teatpuller wrote:I've noticed this for sure. Yet I have to walk about 6 blocks for a decent hot dog.

You've found one? Where?!?

clogoodie wrote:The 7-11 hasn't had Indian food in quite some time. I believe they now advertise pizza by the slice in their upstairs area...have not had any desire to investigate that further.

Thanks for the update. That's a damn shame...it was a nice option to have for those days when I didn't mind walking 4-5 blocks to lunch, then heading back to the office to languish in sweet, sweet Indian food coma while waiting for 5 o'clock to roll around

JeffB wrote:Serious question: what explains the wave of Israeli-style falafel fast food places in the Loop? A casual visitor to our fair city might notice the Jaffas, the Haiffas, the Mezzas, the Rotis, I Dream of Falafel, Benjyehuda, not to mention old standby Oasis and others, and think Chicago has a falafel joint on every corner (rather than a beef stand or taqueria). It's a strangely concentrated grouping of fast food that isn't otherwise all that common. . .

Could it be related to proliferation of pan-Middle Eastern lunch carts in NYC? I was expecting to see them in Midtown, but they are everywhere. Kind of mini-trend translated to Chicago - eat Middle Eastern lunch fare without the cart? We've got cupcakes, soup, and Pinkberry, I think. Also fruit and veggie shakes appear to be de rigeueur in Manhattan--but that may have more to do with Papaya King.

Another thing that struck me in a recent visit to Manhattan and Queens is that all the fast-food buzzwords seem to coexist on the same cart, e.g. "Halal HotDog Hummus Falafil Gyros Borito [sic]. I can provide photographic data to support the speculation.

clogoodie wrote:

teatpuller wrote:I've noticed this for sure. Yet I have to walk about 6 blocks for a decent hot dog.

You've found one? Where?!?

Heh. Sort of. Max's on Adams isn't bad.

JeffB wrote:Serious question: what explains the wave of Israeli-style falafel fast food places in the Loop? A casual visitor to our fair city might notice the Jaffas, the Haiffas, the Mezzas, the Rotis, I Dream of Falafel, Benjyehuda, not to mention old standby Oasis and others, and think Chicago has a falafel joint on every corner (rather than a beef stand or taqueria). It's a strangely concentrated grouping of fast food that isn't otherwise all that common.

PS, ironic that Habibi is looking for good falafel and shwerma downtown, as all of the above offer both (though none are apparently good.)

To be fair, I go to school in Streeterville, which for all intents and purposes is as far away from the loop as Lincoln Park, so my assertion about no good places really had to do with my hood. It was unfair of me to characterize the loop as a falafel/shawerma desert (no pun intended). OTOH Streeterville sucks, and I want a decent Middle Eastern lunch place.

Josephine wrote:

JeffB wrote:Serious question: what explains the wave of Israeli-style falafel fast food places in the Loop? A casual visitor to our fair city might notice the Jaffas, the Haiffas, the Mezzas, the Rotis, I Dream of Falafel, Benjyehuda, not to mention old standby Oasis and others, and think Chicago has a falafel joint on every corner (rather than a beef stand or taqueria). It's a strangely concentrated grouping of fast food that isn't otherwise all that common. . .

Could it be related to proliferation of pan-Middle Eastern lunch carts in NYC? I was expecting to see them in Midtown, but they are everywhere. Kind of mini-trend translated to Chicago - eat Middle Eastern lunch fare without the cart? We've got cupcakes, soup, and Pinkberry, I think. Also fruit and veggie shakes appear to be de rigeueur in Manhattan--but that may have more to do with Papaya King.

Another thing that struck me in a recent visit to Manhattan and Queens is that all the fast-food buzzwords seem to coexist on the same cart, e.g. "Halal HotDog Hummus Falafil Gyros Borito [sic]. I can provide photographic data to support the speculation.

I see what you are saying, but it doesn't "feel" like there's a meaningful connection to the street carts of NY. The street carts are long-stading, typically not Jewish-Israeli and pretty downscale compared to the operations in Chicago, which tend to be trendy and slick (compared to grubby carts, at least) with connections, or appearances of a connection, to Israel. There are, in fact, a bunch of similar Israeli-style places in Manhattan (Hummus Place, Urban Pita, eg). Soup places didn't "stick" here and the resurgent fro-yo and juice bar genres (those 70's treats) ultimately seem to have come to Chicago from the same place they came to NYC and LA, from Asia (through the coasts, as usual). But back to the urban Israeli fast-food guys, I wish they'd open some delis. Falafel and roast turkey in a Chipotle setting we got.

Habibi wrote:To be fair, I go to school in Streeterville, which for all intents and purposes is as far away from the loop as Lincoln Park, so my assertion about no good places really had to do with my hood. It was unfair of me to characterize the loop as a falafel/shawerma desert (no pun intended). OTOH Streeterville sucks, and I want a decent Middle Eastern lunch place.

There are plenty of Middle Eastern places in the Loop, but none of them have really blown me away. Just thinking within a few blocks' radius of me, Roti's alright for shawerma-ish meats (but their falafel, while nicely crisped on the outsides, are oddly gooey in the middle), Mezza's got okay kefta kebab, Haifa's got okay grilled chicken kebab (but I find their falafel & shawerma both to be too dry). Jaffa Bagel (or Bakery, or whatever) with their whole roasted (but wholly unseasoned) turkey on a bun, I just don't care for it.

What I really dream of is Montreal's Boustan opening a satellite location near my office so I can regularly gorge myself on shish taouk...that's one of the few drunk foods I've ever had that's just as delicious sober

Khaopaat wrote:There are plenty of Middle Eastern places in the Loop, but none of them have really blown me away. Just thinking within a few blocks' radius of me, Roti's alright for shawerma-ish meats (but their falafel, while nicely crisped on the outsides, are oddly gooey in the middle), Mezza's got okay kefta kebab, Haifa's got okay grilled chicken kebab (but I find their falafel & shawerma both to be too dry). Jaffa Bagel (or Bakery, or whatever) with their whole roasted (but wholly unseasoned) turkey on a bun, I just don't care for it.

I'm in lock-step with your assessment. For the past two weeks I've been to Olive Mediterranean Grill in the food court at 201 N. Clark at least five times and been pleasantly surprised - felafel that reminds me of Salam (not dry like Oasis), soft and thick pita, slices of potato and beets w/jerusalem salad and hummus. The tahini sauce is nice and sour (unlimited sides of tahini in little containers at the register!), though today's had an overdose of lemon in it. Shish taouk ("Mediterranean Chicken" on their menu) with toum and feta was also quite good, while the chicken kabob is a ground chicken with kefta-type seasoning. Not sure if this place is Israeli or not, but it could be.

I'm really looking forward to giving Benjyehuda a try too, but Olive satisfies my constant craving in the north loop for now.

Khaopaat wrote:

Habibi wrote:To be fair, I go to school in Streeterville, which for all intents and purposes is as far away from the loop as Lincoln Park, so my assertion about no good places really had to do with my hood. It was unfair of me to characterize the loop as a falafel/shawerma desert (no pun intended). OTOH Streeterville sucks, and I want a decent Middle Eastern lunch place.

There are plenty of Middle Eastern places in the Loop, but none of them have really blown me away. Just thinking within a few blocks' radius of me, Roti's alright for shawerma-ish meats (but their falafel, while nicely crisped on the outsides, are oddly gooey in the middle), Mezza's got okay kefta kebab, Haifa's got okay grilled chicken kebab (but I find their falafel & shawerma both to be too dry). Jaffa Bagel (or Bakery, or whatever) with their whole roasted (but wholly unseasoned) turkey on a bun, I just don't care for it.

Have you tried Taza (Franklin and Lake)?

HummusFanatic wrote:For the past two weeks I've been to Olive Mediterranean Grill in the food court at 201 N. Clark at least five times and been pleasantly surprised

jesteinf wrote:Have you tried Taza (Franklin and Lake)?

I have not, but I'll definitely keep it in mind the next time I'm bored and willing to travel a bit for lunch to kill some time (which is often ). I also wouldn't mind trying out Olive Mediterranean Grill, but that's even further from me, so it'll have to wait for a day when I feel like taking a bus ride to lunch (again, not an infrequent occurrence).

Thanks for the tips!

I went to the Greek coffee shop, Petro's, on LaSalle and Randolph earlier this week for the first time. The menu is exactly what you'd expect--salads, melts, open face sandwiches with gravy, burgers; they even have a francheezie (which needs Federal protection as it's surely endangered). I got there late in the afternoon. Very pleasant. Had a booth to myself. I chose to start with the chicken noodle soup, which was just fine. The turkey club sandwich was way above average. The turkey was tender and flavorful. The tomatoes were decent. The only problem was that the bread fell apart. But for budget conscious jurors making $17.15 a day, they might want to take a pass. My lunch of soup, club sandwich, and diet coke totaled--with tax but without tip--$16.25. Don't know if I'll be back.

Khaopaat wrote:

seebee wrote:Bump.
Gotta go tomorrow. Trying to decide between Ruby Of Siam, Indian Buffet, Pastoral, or any new additions to this scene?
Also, where is this Indian buffet? (assuming it's still there - the one that is above a 7-11.)

I would definitely recommend doing a recon trip before counting on the 7-11 buffet...a few coworkers & I tried to go a few months ago, and were told that it was "closed for some time". My efforts to get a less vague time frame than "some time" proved fruitless, and we ended up a block up the street, eating bun at Billy Goat Tavern (they were called "cheezborger" on the menu, but neither "cheez" nor "borger" were easily spotted with the unaided eye).

The lines at Pastoral aren't nearly as bad now as they apparently were a year ago, or even a couple months ago when the weather was nicer...just last week I rolled into the Lake/Wabash location at 12:15 on a Tuesday, and was out the door with my sandwich 10 minutes later.

If you're a groupie, you could also follow Dan's recommendation from last year and head over to Seven on Seven in Macy's for some Frontera Express (or whatever the kids are calling it these days).

Lunch Rolls might be a bit of a stretch if you've got less than an hour, but otherwise it should be doable for you.

Edit: Forgot to add, the 7-11 is on the southwest corner of Washington & Wells.

I was at Pastoral yesterday. I think it is way too cold to sit in there & eat now. I would go for Intelligentsia, some sandwiches & salads, but even better the Farmer's Market Stand is across the street with fruit, sandwiches, hummus, sweets. So you could go in there grab something and then grab a place to sit with great coffee/tea at Intelligentsia.

I will PM you my tips for jury duty because I had jury duty earlier this week. I made a beeline for the 7th floor of Macy's for Takashi's Noodles, but you can also hit the Bayless stand, the La Brea bakery stand, or the Marcus Samuelson burger stand, they also have frozen custard & the 2nd best vanilla shake in the city IMO (in a glass w/ whipped cream!). They have free wi-fi and if you grab a table by a window there's a nice bit of natural light coming through.

Good Luck & congrats on doing your civic duty!

When I was on jury duty I headed up to the 7th floor of Macy's. There are a few high quality options up there from Bayless's Frontera Fresca to Marc Samuelson's burgers to noodles from Takashi Yagahashi.

Another rec. for those of you doing your civil duty, or just working in the Loop.

I had a shockingly good lunch today at Pollitos. This is a little chicken place under the El tracks at Washington/Wells. I had been once before when it first opened but I thought then that it was terrible. I went back today and things have changed.

I had a quarter chicken combo which came with a side, a roll and a drink. The chicken was quite good. I ordered the white meat combo, but everything was nicely moist and the skin had a nice seasoning. I added a side of mole just to check it out and I was pleasantly surprised. It's certainly wasn't Sol de Mexico level but it was very good and considering your other mole options in the immediate area, well...

Anyway, the mole had a nice, subtle slow burn and went really well with the chicken. The rice I ordered as well as the roll were fine at best, but the bread allowed me an extra vehicle for sopping up that mole.

All of this set me back about $8. The place is clean and the people are friendly. I've added another spot to my Loop lunch rotation.

Pollitos Grill & Rotisserie
39 N Wells St
(312) 263-0078

Habibi wrote:

JeffB wrote:Serious question: what explains the wave of Israeli-style falafel fast food places in the Loop? A casual visitor to our fair city might notice the Jaffas, the Haiffas, the Mezzas, the Rotis, I Dream of Falafel, Benjyehuda, not to mention old standby Oasis and others, and think Chicago has a falafel joint on every corner (rather than a beef stand or taqueria). It's a strangely concentrated grouping of fast food that isn't otherwise all that common.

PS, ironic that Habibi is looking for good falafel and shwerma downtown, as all of the above offer both (though none are apparently good.)

To be fair, I go to school in Streeterville, which for all intents and purposes is as far away from the loop as Lincoln Park, so my assertion about no good places really had to do with my hood. It was unfair of me to characterize the loop as a falafel/shawerma desert (no pun intended). OTOH Streeterville sucks, and I want a decent Middle Eastern lunch place.

Taking one for the team, I did a quick, mini South Loop falafel-thon today, early in the lunch hour to ensure freshness.

Started with Benjyehuda. First the good stuff -- I really like the 2d Ave Deli graphics, the Hasidic hip hop on the big screen and speakers, the chipper owners/staff, the Israeli-Chipotle setup, the churros (if hot), and the hot sauce, which my palate says involves chiles de arbol. The pita is good, and the laffa/lavash looks really good. The condiment choices are solid. The chicken shwarma looked outstanding on the spit.

I wanted to like the falafel, but they were at once dense and crumbly and completely disintegrated by the time I dug in. Perhaps they are not deep fried. They were produced from a covered steam pan, which could be an issue (Puerto Ricans and Cubans keep their fritters under a glaring heat lamp; imperfect but much better than this). The balls were well-spiced, so my falafel mulch tasted good. Tahini sauce was one-dimensional, likely unchanged from the can. I also ordered matzoh ball soup. The broth was cloudy and vegetal with a lot of thick-cut carrots and celery, and a good dose of dill. A different direction from the clear, fatty yellow broths of Manny's and Katz's, but very enjoyable. The matzoh ball was similar to the falafel in its hyper-density. It was a small, quick-sinker with the size and elasticity of a Superball. Yet I think this was my favorite place; not because of the falafel. It felt cool, like I was noshing in the American Apparel commissary. I'd like to see them get a liquor license and turn into a falafel-serving bar.

A few doors down Van Buren is Jaffa, home of the giant roast turkey (a title shared by at least Haiffa, nearby -- Israelis eat by far the most turkey per capita, you know). A clean, well-lighted place. Took a side of falafel to go. Much more down-the-middle. Acceptable, average, normal, predictable, comforting, on par, up to snuff, mediocre, Sultan's Market. Watery tahini.

Then, around the corner on Franklin to the stupidly-named I Dream of Falafel. Unlike the Israeli others mentioned above, IDOF is Lebanese in its outlook. I really didn't want to like this place. Besides the name and the cutesy-slick graphics, it sits on that forlorn corner where the City abruptly stops. (It's always bothered me the way the most vital part of the Loop, defined by traders and bars and cigar smoke and L tracks, can peter out in half a block. It's like walking a block too far east in Manhattan or a block in any direction in LA.) Plus, I think it occupies the place where Petra Cafe sat. I liked Petra.

Anyway, the cafeteria line set-up was the same as at most of these places. The meats, pre-chopped and steam-tabled didn't look so great. But I was there for the falafel. They looked over-fried and leaden. Wrong. By far the best of the bunch, these particular falafel would be good on Kedzie, in NY, or anywhere else. Salam in the good days. At 2 bucks for 5 fat golf balls, also the best deal in the bunch. Fresh from the oil, crispy shells protected a verdant moist fluffiness. Presumably the darkness outside relates to the grassy-greenness of the batter. These were also the best spiced, with a complex subtlety that included sumac with the garlic and cumin. The tahini showed similar care, brightened by lemon and herbs. jesteinf said the falafel suck. Chitown B disagrees. So consistency could be a problem. Perhaps I just got them fresh from the fryer, maybe they've worked out some kinks, who knows. However, these falafel are not intrinsically bad. Far from it. (Though I could imagine that if they sat they'd become sullen and gooey inside due to their moistness; not unlike Neapolitan pizza put in a box.) The recipe works and the Mexican fry guy today was good, very good. Maybe Benjyehuda can lure him away. Of maybe all I learned is what I knew already. When it comes to fritters, you want fresh-from-the-oil or at least a place that knows how to hold the stuff.

JeffB wrote:

Habibi wrote:

JeffB wrote:They were produced from a covered steam pan, which could be an issue (Puerto Ricans and Cubans keep their fritters under a glaring heat lamp; imperfect but much better than this). The balls were well-spiced, so my falafel mulch tasted good. Tahini sauce was one-dimensional, likely unchanged from the can. I also ordered matzoh ball soup. The broth was cloudy and vegetal with a lot of thick-cut carrots and celery, and a good dose of dill. A different direction from the clear, fatty yellow broths of Manny's and Katz's, but very enjoyable. The matzoh ball was similar to the falafel in its hyper-density. It was a small, quick-sinker with the size and elasticity of a Superball. Yet I think this was my favorite place; not because of the falafel. It felt cool, like I was noshing in the American Apparel commissary. I'd like to see them get a liquor license and turn into a falafel-serving bar.

Got to agree about the matzoh ball soup. I've been slurping this soup with some regularity for the last month or so (my fav: Bergstein's), and I didn't dig the thick stone of matzoh in this soup at Benjyehuda.

I found a new option (new to me anyway) in the north-east loop. Delmonico is a large Asian buffet, which also serves a limited made-to-order Korean menu. The restaurant is tucked in one of the corners of the Illinois center. To get there, you have to pass Hanna's Bretzel and the Citibank. At the end of the hall, it's on the left.

I haven't sampled the food from the buffet itself--it ranges from macaroni and cheese to kimchi to szechuan green beans to a long salad bar. I also haven't tried anything from the grill--they serve hamburgers, etc.

I have had the bim im bop and dol sot bim im bop, from the Korean menu, to the left of the grill. It's a generous portion, with plenty of vegetables and fried egg on top. Meat eaters can opt for beef. They serve it with a bowl of miso soup. Finding this place gave me some hope for the loop--there are too many places with prepackaged food and sauces. It wasn't the best, or most creative bim im bop I've ever had, but it was a delight to have a simple meal, simply prepared with fresh ingredients. The cook (and possibly owner?) seemed delighted that people were ordering off that menu and took pride in the food.

If you work downtown and want a change of pace at lunch, I'd wholeheartedly endorse it.

Delmonico
233 N Michigan Ave
(between Lake St & Wacker Pl)
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 228-0900

As a bonus, the Amish market is currently set up across from the restaurant. Some of the toffee looked like it would make a nice Christmas gift.

jesteinf wrote:Another rec. for those of you doing your civil duty, or just working in the Loop.

I had a shockingly good lunch today at Pollitos. This is a little chicken place under the El tracks at Washington/Wells. I had been once before when it first opened but I thought then that it was terrible. I went back today and things have changed.

I had a quarter chicken combo which came with a side, a roll and a drink. The chicken was quite good. I ordered the white meat combo, but everything was nicely moist and the skin had a nice seasoning. I added a side of mole just to check it out and I was pleasantly surprised. It's certainly wasn't Sol de Mexico level but it was very good and considering your other mole options in the immediate area, well...

Anyway, the mole had a nice, subtle slow burn and went really well with the chicken. The rice I ordered as well as the roll were fine at best, but the bread allowed me an extra vehicle for sopping up that mole.

All of this set me back about $8. The place is clean and the people are friendly. I've added another spot to my Loop lunch rotation.

Pollitos Grill & Rotisserie
39 N Wells St
(312) 263-0078

NB: This place now has pretty good Oaxacan tamales, banana leaf and all. An austere version filled with a modest bit of the place's chicken, but not bad at all with the house tomatillo salsa or mole. Can't speak to the other items. I was drawn in by the hand-written tamale signage.

JeffB wrote:

jesteinf wrote:Another rec. for those of you doing your civil duty, or just working in the Loop.

I had a shockingly good lunch today at Pollitos. This is a little chicken place under the El tracks at Washington/Wells. I had been once before when it first opened but I thought then that it was terrible. I went back today and things have changed.

I had a quarter chicken combo which came with a side, a roll and a drink. The chicken was quite good. I ordered the white meat combo, but everything was nicely moist and the skin had a nice seasoning. I added a side of mole just to check it out and I was pleasantly surprised. It's certainly wasn't Sol de Mexico level but it was very good and considering your other mole options in the immediate area, well...

Anyway, the mole had a nice, subtle slow burn and went really well with the chicken. The rice I ordered as well as the roll were fine at best, but the bread allowed me an extra vehicle for sopping up that mole.

All of this set me back about $8. The place is clean and the people are friendly. I've added another spot to my Loop lunch rotation.

Pollitos Grill & Rotisserie
39 N Wells St
(312) 263-0078

NB: This place now has pretty good Oaxacan tamales, banana leaf and all. An austere version filled with a modest bit of the place's chicken, but not bad at all with the house tomatillo salsa or mole. Can't speak to the other items. I was drawn in by the hand-written tamale signage.

agreed. I've had these a couple of times, and they were far better than I expected.