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Explore the Indian cuisine outside of Devon Avenue.

Wednesday Jul 28, 2004.     By Freda Moon

Food Feed

While Devon Avenue may be the epicenter of Chicago’s South Asian community, it’s not the only place to find great Indian and Pakistani food in the city. While Devon serves as both a dining destination and a full-fledged outing, there are times when a good, quick meal is more than enough. Thankfully, there’s an abundance of curries, spicy vegetables, red-tinted tandoori chicken and thick doughy naan outside of that North Side neighborhood. From Hyde Park to Oak Park, from authentic to upscale, there’s no shortage of all things Indian in Chicago, both on and off of the Avenue.

Rajun Cajun
File under: Soulful Saag
A combo soul food and Indian diner, Rajun Cajun is as eclectic as restaurants come. This Hyde Park favorite has a yellow and red interior, bright neon lights and a deli-style counter that screams soul, but there’s more to its ambiance than a New Orleans flavor. Rajun Cajun is a melding of cultural traditions, mixing New Orleans with New Delhi. It features fried chicken, okra, mac and cheese, and corn bread alongside tandoori chicken, saag paneer (spinach with homemade curd cheese) and crispy samosas (fried with vegetable fillings). The butter chicken is excellent, tender and oh-so spicy, while the $2 mango lassi is a wise choice for those searching a cold summertime treat. The South Indian portion of the menu is a bit on the steamy side, but don’t be scared off. The food is wonderful and a bargain, with meals under $10 and a delivery charge, if you feel like staying in, of only $2.

Hema's Kitchen II
File under: A grandmotherly good time
After hearing of the wondrous Hema, it was an honor to sit across the table from her at her brand spankin’ new Lincoln Park location. The woman, a figure whose name and skills precede her, is every bit the charmer that she’s said to be. Her life is as remarkable as her food, which says a great deal of each. For those familiar with the Devon neighborhood location, this new dining area will feel more intimate (particularly after the recent expansion of the original Hema’s) and somewhat more upscale (to match its Lincoln Park patrons). Expect to pay $2-$3 more per dish.

Most everything coming out of Hema’s Kitchen is quite good, from the naan and condiments to the amazing dal palak (roasted lentils), a specialty of Hema’s hometown. The Buna Gosht, a lamb and cauliflower dish, is also very good. Hema’s is BYOB, so feel free to grab a bottle on the way.

Klay Oven
File under: Dinner destination
The atmosphere at Klay Oven is one of deliberate grace. There are dishes on its menu that will awe the taste buds. There are others so mediocre that it’s difficult to understand how a restaurant that’s been in business for 16 years would continue with such culinary snafus. Fortunately, the latter are primarily found at lunch, when the upscale restaurant morphs into a buffet barn with troughs of stewed vegetables and meat dishes, all of which lack the refinement of Klay Oven’s evening fare.

At dinner one has access to a full and diverse menu that features everything from standard Indian vegetarian dishes to North Indian specialties to lobster, lamb and quail entrees. With so much available, decisions come slowly. Both the palak paneer (homemade cheese cubes and spinach) and the malai kofta (vegetable dumplings with dried fruits and gravy) are wonderful. The malai kofta, in particular, is so rich with layers of flavor (sweetness and spice) that it alone will necessitate a return visit. At dinner, the selection of naan bread includes one that’s filled with lamb and another featuring fresh garlic (a perfect complement to the sweetness of the dumplings). Neither rice, naan nor the excellent chutneys are included in the entree prices, so watch your budget.

Zaiqa
File under: The real deal
A loud, bustling Pakistani place with a dingy interior and cabby clientele, Zaiqa is the real deal. The interior is funky, but not in a hip or deliberate way. Christmas lights adorn the ceiling and an overhead menu hangs that’s less helpful than the point-and-ask method of ordering. On every occasion I’ve visited, I’ve been the only women and, most likely, the only native-born American in the room. Most of the folks who frequent Zaiqa are from the city’s Muslim community, and many (as evidenced by the dozens of yellow cars parked along the street outside) are cab drivers. There’s a pool table in a side room and an abundance of cigarette smoke.

If you’re sheltered, you might feel out of place walking into Zaiqa, particularly since most of the surrounding conversations are in one non-English language or another. To be discouraged by this would be a mistake. Zaiqa features excellent dishes, though they aren’t prepared with aesthetics in mind. The food here is to be eaten, not admired. It’s cafeteria style dining, complete with orange trays and a sneeze guard. From behind the glass, however, come heaping spoonfuls of some of the best Pakistani food around. Pakistani cuisine, while featuring some regional specialties, is more or less similar to Indian food, and Zaiqa offers items familiar to any lover of South Asian cuisine. If available (the menu is variable), try the boneless green chicken or the lamb curry. The chapati (flat, unleavened wheat bread) is not to be missed.

India House
File under: Grand dining on Grand Avenue
The newest addition to the local, family-owned India House restaurant chain is a large, elegant (and equally friendly) dining room. Located smack in the center of downtown, it features beautiful woodwork, a full bar and plants in every corner; it practically reeks of class. India House is a hit, as demonstrated by the fact that six months into its opening it’s already packed. Even on a downtown Sunday (absent the usual workday patrons) the place was nearly full by patrons after its delicious buffet lunch. The food, while a bit salty in some dishes (the “cocktail samosas” aren’t my favorite of the species), is good. The lunch buffet features a very full selection of items, primarily from Northern India. The priciest entrees are specialties such as the kadhai gosht chop (spicy lamb chops) and the samundari kadhai, a blend of prawns, crabs and lobster with aniseed.

Standard India Restaurant
File under: Eat, drink and be very, very full
Just down the block from the Red Line Belmont stop, Standard India’s buffets are a BYOB bargain for the budget-conscious among the Lincoln Park/Lakeview set. The appropriately named place is as standard as they come. Both lunch and dinner feature buffet dining, with prices ($7.95 lunch and $8.95 dinner) that make up for the bland interior and mediocre service. The food is solid, with a surprisingly good selection that mixes meat and veggie dishes, excellent condiments, salad items, soups and desserts.

While you can’t expect the warmest greeting upon arrival, you can look forward to one of two lamb dishes, either the rogan josh (boneless lamb cook in spiced gravy) or lamb vindaloo (specialty of Goa, lamb with potatoes, curry, and fresh coconut), chicken curry (in gravy with herbs and mild spices) or chicken makhani (boneless chicken with tomatoes and butter), mutter paneer (homemade cheese and peas), samosas (fried and filled with potatoes and peas), veggie pakora (fritters in garbanzo bean batter), lentil soup and malai kofta (spiced cottage cheese balls with spiced cream spinach). All are very good.

Baba Palace
File under: Quick stop
It’s a green monster at the corner of Chicago and Orleans, but I suspect many passers-by ignore it, thinking it’s a dark, dank, ethnic eatery with cheap food and foreign language television on in all corners. Those passers-by would be right on all counts save one: Baba Palace is not to be ignored. The food here is one of the best bargains in downtown, with heaping helpings (in either half orders for $4, enough food for a modest appetite, or full portions for $7).

There’s a giant wall menu that, as best as I can tell, is used exclusively as decoration. Instead of wasting your time trying to decode it, head to the counter, where you’ll find a series of small plates covered by plastic wrap. Each plate features one of that day’s specials (frontier chicken, daal, mixed vegetables, chicken kabob, etc.). The food is quick, three minutes in my experience, but hearty in a way that traditional fast food never could be. Better yet, it’s located near the Chicago Red and Brown Line stops and open 24 hours. Try the $.75 samosas with yogurt sauce.