(Originally published Jan. 7, 2010) Ron Kaplan, our food maven covers “ethnic by the Lake.”
Remember summer? This is Avli's courtyard. There's a charming dining room indoors!
There’s an erroneous belief that good ethnic food cannot be found in the northern suburbs. Perhaps this was true a decade ago but as immigrant communities mark subsequent generations and the population shifts, the cuisines of these groups have become more widely available. For example, the number of Korean, Mexican and Indian eateries in the suburbs has grown substantially in the past 10 years and that’s likely to continue. Here are a few of my favorite spots for ethnic food on and near the North Shore.
Avli Estiatorio – 566 Chestnut, Winnetka (847) 446-9300
Thanks to a life-long friend of Greek descent, I’m a snob when it comes to Greek food. I’d never venture far from Halsted Street to get my fix mainly because recommendations for places off that tract always seemed to end in disappointment.
And then, in July of 2009, Louie Alexakis – an industry veteran who’d owned and managed a couple of other restaurants – opened Avli Estiatorio in Winnetka’s Laundry Mall and changed the landscape for Greek cuisine in Chicagoland. I went in cynically, expecting to be disappointed but was instead delighted by serious, expertly-executed dishes, many of which surpassed my own personal Greektown benchmarks.
Gigantes; lima beans in a sweet/slightly tangy tomato sauce, with rich Greek olive oil and herbed feta.
Avli’s succulent braised lamb over gigandes (gigantic Greek lima beans) and tender grilled octopus, which is accompanied by grilled onions, are as good as any versions I’ve had. Whole Greek sea bass, cooked to order and filleted tableside, is immaculately fresh.
Dakos, a salad made with whole wheat bread rusk
In addition to the wide variety of well-wrought dishes with which I was already familiar, Avli serves some terrific items that were new to me, such as Dakos, a salad made with whole wheat bread rusk, which is dressed with grated and chopped tomatoes, feta, fresh herbs and Greek extra virgin olive oil.
Papoutsakia is another fantastic dish, in which a whole eggplant is split lengthwise, stuffed with an herbaceous tomato sauce and onions, topped with feta and baked until tender. On the lighter side, a cold lentil salad served over baby spinach is a knockout. This isn’t just ‘good for the suburbs,’ Avli is a genuine culinary destination.
La Casa de Isaac – 431 Temple Ave, Highland Park (847) 433-5550
Isaac and Moishe’s Grocery & Deli – 311 Waukegan Ave, Highwood (847) 433-0557
The northern suburbs are dotted with places where one can find decent Mexican food but what really distinguishes the eatery and around-the-corner grocery run by Isaac and Moishe Nava – aside from the distinctive food they serve – is the fact that the brothers happen to be Jewish.
Isaac and his mom Florenza
As such, their menus reflect their somewhat uncommon heritage and are not typical of most Mexican eateries in the area. Kosher is not kept in the traditional sense (meat and cheese are mixed) but neither shellfish nor pork are available. Instead, traditional recipes are adjusted to meet dietary requirements.
Queso fundido, which normally contains pork-based chorizo sausage, is offered with either portobello mushrooms or a beef-based chorizo that is made in-house. Tingas, a slow-cooked, shredded-meat dish, which is often made with pork, is made with chicken instead. Pozole, a soup that is typically made from with pigs feet, is made with chicken at La Casa de Isaac. These improvisations are delicious, across the board.
Isaac's mother's favorite Enchiladas
Every December, several varieties of potato latkes, a traditional Hannukah delicacy, are offered. Most of the items served at La Casa de Isaac are based on the family recipes with which the brothers grew up. In fact, when the restaurant opened, Isaac and Moishe’s mom, Florenza, traveled from Mexico and spent a month teaching the kitchen how to cook her dishes. She continues to visit on a regular basis, helping the kitchen add new dishes to the menu when she’s here.
In the Spring of 2009, the Navas expanded their burgeoning empire to include a grocery and deli where, in addition to a nice array of groceries, both Jewish-American and Mexican food are served. A wide variety of deli meats, cheeses, salads and breadstuffs are available in front.
Moishe's wife, Lidia (left) leads the tamale brigade at the Deli.
Toward the back of the store, a steam table is stocked daily with an ever-changing assortment of Mexican soul food dishes like barbacoa (slow-cooked lamb, goat or beef), tapadito (hearty beef soup), huanzontle (wild greens) and tripas (stewed beef intestines), to name a few. Freshly-made tamales, huaraches and picaditas are served daily.
These are dishes for which the Navas have a lot of passion but that don’t exactly fit well with the style of food being served at the restaurant. That’s one of the reasons why Isaac and Moishe started the deli. These guys love sharing their cuisine, as well as their passion for it.
Ron Kaplan is a moderator and Director of Media Relations at LTHForum.com, Chicagoland’s culinary-based chat site, where he posts under the handle of ronnie_suburban. When he’s not writing about food at LTHForum or cooking, he works in the food industry, selling specialty ingredients.
