Chicago Diplomat Cafe

My wife and tried the Chicago Diplomat Cafe, a new Georgian/Persian place on Chicago's North Side near Lincoln near Belmont. It was a mixed bag....

Decor has a pleasant color scheme of white and blue, with nice fixtures and tables. The brown, clubby chairs are a bit out of place, but I understand the costs involved in filling a restaurant. We walked into a nearly empty space at 6:30pm on a Wednesday. An older woman greeted us, but struggled to figure out where to seat us in the sea of empty tables. It was awkward. She appears to be a relative who does not actually do anything there. (I asked her for something later on, and she rolled me back to our waitress.) Our waitress was very friendly, and she carefully walked us through her menu recommendations. However, she only had 4 tables all night when we were there, and she was missing in action for long stretches of time.

The food sounded a lot better than it was. We got the chicken kebobs (Mtsvadi), which had tender white meat but minimal flavor (despite the complex marinade listed on the menu); no sear or char at all on the meat (may have been made in advance and reheated); and an OK hot sauce for dipping. Not bad, not great. Certainly not the "King's Dish" claimed on the menu. The Georgian fries were basic potato wedges that came out limp and pale. I asked for them to be crisped up, which caused me to be scolded for not asking for them to be crisp initially. (I usually do not specify "non-flobbery" for my fried spuds when I order.) They came back browned and tasty, but were still basic taters.

The hot mixed veggie dish (Ajabsandali) was a basic, one-note rendition of cooked, soft veg with some light spices. Probably better to be shared with a large group than eaten as an entree.

The star of the show was a puff pastry stuffed with cheese (Penovani Khachapuri). Simple, delicious, and filling. Unfortunately, this dish took way longer than the others and came out when we were nearly finished. Order this one right away.

One service issue marred our evening. The only other table when we arrived was a group of regulars with an astonishing ill-behaved young girl. The girl ran all over the restaurant shouting at the top of her lungs, stood on her chair, ran up to the other tables, banged chairs and tables, etc. This continued during our entire stay. The staff did nothing to stop her and joked that "she runs the place." Not cool.

I now can say I have had Georgian food, but I cannot recommend and will not be back.

Chicago Diplomat Cafe
3134 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60657

spinonejay wrote: The only other table when we arrived was a group of regulars with an astonishing ill-behaved young girl. The girl ran all over the restaurant shouting at the top of her lungs, stood on her chair, ran up to the other tables, banged chairs and tables, etc. This continued during our entire stay. The staff did nothing to stop her and joked that "she runs the place." Not cool.

Maybe she was the "Diplomat"

Heh heh. Yes, she might be departing for a job in DC soon!!

I had a couple of meals here recently and thought it was all fine. We made our way through pretty much all the Georgian offerings. Some were enjoyable, like a couple of cold eggplant preps - Pkhali and Badrijani Nigvzit. Chashushuli Soko, mushrooms sauteed in wine with caramelized onions, garlic and herbs, was also tasty. Chkmeruli, chicken in garlic cream sauce, was very good. Chakapuli, a lamb stew with herbs and such was tasty, even though it was a pretty small portion for $17. I also liked the Lobio Stew, which is basically some baked pinto beans served with pickles and hot peppers.

A few other dishes didn't rate as highly. We tried some of the different Khachapuri that are offered. The Ajaruli was fun, with a runny egg in the center that we stirred into a thick emulsion before divvying the dish up. But the bread component left a bit to be desired. Even though it was served piping hot, it was tough, dense and hard. Ditto for the other Khachapuri we ordered. The bread let us down. Mtsvadi Lamb, aka "The King's Dish" in ancient Georgia, featured grilled chunks of lamb that were pretty darned dry and lifeless. Khinkali, meat-filled dumplings that resembled steroidal Xiao Long Bao, had a tasty filling but the wrappers were very thick, dense and chewy. I've never had these before and they very well may have been textbook but in any case, I was not a fan. Chicken Tabaka was a somewhat overcooked (pan-fried) and bland spatchcocked bird for which we were charged $25. It was served with 3 sauces on the side (blackberry, creamy garlic and tkemali) that were all more interesting than the chicken itself

CDC vibes like a place where the clientele is comprised mostly of regulars, a few food-curious sorts and an occasional wander-inner. It seemed a bit misplaced on this fairly yuppified stretch of Lincoln Avenue but what do I know. Service was welcoming, super friendly and helpful. Our server provided great information about many of the dishes on the menu, what to expect of them and even how they are customarily eaten. And the byo aspect is nice, as well. The soundtrack was very strange . . . muzak-like piano-forward instrumentals of many fairly recognizable tunes. If you handle the byo right, you might even feel like breaking into song.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Khinkali, meat-filled dumplings that resembled steroidal Xiao Long Bao, had a tasty filling but the wrappers were very thick, dense and chewy. I've never had these before and they very well may have been textbook but in any case, I was not a fan.

FYI, you are not supposed to eat the tops -- they act as handles by which to hold the dumplings and are discarded after the khinkali proper are consumed, being too thick and undercooked to eat.

cilantro wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Khinkali, meat-filled dumplings that resembled steroidal Xiao Long Bao, had a tasty filling but the wrappers were very thick, dense and chewy. I've never had these before and they very well may have been textbook but in any case, I was not a fan.

FYI, you are not supposed to eat the tops -- they act as handles by which to hold the dumplings and are discarded after the khinkali proper are consumed, being too thick and undercooked to eat.

Yep, we'd been informed of that, and to season them liberally with black pepper, by our server. Even the pouches themselves were pretty leathery.

=R=

Well, that's the kind of disappointment that would make me scream at the top of my lungs, stand up on my chair, run around banging on all the tables, etc.

Georgian food is really good... if you eat it in Georgia. And real Georgian bread (I mean shoti/puri) could be as good or even better in Chicago.

But this food is so bland and not interesting at all. Oh well. Disaster.
Somehow I feel everyone here would love kharcho, shashlyk, chebureki and Russian style layer cakes, pickled veggies, in-house made pelmeni/vareniki/etc dumplings. Like what else people could possibly need, especially if price is realistic (like 3 or 4 x food cost or so). Am I right?

HI,

I would like to be wrong, all the Russian style layer cakes seem to come from New York. Is anyone making them here?

My favorite from Moscow was called, "Ideal." I have reverse engineered it for my tastes.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

I would like to be wrong, all the Russian style layer cakes seem to come from New York. Is anyone making them here?

My favorite from Moscow was called, "Ideal." I have reverse engineered it for my tastes.

Regards,
Cathy2

Fresh Farms on Touhy makes them in house, I think.

We ate here recently and thought the food was okay, nothing special (the lobio was our favorite, and as others have mentioned, the bread of the khachapuri a disappointment). The part that was most frustrating was that we ordered the khinkali and were warned it would take a while (45-50 minutes). With that information, we said that we didn't want them. Then we ordered the Chicken Tabaka and a few other dishes. We got everything else and then sat and sat and sat waiting for the chicken. It took over 90 minutes! When we inquired, our server said it takes a while as they bake it to be sure it's cooked through. But 90 minutes??? No warning was given when we ordered and we clearly didn't want to hang around for long or we would have ordered the khinkali. We ended up asking for it to go. We were in the restaurant for 2 hours. So don't go if you're looking for a quick meal.

Not sure is it some hidden criminal setup or plain stupidity, but here are some links about the place:
Facebook page link below with owner's picture @ the top right corner:
https://www.facebook.com/chicagodiploma ... S_TIMELINE

Reader - Sula's recent article, pretty weird stuff:
https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/c ... d=26536838

Oksana Douglas (not Douglas per Sula... not anymore) is listed as the owner of this restaurant below:
http://www.doostanrestaurant.com/OurLocation.aspx

Incidentally, the address listed right above is the actual location of Turkish Cuisine, which moved from Edgewater not long ago. As you may know chef is Turkish guy married Russian or Georgian woman.

LTH may need to do some more investigation at this point. Could it be they set up some diplomat with "the dough" to open this new store and then, you know, get rid of him? You decide, but whole thing looks pretty weird at the least.

On related khinkali and chicken tabaka subject.
Khinkali is a comfort food served in small bakeries/cafes all over Georgia and related countries. Kind of like pelmeni is served in Ukraine or Russia - cheap comfort food that goes down well with the beer. Or call it hangover meal. Throw frozen khinkali in rapidly boiling salty water for 15-20 minutes and make sure they do not stick to the bottom of the pot.

Tabaka is not baked as mentioned. It is cooked on the grill or pan and looks like a flattened young chicken covered with adjika paste (without tomatoes), even better with the brick or stone above it. Served with local sauces like sacebeli, tkemali, etc. Very very very tasty(as our president would say ), but takes time and serious effort.

Lenny007 wrote:Not sure is it some hidden criminal setup or plain stupidity, but here are some links about the place:
Facebook page link below with owner's picture @ the top right corner:
https://www.facebook.com/chicagodiploma ... S_TIMELINE

Reader - Sula's recent article, pretty weird stuff:
https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/c ... d=26536838

Oksana Douglas (not Douglas per Sula... not anymore) is listed as the owner of this restaurant below:
http://www.doostanrestaurant.com/OurLocation.aspx

Incidentally, the address listed right above is the actual location of Turkish Cuisine, which moved from Edgewater not long ago. As you may know chef is Turkish guy married Russian or Georgian woman.

LTH may need to do some more investigation at this point. Could it be they set up some diplomat with "the dough" to open this new store and then, you know, get rid of him? You decide, but whole thing looks pretty weird at the least.

On related khinkali and chicken tabaka subject.
Khinkali is a comfort food served in small bakeries/cafes all over Georgia and related countries. Kind of like pelmeni is served in Ukraine or Russia - cheap comfort food that goes down well with the beer. Or call it hangover meal. Throw frozen khinkali in rapidly boiling salty water for 15-20 minutes and make sure they do not stick to the bottom of the pot.

Tabaka is not baked as mentioned. It is cooked on the grill or pan and looks like a flattened young chicken covered with adjika paste (without tomatoes), even better with the brick or stone above it. Served with local sauces like sacebeli, tkemali, etc. Very very very tasty(as our president would say ), but takes time and serious effort.

You need to click on photos at Facebook page to see the owner - perhaps, you know her

Lenny007 wrote:LTH may need to do some more investigation at this point.

Why?

=R=

Spotted today on the street:

stevez wrote:Spotted today on the street:

I demand an investigation! (just kidding around Lenny)

=R=

Looks like SteveZ has surveillance set up at the SE corner of Bryn Mawr CC! Haha

ronnie_suburban wrote:

stevez wrote:Spotted today on the street:

I demand an investigation! (just kidding around Lenny)

=R=

Have couple more drinks and relax already. Maybe check your blood pressure. Looks like people are investigating already.

Lenny007 wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

stevez wrote:Spotted today on the street:

I demand an investigation! (just kidding around Lenny)

=R=

Have couple more drinks and relax already. Maybe check your blood pressure. Looks like people are investigating already.

I tailed her for a good 10 miles, but when she released the smoke grenades from her tail lights, I lost her in the confusion.

I tailed her for a good 10 miles, but when she released the smoke grenades from her tail lights, I lost her in the confusion. [/quote]

Fake pictures, smoke grenades, Russians are coming... It has to be real long time confusion developed by inhaling that "true" BBQ smoke.

Lenny007 wrote:
Fake pictures, smoke grenades, Russians are coming... It has to be real long time confusion developed by inhaling that "true" BBQ smoke.

I assure you, that picture is real. The rest...you can choose to believe it if you wish. As for inhaling, well, I'm no Bill Clinton.

11 of us dined at Diplomat Cafe yesterday for lunch.

ronnie_suburban wrote: Some were enjoyable, like a couple of cold eggplant preps - Pkhali and Badrijani Nigvzit.

Our group really enjoyed the Badrijani Nigvzit, thin strips of roasted eggplant wrapped around walnut garlic paste, finished with some pomegranate.

The pickled veggies were delicious, especially the tomato.

The lamb stew Chakapuli, had a very pronounced lamb flavor which I & some others enjoyed but I'd say stay clear if one is just so-so with lamb. The stew did have a good amount of fat which had some been strained off would have elevated this dish.

Our group only ordered the Penovani Khachapuri (cheese). It was tasty but not a highlight.

Mtsvadi beef was ok, like spinonejay mentions, no real char and lacking spice.

We tried both the meat and the mushroom versions of khinkali, the meat version was very meh, the mushroom version was heaven, tons of flavor.

Chicken Tabaka was cooked nicely (crisp skin & juicy meat), nicely spiced, didn't come with any blackberry sauce and the "creamy" garlic I really wouldn't call creamy but whoa boy is sure garlicky. I personally enjoyed a bit of the garlic with the nice chili heat sauce on the chicken.

Lamb chops were quite good.

Restaurant is still BYOB, one of the group brought some bottles of red Georgian wine that are purported to be Stalin's favorite. Wine was certainly sweet.

Can't say I'm going to rush back but as the weather gets colder, I'll be back to try more.