Middle Eastern on south side?

Hi, all! I am calling upon the collective wisdom of this group to help me find a place for our book discussion group to meet next Saturday. This is our first meeting. We will be discussing The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. We want to to meet for breakfast/brunch (maybe around 9-10am). I thought that, since the book is set in the Middle East, it would be

I know there are plenty of places north of downtown. However, we will have people coming from Steger and East Chicago, so I was trying to find somewhere eithe downtown or south of there to make it more convenient for everyone. Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Steve's Shish Kebab is the one that immediately comes to mind, but it's in Palos Hills, Illinois, a bit southwest perhaps from where you want to meet. It's also one of the Great Neighborhood Restaurants award winners.

Failing that, I've always been very happy with The Nile in Hyde Park. There's only a handful of restaurants I really enjoy in Hyde Park, and The Nile is one of them. I can't think of any better Middle Eastern in the immediate area.


Steve's Shish Kebab
10719 S Roberts Rd
Palos Hills, IL 60465

Nile Restaurant
1611 East 55th Street
Chicago, IL 60615

The arabs I know swear by Nile Restaurant.

Thanks for the suggestions. Nile doesn't open until 11:30am, though. Because so many people have other commitments (and kids to get home to!) an earlier meeting time is what will work for us this time... It's curious to me that many Middle Eastern places are not open for breakfast. Maybe I should just look for a great breakfast/brunch spot and forget about trying to link the food with the book...

Ghazi wrote:The arabs I know swear by Nile Restaurant.

Is it that Nile, or is it the (unrelated) Nile on 63rd Street, just west of Kedzie? Just wondering, because I've heard quite a few Middle Easterners rave about that Nile.

I happened to have 2 meals (one lunch, one dinner, though the menu appears not to change) at this Nile:
Nile Restaurant
1611 East 55th Street
Chicago, IL 60615

in the last week, and have been very happy with them.

On both occasions there were just a few other tables occupied with take out business steady the whole time we were there. We were seated quickly, immediately receiving menus and water and an invitation to order something immediately if we were especially hungry or in a rush.
I had a lamb/beef shawerma sandwich at lunch and it was a very generously stuffed pita for $5 or $6; the meat very tasty and juicy. The jerusalem salad used pretty mediocre tomatoes, but was very refreshingly dressed with lemon and sumac. Service was very friendly and attentive throughout.
At dinner this evening Mrs. B. and I shared apps. and a large plate of combo broiled meats. All were generously portioned, juicy and flavorful. The baba ganooj was on the coarse side, tangy and delicious. Felafel were a bit larger than some, freshly fried as dark as you can go without burning.
The meat platter had both chunks of turmeric-coated chicken breast (shish taouk), and thin sliced chicken shawerma, along with steak, and kafta kabab. There were large zucchini chunks, carrot slices and roast potatoes to complement. The shish taouk had a mouthwatering combination of lemony tartness and broiler char bitterness without any dryness. The chunks of steak were very tender and juicy and perfectly med. rare. The shawerma was magically all crispy bits. The tahini-based sauce had a very nice tang as well. The kafta was not terribly aggressively seasoned, but like all the rest was nice and juicy. I have often had rather dried out meats on similar combo platters, so this was a decided cut above many.
The veggies were also cooked just right---still toothsome, and the roasted potatoes had a nice crunchy outside.
Once again, service was extremely attentive and Mrs. B. and I ate ourselves quite sufficiently full for $20 total (before tip).
This really seems to me a great go-to place for basic value, flavor and friendliness with nothing else much like it in the vicinity, it's neighbors being Thai, Japanese, and Korean, and the various places up on 53rd (Mellow Yellow, Clarke's, odd sort-of-cajun place, etc.) nowhere near as good.

Cedars of Lebanon in Hyde Park might be right for you. Ii's open from 11 AM until 10PM; It's in a small shopping center with plenty of free parking. I like their food.

http://EatCedars.com/Menus/Starters.php