It certainly sells more newspapers (or attracts more clicks, really) to review the newest hot restaurants each week, but the dining community has just as much need to know about the workhorses of the world. Actually, much more need! And so, Bruno went to the Berghoff, which still exists in some form for some reason. Zombie restaurants! Anyway, while Pat gets all huffy at menu misspellings (“’Orchetta [sic] pasta with rock shrimp’”? Woe is me. If you can’t spell it, can you cook it?”), he finds some of the classic dishes to be at least palatable if you absolutely have to go down memory lane.
Actually, can we point out that Thomas Witom’s review for a suburban John Barleycorn also critiques menu spelling? “[A]nd the menu cries out for a proof-reader to clean up such gaffs as filet ‘mingon.’” Haha, the Sun-Times is totally copping our steez! Well, the more, the merrier.
This week’s Omnivorous uses the conceit of “restaurants near Wrigley Field” to talk about some of the staff’s favored ethnic spots. Mike Sula leads with Cafe Orchid, a family-run Turkish restaurant that opened around the same time as Nazarlik, but to less fanfare; try the seafood and handmade doner. Mike also recommends TAC Quick, disclosing once and for all that the popular Thai restaurant’s name stands for Thai Authentic Cuisine. Chip Dudley (not a nom de porn) thinks you’d be hard-pressed to find a better value for meat than at Tango Sur (then again, maybe it is a nom de porn). Finally, Ann Sterzinger has a review on the somewhat strange pan-European restaurant Rick’s Cafe, which has the serious virtue of being BYO.
Okay, go out and try some B-listers this weekend!
[Photo: khâo khlûk kà-pì at TAC Quick, sazerac2k/flickr]
