Eagle Bulgarian Restaurant

Today business took wife #1 & myself to the "Land Beyond O'Hare." After finishing our business we were looking for a place for lunch when we ran across Eagle Restaurant on a quiet stretch of Oakton just west of Elmhurst Road. The sign said Bulgarian American food. That was different, so we went in.

The building looks like a chain restaurant. Inside it looked like the Denny's it supposedly once was except for an open area (perhaps a dance floor in the evening) near the entrance. You walk across the open area to the cashier / food display to order and pay. Your food will be brought to you.

Everything was clean. Techno music played in the background. It's a family operation and everyone is friendly and helpful.

The food is listed on a board with Bulgarian specials illustrated. Wife #1 ordered the schnitzel. I don't know how Bulgarian that is, but she's a great fan of the dish. I ordered lentil soup to start and the kebapcheta (sausage) plate. The menu is a meat-heavy selection with kabobs, meatballs, chops, etc. But there also are fish and salad dishes.

All the Bulgarian dishes are under ten dollars.

The soup soon came out. My lentil was a good rendition slightly different in flavor from the usual at American restaurants. I couldn't quite figure the difference in spicing but it was enjoyable. My wife was comped with a small cup of chicken noodle soup which was slightly milky and had a pleasant light flavor.

A basket of crusty bread came with the soups.

My kebapcheta was a mild, finely ground sausage. There were two large pieces plus sides. While the sausage was good the sides were the best part. There was a salad of fresh tomatoes, cucumber, onions and parsley. Instead of the usual fries, we each ordered the potato salad which was excellent. It included onions, parsley and a light oil & vinegar dressing. It was as good as any potato salad I've had.

The wife's schnitzel was done right -- nice and crisp but not in the least greasy.

Servings were generous and we both had leftovers for lunch tomorrow. The server asked if we'd like to take the extra bread home, and then got a bag for the bread also.

It was apparent that a number of the other customers were eastern European. There was an intense conversation near us in a Slavic language. We assume it was political as we heard "Obama" or "New York, Illinois, California." Wish I understood what they were saying.

In short, this is a good local restaurant that offers excellent value and something different from the usual. If we lived nearby we'd be regulars.

The only post I found on LTH about Eagle was: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=31450&p=377245&hilit=eagle+bulgarian#p377245 in Openings, Closings, Comings & Goings, and I thought it was worth mentioning in its own thread.

Eagle Restaurant
851 W Oakton Street
Des Plaines, IL 60018
847-439-5600
http://www.aeaglesvk.com/

George R wrote:...My kebapcheta was a mild, finely ground sausage...

Holy linguistics, Batman!
I think you just found the link between cevapcici and kabob! I'd never put those two together, but it's obvious now.

Cool. Looks fun. Must be part of the community around there, as I noted in the Boston Seafood thread, there's also a very nice Bulgarian deli and market nearby:

Malincho Euro Market and Deli
1475 Lee
Des Plaines
www.malincho.com
847.298.3333

Also "Balkan Taste" at Oakton and Elmhurst due to open shortly.