Sam’s Rasoi – and 9 other Melrose Park (ish) lunches

Sam’s Rasoi – and 9 other Melrose Park (ish) lunches

Because of a summer camp our son is in, and because I can’t face commuting back and forth twice everyday, I’ve spent weekdays for the last two weeks in the Melrose Park area, bringing my laptop to public libraries and actually getting a lot of work done. For lunch I decided to go to a different place each day and report to you all here. The most interesting experience I’ve had so far was at Sam’s Rasoi, but all 10 lunches are listed below. (Note: the first few in the list are the ones I liked best and the last two are the ones that I liked least, but the middle ones are pretty much unranked with respect to one another.)

1. Sam’s Rasoi: Gujarati vegetarian


Sam’s Rasoi has had a few LTH mentions and I was eager to try it. Though the sign outside says “eat in”, once inside it’s clear that they are almost exclusively a catering operation. It’s not set up for table service.





However, the very friendly older man there happily cleared off a table for me. There’s a menu board:


but as I stared at it, hesitating, he suggested a “lunch box” so I could try a little bit of everything. That was exactly what I wanted… and here’s what I got:

(I took this picture standing up to get everything in the picture -- it was a good amount of food.)

A younger and totally bilingual guy explained the components of the lunch box to me, providing English names or descriptions for everything. When I asked for the Gujarati names as well he wrote them down. So starting from the bowl and going counterclockwise, there’s “lentil soup”/dal, a potato and cashew fritter/bataka wada, “lentil chip”/ pappar, capsicum and potatoes/aloo merche, eggplant and pigeon peas/toover ringan, and finally a sweet made out of garbanzos/ladoo. On the side were three pieces of roti plus rice. The food was fantastic, I loved everything, especially the slightly picante aloo merche and the ladoo sweet. I tore off pieces of the bread to scoop up the potato dish as well as the stew-like eggplant with pigeon peas. I actually was not able to clean my plate, it was all so filling, but it was not for lack of trying! The cost ended up being a flat $10, which I thought was entirely reasonable. If we lived nearby I would certainly get takeout from them on a regular basis.

Sam’s Rasoi
2321 North Mannheim Road
Melrose Park IL 60164
847-455-8888
http://www.samrasoi.com

2. La Havana Real – Cuban


I learned from reading an old post by VI that this area has long had a Cuban presence. La Havana Real is a recently opened spot on Lake Street (apparently the old La Perla del Pacifico location, which had been praised by zim). Antonius joined me for this lunch which meant that we could try more things! (photos here are by Antonius)

The interior is dark and the walls covered with Cuban memorabilia; the bar looked like a fine place to hang out.

There is also an adjoining room with space for live music and/or dancing.

We ordered a bistec sandwich


and a ropa vieja sandwich


and split them. Both were delicious, with each of us slightly preferring the ropa vieja. The bread seemed unusually good and we asked the waitress if it was made in house. She said it was baked in house, but delivered from somewhere else; she didn’t know the source.

We also had side orders of platanos maduros, as seen above, behind the ropa vieja sandwich, and arroz con gandules, below, both excellent.


Antonius finished the meal with café cubano:


We really enjoyed both the food and the atmosphere here and would happily return to try more things.

La Havana Real
2414 W Lake St
Melrose Park, IL 60160
(708) 223-0329
Open M-Th 11-10, F-Sat 11-2am, Sun 11-5pm
[menu can be seen on their restaurant.com listing]

3. Carnitas Don Alfredo


Here is another place with previous mentions on LTH. This is a very solid carnitas spot, and the handmade tortillas are a big plus. The newer location in the strip mall next door to their original location has much more seating; even so, the place was packed. I ordered two carnitas tacos plus a tamal de elote:




The carnitas were a bit leaner than what we’d get from our favorite spots on 18th Street but quite respectable, with excellent flavor. The servings were generous, and the tortillas were made rather thick, so that even though only one tortilla was used per taco, it held up well. The tamal was pretty good, not too sweet but a little dense, without the addition of whole kernels of fresh corn that we like in the tamales de elote we get from Cremeria Santa Maria in La Villita, for example. (By the way, Don Alfredo’s “large” horchata is insanely large, movie-theatre large…) All in all I was very happy with my lunch and would return to Don Alfredo’s anytime.

Carnitas Don Alfredo
2501 West Lake Street
Melrose Park IL 60160
(708) 338-0844

4.Los Tres Gallos

I knew of Los Tres Gallos from PIGMON’s mammoth ranking of carne en su jugo spots, in which Los Tres Gallos came out very near the top: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=7322
So of course I needed to check this place out! I forgot my camera that day though, so no pictures, sorry.

I was there for an early lunch on a hot day and was the only customer for most of the time. My bowl of carne en su jugo with all the fixings (now including chiles de arbol) was good, though it seemed to be missing the crisped bacon praised by PIGMON. Also, I think I might have enjoyed it more in colder weather – in the heat of June it was harder to appreciate. I also ordered a licuado de platano: the owner came out to say that he was out of bananas but that he’d get some from the grocery next door. Very kind of him!

By the way, PIGMON, I noticed that they list birria tatemada on their menu. Have you ever tried it there?

Los Tres Gallos
112 N. Broadway
Melrose Park IL 60160
708-344-5413

5. Mi Palenque (Northlake)


I chose Mi Palenque for lunch solely due to its proximity to the fabulous Northlake Public Library, absolutely the best place in the area I’ve found for working. As far as I could tell there was nothing of particular regional interest in what’s listed on the regular menu, though a sign up for barbacoa de borrego on weekends sounds promising. I ordered a torta de cecina and was quite satisfied with it:


Mi Palenque seems to just offer the standards, but based on my torta, they execute the standards quite well. Not a bad spot if you are a few blocks away at the library…

Taqueria Mi Palenque
12 West North Avenue
Northlake IL 60164
(708) 562-6322

6. Pollo Vagabundo – Duranguense


Also in Northlake, though much further away from the library, is Pollo Vagabundo. Rene G had told me about this place when we were chatting over lunch at La Placita de Durango. Antonius was again with me on this day, and since we love the Duranguense food so much at La Placita, we were interested to try Pollo Vagabundo. [photos here by Antonius]

Antonius ordered a burrito of guisado rojo, quite enormous:




I had three tacos: from left to right they are lengua, tinga de pollo, and carne deshebrada.

The deshebrada was my favorite, followed by the lengua.

Both the corn and the flour tortillas are made by hand, and very good. A feature of Pollo Vagabundo is their extensive salsa selection; we picked two each. I had the creamy green salsa and the roasted tomato salsa, while Antonius had habanero and something else I don’t remember.

We enjoyed our lunch quite a bit, though in terms of Duranguense offerings I would without hesitation give the nod to La Placita in Gage Park.

Pollo Vagabundo
101 West Grand Avenue
Northlake, IL 60164
(847) 288-0713
(now open daily, it seems; no longer closed on Wednesdays?)

La Placita de Durango
5141 South Kedzie Avenue [NB: soon to move!]
Chicago, IL 60632
tel: 773.434.3711

7. El Duranguito – Duranguense

There are lots of folks from the Mexican state of Durango in this area: in fact, Stone Park lists Durango as a sister city. El Duranguito has been posted about here for their “hamburgesas estilo Durango”:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8902
Those gloppy things don’t look at all interesting to me, but I did want to try their other offerings. So I spent a day at the Maywood public library (quite good for working, though closed on Fridays) and popped out to this tiny spot for lunch.


I was excited to see that they have several of the items that we love at La Placita de Durango, including gorditas de harina and chicharron prensado.


I ordered a burrito of rajas y queso and one (I thought) gordita de harina with chicharron prensado. But the woman must have misunderstood me and I got two gorditas, which was much too much food for me.


I think I would have enjoyed my lunch here more if I weren’t comparing it to the high bar set by La Placita. The tortillas for the burrito and the gorditas are made in house, but quite thick. By the time I tried to eat some of my second gordita (to be polite…) the thick breadiness was too much. It made me appreciate the delicacy of the tortillas at La Placita all the more. Also, the fillings of the antojitos suffered in comparison to my expectations: the queso of the burrito was just ordinary cheese, rather than requeson; the chicharron prensado there seemed to be just regular pork with some chunks of chicharron mixed in.


In short, I wouldn’t mind eating here again sometime, but I’m in no particular rush to get back.

El Duranguito Taqueria
402 W. Lake Street
Maywood, IL
708.343.4584

8. El Asadero

El Asadero specializes in roast chicken:


But for lunch, I didn’t want a whole or half chicken. Instead I ordered a huarache with chicken.


It was good, I was happy with my lunch, but I wish the chicken used had been some shredded chicken from one of their roast birds, rather than chicken stewed in a tomato-ey sauce. The masa for the huarache was quite good, and they make their own tortillas by hand (as seems to be standard in Melrose Park, which is wonderful).

El Asadero
2328 West Lake Street
Melrose Park IL 60160
(708) 343-8082

9. Guanachapin – Salvadoran




I love pupusas. I don’t get to eat them enough, so I was really excited that there was a Salvadoran place in Melrose Park. I ordered one pupusa with cheese and loroco, and another revueltos (beans, pork, and cheese).


Sadly, I was disappointed in these pupusas – the masa didn’t really taste very corn-y, as if the corn masa had been mixed with something else (rice flour?).

The curtido served alongside was fine:


And I did really like my beverage: frizada [sic] de coco:


It was sweet coconut flavored water over crushed ice. I only wish there had been more of it.

The menu is fairly extensive, with Guatemalan items as well. Maybe they execute some of the other items better, I don’t know.


Guanachapin Restaurant
10400 Fullerton Avenue
Melrose Park IL 60614
(847) 288-0084

10. RC’s Grill
This is perhaps the bleakest-looking food business in the near west suburbs:


Nevertheless, I’ve always been curious about the sign promising Jerezana food (Jerez is a town in Zacatecas state). This summer, they’ve even added a food truck:


So I had to go try it. Inside it is a basic diner with standard breakfast dishes, except for the two Jerez-style items. No Mexicans except for the cashier and (presumably) the unseen cooks. “The Young and the Restless” on TV.

I ordered the torta de lomo:




There’s a couple thin slices of pork, a generous helping of avocado on the bottom, then tomato, onion, and pickled jalapenos on top. It was pretty greasy and … certainly not the worst thing I’ve ever eaten, but with so many other spots to try in Melrose Park I doubt I will ever be back.

RC’s Grill
145 North 25th Avenue
Melrose Park, IL 60160
(708) 865-2800

******************

I have a few more days of lunches next week, and more places I want to try, so I hope to update this thread with more reports.

Excellent and highly useful Melroselogue, Amata - many thanks. LTH turned me on to Rasoi a few years back for bhel puri and I've enjoyed a few visits, though with Rajun Cajun in Hyde Park and regular trips to Devon I'm rarely hankering for Indian (or Pakistani) in the home territory. I do dig Tres Gallos for CESJ and an occasional Pollo Vagabundo (I have definitely had non-homemade tortillas there, so glad to see they're shooting for and claiming for daily now), but need to try your Cuban and Salvadoran finds. If you haven't been to Don Alfredo carnitas in the gas station on Lake Street, you might enjoy it (haven't explored much other than the carnitas tacos, though).

Thanks, Santander.

There is a RC's Grill that just opened in Villa Park on St Charles road. It's 24 hours and never gave me the impression of being anything but a small (as in an old Taco Bell small) american diner.
Fun report from an interesting foodie area. Thanks for sharing!

Amata,

Thanks, for the excellent, detailed reconnaissance . . . and what a great way to make the best of a parental "obligation."

I've been in the Melrose area lately for some work meetings and I'm very grateful to have this scouting report.

=R=

A great resource and close to home to boot!

map

El Duranguito
402 Lake Street, Maywood
(708) 343-4584‎

... was listed on Google Maps as "This place is permanently closed." but calling the number (and in spite of a lack of common language) I have determined it is indeed still open.

I have had their "Hamburguesas estilo Durango" and while good and a novelty, not the best burger in Chicago.

Amy, thanks for the overview of Melrose Park, a place I live near but usually visit only during the most excellent Taste of Melrose. I feel there are probably a lot of little places tucked away in that suburb that are deserving of more attention.

Sam’s Rasoi is now high on my list of places to try.

Yes, Amata, thanks very much. Having recently begun working in the area, I had discovered a few of the places on your list (along with Chunky's diner and it's $7 diner cheeseburger and shake special). Your list has given me a few more options to try.

If I can add a few more places:

El Burrito Amigo
9503 Grand Ave
(between Edgington St & Pearl St)
Franklin Park, IL 60131
(847) 288-0288

I know this is Franklin Park, but it is close to the area and I think they have a good al Pastor, both as a taco and burrito. The steak burrito is good as well.

Taco Fiesta Melrose Park
1016 West Lake Street
Melrose Park, IL 60160-4147
(708) 345-1514

More of a sit down place than El Burrito Amigo, their version of the carne asada is slightly fatty and delicious. They do not use the same cut for the tacos.

Don't forget Dunk Donut, one of my favorites (if not the favorite) places in Melrose Park these days--especially since Come Back Inn and Pollo Regio both left.

FWIW on Pollo Vagabondo, which I love, it pays to call ahead of time to ensure they actually have chickens. I've been there when they don't have any ready, necessitating at least a 45 minute wait.

And on El Duranguito, I like the thickness of the house made tortillas. What limits me there is that I'm not really a fan of mayo, which lubricates their burritos, but without the mayo they are quite on the dry side.

Fun post, Amy! Thanks so much for sharing this info with us. I absolutely love a great round-up post…especially with subject matter that is only periodically mentioned in outlying areas like this which maintain some of the more interesting cheap-eat ethnic restaurants in the Chicago Metropolitan area.

Amata wrote:By the way, PIGMON, I noticed that they list birria tatemada on their menu. Have you ever tried it there?

I've noticed the birria tatemada mentioned on the menu but have proven myself to be a one-trick pony when it comes to Los Tres Gallos. About the only other thing I recall ever trying there is the shrimp cocktel, which was pretty damn marginal. I’ve probably gone back there 8-10 times exclusively to try their Carne en su Jugo and have had varying degrees of success with it. Sometimes the broth is boney rich while others tasted a tad deluded. It’s never poor but certainly can range from good to being one of the top bowls to be gotten anywhere. From my experience, this bowl variation is only matched around town by the CESJ found over at Taco Veloz on Chicago Ave.

If I'm looking to have the best bowl of Carne en su Jugo today, though, I'm definitely heading over to Birrieria de la Torre on Pulaski. I love their natural-tasting broth which is additionally thickened by starches coming from the white beans (Great Northerns?).

Amata wrote:A feature of Pollo Vagabundo is their extensive salsa selection; we picked two each.

Man, you and Antonius either have huge discipline or are far more civilized than I! I’ve never been to Vegabundo and grabbed less a dozen (usually all ) of their 15+ salsas (made from peanuts, avocados, lettuce, numerous types of chiles, etc.). For me, this is the biggest lure for making the excursion out there.

Amata wrote:
7. El Duranguito – Duranguense

I think I would have enjoyed my lunch here more if I weren’t comparing it to the high bar set by La Placita. The tortillas for the burrito and the gorditas are made in house, but quite thick...
It made me appreciate the delicacy of the tortillas at La Placita all the more.

I couldn't agree more with this assessment.


Thanks, again for this highly enjoyable post, Amy.

Thanks, guys, for the nice comments and further tips. VI, we do know (and like!) Dunk Donuts from previous trips to Melrose Park. I keep suggesting it as a stop on the way home to L, along with the Mexican ice cream shop, La Dulce Vida, on Rice where it comes into Lake Street, but his camp apparently takes care of snacking needs right before pick up. By the way there's also a Mexican popsicle/etc place about to open on Lake Street. And a "coming soon" sign for El Pollo Giro, Sinaloa-style pollo al carbon, on Lake Street in the old location of Taqueria La Herradura.

Panther in the Den: wow, your map is great! thanks! I had also noticed that Google had incorrect info for El Duranguito. I think they/someone confused El D with Durango Restaurant, which apparently used to be at 603 Lake in Maywood (nothing there now).

Will, I've been chuckling at the name of Chunky's Diner as I drive past -- if I get the urge for a cheeseburger I'll give them a try.

As Amata noted above, I accompanied her on two of the above outings, namely to La Havana Real and to El Pollo Vagabundo...

I really enjoyed La Havana Real... both of the sandwiches (ropa vieja and bistec) were very tasty and my side order of rice with gandules was first rate. Though I do not claim to be an expert on the subject of Cuban breads, the bread used for the sandwiches struck me as being the best I can remember from among the versions I've encountered at the many Cuban places I've visited in the Chicago area over the years. The fried platanos were fine too, though I'm not especially in love with that dish and in general am happy with just a taste or two. My cup of Cuban coffee to close the meal was, I presume, made with Bustelo and was very good -- just what I needed to pick me up before returning to work in the afternoon. Finally, I should add that I rather liked the space of the restaurant and was happy to see them doing a reasonably good business for a Monday lunch.

Our lunch at El Pollo Vagabundo was also most enjoyable. It's a very basic sort of a Mexican 'fast food' place, with ordering done at the counter and the food delivered to the tables by (I believe) the owner. My burrito was large, quite tasty, and well augmented with a couple of the salsas that I tried from the group of salsas at the salsa bar that the owner indicated to be the hot ones. Of those, I tried the habanero salsa which did not seem all that hot to me but had a good punch and a very nice flavour. I also tried a dark red salsa that I'm fairly certain had as the main ingredient chile de arbol and that one likewise had good punch and flavour. The guisado itself was well done, with good chunks of potatoes alongside the hefty chunks of meat. The burrito included rice and beans and, be forewarned, that (as seems to be the norm for Duranguense burritos), the ends of the burrito are not folded over to close off the filling, and so some spillage is inevitable, esp. with a chunky filling such as I had ordered.

All in all, I must concur with Amata that I really enjoyed the food at the Pollo Vagabundo, would gladly go back but in the end feel that if I have a hankering for Duranguense offerings, my first inclination would be to go to La Placita (link). However, to be sure, if I found myself in the neighbourhood and was in the mood for Mexican fare, I would happily return there.

I would also very much like to return some time to La Havana Real and try some of their other offerings...

Antonius

During my last visit to vagabundo a couple of weeks back they had downgraded the salsa selection to about 8 from 25 odd. Still good but not as wide ranging. I love their chicken soup.... Chock full of calabacita, carrots and whatever veg is in the house with a few fresh tortillas. Yum. More reliable than the roast chicken itself which can suffer from being held toolong if you don't happen to arrive to just the right moment.

Thanks, Amata, for a great roundup of places less visited. I suspect a lot of us (myself included) have never heard of many, much less eaten at more than a few of these.

I'm happy to hear Sam's Rasoi is open. When I visited over a year ago it was locked up tight and I worried it was out of business. I've been looking for good Gujarati food since Village Hut closed. Not long ago I had a surprisingly good Gujarat-style thali at Sukhadia's Sweets (2559 W Devon) that I ought to write about. Can't wait to try Sam's.

I'm a fan of Pollo Vagabundo partly for their impressive salsa bar and freshly made flour tortillas. It's so rare to find tortillas of this quality, especially in large sizes (not that bigger is better, just different). I've enjoyed these giants in quesadillas and in burritos filled with various guisados. Here's a selection from the salsa bar as well as small cups of the day's stews. If you seem particularly indecisive you might be generously offered tasting portions of each guisado.



I've been planning to post more on Pollo Vagabundo, probably in its dedicated thread.

Almost across the road from the Wandering Chicken is Sonny's (11214 W Grand, Melrose Park). I can't recommend the brisket or pulled pork but at least the French fries were excellent. I'm cautiously optimistic about some of their non-barbecue offerings.

I like the modestly-filled burritos at El Duranguito, in large part because of the thick, made-to order flour tortillas. I love the contrast between the crisp, toasty exterior and the fresh, pillowy interior. Here's one stuffed with carne deshebrada, making a tasty snack.



Comparing the Duranguense offerings at Pollo Vagabundo or El Duranguito to La Placita de Durango, there's really no contest—it's La Placita by a landslide. But the other two are certainly worth visiting if you find yourself nearby.

Looking forward to hearing of your next few lunches.

I had luch at Asadero today. It was quite remisicient of the chicken that I had while vacationing on Isla Mujeres a few years back. Quite authentic and quite good.

In response to above comments about RC's Grill on 25th Ave..... I AGREE ---
I would not go there for the Mexican specialties you mentioned that are available at the other locations.

It's probable that RC's simply added those menu items to stay in touch with the changing local population

RC's is the former Arts Grill.. a good old 24 hour grill.... known for their omlettes and still producing very good ones as of the last time I was there (winter 2010). I'm overdue for another visit.

Arts was a stomping for Cabbies and the workers at the now demolished factory that was across he street. I myself have been going there for over 25 years, and I still go there whenever I can for American favorites - burgers, Ham off the bone, etc.. and especially the Omlettes.

For good Mexican food go the other locations mentioned in this post.

But for a good American breakfast, (again as of the last time I was there) I recommend RC's (Arts) Grill.

Will, I'm so glad you went to El Asadero and had a good lunch!

jazzman, thanks so much for the background on RC's Grill and the recommendations. I noticed when I drove by yesterday around 9 am that the parking lot was full -- a good sign indeed.

Unfortunately, during this current week I've had to come back to Chicago during the day and will probably only be lunching out that way on Friday. There are actually quite a few more places that I wanted to try...

Cool! Never been to Sam's Rasoi myself, though Ive heard a lot about it - good to hear more details (and find out that it lives up to billing!)

A younger and totally bilingual guy explained the components of the lunch box to me, providing English names or descriptions for everything. When I asked for the Gujarati names as well he wrote them down. So starting from the bowl and going counterclockwise, there’s “lentil soup”/dal, a potato and cashew fritter/bataka wada, “lentil chip”/ pappar, capsicum and potatoes/aloo merche, eggplant and pigeon peas/toover ringan, and finally a sweet made out of garbanzos/ladoo. On the side were three

Thats probably batata-wada (batata=potato; wada.. well, a dough-fritter of sorts usually, also spelt vada, you can get it at various South-Indian eateries around town.. this is a batata-vada, a fritter made of (mostly) potatoes). The "lentil chip" is probably "papad" - short for pappadum, or poppadoms (hugely popular in India and England). Also, merche is interchangably spelt mirchi, meaning chili/capsicum (thusly Hyderabad House serving "mirchi-ka-salan"=gravy-made-of-chillies).

You can get things like batata-vadas, laddoos etc at places like Sukhadia's on Devon (snack-and-sweet-shops), theyre very popular. There are a few varieties of "laddoos" too.

c8w

9. Guanachapin – Salvadoran
I love pupusas. I don’t get to eat them enough, so I was really excited that there was a Salvadoran place in Melrose Park. I ordered one pupusa with cheese and loroco, and another revueltos (beans, pork, and cheese).


Sadly, I was disappointed in these pupusas – the masa didn’t really taste very corn-y, as if the corn masa had been mixed with something else (rice flour?).

The curtido served alongside was fine:


And I did really like my beverage

FWIW, I didnt care overly much for my pupusas here either... too little filling, IIRC, was my issue. And the masa wasnt great as you say - my best pupusa experiences are way down south at Pupuseria El Salvador down on 106th street... and this really didnt match up.

(I think I got an horchata there, and it was pretty decent too... it also looked like a place that got busier in the evenings for some reason..)

c8w

I was happy to have a chance to try Sam's Rasoi (I feared it had closed). It's good to have another source for Gujarati vegetarian food around here, especially one as good as Sam's.





Our lunch wasn't the same as Amata's, probably reflecting the days' different catering orders. Going clockwise from the top outer edge of the plate, the first three items were the same but everything else was new. Continuing clockwise: simla mirchi, red and green peppers held together with crumbs of besan (chick pea flour) and spices; undia, a stew of potatoes, carrots, broad beans and muthia (small besan dumplings); chole, chick peas in a complex green sauce. We also got a small cube of barfi (center) for dessert as well as rice and paratha.

I enjoyed everything but the simla mirchi was perhaps my favorite. I need to try my hand at this one but I suspect it won't be easy to make a version nearly as good. I was ambivalent about the daal—the sweetest version I ever tasted, though the seasonings were well balanced. I realize that Gujarati cooks often use sugar as another seasoning in some savory dishes but this was near my limit. But such unexpected appearances of sweetness are one of things that make Gujarati food so intriguing.

Sam's Rasoi
"Indian Vegi Delight"
2321 N Mannheim Rd
Melrose Park IL
847-455-8888

... barfi... lol...

I'm sorry I missed the chance to go to Sam's Rasoi when Amata did but hopefully will get there one of these days...

A

Antonius wrote:... barfi... lol...

It's often spelled burfi or burfee but I decided to use Sam's alternate spelling (I realize I wasn't entirely consistent with this).

c8w wrote:

Amata wrote:A younger and totally bilingual guy explained the components of the lunch box to me, providing English names or descriptions for everything. When I asked for the Gujarati names as well he wrote them down. So starting from the bowl and going counterclockwise, there’s “lentil soup”/dal, a potato and cashew fritter/bataka wada, “lentil chip”/ pappar, capsicum and potatoes/aloo merche, eggplant and pigeon peas/toover ringan, and finally a sweet made out of garbanzos/ladoo.

Thats probably batata-wada (batata=potato; wada.. well, a dough-fritter of sorts usually, also spelt vada, you can get it at various South-Indian eateries around town.. this is a batata-vada, a fritter made of (mostly) potatoes).

Sam's Rasoi chooses to spell it bataka-wada as you can see from this old photo of their window (upper left).



If you look at Amata's recent picture in the original post you'll see that one sign is missing. Too many complaints from Indian spelling purists?

Here's an interior view of the bataka-wada (with barfi in the background). Very tasty, whatever you call it.

After reading Amata's post above, I was highly enticed to check out Sam's Rasoi, a place that ReneG had spotted on a drive-by several months ago but thought looked permenantly closed. It took Peter about 3 microseconds to decide whether he wanted to accompany me for lunch there the other day when asked.

I know almost nothing about Gujarati cuisine (only previous experience being the now-deceased Village Hut in Glendale) but I do know that vegetarian dishes from the Subcontinent, no matter what Indo-Pak restaurant I may be eating at are almost always my favorite dishes of the meal.
Sam’s thali lunch (the one described by ReneG above) really put a smile on my face. Simple fare, yes, but it really satisfied some serious primordial yens. I thoroughly enjoyed each item on this plate.

It’s definitely a hole-in-the-wall but don’t let that distract you from its serious potential.

If Sam’s was located anywhere near my house, I’d likely be going there at least once a week.

PIGMON wrote:If Sam’s was located anywhere near my house, I’d likely be going there at least once a week.

For Gujarati vegetarian food within the city confines, don't overlook Sukhadia's. I always thought of it as a sweet shop (which it is) but they make a variety of very good vegetarian dishes also. Every day they offer two Gujarati-style thalis, mostly different though with some overlap. I'd probably give the nod to Sam's but it's not a clear-cut decision. The variety at Sukhadia's is a major plus (the pickle and chutney are important). Here are two of their thalis from a few months ago.





Sukhadia's Sweets & Snacks
2559 W Devon Av
Chicago
773-338-5400

Seth thanks for checking these places out, I remember asking about both Sam's and Guanachapin a while back, when i was visiting the area regularly for my son's indoor soccer league. There's also a pretty nice islas marias in the area on North.

Rene, as far as Sukhadia's is concerned I think two items I like best there (more so than the sweets) are their chole/channa either with puri or in samosa chaat, and their stuffed paranthas - even though these aren't going to make me forget my paternal grandmother's, they are pretty good for devon

FWIW, Los Comales has gotten raves from some of my coworkers for tacos with lost of meat choices including tripe, tongue and brain.

It sounds like it is well worth a lunch trip one day.

2110 W. Lake St.
Melrose Park, IL 60160
(708) 345-8500
http://www.loscomalesmelrose.com

YourPalWill wrote:FWIW, Los Comales has gotten raves from some of my coworkers for tacos with lost of meat choices including tripe, tongue and brain.

Wow, they have liver and onions tacos! Right next to Dunk Donuts too!

YourPalWill wrote:FWIW, Los Comales has gotten raves from some of my coworkers for tacos with lost of meat choices including tripe, tongue and brain.

It sounds like it is well worth a lunch trip one day.

2110 W. Lake St.
Melrose Park, IL 60160
(708) 345-8500
http://www.loscomalesmelrose.com

Heck! The area is worthy of a 'Crawl'.