Restaurants
$$$ $15-$20
Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant We had conspicuously overordered—an injera-lined platter each of yebeg alicha (lamb stew), lega tibs (a red beef stew), a veggie combo, and lamb tibis (sauteed chunks of lamb)—but at meal’s end we couldn’t stop rooting through the remains to pick out the toothy, caramelized whole cloves of garlic buried there. The buttery pureed red lentils in the veggie combo answered my call for spiciness; the lega tibs, oily and red, and yebeg alicha, greenish and creamier, were both cooked in kebe, butter simmered with onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom, turmeric, and cumin. As we packed up our comically high stack of leftovers boxes and settled the comically small bill, my friend and I caught each other eyeing the ruins of the lega tibs for a last undiscovered bit of garlic. a Lunch, dinner daily, 6118 N. Ravenswood, 773-465-6710. $$ —Tasneem Paghdiwala
Capt’n Nemo’s Original location of the small local sandwich chain, serving subs, soups, and chili since 1971. a Lunch, dinner Mon-Sat, cash only, 7367 N. Clark, 773-973-0570. $
U Lucky Dawg It still stands on honorary Fluky’s Way, but a few years ago the owners of this longtime Western Avenue hot dog joint detached themselves from other Fluky’s licensees with a new name and a new sign. Little else has changed, from the jukeboxes at each booth to the lineup of dogs, Polishes, and char dogs to the surly help. In addition to the standards there’s a full breakfast menu including a lox plate, and where else can you get hot dog gum? a Lunch, dinner daily, cash only, 6821 N. Western, 773-274-3652. $ —KS
RoPa Restaurant & Wine Bar I miss Cafe Suron, the always pleasant Mediterranean spot that has been replaced by an unworthy successor in RoPa (short for “Rogers Park”). Appetizers like kashke bademjan, an irresistible warm eggplant spread, are no more, replaced with boringly generic starters like artichoke dip, a crab cake, and fried calamari, a lot more batter than squid and served with a cloying “Thai chile sauce.” Where Cafe Suron was BYO, RoPa has a full liquor license, but I’d gladly trade the option of specialty martinis for the ability to bring my own bottle, particularly when the list here is long on marked-up critter wines. I did like the Aegean salad, chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, parsley, and red onions dressed with lemon and olive oil. But that was the sole highlight: wet noodle-y seafood linguine came with chewy scallops and an unopened mussel, a so-called Cajun tilapia had next to no heat and was served with bland sauteed spinach. Other entrees are no more interesting, unless you get excited about paying in the low $20s for grilled meat with sides a la carte. Service—with a 15-minute wait for bread and water—was well meaning but hopeless. a Dinner daily, open till 11 PM Fri-Sat, 1146 W. Pratt, 773-465-6500. $$$ —KS
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Grande Noodles and Sushi Bar This restaurant would easily blend into Lincoln or Logan Square but stands out amid the Mexican bakeries and taquerias on far North Clark. The stylish lavender and orange walls are hung with kitchen utensils and a black-and-white photo montage of flowers; the cuisine is a Japanese-Thai hybrid. Platters of fresh, generously cut sushi, maki combination plates, and bento boxes are reasonably priced, as are relatively standard but nicely prepared Thai specialties (all under $9) like the mildly seasoned Seafood Delight with shelled mussels, squid, shrimp, and krab tossed with vegetables. For lighter appetites there’s a salad with warm ground chicken, beef, or pork served on greens; cold cabbage and shredded carrots topped with peanuts; close to 50 individual nigiri sushi; and some interesting maki like the sweet potato tempura roll (with green onion, cream cheese, and wasabi mayo). a Lunch, dinner daily, BYO, 6632 N. Clark, 773-761-6666, grandenoodles.com. $ —LLS
