Help with birthday dinner - Paprikash, Jang Mo Nim, more....

Hey Group,

I've been given the task of picking the restaurant, or at least coming up with the top 3 restaurants, for a friend's birthday. He's going to pick the exact place after the group (on my recommendations) gives him the 3 choices. Sort of a restaurant roulette, but they all trust my judgment (after I took the birthday boy and his wife around Europe for 10 days last year and never once steered them wrong - though that was as much due to the fact that we were in Europe as any food radar I might have.)

Anyway, he's an adventurous diner and likes out of the way ethnic restaurants that aren't too expensive (although it's his night out, he is conscious of being too hoity-toity) have a fun group atmosphere (though one for adults with few children present, if possible) and where we can drink and smoke. I came up with Paprikash (I've never been, but have heard nothing but good things - plus, I love Hungarian food and the menu prices seem completely reasonable for what sound like pretty big portions) Jang Mo Nim (I went here also for a friend's birthday and loved it. I also discovered that a couple of splashes out of the party sized white wine bottles we had into the BBQ grills turned the food from very delicious into stupefyingly delicious) and Sabor a Cuba (never been, but we all like Cuban food). I think these three places are a good spectrum of choices, and wanted to hear what people had to say either about the individual restaurants or the specific style. Paprikash is the only Hungarian in town (and the one I really want to try and am lobbying for, though it is his choice in the end), but there are numerous Korean BBQ places and other Cuban restaurants as well. Anyt thoughts?? Thanks, peeps.

Rebbe

The thing I like about the Paprikash choice is that they really do foster a celebratory atmosphere there, especially if you go on live music night (Sundays). The food is excellent, priced reasonably, and the atmosphere is great. I know that Sunday isn't a big party night, but the live music would really make it a party.

Best,
EC

Sounds like a good group of choices. No point adding to the list; keep the decision simple. The only one we've been to is Paprikash, so I can't comment on the others.

Our experience with Paprikash was positive. Wife #1, who is Hungarian on her mother's side, pronounced the veal paprikash "just like grandma's."

I had the goulash and followed the waitress's suggestion to have it with the potato pancake. The crisp pancake is nearly the size of the plate and was a perfect match for the goulash.

Wine? We made the easy decision and had "bull's blood" wine which went well with everything.

I recommend Operetta one of the few Czech restaurants in Chicago. For one thing, you wanna smoke, this place is so smokey, you do not have to light up. For another, you wanna drink, on Wednesday night they have buy 2 get the 3rd Czech beer free night, which has almost if not the quite the same logic of the $20 Taco Bell challenge. Finally, Paprikash while fun and elegant in its own way is a bit demure in atmosphere. Operatta is bright and loud, and did I mention smokey?

I dined at Operetta a few weeks ago with Hat Hammond and LTH tech geek, Seth Zurer. Neither one complimented me afterwards on my clever choice for dinner. In fact the only compliment I think I recieved was having made to the third beer, but I rather enjoyed my food that night. I got a big plate of roast pork in a peppery brown gravy and tons of bread dumplings.

I skipped dessert.

Operetta
5653 W Fullerton Ave
Chicago, IL
(773) 622-2613

I enjoyed our Operetta meal - I had salty pork stew with plenty of paprkia sandwiched between two massive onioney latkes. I ate more than I thought I would, partly as an excuse to continue to ogle the provocative and mysterious operetta waitresses.

Seth Zurer wrote:...I ate more than I thought I would, partly as an excuse to continue to ogle the provocative and mysterious operetta waitresses.

Right, 'nother reason

Thanks for all the tips. We finally decided on Jang Mo Nim, my friend of the opinion that Hungarian food is best enjoyed in sub-50 degree weather (he's probably right). Anyway, Jang Mo Nim did not disappoint. We showed up around 7:45, and the place was surprisingly desolate. All the better for us, as we got super special treatment from the two charming, lovely ladies who run the place. Many bottles of Soju and Sake and beer (some of which - the Soju I mean - was added to the BBQ for the extra kick), and a ridiculous amount of food later, we here 5 of the happiest white people that place has ever seen. Goat BBQ, special Bi Bim Bap, Bul Go Gi, oysters, dumplings, etc, etc. . . they just kept it coming, and each dish seemed to outdo the next. The goat was a particular surprise - tender, meaty (not gamy) and cooked together with a bitter, parsley like green, this was the winner for me. MM-f'in-MM! We tore it up, and my friend commented about it being the best birthday dinner and one of the best surprises he's ever had (he was until last night a Korean BBQ virgin). As my birthday is in late October, the weather should be suitable enough for a Paprikash excursion. I'll try to persuade the group to reciprocate and take me there and post about the experience. Operetta sounds interesting, too - I'll try to make my way over there one of these weeks. Thanks for the feedback again, everyone.

Rebbe

hungryrabbi wrote:my friend of the opinion that Hungarian food is best enjoyed in sub-50 degree weather (he's probably right)

He's right. I was cooking dinner last night and thought of throwing together a quick chicken paprikash, but figured it would taste much better in a couple months. The "stick-to-your-ribs" food at Paprikash is great in the dead of winter.

L

hungryrabbi wrote: As my birthday is in late October, the weather should be suitable enough for a Paprikash excursion.
Rebbe

I hope your friends took you to Paprikash, Rebbe. We went tonight and loved it. They had a wonderful gypsy band, featuring Alex Udvary on the cimbalom. We were surrounded by elderly couples in their nightclub best, multi-generational families, and friends celebrating an occasion with champagne. All seemed to speak Hungarian and know all the songs. Me, I recognized two. Hungarian Rhapsody and a Jewish medley with "If I were a rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof and Havah Nagila!

And the food, of course, was excellent. Loved the salami on the Farmer's Plate appetizer, loved the noodles that came with the paprikash, loved the cucumber salad. The langos was literally dripping oil, so that I was concerned that it might be too greasy even for me to eat, but in fact it was the best fried bread I've had since a sopapilla I remember from New Mexico 25 years ago. Good time had by all. With the WBEZ member card discount it came to $58 for three, including the appetizer platter, a soup, a salad, two glasses of wine, and three entrees. Such a deal.

[url=http://www.paprikashrestaurant.com/index.html] Paprikash Restaurant
5210 W. Diversey
Chicago
773 736 4949[/url]

I hope your friends took you to Paprikash, Rebbe

No, they didn't, but . . . what a birthday surprise I got instead! The dinner (had on the 22nd, the Friday before my actual birthday, the 24th) was spectacular and unexpected. The whole weekend of food was so great, actually, that it inspired me to write a long, rambling, post-food orgy glow of a letter to LTH, which of course was cut off and never made it to the forum thanks to some internet difficulties. It was quite the missive, I can assure you. To sum it all up, though -

-- The birthday boy whom I had taken to Jang Mo Nim, his wife, and my brother (who flew in from NYC and who had secretly arranged everything) took me to my first dinner at Topolobampo! (oooohhh...). Wow. The cocktails, the Sopa Azteca, the salads, the lobster, desserts, even the tortillas were just . . . amazing. Gotta give the hyperactive Burger King pitchman his just due. My brother loves Chicago and treating his friends and family members to elaborate, fancy dinners, so he was in altruists heaven. A meal to remember, for sure. (Though some obviously hard-wired, genetic quality in me shudders when I see a 35 dollar main course, well, shit, I wasn't paying! Bring it on! Shit, gimme TWO Lobsters! He's on an expense account! And jesters for my entertainment! Where is my jester??!! Ha ha!!!)

-- Before he flew back on Sunday (Saturday was a wash cause my band had a gig in Naperville, though my big bro did his part and bought several rounds of 18 year old single malt Mac-Clan-whateverthefuck which washed down the so-so bar food with aplomb) the four of us broke our cherries at Ed's Potsticker House. The details of this meal made up the bulk of my earlier, crazier post. Basically, there is no hype about this restaurant - it's all true, and all delicious. After we had decided on Chinatown for dim sum as the only appropriate Sunday meal (for my b'day, my brother's sendoff, and just cause it's dim sum and we all love dim sum), we descended into the maze and mess of Cermak on Sunday at 1:00. (another reason why I prefer Furama on the northside for my dim sum needs). After circling 5 times with no parking luck, the bell went off in my head - "Ed's potsticker house! Archer to Halsted! I'm driving and they have no choice anyway! Ha-haaa!!" Off we went in the rebbe-mobile to Ed's. We found a parking spot right in front of the place (gotta love Bridgeport!) and walked into a restaurant that was 2/3 full and all Chinese. (thus fulfilling one of my brothers golden rules in determining a good Chinese retaurant: more orientals than occidentals). It was, also, blessedly, thankfully . . . q-u-i-e-t. You could hear a rat pissin on cotton in that joint. Even the large table with the baby and two toddlers was almost eerily silent. No TV or news radio or muzak blaring, either. (unlike Won Kow, my two friends' unfortunate favorite in Chinatown - I've never been a big fan - which loves to blast either the FM oldies station or lite rock crap). All of Which told me that these are people focused on one thing (keeping their mouths occupied) - the FOOD. And, oh, my brothers and sisters, what food 'twas. ** Beijing Wonton Soup ** (I'm a broth man, not a thick soup man, so I persuaded everyone to go for this rather than the hot and sour, and we were rewarded. Deep, almost smoky Hyman Broth, but still refreshing. Slivered black mushroom, roast pork, and green onion to complement the thin skinned, ginger/garlic/pork/shrimp beauties floating in this tureen of holy water. Could have been my meal in toto had we not shared and had we not tried the following: Korean style glass noodle with sesame, hot pepper, beef and egg. (whoa.) Lamb with cumin (double secret oh my fucking god baruch hashem whoa); signature potstickers (22 ring gauge shapes, but crispy, tasty buggers); a scallion pancake like creation stuffed with thin slices of brisket (damn good, made better with some hot oil (I almost instinctively started reaching behind me for Gary's chili oil!!) and soy.) One of us even got a traditional Chinese/American gwai loh type dish, too (I think chicken in black bean) and even that was done with a deft touch and a zing and piquancy of taste which separated it from 99& of the places on the block (or, should I say, up and a little east on the block). All of this, plus dessert (in the form of eye 'candy' courtesy of the friendly and most fetching owner (?) Ran, a long, lean, lanky, hot little potsticker herself) for 37 shekels. Great, great, meal - inspiring to know what can be done with Chinese food with good ingredients, some creativity, and a lot of care by an obviously knowledgeable kitchen. To paraphrase Yakov Smirnoff - "what a birthday!"

Da (older, no wiser, but much more sated) Rebbe

Are there any appealing options at Paprikash for vegetarians or those that only eat creatures with wings or gills?

Many thanks,

rien

rien wrote:Are there any appealing options at Paprikash for vegetarians or those that only eat creatures with wings or gills?

Many thanks,

rien

Chicken Paprikash has wings, and there are a number of other poultry dishes. There's also a fair number of all-veg options (indeed a "Vegetarian Entrees" section), and when we were there there was a fish dish on the fall menu. The regular menu has poached salmon, and a fish soup.

A vegan would have trouble, though.

-ed

where is Jang Mo Nim?

jazzfood wrote:where is Jang Mo Nim?

Jang Mo Nim
6320 N. Lincoln Avenue
773.509.0211
Closed Sunday.

Do a search, over at Chowhound. You will find several mentions of the place. In addition, there is a lengthy blurb on J.M.N. in the new Slow Food Guide To Chicago. It is on page 118.

Regards,
Erik M.