Archive for July 2008

Round up your friends for a good meal with wine or coffee and cakes at Artopolis.
This Greektown eatery offers a wine bar, sandwich counter, pastry case and the agora, a small market selling imported art, olives, cheese and jam. The big casual dining room invites you to hang out. Find a table in the balcony level and watch the world go by on Halsted street.

Smaller and simpler than many Greektown restaurants, Artopolis emulates a Mediterranean shop and café. Customers hang out after work for wine and dinner, many of them conversing in Greek. I enjoyed finding pastries and dishes that were new to me, including the signature artopitas. The spanakopita “spinach and cheese pie” is one of many types of dinner pastries here, including the Kotopita of chicken, mozzarella, peppers and a baked ham and cheese pie ($8-$10). The name “Artopolis” means “city of bread” and the fresh bread, thick crust pizzas, sandwiches and artopitas are baked fresh daily.

Soup and salads are excellent here too. Try the traditional soup, a golden avgolemono with lemon, egg, white rice and big chunks of chicken ($3.75). Salads include the Frutti di Mare with shrimp, calamari, octopus on greens and French style Jardin with big slices of Brie cheese and pears on mesclun greens. The no-lettuce Greek Country salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, feta and Kalamata olives remains my favorite. If you and your friends meet here for lunch, you can have the soup and salad combos or split a big pan pizza.

The wine list and shop features imports such as Retsina and some domestic wines, by the bottle and by the glass. Mediterranean cocktails, like the champagne and peach Bellini or the Café Calypso with iced coffee and rum complete a meal on a high note.

For those with a sweet tooth (everyone I know), Artopolis offers an assortment of Greek cookies and pastries like baklava and honey puff loukomades. Other types of new and traditional sweets include tiramisu, chocolate mousse in chocolate cups and mango yogurt tarts. Coffee choices include espresso, hot or iced cappuccinos and wonderful Greek coffee ($2-$2.75). Served in a small cup and brewed strong, the Papagalos Greek coffee here tastes dark-roasted and aromatic, either sweetened or plain, with none of the bitter edge of many espressos.

If you are looking for a last-minute gift for a friend or food to bring to a party, Artopolis can help. The wines, cheeses, cakes and cookies here make unique and delicious presents with optional gift wrap. You would have to come back to Artopolis many times to try everything, but the varying daily menu adds to its appeal.

Surprise your friends with delicious desserts from around the world at La Patisserie P. This Argyle Street shop offers a great variety of Chinese, and French rolls, buns, tarts and cakes, with virtually every item between $1 and $5. Any group of girlfriends (or guy friends with a sweet tooth) will find great desserts or snacks here. The reasonable prices and portions invite you to try new things, like the buchi (sesame balls with sweet bean paste) for only 95 cents.

This Edgewater shop has been a family-owned business since 1981. Owner Peter Yuen has studied both Chinese and French baking and the shop offers the best desserts and snacks of both east and west.

Many flavors of smoothies include pineapple, mango, watermelon, kiwi and avocado, for $3.50, with the option of adding tapioca for bubble tea. Your health-conscious friend can sip on a smoothie and enjoy their Vitamin C. If your friends like coffee with dessert, they can enjoy Boyd’s coffee here. Lattes and mochas range from $1 to $2, a good deal anywhere especially with the fluffy tiramisu or the cannoli with ricotta cream and chocolate flakes. Dim sum lovers will appreciate the coconut rolls and egg custard tarts (75 cents). Baked fresh daily, the crème brulee arrives lush and creamy with a delicate shell of brown sugar ($2.75).

The many French-style mousse cakes include: Valencia (with orange cream), bright green Pistachio, Opera (with coffee and chocolate) and a fruit and nut mix simply called Perfect Delight. The mousse cakes come in light, sweet individual portions, enough to enjoy without feeling overly full.

If you visit La Patisserie around lunch time or want a savory snack, try the shu mai or puffy hom bow with barbecue beef, pork or chicken. The egg rolls or ham and cheese buns also make a good light lunch. Even the hot dogs come wrapped in savory pastry Sweet rolls and jelly-roll cakes with cream filling are popular as take-out.

Because of its Argyle Street location, La Patisserie P is a good place to meet before a show at the Riviera or Aragon or on the way to the Lawrence or Montrose Beaches. Parking can be scarce in the evenings here, but it’s worth the wait and the Argyle Red Line stop is only a few blocks west.

Perfect Delight is a cute name for a cake, and also aptly describes this friendly place.

Chicago’s oldest Thai restaurant, Siam Café cooks up a wide-ranging menu of traditional Thai dishes. If you want to treat a date to some spicy, old-school Thai food, bring them here.

You can start a meal with pork or chicken sate in peanut sauce or the fresh, spicy spring rolls with cucumber, bean sprouts and egg. Salads include the traditional Papaya Salad with your choice of salted shrimp or crab. The Thai iced tea and Thai iced coffee are sweet but not cloying, and arrive in round ceramic cups. All of the rice and noodle dishes and entrees cost less than $10 and portions give you enough for two meals. If your date likes to share, you can try several dishes. The cook will accommodate your request for more or less spice. Many wait staff totally ignore or disbelieve my request for spicy food, but Siam Café understood.

The Sweet and Sour Chicken came with large slices of pineapple, tomato, green pepper and onion in a tangy brown sauce, sweet but not too sweet. I really enjoyed the wide rice noodles and fresh basil in my Pad Kee Maow, which I ordered hot with tofu. The dish had plenty of red peppers and crisp seasoned tofu. If your date likes seafood, they can enjoy many shrimp dishes like Kao Pad Kra Paow (with holy basil and jalapenos) and Kao Nam Mun Hoi (with mushrooms, green onions and oyster sauce) and cuttlefish, mussels and sometimes red snapper and pomfret. Siam Café is the first Chicago Thai restaurant I’ve found that serves my favorite soup, the spicy pink Yen Ta Fo with shrimp, wide rice noodles and vegetables. Vegetarians can easily get tofu or vegetables only in most dishes. If you have a weekday off, try the $6.50 lunch buffet from 11:30am until 2:00pm.

The unassuming Edgewater storefront houses a quiet dining room decorated with wooden statues and plants. Many customers order take-out, but I prefer the cool, quiet dining room. Service is polite and you are never rushed to finish a meal. You have plenty of time to savor your appetizer, enjoy your main course and sip Thai iced tea or Thai iced coffee. The large comfortable booths invite you to sit and converse. When I visited, the only noise was from a family watching Thai TV in the back of the dining room, which added to the welcoming atmosphere.

There are no desserts or alcohol on the menu, but neither is really necessary here considering the large portions and spice. If you or your date live Devon (north) Western (west) Lake Shore Drive (east) and Diversey (south), you can order take-out. Otherwise, Siam Café is well worth the trip for a savory meal in a mellow setting.