Slow Food Guide to Chicago + Sabri Nehari

I got my copy of The Slow Food Guide to Chicago the other night. In my humble, but vital opinion, this is (by far), the best guide book available for Chicago. OK, I have a vested interest, being one of the contributors, but I wrote about five pages worth of a 350+ page book. That's not a lot of pride in ownership.

Maybe like other contributors, the first thing I did was see where my name was, and unfortunately, like a few other contributors, I got my name spelled wrong. Next, we all played the what got left out game (or they put that in game). A few things jumped out at me. No MacArthurs in the soul food section, some of my favorite Colombian and Mexican places absent. Still, you can not judge a book like this from its inclusions or exclusions. Any collaborative effort will not be the exact book you would do. Yet, when you start looking at the book in its entirety, you find, clearly, the best, most complete, most thorough, most informative guide to Chicago's restaurants, markets and bars. I highly recommend finding this book ASAP.

You know this is a better guide book when you look in the neighborhood & suburbs index. First, Albany Park, and there are eight listings. Not only does this book range around the city from Austin to Wrigleyville, it includes more than a couple of, that's what that area's called neighborhoods. Did you know that La Oaxaquena was in Kilbourn Park--sounds like a new late night comedy collaboration. This book really covers ground. More important, the entries educate and entice. Ms. VI said to me after hearing me read some to her, "they remind me of Jonathan Gold's [guide to LA]." Could there be higher praise? I especially like the Polish section which really helps demystify. The BBQ section, slightly previewed a few months ago in the Reader, carries the eater to a bunch of interesting and "real" places. The best section, perhaps, is the final, on markets and shops. The Slow Food researchers cover the city like no one else. Not every shop is covered, but nearly any category of food shop (excluding Jewel) gets a spot.

Fueled by Slow Food prose, the Condiment Queen demanded that we visit my particular area of "expertise" last night, Da'Bomb. Specifically, we returned to Sabri Nehari, one f my favorite restaurants on the strip. We got a ton of there stuff: chicken chunks (boti), frontier chicken, lamb curry, strips of beef liver (not on purpose but turning out to be well worth the mistake), both kinds of samosas (their ground beef samosas are especially good), lentils featuring a lot of roasted garlic, tons of naan and pizza like wedges of parantha, and of course, the namesake dish, the nehari. And of course, the nehari was the best dish. The muddy brown sauce belied a hotter than usual sauce yesterday, but it was more than heat as wave after wave of flavor hit you as you soaked it up with the bread. I sat facing the kitchen door. Nearly every order came out the door the same way, huge stacks of naan and bowls of nehari. If you got nothing else, you would well appreciate Sabri.

Sabri Nehari
2511 W. Devon Ave
Chicago
(773) 743-6200

What's the best (read: quickest) way to get a copy?

Paul Tyksins wrote:What's the best (read: quickest) way to get a copy?

I'm not positive, maybe someone else can fully address, but it is my understanding that the book should be widely available in Chicago--Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc. I have not checked Amazon or the Slow Food web site to see if it's there.

Also, the proceeds of the book go to the projects of Slow Food, so you are supporting a worthy cause besides getting some vital information.

Rob

Vital Information wrote:

Paul Tyksins wrote:What's the best (read: quickest) way to get a copy?

I'm not positive, maybe someone else can fully address, but it is my understanding that the book should be widely available in Chicago--Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc. I have not checked Amazon or the Slow Food web site to see if it's there.

It wasn't at the Diversey & Clark Borders on Saturday, though it's probably still filtering its way through the distributors. Thanks for the great review of it, Rob.

(I did pick up Best Food Writing 2004, which strikes me as one of the best yet in that series. Seems a little more well-rounded than the last one or two.)

Yes, thanks Rob for the great review, I look forward to picking up a copy.

Thanks also to Bob S. for the heads up on BFW 2004. I have read all of the other annual editions. Prior to Saute Wednesday, it was one of the best ways to be introduced to new food writers and sources.

pd

Paul Tyksins wrote:What's the best (read: quickest) way to get a copy?

I just bought a copy at Barnes and Noble in Skokie.

Note to Joel S, yes, I still would like my gratis contributors copy.

Enjoy,
Gary

Barnes and Noble
5405 Touhy Ave
Skokie, IL 60077
847-329-8460
http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Did you know that La Oaxaquena was in Kilbourn Park--sounds like a new late night comedy collaboration.

I now know more neighborhood names than I ever cared to, being one of the two individuals who fact checked that aspect of the book by using the map in the yellow pages, the proofs, Picturing Chicago.com, and my large framed Big Stick map.

All in all, I'm betting* it's a good book due in large part to the LTHers who participated in the process. There will be errors and there will be controversial exclusions and inclusions, but, for the most part, people had the best motives.

(P.S. I say that I am betting as I too am still waiting for my (and TPA's) gratis copy).

I especially like the Polish section which really helps demystify.

That reminds me, I should send Anna Sobor an e-mail letting her know of this forum, if she does not already. She is an incredible resource. I still think of her CH post, which recommended to someone asking what and how to buy at a Polish butcher finding a Polish grandma and giving specific instructions on how i.e. visiting a senior citizen center.

It can be purchased from the chelseagreen website:

http://www.chelseagreen.com/2004/items/ ... go/Excerpt

Well, I found them in no less than three places at the Barnes & Noble near Clark & Diversey: in the Chicago section, on a table devoted to Chicago books, and on a new releases counter by the checkout.

I just leafed through it and am impressed by it, though I wonder how I'll wind up using it compared to how I use this forum and its ilk. Maybe keep it in the car as a portable version of LTH and the Chicago Chowhound board.

The one thing I found out of place were the tastefully arty black and white photos. They're very nice, but they seem to be illustrating the wrong book-- they don't have the in-your-face, so-real-you-you-can-taste-it, meet-the-real-people-who-make-your-food quality of the snapshots here. There's not actually much FOOD in them. But that's a minor quibble, we're here for the essays.

So who here did what?

Gary and Rob can speak to their sections. But I can fill in some of the rest as I'm sure I'm forgetting things. Anna Sobor and a friend did Polish. Cathy2 with Your Pal Will did Puerto Rican. ReneG did Soul Food. Erik M, some of the Thai entries, though maybe all, I wasn't involved in that aspect of the book. Josh Westlund did Spanish. I wrote 1/2 of bread and a few others. I also was a contributing editor, which with .65 will get you a can of coke out of a vending machine. TPA wrote Tournesol and West Town Tavern. Boy, in writing this, it's pretty amazing to see how many of the siginificant sections were taken on by non Slow Food member.

Hi,

The BBQ tours of the south and west sides were all conducted to support the BBQ section. It was during this time RST discovered Honey One, which has benefitted greatly from the exposure our collective enthusiasm has generated, especially for a new business.

I'll go ahead and point a few more things out in the composition of the book.

I did Indian(ish), but with a STRONG assist from Zim. Also, I included Malabar Catering in my reports, and obviously, much of what I know about Malabar comes from RST.

I did not do the Mexican section per se but played part in a committee that got the Mexican places picked out (how else could the book contain La Quebrada?)

In addition to the names Melissa notes, many hounds including Joel, Dickson, RST, Josh, ReneG, and SteveZ worked with Gary in creating the BBQ section.

Rob

Vital Information wrote:In addition to the names Melissa notes, many hounds including Joel, Dickson, RST, Josh, ReneG, and SteveZ worked with Gary in creating the BBQ section.

Rob

Rob,

Not to seem falsely modest, but a more accurate statement would be that we, including me, worked with Joel Smith and, to a certain extent, ReneG on the Slow Food BBQ section.

Less effort has gone into invading small Eastern European countries than Joel and ReneG put into the logistics of our BBQ tours.

I was very happy to contribute to the Slow Food Guide to Chicago and yes, I did the LTH review. Actually, I did all the Chinese restaurant reviews, that way I could be certain 'Little' Three Happiness was included.

Enjoy,
Gary

Gee, I read all this and my initial post sounds kind of depressed, which wasn't intentional. It's a great compilation, really LTHForum-- The Book! in many ways even though LTHForum didn't exist when it went into production. But it's clearly primarily the product of the community here and a terrific guidebook, far ahead of anything before it.

MAG wrote:

I especially like the Polish section which really helps demystify.

That reminds me, I should send Anna Sobor an e-mail letting her know of this forum, if she does not already. She is an incredible resource. I still think of her CH post, which recommended to someone asking what and how to buy at a Polish butcher finding a Polish grandma and giving specific instructions on how i.e. visiting a senior citizen center.

It was I who was the lucky recipient of that thoughtful advice, although then and even now I'm not sure whether it was meant in jest. Anyway, it's true that she is an incredible resource and equally good to know she got tapped for the book. I'll have to get my copy asap.

Vital Information wrote:And of course, the nehari was the best dish. The muddy brown sauce belied a hotter than usual sauce yesterday, but it was more than heat as wave after wave of flavor hit you as you soaked it up with the bread. I sat facing the kitchen door. Nearly every order came out the door the same way, huge stacks of naan and bowls of nehari. If you got nothing else, you would well appreciate Sabri.

Sabri Nehari
2511 W. Devon Ave
Chicago
(773) 743-6200

I can't speak to the book, though I did read Rob's pre-publication copy (thanks for the kind words, but Rob is the moving force behind it)

I will say nowadays all I find to be dependable at Sabri is the Nehari (and the naan to soak it up with), the frontier doesn't do much for me, and the chicken boti are wildly inconsistent, the charga is good but you gotta be in the mood for a whole lot of chicken.

a couple other devon area notes:

HFC (halal fried chicken)
mmmm, not so good. overly salty, and i don't think the oil was hot enough (i.e. greasy), it also smelled like they were reusing the oil a whole lot. also more expensive than it should be

JK Kabob
I had high hopes for revisiting this place after it being mentioned a couple times on CH by a hyderabadi as a good place for kabobs, and while the lamb and beef kabobs were pretty decent the chicken was actually overwhelmed by the charcoal grill, drying out and losing much of the marinaded flavor. A little better was the chili chicken. Rice was cooked well.

No MacArthurs in the soul food section . . .

I'm a fan of MacArthur's too but there simply wasn't room to include all the deserving restaurants. There are at least half a dozen (probably more than twice that) equally worthy places that should have been included. It got to the point where it was either MacArthur's or H&A. A couple days before the copy was due, as sort of a tiebreaker I had almost the same meal at the two on successive days. The food at H&A was better. Also tipping the balance was the fact that MacArthur's has gotten a fair amount of publicity (it was featured on Check, Please!) while H&A gets almost no notice outside its neighborhood.

I'm having a lot of fun looking through the book; there's so much great stuff. One quick question: does anyone know where the photograph on page 199 was taken?

zim wrote:I will say nowadays all I find to be dependable at Sabri is the Nehari (and the naan to soak it up with), the frontier doesn't do much for me, and the chicken boti are wildly inconsistent, the charga is good but you gotta be in the mood for a whole lot of chicken.

I'll second that - used to be a regular at Sabri, and hardly ever go anymore, I dont
think its particular good anymore actually. Their nehari is still very good, and on
to-go orders that is invariably what I go with - from Sabri rather from anywhere
else. But for a lot of the other stuff it isnt really as good anymore IMHO - the
menu is almost the same at Usmaniya, and Ive found Usmaniya more consistent
and generally better (but for the nehari). Even the naan is better at Usmaniya
I think, and the kababs are far less dry than Sabri's seem to be lately.

a couple other devon area notes:

HFC (halal fried chicken)
mmmm, not so good. overly salty, and i don't think the oil was hot enough (i.e. greasy), it also smelled like they were reusing the oil a whole lot. also more expensive than it should be

Hmm. Didnt try this place, but cant say I find any of the above surprising. And
its always going tobe more expensive than it should - sort of like how Kosher
spots markup their price simply *because* theyre kosher, a spot on Devon
selling chicken nuggets and fried chicken (and other non-authentic food)
is going to markup their price simply because theyre Halal, and probably one
of the few such options available. I think theyre still doing decent business
however.

(BTW, did you go acrss the street at all? There is this spot called Al-Rashid -
I had just eaten so didnt try anything there, but picked up a menu. They seem
to have Ghareeb Nawaz style prices, and vary from biryani to some veggie
items on the menu etc. Wonder what its like. This is bang across the street
from Ambala - would be interested in your opinion on Ambala too, BTW,
if you have one yet

JK Kabob
I had high hopes for revisiting this place after it being mentioned a couple times on CH by a hyderabadi as a good place for kabobs, and while the lamb and beef kabobs were pretty decent the chicken was actually overwhelmed by the charcoal grill, drying out and losing much of the marinaded flavor. A little better was the chili chicken. Rice was cooked well.

Hm. Iam another of those who rec'd this spot I think - I like it. But I *was* referring
mostly to the lamb and beef kababs - have almost never had a chicken kabba
there, I dont think. The only chicken dish I have there regularly, coincidentally,
*is* the chili chicken And I think its excellent, one of the better ones around.
(My usual order, if only one, is the combo #3 I think it is - chili chicken and
lamb kababs, with paratha and rice, with the chinese chicken corn soup to
begin). Like their fresh paratha's, and their rice as well.Overall that combo
is one of my faves on Devon (but thats probably why I have a good opinion
of them - since I never really experience the other dryer chicken kabab dishes at
all. BTW, they also have a couple of okish specials, though I havent had a
chance to try their biryani special on weekends in a while).

c8w

Rene G wrote:

No MacArthurs in the soul food section . . .

I’m a fan of MacArthur’s too but there simply wasn’t room to include all the deserving restaurants. There are at least half a dozen (probably more than twice that) equally worthy places that should have been included. It got to the point where it was either MacArthur’s or H&A. A couple days before the copy was due, as sort of a tiebreaker I had almost the same meal at the two on successive days. The food at H&A was better. Also tipping the balance was the fact that MacArthur’s has gotten a fair amount of publicity (it was featured on Check, Please!) while H&A gets almost no notice outside its neighborhood.

Should it matter if a spot is well-known or not, though, if the food is good? Not so
much a question in this particular case (H&A was apparently deemed to have
better food, and that is sufficient obviously). But if there is a spot with as good
or maybe slightly better food as another - should it matter if that spot is popular
and well-known, and so doesnt really "need" such an inclusion and more
publicity? A question for another day, perhaps

Secondly (and the real reason for this post) ... *are* there a half dozen (or
a dozen!!) places equally or more worthy than Mac's?? Really?? Could
you please let us know 3 or 4 of them, then, even before we get to
the book? Would be greatly appreciated! Mac's so far is probably
still my top choice, but I know very little about this stuff, really. One of those
dozen wouldnt happen to be anywhere nearer the North burbs than
Mac's is, especially? (Mac's isnt close, obviously, but is still much
closer than the other options - the H&A's and Johnson's of the world
are much more than twice as far away after all).

And, while we're at it, thanks for your past recs of H&A and Mrs Lee's, BTW.
Tried H&A again last week, and it was good. Still not convinced its *better*
than Mac's, but there is little to choose probably. The "entree" has been
not-quite-as-good as Mac's both times Ive been there, but the sides have
IMHO been unquestionably better than Mac's. Specifically the mashed potatoes
and gravy, and mac-n-cheese - both are superior to Mac's IMHO (the
latter by more than the former). And the bread rolls have been excellent
both times (not tried Mac's bread rolls, but these could not be improved
upon I dont think). Plus the H&A guys are pretty nice - they switched the
TV to the football game for me while I was there (this was Sunday night

Have only ever picked up desserts from Mrs Lee's - banan pudding twice
and a slice of Pecan Pie once. Bloody terrific, they were, both of em. Far
better than pretty much anywhere else that Ive tried I think. Asked her
about it the last time (not sure it was Mrs Lee herself), and she said they
would actually sell a completely Pecan Pie and not just the slice if
asked - for about 13 bucks I think she said (a far better deal than the
near 3 bucks a slice). But luckily they didnt have a whole pie available
that day - else Id have gotten that, and then would have consequently
eaten the whole thing in a day or two, and that wouldnt have been
particularly healthy I suppose. Especially since breakfast had consisted
of most of an Apple Fritter from Old Fashioned Donuts, plus 2 small
blueberry donuts also from Old Fashioned (those were chosen because
I was told, on asking, that they were "still warm". The first time I had
their Apple Fritter it was "still warm", and mindbogglingly good - this
time it was good but not at quite the same sublime level. But the blueberry
donuts *were* awesome, still warm and fresh and moist and just terrific - was
intending to just have part of one, but instead polished off both in a few minutes.
I have now decided that the next time Iam at Old Fashioned, I will get the
standard Apple Fritter, yes - but beyond that will leave myself in their
hands, and just pick up *whatever* is "still warm" off the line, because
no matter what it is it seems to be awesomely good).

Anyway. Enough rambling. In summary Old Fashioned Good. H&A Good.
Mac's Good. Any of dozen Mac-equalling Goods, especially if closer to north
burbs, much appreciated. Thanks in advance.


c8w

Secondly (and the real reason for this post) ... *are* there a half dozen (or
a dozen!!) places equally or more worthy than Mac's?? Really?? Could
you please let us know 3 or 4 of them . . .

For a slightly more northern location, maybe OT's (4817 W Division) would be a good choice. I still haven't visited but it's gotten pretty favorable reviews (which I can't find easily). Have you been to Edna's (3175 W Madison)? That might be my all around favorite. There's a place on the northwest corner of Kedzie and Ogden I've been meaning to try. M&L is the name I think. There are (or were a month or two ago) signs in the window advertising roast duck with 2 sides for $7.99 and homemade vanilla ice cream. Sounds promising, doesn't it? Most of the other places I'm familiar with are farther south. Gladys' Luncheonette on Indiana seems to be permanently closed and that's a real shame since it was one of the best. I'm happy to hear you tried Miss Lee's. Helen's (1732 E 79th) is solid and there's always Izola's (522 E 79th). Queen of the Sea, a pretty good 24 hour buffet, has closed at the corner of 87th and Stony Island but it looks like a new one will be opening soon on Cottage Grove in the 80s. Much farther south is Boo's (10936 S Vincennes) which shares a building with an auto repair shop.

I took a quick look this weekend at the book.Although I am of various ethnicities,I saw of the main three Russian,Polish and Irish only Polish listed.Did I miss something?Was Irish covered under Pub Grub?

As I mentioned in my post in the "events" section, the book will be sold by Slow Food Chicago volunteers Wednesday, Oct 20, at all Whole Foods stores between 3-7 (tomorrow is Slow Food Day, and WF is donating 5% of their sales to SFUSA).

I think we only get 10 copies each, so if we're sold out, you can purchase the book via a link on our website http://slowfoodchicago.org. The cover price is $20, but it's $16 for members if you call the number on the site. If you buy it directly from the Slow Food site, all profits go directly back to SFUSA.

Sorry your name was misspelled, Robb.

c8w wrote:
(BTW, did you go acrss the street at all? There is this spot called Al-Rashid -
I had just eaten so didnt try anything there, but picked up a menu. They seem
to have Ghareeb Nawaz style prices, and vary from biryani to some veggie
items on the menu etc. Wonder what its like. This is bang across the street
from Ambala - would be interested in your opinion on Ambala too, BTW,
if you have one yet )

sorry, haven't tried Al-rashid as yet, in fact didn't even notice it. I'll keep a look out for it next time. I posted a little about amabala at here. been back since and they no longer ply me with free tastes, unfortunately. I 'd be curious as to folks who have gone recently (and kind of wonder when the reader reviewer visited) - are you still getting lots of little tastes? they're a little more expensive than the other sweet shops - $7 a pound as opposed to $6. they're also more likely to be out of things , since some of them are flown in. I haven't tried their pickles, and wasn't all that impressed by the savories, but the sweets were clear winner

c8w wrote: The only chicken dish I have there regularly, coincidentally,
*is* the chili chicken And I think its excellent, one of the better ones around.
(My usual order, if only one, is the combo #3 I think it is - chili chicken and
lamb kababs, with paratha and rice, with the chinese chicken corn soup to
begin). Like their fresh paratha's, and their rice as well.Overall that combo
is one of my faves on Devon (but thats probably why I have a good opinion
of them - since I never really experience the other dryer chicken kabab dishes at
all. BTW, they also have a couple of okish specials, though I havent had a
chance to try their biryani special on weekends in a while)..

The proprietor too is fond of the chili chicken (told us we "had to try it") but too be honest, the dish just doesnt do too much for me in general, maybe its the fact that the chicken isn't in little boneless strips. I thought the falvor pretty decent thought. And you aright the paranthas were good.

c8w wrote:
(BTW, did you go acrss the street at all? There is this spot called Al-Rashid -
I had just eaten so didnt try anything there, but picked up a menu. They seem
to have Ghareeb Nawaz style prices, and vary from biryani to some veggie
items on the menu etc. Wonder what its like. This is bang across the street
from Ambala - would be interested in your opinion on Ambala too, BTW,
if you have one yet )

sorry, haven't tried Al-rashid as yet, in fact didn't even notice it. I'll keep a look out for it

Its bang across from Ambala - havent tried it yet either, but have a menu on
me somewhere I think. That area of Devon seems to be changing from
Russian to expanded-Indian over the past few months (a chap who knows
Devon told me that he thought Ambala was paying perhaps half the rent
that most Devon shops were, by having their store where it is).

next time. I posted a little about amabala at here. been back since and they no longer ply me with free tastes, unfortunately. I 'd be curious as to folks who have gone recently (and kind of wonder when the reader reviewer visited) - are you still getting lots of little tastes? they're a little more expensive than the other sweet shops - $7 a pound as opposed to $6. they're also more likely to be out of things , since some of them are flown in. I haven't tried their pickles, and wasn't all that impressed by the savories, but the sweets were clear winner

Huh. Havent read the Reader review of it - must check it out. Were they not
complimentary? Anyone know a date for their review?

Ive gotten a little taste only once or twice - not very often. They *are* more
expensive than any other spot, as you say by about a dollar a pound or maybe
a touch more for a couple items. But their sweets are very very good - some
of the best around overall I think (the odd item may be better elsewhere, but
in general they are the best at the moment I think).

BTW, they dont fly in some of their sweets - they fly in pretty much *all* of their
sweets! I was there one afternoonish (maybe a Monday I think?) and they
had basically *nothing* available. They offered me a samosa, and I think a
couple of their savouries in packets, but nothing else (was looking, as usual,
for kaju katri- their kaju katri is the best on Devon I think). So I chatted with
the guy, and he said their shipment was sitting at Ohare, not come thru
customs yet - they were expecting it maybe after 3pm! It hadnt even
crossed my mind that they were not making things on premises, so I talked
to the guy for a bit. He said they made samosas etc on the spot, but that was
about it - pretty much *everything* else was flown in. They have a place in
England, he said, where they have something like 170 workers. That is
where everything is made - for their 17 or so stores in England, and now
also for their only store in the USA, on Devon. Made all night, he said, and
flown in early morning in Chicago. They are busy enough that everything
sells out in 2 or 3 days at most, and so everything they sell is pretty fresh
he said, cos there is lots of turnover.

I must have looked shocked at this, so the girl behind the counter talked to
me some more about it - she said she used to work at another spot on
Devon (which shall remain nameless), and they sometimes kept their items
for a week to 10 days before it was all sold out I must say, I would never
have guessed they flew in their sweets based on taste - not until they
told me. They taste quite easily the best (and freshest) of any Devon sweet
shop. Kaju katri can get dryer/harder when its not fresh - and theirs has
invariably been the freshest and tastiest on Devon IMHO (and Kaju Katri Ive
tried from everywhere, repeatedly). Their ras-malai was also very good -
and that would certainly not be good when not fresh, but it invariably has
been. I liked their sohan-halwa quite a bit too - though that, of course,
can stay for 2 months without losing flavour.

All of which makes me wonder - if, sometimes, I must have had an Ambala
kaju-katri that was 2 days old, and still thought it very good and fresh compared
to anything else on Devon... given that, how non-fresh must the kaju katri
in other stores on Devon be? Sheesh

c8w wrote: The only chicken dish I have there regularly, coincidentally,
*is* the chili chicken And I think its excellent, one of the better ones around.
(My usual order, if only one, is the combo #3 I think it is - chili chicken and
lamb kababs, with paratha and rice, with the chinese chicken corn soup to
begin). Like their fresh paratha's, and their rice as well.Overall that combo
is one of my faves on Devon (but thats probably why I have a good opinion
of them - since I never really experience the other dryer chicken kabab dishes at
all. BTW, they also have a couple of okish specials, though I havent had a
chance to try their biryani special on weekends in a while)..

The proprietor too is fond of the chili chicken (told us we "had to try it") but too be honest, the dish just doesnt do too much for me in general, maybe its the fact that the chicken isn't in little boneless strips. I thought the falvor pretty decent thought. And you aright the paranthas were good.

Hmm. It is sort of boneless, though more chunks than strips I suppose. But yes,
I think its the flavour that I like the most - not may spots on Devon with such
good flavour to their chicken I think. I suppose I just like JK in general -
decent enough spot, sweet-corn-chicken-soup to start (supposedly
Chinese, but such a Bombay-Indian thing to do IMHO), good parathas, IMHO
decent rice etc. I could do without the salad stuff, but in general its a nice
little meal IMHO. Not sure there is another as good kabab spot on Devon
to me - I dont care for Kababish (though with very little exposure admittedly)
or Ravi nearly as much.

c8w

FYI, both Amazon and Barnes & Noble have the book; Amazon's price is better ($14.00 as opposed to $18.00 at B&N). Amazon doesn't have any customer reviews posted for it yet, either...