REB wrote:Yeah, we'll have to try again. These dolmas were quite dry. Not succulent. Rice was falling out - - nothing was holding the insides together. The lamb inside was dry, too.

R,

You hit them at a rare off moment.

Salam Domas



Enjoy,
Gary

Every time this post gets bumped I get all excited thinking that Penquin has miraculously reopened.

G Wiv wrote:R,

You hit them at a rare off moment.

Salam Domas
[Image of juicy dolmas omitted]

Yep. Seems so. Here's what ours looked like:



Still tasty, no doubt. But not what all of the LTH love had hyped us to expect.

As REB said, however, we really dig us some Salam and definitely forgive them.

So, the question is, was yesterday an off-day? Is 7pm too late and the dolmas are past their prime? In other words, should we give them another shot?

I'd give them another try, they are usually at the tail end of the specials by the evening & the dolmas are popular, so you probably got the last of the batch. Give them a shot at lunch.

Salam today was 1) very busy at a late Sat lunch & 2) came through with a top notch chicken shwarma sandwich for me. I also carried out falafel for dinner tonight & noticed when I got home that, for the second time in a row, my order of a dozen falafel (for the princely sum of $2.99 plus tax) comprised 14 of these delights. /scratches head.

REB wrote:So, the question is, was yesterday an off-day? Is 7pm too late and the dolmas are past their prime? In other words, should we give them another shot?

Dear R's,

Yes, I said you hit them at a rare off moment, but now, having recently had Salam's dolmas at 8pm I'm thinking the later in the evening the drier the dolmas. Typically I have Salam's Tuesday special dolmas for lunch and they are plump and juicy, a sure fire winner. So I am of the opinion the deliciousness of the dolmas is time dependant, not that Salam was having an off day.

Give them another go.

Enjoy,
Gary

I'm just shocked their were dolma available that late. I don't think i've ever been successful finding them there that late and with good reason - at lunch they have always been seriously wonderful

G Wiv wrote:

REB wrote:So, the question is, was yesterday an off-day? Is 7pm too late and the dolmas are past their prime? In other words, should we give them another shot?

Dear R's,

Yes, I said you hit them at a rare off moment, but now, having recently had Salam's dolmas at 8pm I'm thinking the later in the evening the drier the dolmas. Typically I have Salam's Tuesday special dolmas for lunch and they are plump and juicy, a sure fire winner. So I am of the opinion the deliciousness of the dolmas is time dependant, not that Salam was having an off day.

Give them another go.

Enjoy,
Gary

Alas, I don't know when I'm ever going to have a Tuesday off of work, and I'm not sure dolmas justifies using a vacation day. The next time a federal holiday falls on a Tuesday and Salam is open, I'm there!

I have no doubt, though, that we'll keep returning to Salam for the many other wonderful dishes.

Ronna

LTH,

Friday lunch at Salam yielded Mensef as daily special. Solid, if not particularly ethereal, version. Drop dead tender lamb neck, fluffy rice resting on a bed of yogurt broth soaked pita with slivered almonds for crunch was outstanding. Yogurt broth/soup a bit weak, no discernable tang and thin flavor. It's possible this is a regional variation, I've only had mensef a few places, Steve's Shish Kabob my favorite version to date.

Salam Mensef





Enjoy,
Gary

Steve's Shish Kabob
10719 S Roberts Rd
Palos Hills, IL 60465
708-974-3530

Mensef is a dish whose flavor profile can vary wildly depending on how it is prepared. I've never had the mensef at Salaam, but if the yogurt broth wasn't very tangy, it is probably because they use plain old yogurt and little or no jameed in it's preparation. Jameed is a sheep's milk yogurt that has had all of the liquid strained from it (I think it's just whey), and is dried in the sun. The drying process intensifies the fermented tang and makes it eye-watering strong. When a proper Mensef is prepared, the Jameed has to be soaked for at least 12-24 hours (if not for the pungent odor, you wouldn't be able to distinguish it from a block of limestone), and then incorporated into the broth the lamb has been cooking in. Because of how strong it is, some cooks (like my mother) use only a bit and then add regular yogurt. Some cooks use more, and perhaps someone out there (somewhere in the Bedouin camps of southern Jordan) uses all Jameed. So...my guess is that Salaam uses little or none. I will try to check it out and report back!

BTW, if you are interested , jameed can be purchased at most Arabic/ME groceries. Be weary, however, of the boxed "mensef mix" that Ziyad or some other such company markets. There is an odd off-flavor to it.

Man I need to get me some mensef now. Thanks for the report Gary.

M

Is Salam a nicer restaurant? What I mean is it order at a counter or does a server come to your table? I am between Salam and Maza for Saturday Night! Having a hard time deciding!

Tammy76 wrote:Is Salam a nicer restaurant? What I mean is it order at a counter or does a server come to your table? I am between Salam and Maza for Saturday Night! Having a hard time deciding!

Salam has table service. But, I wouldn't call it a "nicer restaurant." It's a gem and one of my favorite places in town, but it's lacking in the decor department. It's a place I frequent for amazing food, but not a place I'd suggest for a nice Saturday night out.

Ronna

I also think the service ranges wildly from welcome-to-my-home-oh-honored-guest to stony indifference.

If you want nicer in that neighborhood, go to Semiramis or Al-Khaymeih.

Mike G wrote:I also think the service ranges wildly from welcome-to-my-home-oh-honored-guest to stony indifference.

I was in there for lunch yesterday and definitely received the former treatment. I hadn't eaten all day and mentioned how hungry I was while waiting for my to go order and was given some falafel fresh from the fryer to tide me over.

I'd go there for a Saturday night dinner in a heartbeat, but yes, it's not so much on the ambiance if that is what you are looking for, Tammy.

How does it compare to Reza's? That has always been one of my favorite Middle Eastern Restaurants!!!

Salam is rather different from Reza's.

First, Salam's food is Palestinian/Arabic, while Reza's is Persian. That doesn't mean that you can't get similar dishes - kabobs, rice, salad, etc. But if you are looking for authentic hummus, baba ghanouj, falafel or shawerma (all of which are Arabic dishes), then Salam is the place for you. I'm sure Reza offers some of those dishes, but I've never had them there, and I can pretty much guarantee that Salam does a better, if not the best, job with them.

Second, Reza's has a bigger waitstaff, a full bar, and much more "ambiance." Reza's is obviously more expensive. The dining room is not the most elegant (though I've always been fond of the Clark St. location) in Chicago, but its definitely nicer than Salam's, which is basically a cabbie-hole. Oh and no booze at Salam, not even BYOB.

If you are a more adventurous diner, who prefers quality in food over ambiance, and can forgo drinking, then Salam is your place. If you want the Persian version (a little alliteration?) of a Greektown restaurant, then go to Rezas.

M

LTH,

Change is in the works at Salam, as of September they are expanding into the shuttered gyros shop to the South, not sure if the general decor will change, but I got the impression there will be a moderate amount of spiffing up.

No only physical changes, but the Tuesday special yielded Okra w/lamb instead of dolmas, our waiter said "people have been in a soup mood" Not a permanent change, back to dolmas next week and the lamb with okra will go back to being an occasional Saturday special.

Initially a little disappointed, one slurp of rich cinnamon scented broth, coupled with tender as a sleepy half-smile after coitus lamb flesh, had me humming Stephen Stills lyrics. Not only delicious, our single bowl contained shank, breast and ribs, providing a mini tour of taste and texture.

Lamb with Okra

Jazzfood photos



Cheese pie

Jazzfood photo


Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Change is in the works at Salam, as of September they are expanding into the shuttered gyros shop to the South, not sure if the general decor will change, but I got the impression there will be a moderate amount of spiffing up.

In addition to expansion in September there are subtle changes at Salam, a tasty jalapeno/garlic/onion pure and olives are back on the torshi plate. Fresh from the fryer kibbe with a squeeze of lemon hit the mark dead center.

Jalapeno/onion/garlic puree, Kibbe, Yogurt, torshi



Lamb on cinnamon scented rice was the daily special, I liked the rice, but the lamb, while flavorful, was a shade dry. On the other hand, kefta was terrific, juicy with a light grill char, we substituted hummus as rice came with the lamb.

Kefta with hummus



Lamb with cinnamon scented rice



The four of us rounded out our meal with falafel and included pita, yogurt and salad. Ten bucks each and I was still a bit full come dinner.

Enjoy,
Gary

Gary,

Sitting here in Brooklyn - not a culinary wasteland by any stretch of the imagination - those photos remind me that there are some things I really really really love about living and eating in Chicago. Salam is one of those things; it is elemental in my mind, and your pics will sustain me for a few weeks before I get back.

Great pics,

M

Working from home today and when I realized how late in the day it was and that I hadn't had lunch, Salam quickly came to mind.

Shawerma with Hummus


Assorted Pickles


Not pictured was a plate of falafel balls (it is Falafel Friday, afterall...), which could have been a bit fresher, but were still incredible.

Way too much food for one person - I'll be eating leftovers tonight and probably for breakfast as well.

-Dan

dansch wrote:Working from home today and when I realized how late in the day it was and that I hadn't had lunch, Salam quickly came to mind.

dansch, those shots are really nice! And they make me realize how much I really miss Salam.

I haven't been there in over a year, which is nobody's fault but my own.

=R=

Just passed Salam on my walk home, and it looks like they are closed for remodeling. The sign is down and windows are covered in paper, but there is a large banner saying they will be reopen again on "10/ /09" so hopefully it will be only a few weeks.

mcg wrote:Just passed Salam on my walk home, and it looks like they are closed for remodeling.

As mentioned above, this is a planned expansion into the adjoining storefront. They should reopen as stated.

They're open. REB and I stopped by for lunch today. The space is far larger than the old one, and so bright and shiny that the "hole-in-the-wall" descriptor may no longer apply.

At lunch today, tables were filled and the new servers were working hard to keep up. As is to be expected, the first-day servers are learning, so a bit of patience was necessary.

There are also several new menu items, including fries, burgers, wings, rotisserie chicken, and gyros. Perhaps they feel a need to cater to a broader audience in their bigger space. In any event, we stuck with the relative safety of Salam standards.

The falafel were perfect: crispy and steaming hot right out of the fryer. They were delicious with a bit of tahini and Salam's wonderful green sauce, which had a nice kick today. Hummos, too, was as rich and creamy as usual. The beef shawarma, on the other hand, was woefully dry and chewy. I'm certain, however, that this is just a matter of growing pains related to the new kitchen and bigger space. Like Sun Wah, these folks know their food, and we understand that it may take a few weeks before they get to firing on all cylinders.

Now that our favorite shawarma joint is back in business, I'm sure that we'll be in to check on their progress very soon.

--Rich

LTH,

The new spiffy Salam was hitting on all 8 cylinders, hummus, mossabaha, falafel and Jerusalem salad, with the odd, but tasty, inclusion of green pepper, good as always. Endless pita, torshi included olives and preserved lemon and an out of the box pick by Pigmon of Liver, hearts and kidney with caramelized onions that was best of show.

Same low prices, they didn't even raise the price of falafel, and our waitress was shyly efficient if a little overwhelmed just a few days into her new job.

Big Thumbs Up for the new 'fancy' Salam.

Enjoy,
Gary

A female waitress at Salam? I never thought I'd see the day. I don't know if I should laugh or cry, or why I would do either.

Looking forward to seeing my old friend in new clothes. Bravo Salam. And good call on the liver, kidney and hearts Gary, it's long been a brunch favorite of mine there.

Habibi wrote:A female waitress at Salam? I never thought I'd see the day. I don't know if I should laugh or cry, or why I would do either.

I was more than a little surprised at the female waitress myself. Not entirely sure why, but for the fact in all the years I've been going there I've never seen a woman work there and scant few female customers at that. There were also a number of women dining at Salam, including a couple of tables of two women.

stopped by to pick up an early dinner after a miss last wk when they were still closed. they seemed a bit frazzled at 5pm. not sure if I'm being overly critcal due to the revamp but the shwarma seemed a bit underseasoned and a little on the dry side. and too heavy of a hand on the oil on the hummos (leaked all over the bag). nothing that will stop me from returning.

but what I really need to know is what's w. the neon "oven toasted tastes better" sign???

It is probably an accident of timing, but I have seen a fair number of women eating lunch at Salam without counting the lunches with my wife. Tables with several women in Islamic attire were not that unusual. I think that there may have been more cases of women in western dress getting carryout than eating in, though.

I've been wanting to go to Salam for a while now, but somehow it kept eluding me. Finally I made it out today and I ordered a ton of food because I've really been missing the great middle eastern food I grew up with in Detroit. There were a lot of highs and lows but on balance it was good enough for me to return.

First the highlights. The fattah with beef shawarma was excellent. The hummus is creamy and the pita chunks mixed in were perfectly sized and chewy. The shawarma is well spiced and not greasy at all. This dish was by far the best middle eastern dish I've had in Chicago and I can see myself ordering this every time I visit. Also the shish taouk (chicken kabob) had great grilled flavor and was very moist. The rice it's served with was just ok, and the jerusalem salad was unremarkable, especially since it's so easy to make at home. I asked if they had any toum (lebanese aioli) to dip the kabobs in but they had never heard of it before, which I found surprising. Next time I'll ask for the chicken with no sides. And I have to mention the exceptional pita from sanabel. They included an entire bag of soft pitas still hot from the oven, which I'll be enjoying all week.

The baba was a little disappointing. It had good texture and the right blend of oil to eggplant, but it just wasn't smokey enough. It ranks as some of the best baba I've had in Chicago, but pales when compared to the creamy, smokey, garlicky babas to be found at many establishments in Dearborn. Also the fattoush was beyond disappointing. Huge, overcooked pieces of fried pita on top an edible but hardly fresh plate of greens and veggies is far from the fattoush I was hoping for when I ordered the large. I won't be ordering that again.

The worst part of the meal was that they forgot to include my dozen falafel and small order of foul. Those two items were probably what I was most looking forward to, and they missed them both. In the future I'll be double checking my order. I called and they took down my name to make sure I get them next time I come, so I'm happy with that. But still not a great first impression.

So to sum it up they seemed to prepare meat very well (but no toum), their appetizers ranged from good to great, and they give you some really fresh pita to go with your meal. But I'll be watching more carefully as they prepare my food next time and I don't think I'll be ordering salads from them anymore.

Habibi wrote:Dolmas (or "dawali" in Arabic) should be eaten with lemon. Shame on Abu Shady for not bringing you any. But seriously, next time just ask for some wedges of lemon!!!

Oh, and Arabic people rarely eat dawali cold - that might be a Greco-American thing.

Cheers,

M

In Turkey they serve stuffed grape leaves two different ways. The meat stuffed ones are served warm with yogurt, the rice and currants stuffed ones are served cold with lemon. Also the word dolma means "filled" in Turkish.

G Wiv wrote:

Habibi wrote:A female waitress at Salam? I never thought I'd see the day. I don't know if I should laugh or cry, or why I would do either.

I was more than a little surprised at the female waitress myself. Not entirely sure why, but for the fact in all the years I've been going there I've never seen a woman work there and scant few female customers at that. There were also a number of women dining at Salam, including a couple of tables of two women.

When I was there today I saw at least 3 females serving/working behind the counter. And none of them were wearing hijabs.