Why venture to Central Street (If you happen to live in Evanston, IL.) for your weekend BYO plans? For a little-known Thai restaurant that serves gingery tilapia and lets you tipple in peace. At Thai Pinto, it’s offbeat dishes that shine: the soft shell crab, the whole fish or the cheap and generous sushi rolls. And, of course, it’s BYOtastic.

In daytime, light streams into floor-to-ceiling windows, warming the white-walled, 20-seat restaurant with a happy charm. The atmosphere is friendly, the service not oppressive. It’s a perfect lunch spot, ideal for a serene date with a good book.

My first visit was a business meeting of sorts. Over edamame and a steaming plate of crab-eggplant curry, we discussed matters of grave importance, like New York’s latest fashions and the best way to cure a hangover (something I would come to need after my second visit).

I tend to avoid soft shell crab. Something about the texture (or the taste) of eating shell soft enough to bite through rubs me the wrong way. I’m no convert, but this might have been the best soft shell crab I have ever had. The crustacean’s golden flour crust stayed crispy on top. It soon began to soak up the delicate curry sauce on the bottom of the plate, creating a wonderful ménage à trois of texture: crunchy, succulent and smooth. The best part? The eggplant had been generously snuck all around the crab. It should have been cooked just a bit longer, to remove more of the vegetable’s natural starchiness, but the taste meshed well with the brininess of the dish.

(These are Thai eggplants! YUM)

It would be a shame and a travesty to visit a BYO restaurant and not participate in the BYO-ness of the place. In this spirit, I hauled three friends up to Central Street in the middle of a torrential rainstorm to eat some dinner and do a little sipping. Ok, a lot of sipping.

“So you would like wine glasses as well?” our emotionless waiter asked when he spied the three bottles of wine we’d brought for our four person meal. (Yes, yes we would.) The rain poured down. We were not leaving anytime soon. As we were the only guests—it was a Monday night—the nearly silent staff didn’t seem to mind. So eat and drink we did.

Four is the perfect number for dinner. It lets you explore the menu. Unlike most Thai or pan-Asian restaurants in Evanston, Thai Pinto offers sushi. The unagi roll we sampled was an eight-piece log of freshwater eel. Now, you can get much better sushi in Evanston. But Pinto’s trumps what you can get at Norris or Whole Foods, and rivals Sashimi Sashimi.

It has more variety, better ingredients and gutsier options than the usual suspects (I’m looking at you, Cozy) in Evanston.

We’d mowed through our bottle of white with the eel. Which was fine: these girls are red wine drinkers, not a bad choice for spicy food. A light Pinot Noir cuts the spice, calming the tongue. The first bottle gone, my compatriot Sara looked around the table warily and asked, “Family-style, right? I don’t know why you would come to a Thai place and not order family-style.”

I couldn’t agree more. That’s the beauty of Thai: it’s almost always shareable. Order envy? Never. We selected three entrees: coconut chicken, pepper beef and ginger tilapia.

The more we diverged from routine choices, the happier we were. The light tilapia paired well with the fresh ginger, which had been sliced into thin strips and woven in and out of a mix of snow peas, baby corn and big hunks of red pepper. A few mushroom caps were scattered about, surprising in the light dish, but their warm, earthy flavor complemented the sharpness of the ginger.

I’m under doctor’s orders not to eat coconut, but I gave the coconut curry chicken a go anyway. Not worth it. Good flavor, not too rich nor thick, but the chicken was bland. And the noodle extravangza—egg noodle in the Khao Soy curry broth and crispy noodles on top—was overkill. Three bites in and I was gastronomically bored. (Also, a little visually grossed out by the noodles.)

It got more disappointing from there. The peppered beef, which did venture away from the usual vegetable pattern with lots of cabbage and asparagus (its only redeeming qualities) was utterly unsurprising. I shouldn’t have been surprised, I suppose. This matched the pattern of my first meal: The soft shell crab had surprised, and the second dish, the Thai standard mysteriously called spicy basil, had fallen flat.

After four years repeatedly trying everything Thai in Evanston—including the old standards—I remain amazed that the most basic dishes don’t blow my mind. They should! A good pad see ewe should rock like a Bobb-McCulloch bed on Mondays and the spicy basil should be really, really spicy.

On that sour note, if your tongue is tempted to step out of your Thai box, do it at Pinto. It has more variety, better ingredients and gutsier options than the usual suspects (I’m looking at you, Cozy) in Evanston.

Dishes to dive into: Softshell Crab, Curry, Tilapia, what the owner suggests when you ask him for a strange recommendation. He knows.

Avoid like MSG in the 1980’s: salt and pepper calamari, mixed vegetable stir fry (boring), cucumber salad (sweet like candy, in a one-dimensional way)

What to drink: If you like red, a light Pinot Noir will go well with the spicy flavor and won’t knock your taste buds out of your head with tannins. If you like white, you can’t go wrong with a bottle from French Alsace or its neighbor, Germany.

But you know what goes really well with Thai food and Asian cuisine in general? Beer. Pilsner. Go nuts.

Pinto Thai Kitchen

1931 Central Street
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 333-2976

Hours

Monday-Friday: 11:30—9:30
Saturday-Sunday: Noon—9:30

Kibbeh, Baba ganoush, Ta’amiya and serious jet lag. About a week ago, I arrived back in Chicago after a truly humbling trip to Egypt.  The pyramids– they are just so old, and big and…awe-inspiring. And of course, as is my wont, I was basically adopted into a bread maker’s family, I ate strange foods and risked my stomach eating street foods in Cairo.

Although it is known more for its ——->

than its food, Egyptian cuisine is along the lines of what we think of as Middle Eastern or Mediterranean food: a lot of tahini, eggplant, falafel and lamb.  But never having spent time in a Middle Eastern country, I was pretty excited to get to the source

For me, the best part of fertile crescent dining is a tradition called Mezze (meze), or small plates that are eaten before the main meal.  Many times a half dozen mezze (hot and cold) are enough to constitute the main course.  Stuffed grape leaves with rice and lamb, pickled aubergine (delicious marinated eggplant with herbs) falafel, ful medamme and kobeba were among the favorites.

Depending which country you visit, kobeba is also known as kibbeh or kobeiba.  It is essentially a fried meatball made with ground lamb kneaded with soft bulgur and onion, and seasoned with pinches of cinnamon, cumin, and allspice. At the center of each torpedo shaped croquette hides two or three pine nuts like little treats for the eater. These were dynamite with a light baba ganoush or tahini.  For my readers in Evanston, go try the Kibbeh at Olive Mountain, $2.25 for two large pieces.

Wandering around the Islamic section of Cairo, near the tent maker’s souk, among small mosques and a few herds of sheep, the smell of ful medamme was ubiquitous.  No matter the environment– next to the sheep, or beside the fez maker’s shop, small stands with pots of the brown fava beans bubbled away wherever we walked.   Often considered commoner food, and eaten for breakfast with Egyptian bread (Aish Baladi), ful is a staple of Egyptian diets. It is made with slow cooked favas, onion, garlic and seasoned with olive oil and parsley.  Like kobeba, ful is also often served as a mezze.

Another favorite small plate was ta’amiya or the Egyptian riff on falafel. This version includes some dill as well as the more traditional parsley. It varies quite a bit from place to place, everyone has their own special version.  Sometimes it was more starchy and breadlike, heavy on the dried favas or more juicy with the delicious, deep fried crust containing a light green center. I ate ate this off the street warped in warm bread with onions and tahini as well as in restaurants with “fancy” dipping sauces.  It was definately my favorite sidewalk snack.   Though I did like the guy cooking that asked me “you know liver?” Yeah I know liver! “You know brains” Yeah I know brains!  That was a strange bit of meat that I tasted after this encounter…..still not entirely sure what I ate.

Throughout my wanderings in Egypt and Cairo in particular, I was reading Naguib Mahfouz’s novel Cairo Modern.  His vivid picture of the capital city in the 1930s gave me pause to think of the massive change that Cairo has seen: it’s population now reaches 20 million and the pyramids are surrounded by the expanding suburb of Giza, but on the other hand, bakers still fly past on their bikes during lunch time with huge pans of Aish Baladi (pita) balanced on their heads and donkeys still wander the streets but now among men in business suits. Not to mention it all started about 5000 years ago with the Nile, the Narmer Palatte and some mummies.

I love a restaurant where I can draw on the tablecloth. Even better if the crayons (and toy dinosaurs!) are provided for me. And so it was last Saturday while I dined on casual Greek and American fare at Cross Rhodes, a family-filled bistro near the intersection of Chicago and Main. The south Evanston spot draws an eclectic crowd—from big Evanston families with well dressed kids, to young Rogers Park couples coming for the cheap wine and good food. And far too few Northwestern students.

The fare at Cross Rhodes is exactly what its name implies: cuisine at the intersection of taverna Greek and fast-food American taste. It’s all comfort here: kebabs, pita, and gyros alongside burgers, fries and chicken sandwiches. As Evanston’s only Greek restaurant, it’s a shame that NU kids only know Cross Rhodes as a burger joint. Not that they shouldn’t—the restaurant does serve damn good charburger.

Just $5.75 gets you a half-pound of balanced burger meat, with just enough fat to make it juicy and flavorful. For a few meager quarters, I dressed my burger with two thin slabs of feta. Greek feta has a addictively tangy quality and loud personality that compliments the thickly charred meat perfectly. The thick cut French fries were finished “Greek style” with a white wine sauce and plenty of aromatic oregano. On my first visit, I was one happy 22-year-old kid: crayons, red meat and a $2.50 Miller Lite.

When I go out, I tend to choose companions with big appetites and hearty laughs. We needed the latter when my taramousalata arrived: described as “a Greek caviar spread,” I expected something inky and briny. I didn’t recognize what I got: a bright pink ice cream scoop of fish mousse. Whipped fish, in this case combining lemon juice, olive oil, and breadcrumbs, is a cruel mistress and must be handled with care.

Taramousalata comes from two Greek words, taramos, meaning salt-cured cod eggs, and salata, meaning salad. It is commonly featured in Greek homes and restaurants with raw vegetables or warmed bread. It wasn’t bad, but the olive oil and bread masked any real roe flavor, and its mouth-coating texture sent me searching for pita. Thankfully, piping-hot flatbread sat beside it in copious piles.

Cross Rhodes’ real strength is its meats. The traditional kebabs called souvlaki can be ordered with pork or chicken. Both are good. The exterior of the meat arrives gently seared, creating a crust of herbs that keeps the interior moist and flavorful. I opted for the sandwich version, which is served wrapped in pita and dressed with tomatoes, onions and a Greek yogurt sauce called tzatziki. The roast Greek half chicken is also tasty and might be the best roast chicken I’ve had in Evanston. With the Greek rice along side, this dish is the culinary version of mom tucking you into bed at night when you are little. Talk about comfort food. Unfortunately, the gyros are tough nuggets of ground meat instead of actual pieces of steak.

When sampling a new place, I like to visit twice. The second time I dined at Cross Rhodes, I arrived for a late dinner with the owner of Vinic Wine Company on Chicago Ave. I love it when the wine decision isn’t up to me. My sommelier friend chose a Roditis rosé to complement our spanakopita appetizer, as well as any meat dish the kitchen would throw our way. Roditis is what the Greeks drink in Greece; it’s light, crisp and not at all saccharine. This is no Franzia Sunset Blush (I’m a Franz Chardonnay girl myself). While we sipped our wine, a table of old working men in dirty overalls took shots of some strong, clear alcohol from water glasses. The restaurant owner poured himself a glass too.

My spanakopita starter was lovely. But how can you go wrong with buttery yet airy phyllo dough enveloping slow-cooked spinach? You simply can’t. The spinach-to-feta proportion was a perfect balance of tart, creamy and earthy. I was much less impressed with my moussaka. Moussaka is a generic name for a Mediterranean dish that combines meat, vegetables and a full-bodied tomato sauce in a baking dish. Traditionally topped with béchamel sauce, it’s essentially Greek lasagna, sans pasta. For the Greeks, lamb and eggplant are the stars. Cross Rhodes uses spiced beef instead of lamb and ups the cheesiness to tempt the American palate. They also offer a vegetarian form with zucchini, potato, and eggplant. The egg custard topping on both versions was little rich for me; half-a-dozen bites and I was all done.

The meal ended pleasantly tipsy and chewing on baklava…opa! This is the way any Greek meal should be. The flavor of honey and walnuts still lingering, I returned my crayons. Throughout my visits, I was impressed by the hospitality, the homey atmosphere, but not particularly by the food. Considering the bargain, I might venture back. I will order one spanakopita, one bottle of Roditis ($11 dollars) and the Greek half chicken. It’s fun, it’s cheap, and it’s decent food. And you get to play with dinosaur toys, if you’re feeling so inclined.

Down and Dirty Details

Cross Rhodes
913 Chicago Ave. • Evanston, IL 60202
Telephone (847) 475 4475
http://www.crossrhodes.biz/

Hours
Mon-Sat: 11:30 a.m.—10:00 p.m.
Sun: 4:00-9:00 p.m.

Gotta Try: charburger with feta, spanikopita, Greek half chicken with rice, and pita, pita, pita

Meh, lets skip it: taramoussalata, king size gyros (just the same everywhere else), mousakka

Booze? limited beer and wine list, but very cheap at that!

FYI: cash only

I literally had to use both arms, up to the elbow, to mix the orzo and roasted vegetable pasta that I made last weekend. 4 lbs pasta, 2 lbs Bulgarian feta, 14 bell peppers, 7 zucchini and 5 onions. I could have fed Canadian army with this big bowl of pasta. But instead, I fed artists.

On Saturday night the Walker Art Center’s hosted a discussion with cinematographer/filmmaker Ellen Kuras, whose impressive body of work ranges from documentaries to dramas and even reaches into the commercial world with her recent target ad. Some of her most recognizable films include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Swoon, and the academy award nominated film, Betrayal.

After much talking, it was time for much eating.  This arts-oriented Minneapolitans needs to eat (and eat well) so after the event,  Chez Barczak hosted a truly scrumptious reception, catered by yours truly.

It was a tasty success. For nibblies we had almonds, pistachios and olives from Bill’s Imported Foods, one of the best spots for weird international fare in town. Shopping for this meal was very possibly the best part. From Coastal Sea Food (where I fall in love with a new fish monger every time) we purchased a beautiful smoked salmon fillet and 5lbs of Texas brown shrimp. I love Coastal, they are dedicated to quality, taste and sustainability, and of course they are never without that lovely fishy smell brings me back time and time again.  Not to mention the studs handling my halibut steaks.

On top of the thinly sliced salmon sat a few handfuls of arugula dressed with a light olive oil and white balsamic vinaigrette. The combination of deep, aquatic orange and bright green looked stunning on a simple peasant breadboard. I also make herbed goat cheese sandwiches with cucumbers on grainy bread. The combination of the salmon and sandwiches was like a little piece of Irish whimsy in my mouth.  God this was fun to do!

The shrimp were treated to a homemade cocktail sauce with plenty of horseradish and lemon juice. It is really worth making your own sauce if you have time and are so inclined. Everyone’s proportions differ but this is a rough estimate of what I did

Homemade Cocktail Sauce

1- 1.5 cups ketchup
3 tablespoons bottled horseradish
juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon Worchester sauce
salt and black pepper to taste

Mix and enjoy…

For the more meat centered folk, 6 lbs of pork tenderloin with cumin and coriander spice rub hit the spot with good grainy mustard and a big scoop of orzo on the side. Far and away the orzo was the most labor intensive, but only because there was SO much. I’ve toned down the proportions for this recipe. I have made this several social gatherings; it works at any size, and any level of formality.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

1 green zucchini cut length-wise and into half moons
1 red bell, 1 inch diced
1 orange bell pepper, 1 inch dice
1 small red onion diced in ½ pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ pounds orzo
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup basil, julienned
1/3 cup Italian parsley chopped
½ - ¾ pounds good, crisp feta
4 scallions, white and light green parts chopped.

Preheat oven to 425º. Toss all the vegetables with the garlic, olive oil, salt and spread on a baking pan with sides. Roast for 35 minutes. If you are using two pans, make sure to switch their location in the oven halfway through the cooking time to roast evenly.

Meanwhile, get a big pot of water boiling, toss in a teaspoon of salt and a dash of olive oil. Add the pasta and cook per the instruction on the box. It is usually between seven and nine minutes, then drain.

When the vegetables are done, and slightly cooled, add them and all their delicious juices to the orzo. This should provide enough olive oil to loosen the pasta and start to create the dressing.

Squeeze lemon juice over the pasta and toss to combine. Add herbs, scallions, feta and freshly ground pepper. Taste, check the flavors, and then eat it all!

The dessert of Port, pears and Stilton was to the Minneapolis arts crowd as a birthday cake is to little kids—a special event. I had never had the combo myself, but I will now seek it out with a homing device. The  complexities in the sweetness of the port are complimented and intensified by the Stilton, a fragrant British blue cheese. With four different kinds of pears and walnut-dried fruit bread from Rustica Bakery, this was the perfect meal closer. Ok, the dark chocolate and chewy ginger cookies were a nice addition as well.

Both fortunately and unfortunately, we made WAY to much food, as Barczaks are wont to do. Lots of pork sandwiches and breakfast eggs with salmon were consumed in the next few days. not to mention the 8 containers of orzo left over. I’m back in Chicago again, and contemplating a get together of my own. Orzo will most definitely be on the menu.

A few weeks ago two of my friends,  Marshal and Justin came to visit me from Minneapolis.  In need of some really good food, we were ready to hit the town. The weekend, shall we say, set us all back a bit financially. But dipping into the “rainy-day fund” was 100% worth it.  (And truth be told, it was raining).  Wandering downtown, Justin had his heart dead set on dinner at Rick Bayless’s Chicago establishment, Frontera Grill.  Frontera Grill opened in 1987 to wild success and was followed two years later by Topolobambo, one of the nations first upscale Mexican restaurants.  The pair have earned Bayless accolades all over the map including a James Beard Best Chef title and Outstanding Restaurant award. Clearly, I like the guy….he’s a great chef, a humanitarian, and a good dad–he co-authored a cookbook with his daughter Lanie.  Ok, but on to my extensive drinking and eating.

To make reservations at Frontera, you have to call weeks in advance.  But to eat there on a Saturday night, you just have to be patient. At 6:00 pm Justin, Marshal and I put our name on the waiting list.  “Ok, you’re going to want to check back in about three hours,” said the friendly hostess.  To be expected; time enough to recover from the bottle of red wine at lunch, have a nap and a shower and get ready to hit the town.  At 8:00ish we arrived back at the restaurant, grabbed a beeper and posted up in the bar.  Let the margaritas begin.

Previously, I would have told you that I hate margaritas.  Truth be told, I do hate bad ones. But these were powerful potions of crisp agave, teasing my lips with just enough salt to cut into the limey sweetness of cointreau and blanco tequila.  The boys favored the Mescal Margarita, with intense an spicy, the Oaxaca based liquor flowed all night.  Before he had had three sips on his first, Justin flagged the waiter for another, and a round of house made (obviously) guacamole. Let the debauchery begin. After three rounds  we had successfully tried the entire margarita menu– including El Vampiro, The Gold and the Champagne–and settled comfortably on our favorites as we sat down to dinner.

Oysters and a trio of ceviches started the meal, and to be perfectly honest, they were the highlight.  Trio! Trio! Trio!, is the best ceviche sampler I have ever had.  Changing seasonally they range from very traditional with fish marinated in serrano chili, lime and cilantro to a rich pumpkin broth with Pepita seed garnish. Each one hit home, singing unique, yet complimentary tunes.

Next came enchiladas with mole (my choice and I was very pleased) and two entrees that were fine, but forgettable, one stake and one pork. Understand what when I say fine, I simply mean not as freakin’ unbelievable as the ceviche.  The meat was still tender, the sauce creamy and intense and the tamale expertly wrapped in banana leaves.

Stepping into Frontera out of the slushy, gray Chicago day was like being teleported to Mexico.  Everyone speaks Spanish (and the more tipsy I got the more I spoke it too), the colors are vibrant and the scents of cumin and lime hang in the air. At the end of the night, we had a special treat.  Mr. Bayless himself showed up at the bar.  Are we stalkers for taking a clandestine photo? Nope, its just that for me, he is a celebrity.

The night was a complete success….far too much food, far far too many margaritas, but I wouldn’t un-drink a single sip. Did we end the night playing ding dong ditch between our hotel rooms? Yes. Are we all in our 20s? Yes.

Advice to the Undergrad:  This is the way to do Frontera, and I do hope you take me up on it.  Save up a little cash and get yourself to the bar.  Order a margarita.  Then the guacamole, then another margarita. Then a few appetizers and ask for the check.  You won’t break the bank, your stomach will thank you, and you’ll impress the pants of your date, your dad or your boss. Expect a bill of $55 for 2-3 appetizers and 2-3 drinks.

Salud, Amigos.

Last week I had my first Plant People Interactions exam.  Two things happened, first, I studied far too much; and second, I didn’t study the easiest stuff sufficiently and therefore I can tell you about the essential amino acids (the protein building blocks that the body cannot create) but didn’t remember how the banana ended up on two continents.

I did however; make some very delicious food to help me study.  My Spicy-Sweet Potato and Pea Sauté with quinoa is a nutritious and of course delicious vegetarian meal. The natural sugars in the sweet potato take on carmel notes, which enhance the smoky toasted cumin. The brightness of the peas adds a fun visual and flavorful compliment.

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp Whole cumin seed

1 ½ tsp Ground Cumin seed

1 tsp hot curry powder

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp cayenne

1 sweet potato cubed (1 inch sides)

A smattering of frozen peas

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

Salt and pepper

1 cup quinoa

As frequent readers know, my spices are always flexible. I tend to use them liberally and “to smell” so whatever hits my fancy aromatically, I toss into the mixture. Feel free to adjust per availability or appetite.

In a small saucepan, combine quinoa and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered until the grain is cooked, about 15 minutes. (Times will vary considerably, careful!)

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan until hot but not smoking. Then add the cumin seeds until brown and aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add cubed sweet potato and sauté until cubes have nice brown edges about 5 minutes. Next, add the spices and stir until potatoes are coated and spices fragrant, about 30 more seconds.

Now its time for the rest of the ingredients, dump in the can of tomatoes, a handful of frozen peas and just enough water to allow the sauce to simmer and cook the potatoes. Cover and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Finally, remove the cover and cook on high to thicken sauce. Enjoy your veggies on top of the quinoa. Perhaps you would also like a simple green salad with sliced radishes and oranges, but that’s just a passing whimsy.

Ok so what did I eat? My sweet potato is a tuberous root, simply a puffed up root that gets all starchy. It’s a great source of vitamin A because like other orange vegetables, it’s rich in beta-carotene which the body changes into Vitamin A which helps keep eyes in good shape. The green peas are seeds and are 21% incomplete protein. This means they lack some of the essential amino acids (those which need to be eaten ‘cause the bod can’t make ‘em). Luckily, the other ingredients like quinoa and sweet potato help complete the protein combos and deliver usable energy.

Haven’t learned about tomatoes yet….don’t worry , I’m getting there.

Well, that’s it for now…. pretty soon I get to share my weekend adventures, which include all together to much eating and imbibing.

Upcoming Restaurant Reviews

Shokran

Avec

Frontera Grill