Sarkis Dec 2008.



The rumors are not true. Sarkis lives.

Da Beef wrote:I also remember a real character who owned the Chuck Wagon around then, most likely the original owner, I want to say his name was George but I'm not sure. The Nikki special . . .

That was Sam Vastis who opened the Chuck Wagon in 1974. He died in 1999. The Niki Special was named after his wife. (Having eaten at the Chuck Wagon exactly once, I don't claim any extensive knowledge. I just read a newspaper clipping on the wall.)

Sarks in the Park as reported by Ronnie in the food-media roundup. I'm curious if this venture will succeed...

Now, I've been going to Sarkis for years. Along with my Dad, and my older sister, even my younger brother goes there. If you are new to Sarkis, you would get pancakes or french toast. Now you may say, ehh judging from the french toast, sarkis is not that great, but an experienced "orderer" like my self know their specialties. On a normal day, i get a Bacon Loretta with everything, "cheesy" hash and a Dr. Pepper. If i'm hungry, i get two loretta's, but, if your going to order that much, you might want to not eat anything till dinner. It's not the healthiest, but it is great tasting. I do agree, it is a bit small, but that's what makes Sarkis Sarkis. And for those who dont know, ther is a back room. A couple tables a low cieling and a coffee maker make up that back room. When you order you have to be fast. If its crowded, you will hold everyone up, so know before hand what you are getting. The people there are great. Very friendly once you establish yourself as a regular. This place is a college kid's heaven. They will put anything on the loretta if you ask. Ive seen a pancake be put on it, eggs, even french toast, but the bad thing is, its not open that late.

Just caught this ugly bit of family squabbling at the Trib's website . . .

The owner of Sarkis Cafe, a popular, long-standing Evanston eatery, has filed a lawsuit against her brother, claiming he's "misrepresenting to the public" an affiliation to Sarkis with a new diner he's opening in Highland Park.

Owner of popular Evanston diner sues brother over future eatery

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Here's a story from the Daily Northwestern that doesn't require joining anything, a la the Trib:

http://dailynorthwestern.com/2014/11/19/city/evanston-cafe-owner-sues-brother-over-restaurant-dispute/

Sad in a way, and I'll bet Sark is thinking, 'what make difference to me?' Since he sold out, no way the place has the same panache, which would make any HP establishment a third-generation copy.

And upon further review...it seems this has happened before. For your perusal, the Sarkis Café vs. Sarks In The Park battle:

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20121218/lincoln-park/sarks-park-sued-by-original-sarkis-cafe

Have fun in court...

From the Daily Northwestern piece:

The owner of an Evanston cafe and her brother reached a tentative settlement agreement Wednesday in a Cook County court following a dispute over the opening of a new restaurant. . . .

“Knowing how my brother runs a restaurant, he’s going to soil the reputation of Sarkis,” (Sarkis Cafe owner Marla Cramin) said. “It’s not just the money, it’s the reputation and the idea and the loyalty to my husband.”

The next court date is scheduled for Tuesday, where the parties will discuss further the terms of the settlement agreement, (Jeffrey Rosenberg, an attorney for Sarkis) said.

Were I Mr. Rosenberg, I would tell my client to dial down the libelous rhetoric a couple of notches when speaking on the record. Her brother ran Sarkis Cafe for TEN YEARS, and her involvement was minimal, per this and the Trib piece.

Aside from the whole not paying taxes thing (which is at least as much her fault), he did a great job running the place. Sarkis was a one of a kind type of guy but Scott really did a nice job keeping the spirit of the place alive. That place should have fallen apart after Sarkis left but it didn't and he deserves a lot of the credit.

Signed,

A Four Decade Customer

New legal matters reported at the Trib's website . . .

The owner of Sarkis Cafe — the popular Evanston diner known for such sandwiches as the "Loretta" and "Disaster" — has filed a lawsuit against her brother again, claiming that he's serving the same food under different names at his new Highland Park restaurant.

"Our menu's different, our names are different, our ingredients are different," Jaffe said. "If she thinks she invented a BLT with cheese, she's delusional."

Sarkis owner sues brother again, claiming he swiped menu items

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I will simply repeat what I said above: Were I Mr. Rosenberg, I would tell my client to dial down the libelous rhetoric a couple of notches when speaking on the record. Of course, she's providing him with bonus billable hours, so. . .

I think she is going to regret this second lawsuit. It looks bad. Certainly not going to bring the same atmosphere as it was in the past.

I've been to the Uptown Diner a few times. Judging by the small crowd Sat morning all publicity is good publicity.

Investors Sue Owner of Uptown Diner Highland Park residents seek to recover $135,000 they invested before falling-out with Scott Jaffe.

The owner of Uptown Cafe is being sued once again, this time from a pair of investors who say they’ve received no ownership stake despite a $135,000 contribution to the business’ opening.

Scott Jaffe, recently named in a suit filed by his sister and owner of Sarkis Cafe in Evanston, Marla Cramin claiming the new Highland Park diner was ripping off Sarkis’ menu, is named in another by Highland Park residents Jordan and Kerri Eckerling, who initially invested in Order Up Diner, the pre-opening name of what would become Uptown Diner.

FYI - When anyone local goes to Highland Park's business district, they refer to it as 'up town.'

When I first moved here at 10-years-old, my only other reference to any uptown was the neighborhood in Chicago. I could not understand why everyone wished to go there. Of course, now I have used it for so long, I don't think about. Back then, I kept insisting it was downtown.

Regards,

This quirk Cathy mentioned is something I grew up thinking was true in all towns, but apparently it's just a local quirk. Downtown Highland Park is called "uptown" to distinguish it from downtown Chicago, which is "downtown." Headed uptown, you might be walking to the library; headed downtown, you're probably taking the train into the city.

In Manhattan, "uptown" and "downtown" represent directions of north and south, respectively.

I'm sure there are other meanings in other cities.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/sarkis-tashjian-north-shore-students-sarkis-cafe-died-northwestern-new-trier-evanston/

My longtime pal Sarkis has passed on. So many memories, mostly when I was in my 30's (late 1980's) and had early hours for work. I'd open up the place with him at 6AM, and Sark's sidekick Santiago plus the regulars would be there by 6:30. No high schoolers yet, just a cool place to hang. I related all this upthread a few years ago.

RIP Sark. Ronnie, wanna chime in to represent the NTW kids?

For devotees of original recipe Sarkis, this short film will really give you goosebumps . . .


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Katie wrote:This quirk Cathy mentioned is something I grew up thinking was true in all towns, but apparently it's just a local quirk. Downtown Highland Park is called "uptown" to distinguish it from downtown Chicago, which is "downtown." Headed uptown, you might be walking to the library; headed downtown, you're probably taking the train into the city.

I've moved to Highland Park in 1979 and have lived most of my life here. While I have heard some people call it uptown, it was always called downtown Highland Park by me, my family and most of my friends.

I ate at Sarkis once almost 20 years ago. Didn't care for anything I had. I was a Jack's Restaurant guy since my birth in Skokie. One of my Dad's best friend's was Jerry "Rip" Rubin (Jack's partner) which meant it was our family spot (and we had a standing reservation that would bypass the line out the door on Saturday or Sunday mornings - sorry everyone !). In the 70's my Dad considered buying Jack out, but decided he didn't want to be in the restaurant business - though that place was a goldmine. Just think - I could have been running Jack's today...

Ram4 wrote: In the 70's my Dad considered buying Jack out, but decided he didn't want to be in the restaurant business - though that place was a goldmine.

Well, it's a Starbucks now. I do miss Jack's but I also loved Sarkis back in the day, too.

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