eatchicago wrote:

Kennyz wrote:In fact, for people with a severe food allergy the source of which has not yet been identified, lamb is often prescribed as part of a severely limited diet, precisely because it is on a small list of foods (along with rice and pears) that almost never cause an allergic reaction. This dinner/ birthday celebration may have been a meeting of the only 6 people in the world with a lamb allergy.

Personally, I've noticed a distinct increase in the amount of people using the term "allergy" to mean "severe dislike".

A lot has to do with the fact that the person doesn't want to have to explain their dislike of the food in question.

Fujisan wrote:

eatchicago wrote:Personally, I've noticed a distinct increase in the amount of people using the term "allergy" to mean "severe dislike".

A lot has to do with the fact that the person doesn't want to have to explain their dislike of the food in question.

I think you're probably right, and while I'm not accusing the OP of doing this, I believe that particular behavior is completely unethical.

In this case, the OP said "That was clearly not the case because one of the ladies in our group started to develop the signs of allergy (choking...etc.)."

Yes, they certainly did say that.

Personally, if I had a dangerous and rare lamb allergic condition, I don't think I'd be going into ethnic restaurants of sheepherding countries where they have an imperfect grasp of English, and betting my life on the expectation that they would not only make but cook my food completely separately from deadly lamb oils and contaminants.

In fact, I don't think anyone would. So I don't believe the allergic problem, I don't believe their version of the story is at all complete or fair... and I believe their behavior may have just ruined a perfectly good restaurant for gringos who are more willing to be adventurous than these picky people.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I have seen occasions where people developed allergies to foods they didn't want to eat. It was an excuse to get out of something few would argue about.

Regards,

Have you noticed how many people claim to be allergic to MSG? We have a friend who insists he's allergic to MSG and whenever we go to a Chinese restaurant demands no MSG or he'll die. However, when we go to Korean or japanese restuarants which I know use MSG he doesn't make a peep about it, and suffers no ill effects. There is a kind of urban folklore surrounding much of what are purported to be food allergies these days it seems. Which is not to say real and serious allergies don't exist, but rather they have been inflated beyond their true dimensions.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Whatever the case, if it were me, I would have simply paid and left. I cannot believe that anyone would make such a big stink over $4, $8 or even $12 but would willingly wait 2.5 hours to 'settle' the issue.

+1

I wouldnt have wasted my, or the police officers time.

Darren72 wrote:In this case, the OP said "That was clearly not the case because one of the ladies in our group started to develop the signs of allergy (choking...etc.)."

And no mention of anyone leaving to take care of this person, either. I would not be surprised if this person was there to the bitter end.

***

These faux claims of allergies to avoid foods they don't like is pretty passive aggressive. Restaurants turn themselves upside down to accomodate a brat.

I agree the MSG thing is pretty much aimed at Chinese restaurants. Seaweed is loaded naturally MSG. Suddenly those who suffer so gravely at Chinese restaurants, whip through Korean and Japanese without batting an eye. It is for this reason, MSG claims on this site have tended to be removed, because it is just ripe for competitive abuse.

Regards,

I have the opposite problem with allergies. I dont like nuts, but I am not allergic. If I am doing a chef's tasting or something where I dont know what I am ordering, I will tell the server that I dont like nuts, but it is not an allergy, and that small amounts, or nut oils, are fine, I just would just prefer to not have nut crusted fish or something like that. I know that most of the time the server just writes no nuts on the order, and that the kitchen assumes an allergy and goes overboard to avoid them, which for some reason makes me feel guilty.

-Will

G Wiv wrote:

Lana wrote:I advise you NOT have the same experience.

Oftentimes negative stories by first time posters encourage me to try the restaurant, in this case one I've never heard of. Thanks for bring Diora to my, and many others I'm sure, attention.

Regards,
Gary

Diora
1034 Weiland Road
Buffalo Grove, IL
847.419.0400
http://www.diorarestaurant.com/

Actually, saluki68 started a thread here about Diora -- a much more positive one -- just a couple of weeks ago . . .

Diora - Another Uzbecki Restaurant in Buffalo Grove

=R=

Mike G wrote:Yes, they certainly did say that.

Personally, if I had a dangerous and rare lamb allergic condition, I don't think I'd be going into ethnic restaurants of sheepherding countries where they have an imperfect grasp of English, and betting my life on the expectation that they would not only make but cook my food completely separately from deadly lamb oils and contaminants.

Thats what I was thinking to!

Will the OP return to add to this discussion, or were we victims of a drive-by smearing? Place your bets!

I left a message with Jimmy the Greek to see if he could set the odds for us, but he hasn't returned my call for some reason.

Hi,

Highly doubtful OP will return, because we just didn't get it. Interloper made an effort to clarify. They have spent two weeks seeking an internet outlet to continue their grievances, because they just didn't get the sympathy they felt was theirs. I guess their scorched Earth will continue elsewhere, because we certainly didn't buy it.

I think a dinner at Diora has just come to the top of things to do.

Regards,

Diora, another point of view…

My hubby and I live in Buffalo Grove, just a few blocks from Diora. We were out for a walk one evening in mid-March, on our way to eat at another restaurant in the same strip mall. As we passed Diora, we poked our heads in to see if there was a copy of the menu we could look at for future reference. We met the owner and spent a bit of time talking with him. Believe me, this place is ALL about the lamb. The owner told us he personally goes to a farm in southern Wisconsin to pick up the meat and that it is raised organically. We looked over the menu and my husband was very intrigued, but I really had a taste for some sushi and sake, so we stuck to the original plan to go to the other restaurant. But, Diora's owner did give us a $20 coupon as an incentive to try his place another time.

I personally was never a big fan of lamb -- and after just a glance at the menu you'd have to be in some sort of a coma to not notice that lamb is the centerpiece of Diora's cuisine -- so I had some hesitancy about going there. I'm certainly not allergic to lamb, I've just never cared that much for it. I guess as a kid I experienced too many oily lamb patties or cuts of mutton with cloying mint jelly. But my husband really, really wanted to try Diora, so we went back the very next night.

I have to say, I have now become a fan of lamb after eating that meal. The owner -- we learned his name is Lenny -- helped guide us through the menu on things to try that would best represent the Uzbek cuisine. I should mention that Lenny's wife is the one who is Uzbek, while he is originally from Belarus. He's also been living in the Chicago area since he was a child, so his command of English is excellent.

We started with an order of the now-infamous samsas. I thought these were delicious and were actually very similar to the samosas one would get at an Indian restaurant. For appetizers, we also had strips of eggplant rolled with a carrot-based mixture, as well as an order of stuffed mushrooms. I thought the eggplant rolls were fabulous. The mushrooms were good, but did not set themselves apart from this type of dish found anywhere else.

For our main dishes, Lenny guided us toward the Bayram pilaf and the baby lamb shish-kebab. We had this served to us with each dish split so that each of our plates had a half order of the pilaf and a half order of the kebab. The pilaf was unlike any I've had before, very rich, and included raisins in addition to the peas and carrots I've had in other pilafs. The lamb from the kebab was tender and flavorful and was served with a thin red sauce on the side that I think was tomato-based with herbs and spices, and nicely complemented the meat.

We finished the meal with two desserts, a napoleon that was very good and something called chack-chack, fried dough with honey, that Lenny seemed very proud of, but I thought was just okay. Perhaps I was just so full at that point that I couldn't fully appreciate the dish. It sort of reminded me of breakfast cereal.

I do believe my husband and I were the only patrons this night who were not native speakers of Russian. Some people might be put off by this, but, like many LTH-ers, we actually seek out places that give us the feeling of being in a foreign land. A few other tables were occupied by groups of two or four, but there were two parties of 16-20 people and it amazed us that a restaurant that had only been open a few weeks could seem to feed so many people at once so seamlessly. There was also live music, dancing and a belly dancer as entertainment.

Although we live in Buffalo Grove, we've never been to Chaihanna, so I can't say how this place compares.

We returned to Diora a few weeks later with another couple. I have to say that I don't think they liked it as much as we did. But it's worth noting that except for the samsas, neither one of them ate any lamb. In the end, the moral of the story is that Diora is ALL about the lamb and if you're not going to eat the lamb, well, don't go there.

Yeeesh! What an experience. Much different than ours as noted by ronnie_suburban who picked up on my recent post on Diora. At least now I may hear from some of the LTH'ers who have a little more knowledge about Uzbek cuisine. However, it's an unfortunate way to get the feedback. And, to those who TOFFT, be sure to bring your bond card along.

I doubt that it's lack of sympathy that brought the OP here. I would guess someone just recently told them of this place. We will likely never see him or her again regardless of the attitudes presented here. They will just continue to look for more places to vent.

That's the first lesson of retail. Unhappy customers are much more vocal than happy ones.

I still would like to know what exactly
qualifies as an "advanced" haircut?
Somehow I suspect Steve Plotnicki
has one.

SCUBAchef wrote:I still would like to know what exactly
qualifies as an "advanced" haircut?
Somehow I suspect Steve Plotnicki
has one.

Hey now, let's not bring our fun to a premature end by getting this thread locked

I call BS on the lamb "allergy."

This reminds me of a picky eater I know:

A:Let's do Indian.
B:I'm allergic to curry.
A:Really? Which spices?
B:Huh? Uh, all of it.

I've actually spent a little bit of time in Uzbekistan and found the food unremarkable. Then there's the Bourdain episode where he basically spends the whole ep making fun of Uzbekistan (though less so Uzbek food). But this thread makes me want to hustle to Buffalo Grove and try this place, if only to make up for the dubious behavior of the original poster. I mean, allergic to lamb!?! Considering the restaurant they picked, my eyebrows are raised higher than the terrorist threat in a totalitarian Central Asian nation.


BTW, fascinating Uzbekistan fact: it's the only landlocked nation to be landlocked by other landlocked nations. Impress your friends.

G Wiv wrote:Oftentimes negative stories by first time posters encourage me to try the restaurant, in this case one I've never heard of. Thanks for bring Diora to my, and many others I'm sure, attention.

Openings and Closings, Comings and Goings Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2009

Jasubar wrote:For us NW suburbanites:
Although there's no indication on the sign in the window as to exactly when it will open, Diora will give Buffalo Grove its second Uzbeki restaurant (the other being Chaihanna).

Diora - Another Uzbecki Restaurant in Buffalo Grove Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010

saluki68 wrote:My kids took us to Diora a few weeks ago. This was our second exposure to Uzbeki food having visited Chaihanna once a long time ago.

Probably the OP got here by searching on the restaurant name.

The thing I find astonishing is that Buffalo Grove is home to TWO Uzbekistani restaurants. How likely is that?

And I'm definitely one of the "gosh, now I have to try it" crowd. I love Chaihanna, but I'd certainly love to investigate this other place.

Oh -- and speaking of the cuisine of Usbekistan -- anyone have a good recipe for Sour Spinach (aka, sorrel) Soup? It's my single favorite thing at Chaihanna.

Cynthia wrote:anyone have a good recipe for Sour Spinach (aka, sorrel) Soup? It's my single favorite thing at Chaihanna.

One of my favorites there, too ... and I'm not usually a soup person. Hope we can find someone with a recipe.

We need a subforum for ex-Soviet Bloc restaurant proprietors randomly losing their shit.

cilantro wrote:We need a subforum for ex-Soviet Bloc restaurant proprietors randomly losing their shit.

When it was the Soviet Union, customer service in any situation was lacking. However, if you had a friend, then you had VIP service in the most unlikely circumstances.

I never had so many friends in my life than I did in the Soviet Union. It was the only way to get anything accomplished.

The person you just linked to considers me a friend. We talk about those old Soviet days. I know somethings he never expects any American to know. When he didn't have bread when I was there, he has been known to drop it off at my house. And yes, I paid for it.

I am also aware he conducts himself differently with others.

It is a phenomena I have seen here of people who lived during Soviet times. I could tell you volumes, but I don't really want to launch this thread in this direction.

If you ever attend an LTh event, sit with me and I can tell you all sorts of stories related to that era.

Regards,

Vitesse98 wrote:BTW, fascinating Uzbekistan fact: it's the only landlocked nation to be landlocked by other landlocked nations. Impress your friends.

I believe Liechtenstein is also double-landlocked. Double impress your friends.

Ooh, double trivia whammy! Now if only someone would open up a Liechtenstein-ish restaurant, we'll be in business here.

The OPs post would make for a great bit in a movie comedy.

I can see it now...

A large family group of comes into an nearly empty old world restaurant with a big mural of sheep herders and lambs on one wall. After glancing at the menu they notice a large part of the menu dedicated to lamb and proceed to order a special made with lamb but tell the confused waitress they would like it made with beef instead of lamb because they all are allergic to lamb and one in the group was even traumatized by a lamb as a child.

Cut back to the kitchen where the chef throws a fit when the waitress informs him the group wants to screw with his lamb special. Ticked off he sends out the special made with lamb and all hell breaks loose out in the dining room.

monty python restaurant sketch!

5 minutes.

I think those prawns might be a bit off.....

Hi,

In Kenji's clip, I was waiting for a special request: please exchange the beef in the boeuf en croute to anything but beef. It then went in a very different direction.

Regards,