February 10

Uptown Pho

Here we go again.  This isn't a pho round-up, for that, you'd have to check out Michael Nagrant's well-researched and written summary in Time Out last week.  No, this was just a memory of a very good bowl (by surprise) at Viet Bowl Hing Wang (1120 W. Wilson, 773-271-2271) in Uptown.  They offer both Chinese and Vietnamese dishes (skip the Chinese - even though all of the students from Truman College across the street get the fried rice, it's bland and dry).  The Vietnamese side of the menu is pretty compact: cha gio, fried egg rolls, nicely fried wrappers surrounding bits of ground pork, crab and dried mushrooms (although the spicy red sauce they arrived with was a joke.  It tasted like spiked ketchup)  We had to ask for the requisite nuoc mam (fish sauce) instead, which came with nice little tiny bits of shredded carrot.  Goi cuon, the light, room-temp spring rolls fared much better: slices of cooked shrimp and pork nestled between layers of white vermicelli noodles, lettuce and herbs, served with a sweet brown dipping sauce coated in crushed peanuts.
The star, of course, is the pho.  A bargain at $7.95, this tureen could easily feed two; a full pound of thin, white noodles buried beneath a deep reservoir of cinnamon-clove-star anise broth; flecks of cilantro and scallion floated across the top, along with slivers of white onion.  Bonus points for serving sawtooth leaf on the side, along with the usual suspects: fresh lime, bean sprouts, sliced hot chile peppers and giant leaves of fresh basil.  All in all, not the greatest bowl ever, but if Tank is too crowded on a weekend a few blocks north on Argyle, this is a no-brainer backup.

February 4

Savoring Southern India

One of the things I remember most from my trip to India several years ago - in addition to the heat, the mass of people and the odd juxtaposition of black Mercedes driving by the train station while lower castes defecated on the train tracks - was the side trip we took to Kerala, at the southern tip of the continent.  While they may use a tandoor on occasion, you will not find any beef or chicken dishes, but rather, a slew of highly-seasoned, exotic vegetarian dishes, and the occasional goat biryani.  Kerala is the land of coconuts, as well as the origin for a number of spices, including black pepper and cardamom, so you can be sure these three ingredients show up in literally everything. Two of my favorite non-meat options were the puffy iddlies and enormous dosas.  The former represent typical breakfasts, and usually arrive as small, disc-shaped puffs of rice flour, almost bland but perfect with a side of sambar - the South Indian version of minestrone soup.  Alongside, a masala dosa; a majestic, elephant ear-shaped crepe made from lentils and ground rice flour.  The batter is spread thin on a flat grill, a dollop of seasoned potatoes is plopped into the center, and the crepe is rolled up around the potato mound.  Sides of coconut, mint and tamarind chutney arrive for dipping the pieces of dosa. 

 I've found good versions of these two staples at several places in Chicago, but most recently, I really dug the two orders I got at Sagar (2522 W. Devon Ave.).  Adjacent to the Viceroy of India restaurant, this casual cafe and take-out joint is clean, well-lit and has an endless stream of Bollywood videos playing on the giant 42" TV on the wall.  There are sweets along a back pastry case, and a number of good puris, including bhel puri (toasted and fried corn and rice snacks topped with cilantro and chutneys) as well as pani puri, a series of hollowed-out chickpea batter shells that you crack open, pop a few chickpeas into, along with tamarind chutney and spicy mint water, then pop into your mouth in one bite (right).  I could have literally downed the entire order, had a mango lassi, and called it a night.  But then we tried the iddlies, which  were delicate, light and arrived still steaming; the dosa, a thing of beauty, and the vibrant, chunky chutneys made ideal dipping companions.  I can't wait to go back for another round of South Indian cooking like the kind I had in Kerala.