So, from the Cultural Center, we headed to the nearest train station. The trains are nicknamed "The El" because over 80% of the train system is ELevated. The train system was started in 1892 and at that time Chicago was mostly built on top of swamp land and landfill, so the tracks couldn't be supported on the ground. They built them above ground and then the city continued to grow around (and under) the tracks! Did you know... the Chicago train system is the 3rd busiest in the nation? First being NYC and second is DC. :o) Now you know!
We got off at the stop that would take us into Greektown. Greektown is one of the many "ethnic neighborhoods" of Chicago. There is also Little Italy and Chinatown, as well as scattered spots with many other ethnic groups. Being a huge fan of Greek food, I really wanted to venture into this 'hood for some authentic food. My Mom also shares my love of Greek food, so this was going to be fun. We are also kind of "foodies" and enjoy trying new things and cooking. Very often we will try to pick out the ingredients in a menu item in hopes of recreating it later!
After asking around, the restaurant that seemed to be most often recommended was "The Parthenon". It is located on the main street through the neighborhood- Halsted St. It is a street full of modest store fronts- all family owned and names like "Costa's", "Athena", "Jorgio's" and "Santorini". If you look closely you see places where they have integrated Greek architecture. Shop doors will have blue and white paint or columns. There were even Greek accents on the sidewalks!!
We entered the restaurant and we were greeted by an older gentleman (the owner) with a very thick accent. He showed us to our table where we began pouring over the HUGE book of a menu. (We had been tipped off to order a "Family Style" meal but we weren't sure if it was available at lunch.) I had been told of their famous appetizer- Saganaki (cheese with Brandy lit on fire table side), so I was excited to see it. Otherwise, we knew little about what to expect.
As we sat there, a gray-haired waiter came to our table. I think he only knew about 5 phrases in English and we would hear all of them during the course of our meal. He was a man of few mono-toned words. :o) I asked if Family Style was available during lunch, he said, "Chicken, Lamb, Pork." Mom and I just looked at each other. As if it helped clarify things, he repeated himself, "Chicken, Lamb, Pork." We shrugged and Mom said Lamb while I said Chicken. He nodded, picked up the menus and walked away. Apparently, we had ordered.
I excused myself to the restroom to wash my hands... I was only gone a few minutes. When I returned to the table my Mom had this deeply apologetic look on her face. I looked down to the table and there sat our cheese... already cooked. I had missed the Saganaki lighting! She explained that he arrived at the table with the cheese, Brandy and a lighter. She kept asking him to wait. He just said, "No, no. There will be more." Then before she knew it, there were flames and he yelled "OPAA!!!" He set the cheese down on the table and was gone. I was disappointed but he was right... there were more to come. Tables all over the restaurant throughout our visit were served the Saganaki. You would be sitting at your table and be startled by the flash of fire and "OPAA!" It was funny.
So, we enjoyed the YUMMY cheese and then our next appetizer arrived. Yes, I said NEXT appetizer... there would be three appetizers total. Then a salad that was bigger than my head. Then the main course which had 3 items in addition to the Chicken and Lamb. Each time our waiter would quickly and plainly say what it was and then leave... regardless of whether we heard or understood him or even knew if what he said was English or Greek!! Honestly, it was as if food just kept coming... From the online menu, here is what we had ordered by doing Family Style:
Appetizers
Saganaki- Mild kasseri cheese flamed in brandy
Taramosalata- Fish roe whipped smooth with lemon and olive oil
Gyros- Spit-roasted slices of lamb and beef, seasoned with herbs, served on a bed of parsleyed onions. Served with tzatziki sauce.
Salad
Greek Salad- Lettuce hearts, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, olives, peppers and oregano; dressed with olive oil, vinegar and garlic.
Main Course
Moussaka- Layers of eggplant and meat sauce topped with bechamel sauce and kefalotiri.
Pastitsio- Macaroni baked with meat sauce, bechamel sauce and kefalotiri.
Dolmades- Vine leaves stuffed with rice, meats and herbs topped with egg-lemon sauce.
Your choice of:
Athenian Chicken
Rotisserie- Roasted Lamb
Roast Suckling Pig
Desserts
Baklava- Flaky layers of phyllo baked with nuts and honey.
Galaktoboureko- Vanilla custard nestled between layers of phyllo, baked with syrup.
As we sat there enjoying the endless supply of food, I looked around the restaurant. It was obviously a local place where everyone knew each other. (This is why we didn't take any pictures.) People would come in, hug each other, ask about their Mothers and eat. There were a few Greek words thrown around here and there too. Although I am sure they hate this, I couldn't help but think of one of my all-time favorite movies, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". I have seen this movie too many times and even own it on DVD. My head was filled with quotes and scenes from this movie... it was so similar. The movie was even set in Chicago and based on a true family... so who knows! I could have been sitting in the place that inspired "Dancing Zorbas"! Even the way the restaurant was decorated... bright and beautiful murals of Greece. It reminded me of where they had the wedding reception in the movie!
We got off at the stop that would take us into Greektown. Greektown is one of the many "ethnic neighborhoods" of Chicago. There is also Little Italy and Chinatown, as well as scattered spots with many other ethnic groups. Being a huge fan of Greek food, I really wanted to venture into this 'hood for some authentic food. My Mom also shares my love of Greek food, so this was going to be fun. We are also kind of "foodies" and enjoy trying new things and cooking. Very often we will try to pick out the ingredients in a menu item in hopes of recreating it later!
After asking around, the restaurant that seemed to be most often recommended was "The Parthenon". It is located on the main street through the neighborhood- Halsted St. It is a street full of modest store fronts- all family owned and names like "Costa's", "Athena", "Jorgio's" and "Santorini". If you look closely you see places where they have integrated Greek architecture. Shop doors will have blue and white paint or columns. There were even Greek accents on the sidewalks!!
We entered the restaurant and we were greeted by an older gentleman (the owner) with a very thick accent. He showed us to our table where we began pouring over the HUGE book of a menu. (We had been tipped off to order a "Family Style" meal but we weren't sure if it was available at lunch.) I had been told of their famous appetizer- Saganaki (cheese with Brandy lit on fire table side), so I was excited to see it. Otherwise, we knew little about what to expect.
As we sat there, a gray-haired waiter came to our table. I think he only knew about 5 phrases in English and we would hear all of them during the course of our meal. He was a man of few mono-toned words. :o) I asked if Family Style was available during lunch, he said, "Chicken, Lamb, Pork." Mom and I just looked at each other. As if it helped clarify things, he repeated himself, "Chicken, Lamb, Pork." We shrugged and Mom said Lamb while I said Chicken. He nodded, picked up the menus and walked away. Apparently, we had ordered.
I excused myself to the restroom to wash my hands... I was only gone a few minutes. When I returned to the table my Mom had this deeply apologetic look on her face. I looked down to the table and there sat our cheese... already cooked. I had missed the Saganaki lighting! She explained that he arrived at the table with the cheese, Brandy and a lighter. She kept asking him to wait. He just said, "No, no. There will be more." Then before she knew it, there were flames and he yelled "OPAA!!!" He set the cheese down on the table and was gone. I was disappointed but he was right... there were more to come. Tables all over the restaurant throughout our visit were served the Saganaki. You would be sitting at your table and be startled by the flash of fire and "OPAA!" It was funny.
So, we enjoyed the YUMMY cheese and then our next appetizer arrived. Yes, I said NEXT appetizer... there would be three appetizers total. Then a salad that was bigger than my head. Then the main course which had 3 items in addition to the Chicken and Lamb. Each time our waiter would quickly and plainly say what it was and then leave... regardless of whether we heard or understood him or even knew if what he said was English or Greek!! Honestly, it was as if food just kept coming... From the online menu, here is what we had ordered by doing Family Style:
Appetizers
Saganaki- Mild kasseri cheese flamed in brandy
Taramosalata- Fish roe whipped smooth with lemon and olive oil
Gyros- Spit-roasted slices of lamb and beef, seasoned with herbs, served on a bed of parsleyed onions. Served with tzatziki sauce.
Salad
Greek Salad- Lettuce hearts, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, olives, peppers and oregano; dressed with olive oil, vinegar and garlic.
Main Course
Moussaka- Layers of eggplant and meat sauce topped with bechamel sauce and kefalotiri.
Pastitsio- Macaroni baked with meat sauce, bechamel sauce and kefalotiri.
Dolmades- Vine leaves stuffed with rice, meats and herbs topped with egg-lemon sauce.
Your choice of:
Athenian Chicken
Rotisserie- Roasted Lamb
Roast Suckling Pig
Desserts
Baklava- Flaky layers of phyllo baked with nuts and honey.
Galaktoboureko- Vanilla custard nestled between layers of phyllo, baked with syrup.
As we sat there enjoying the endless supply of food, I looked around the restaurant. It was obviously a local place where everyone knew each other. (This is why we didn't take any pictures.) People would come in, hug each other, ask about their Mothers and eat. There were a few Greek words thrown around here and there too. Although I am sure they hate this, I couldn't help but think of one of my all-time favorite movies, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". I have seen this movie too many times and even own it on DVD. My head was filled with quotes and scenes from this movie... it was so similar. The movie was even set in Chicago and based on a true family... so who knows! I could have been sitting in the place that inspired "Dancing Zorbas"! Even the way the restaurant was decorated... bright and beautiful murals of Greece. It reminded me of where they had the wedding reception in the movie!
"What do you mean he don't eat no meat?!?!"
"That's okay. I make lamb."
"That's okay. I make lamb."
The food was so good, we didn't want it to end! However, we were so full, we were cross-eyed. Our waiter appeared, said, "Finish?" We said yes. He said, "Was good?" We praised the food and then he said something we didn't understand. He repeated himself and it had something to do with taking the leftovers To Go. I caught that so I said no... but apparently Mom still didn't understand and she said yes. He nodded and disappeared. When I asked my Mom why we were taking the food when we had no way to keep it, she looked confused. He, he, he. He reappeared with our dessert and To Go containers. We just politely boxed up our food... we didn't know what else to do!
It was an awesome experience and one I will never forget. Put it this way... I only bought two souvenirs during the whole trip. One of them I am wearing as I write this. It is a t-shirt as blue as the Greek flag. In white lettering it says the name of the restaurant and "40 years of OPAA!"
(Ok, so I did one whole post just about our lunch... it deserved it! So, Day Two will have THREE parts!!)
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