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