Etno Grill--good for cevaps

Went to this relatively new grill on the three-way of Lincoln/Sheffield/Wrightwood for lunch with the missus today. I had a cheeseburger which was just OK. (It needed salt, and, oddly, no matter how much salt I sprinkled on it didn't seem to be enough--almost as if the meat was a salt neutralizer.)

But my wife's chicken/feta/spinach cevap, a kind of sausage, was full of flavor! They have a whole variety of cevaps on the menu. One of those is definitely what I'm getting next time. The cevaps on the menu, combined with the vaguely Balkan accent of the sweet girl behind the counter, make me think the place is Serbian or Croation or Bosnian or Romanian or something. (She would only say that they were "Eastern European.")

Etno Village Grill
2580 N. Lincoln
Chicago IL
773 698 8069

Had lunch at Etno's on Friday for first time. I tried the Pleska--a mix of onion, pork and beef in the form of a patty. Meat was fine--kind of spongy textured but well-seasoned. The highlight was the condiment bar. Very fresh, with lots of interesting options. I only tried a few things--it's not self serve--you tell them what you want stuffed into the roll with the meat. (I tried the mushroom salad with garlic and chives, a fresh lettuce mix, house made spicy dill pickle chips with 2 of the spreads on the side--the Etno spread (chili, feta and sour cream) and Spinach and Feta. The whole thing reminded me of an eastern european version of Falafill. I asked about whether you can make a platter of just the salads/spreads but was told no--too bad because that would've made for a lovely lunch just on its own. As for the value, my sandwich which came with as many "condiments" as I wanted was $6.95--and I couldn't finish it. Looking forward to going back and trying one of the Cevaps.

Stopped in for the first time last night and really enjoyed everything about the experience from the people/service, to the space/design, to the soundtrack (all Beatles, last night at least), to food/price/value.
It's very tight little interior done in a very pleasant version of what I think of as yuppie rustic (which surely sounds pejorative, but is truly meant as merely descriptive). Wide-planked floors, distressed finish on the chairs, a really nice sage/olive surround at the grill (looked like tile, but couldn't tell for sure from the distance). Just a handful of wooden two-tops fit in the place, but sitting at one you don't feel cramped. Nice windows out on Lincoln Ave. for people watching.
The menu occupies that very crowded upscale, "natural" burger space but is distinctive for the central European slant already noted up-thread (pleska, cevap, pork loin, avjar, cabbage, feta), and further distinguishes itself with well executed house-made condiments including: red onion marmalade, cabbage salad, carrot salad, roast beet salad, pickles, tzatziki, and a house spread of feta/sour cream/chili. (In addition to making all the bread and condiments in house, the menu also boasts "grass-fed beef, Q7 Ranch" and "all natural meats, hormone and antibiotic free.)
Everything about the operation seems to be conscientiously, carefully, and successfully thought through to appeal to a certain customer comfort zone, offer intriguing items just outside that zone, and not to attempt more than can be executed well. The impression (for which I have no actual supporting data) is of culinary school types who have really married their training with a personal vision and good discipline.
Two guys behind the counter, one just working the grill, the other shuttling between cooking and greeting. Very friendly, seems like an owner operator.
I ordered the "Inspiration grilled pork loin," which is a juicy grilled plank (I'd guess 6 oz.), with the house spread, cabbage, grilled onion and red pepper, dijon mustard. ($9.95) This came up in about 4 min. served wrapped in paper on a metal tray. The homemade roll was just right for the job. Sturdy enough to handle a heavy, wet load, with a great crust (toasted just right with fresh grill marks on both top and bottom), and a nice chewy interior that absorbed juices without disintegrating. A potentially catastrophically messy sandwich, perfectly contained by the roll.
The sandwich was also really well balanced in terms of each element adding its own note, none drowning out the others, and all of them together still allowing the pork to come through.
Also ordered fries: excellent of their type, which is 3/8" sq., creamy interior, perfectly golden, crunchy exterior. A tad over-salted for my taste. When I got the sandwich I was told the fries would be up as soon as they were ready. And 2 min. later they arrived, glistening straight from the fryer.
Various specialty sandwiches, like my Inspiration pork have names and there is also a "build your own" side of the menu allowing you to pick from bread, meat, cheese, premium condiments, and free condiments. Premium conds. include house-grilled peppers, avocado, bacon, fried egg, sauteed mushrooms---and none of these is over $1.
Their ambition can be glimpsed in the Cason burger (named after the chef) which is: camembert, ginger poached pears, applewood smoked bacon and dijon. Price-wise, the menu tops out with the "Delphos Cheese Steak" (tri-tip with cheese, sauteed mushroom/onion) $12.95.
There are also salad and soups of the day.
While I haven't had a burger and so, cannot comment on their salt-neutralizing properties, I can say that the burger at the table next to me smelled great and looked great (crispy outside char, beautiful inside MR pink, about 1 1/2" thick).
I'm not often right in this area, but, located diagonally across the intersection from Barn & Co., Etno's helps make this, for my money, one of the great meat value corners of the north side.