here has been home many restaurants over the years but it seems like they finally found a match that can last. 

Dinner at Anor 1985 Restaurant
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Donerka Alma-Ata (Mount Prospect)

Next stop up takes us out to Mount Prospect where Donerka Alma Ata opened their doors back in the summer of 2023. According to their website they’re “the only 100% Halal Central Asian fast food restaurant in Chicagoland.” I added this place to my hit list when I saw they specialize in Central Asian style Doner kebab which was first brought to Anatolia (modern day Türkiye) by the Turks of Central Asia. Doner Kebab is truly the world’s most well traveled and influential dish in that you can variations of it all across the globe. Central Asian Doner is primarily lamb or chicken and toppings can differ depending on which country you’re in. Donerka makes a few different varieties and each of them are named after cities in Central Asia. The Almaty is named after the Capital of Kazakhstan, the Bishkek is named after the Capital of Kyrgyzstan and the Kyiv after the Capital of Ukraine (technically not Central Asia but they share similarities). We tried both the Almaty, as that’s the one the young owners wanted to showcase when they came up with the idea to open, and the Bishkek which seemed to be the most unique of the three. You can choose to do beef or chicken or both based on whichever style you choose. The Almaty comes stuffed with fries while the Bishkek is coated with sesame seeds on the outside. Diners can choose between hot sauce, garlic sauce or both. They just opened a second location in Lincoln Square so I plan on going there and trying the Kyiv variety. 

The Bishek Doner at Donerka Alma-Ata
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Sorry Mommy (Rolling Meadows)

I met up with a group of people including the aforementioned Mike Sula out in da burbs last May to further investigate this current wave of Central Asian restaurant openings in the Chicagoland area. I had a good feeling about the oddly named Sorry Mommy in Rolling Meadows - this was based on their menu which has much more than the typical Central Asian dishes of Manti, Lagman, Plov etc. In fact they had just introduced a new “Wok Menu” featuring many intriguing dishes you won’t find at other Central Asian spots. I was given the reigns on what to order and we started with the ‘Da Pan Ji’ aka "Big Plate Chicken" which we all agreed was a winner. This Uyghur dish had a very nice spice profile that seeped into the potatoes, tender bone-in chicken, and the toothsome made in house noodles with just the right texture. The ‘La Zi Ji’ aka Dry Chili Chicken was also a winner with crisp chunks of fried chicken mixed with peanuts, chilis, and fresh dill which worked surprisingly well. I forget the name of the crispy eggplant dish but it too was a hit. They seem to do noodles well judging by an order of the stir fried Lagman noodles which were texturally some of the best I’ve had in Chicagoland. I’ll have to further explore their kebab offerings as a 'Beef Roulette' was texturally unique with that smoky taste and smell that usually comes from the use of charcoal but I forgot to ask about that. Manty passed the dangling test (they were soft and sturdy) but I always feel like they could be a bit more spiced up as far as flavor but even still I thought these were pretty good with some of the spicy sauce rubbed on. This place has definitely changed my look on Central Asian cuisine and that’s likely due to the food we had from here being influenced by China as much as it is Russia. 

'Da Pan Ji' aka Big Plate Chicken

‘La Zi Ji’ aka Dry Chili Chicken at Sorry Mommy

Fried Eggplant

Lagman Noodles at Sorry Mommy

Manti Dumplings 

Beef Roulette at Sorry Mommy
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See ya next time @chibbqking