Omnivorous

Ina Pinkney and Dan Rosenthal

A. Jackson

Going Green Without Going Broke

Local restaurateurs put their heads together to make takeout eco-friendly.

By Mike Sula

January 17, 2008

Dan Rosenthal was vacationing on Saint Barth’s last year when a dead loggerhead sea turtle washed up on the beach. The loggerhead is a threatened species, and when the local paper reported that this one had swallowed a plastic bag, Rosenthal had a crisis of conscience. His Loop-based casual-Italian minichain Sopraffina Marketcaffe went through 400,000 nonbiodegradable petroleum-based plastic bags a year. And his 89-year-old mother was a sea turtle activist on Longboat Key, Florida.

“I figured I’ve got to start somewhere,” he says. “I cannot allow my mother to be launching thousands of baby turtles while I’m up here trying to kill them with plastic bags.”

The problem, he discovered, was that he could easily go broke going green. The printed takeout bags he was using at the time cost about three cents apiece, compared to ten cents for biodegradable corn-based bags. “That’s a seven-cent differential on 400,000—$28,000 a year,” he says. Rosenthal, who also owns the Loop restaurants Trattoria No. 10 and Poag Mahone’s, decided to make the switch anyway. But the prices on other green disposable wares—plates, utensils, takeout containers, toilet paper—were similarly prohibitive, and in many cases the products weren’t even available in the midwest.

Rosenthal contacted several organizations for advice—the city’s Department of Environment, Boston’s Green Restaurant Association, and the local Delta Institute, a nonprofit devoted to sustainable development—and quickly learned that the solution was one of basic economics. If more area restaurateurs demanded green products, suppliers would have more incentive to stock them.

He envisioned a local restaurant co-op whose combined buying power might help lower prices as well. But how to find members? “We went to the Pied Piper of hospitality in Chicagoland, who knows everybody and knows all things—Ina Pinkney,” Rosenthal says. The owner of Ina’s, a homey restaurant in the market district, and a consummate networker, Pinkney assembled an e-mail list of her industry contacts and other potentially interested parties. In late October she hosted an exploratory meeting for the group, which Rosenthal had named the Green Chicago Restaurant Co-op. More than 100 people showed up, including representatives from big corporations Lettuce Entertain You and Levy Restaurants as well as from usual suspects like North Pond and Lula Cafe.

Bringing other restaurateurs and industry professionals on board turned out to be the easy part. The new co-op had to negotiate complicated pricing structures with a hierarchy of manufacturers, brokers, distributors, and redistributors just to make green products available in the Chicago market at all. One of its first successes was landing a line of corn-based containers, cups, plates, and cutlery manufactured by a Boulder company called Eco-Products.

“We had to give forecasts to Eco-Products as to what we thought the co-op would buy,” says Rosenthal. “Then we had to make those forecasts available to the distributors. And the distributors had to determine what their order would be—then they had to place the order and the manufacturer had to create the product and ship it from China.”

Rosenthal understands the irony of buying green products from a country with an environmental record as abysmal as China’s—to say nothing of the energy spent getting them here. “I’m not sure at the end of the day that we’re really doing as much good as we think we’re doing. Are we doing good by substituting compostable biodegradable stuff for number six polystyrene plastic? I think so. Could I be wrong? You bet. But like Mao says, ‘The walk of a thousand miles starts with a single step.’”

There may be more hurdles. For one, green products remain more costly than conventional ones. “We will always spend more on these things,” Pinkney says. “There’s a savings from the original prices, but they’re still more expensive than the bad things.” For another, conventional distributors may put up a fight. When Rosenthal informed his current source of plastic cups that he was switching to the co-op’s distributor, he says he was told, “‘Oh, too bad, so sad. We’re just getting ready to ship to you a sufficient supply of this cup—based on your usage—to last until April of 2009.’” Rosenthal says he has no contractual obligation to buy those cups (which still haven’t turned up), “so we’re about to go to war.”

The co-op currently is a loose federation. There’s no membership fee, and those who join aren’t required to buy green. But Rosenthal sees even good-faith commitment as contributing to momentum. The group plans to add more eco-friendly products—toilet paper is next. Other future projects include a joint recycling program. And on February 1 one of the co-op’s allies, Hilton Chicago purchasing manager Mary Ohnemus, is organizing a free trade show for hospitality professionals featuring more than 100 green manufacturers and suppliers.

Rosenthal may quote Mao, but he believes capitalism is ultimately what’s going to turn the restaurant industry green. “The good news is that in the free-market economy this is what competition is all about,” he says. “When all of a sudden Sweetheart Cup sees that because they have a polymer-lined paper cup people are getting off of it, and the pricing structure has gotten to the point where people are creating sufficient demand for alternative products, they will either see the light or go out of business.”   

For more on food and drink, see our blog The Food Chain.

Good and Green

Vegan, vegetarian, and vegetarian-friendly restaurants

Amitabul
6207 N. Milwaukee | 773-774-0276

F 7.6 | S 7.0 | A 6.5 | $Vegetarian/Healthy, Asian | Lunch, dinner: Tuesday-Saturday | Closed Sunday, Monday | Reservations not accepted | BYO

If you’re looking to impress the vegan in your life, this is the place for you. Amitabul offers an eye-popping array of vegetarian and vegan maki, stir-fries, pancakes, and noodle soups prepared with organic vegetables, tofu, legumes, and minimal oil. Dishes such as Dr. K’s Cure-All (spicy noodle soup touted as, among other things, a hangover remedy), Chef Dave’s Energy Nut (almonds, peanuts, and walnuts stir-fried with honey and plum sauce over noodles), and Nine Ways to Nirvana (whole-wheat noodle soup with nine-grain miso beans) illustrate the belief of owner Bill Choi in the healing power of food. Speaking of which, Amitabul also offers a “flu soup” of kimchi, garlic, bean sprouts, and tofu in a miso broth. —Martha Bayne

Arya Bhavan
2508 W. Devon | 773-274-5800

F 7.9 | S 8.4 | A 5.8 | $ (9 reports)Indian/Pakistani, Vegetarian/Healthy | Lunch: Friday-Sunday; Dinner: Sunday, Tuesday-Saturday | Closed Monday

rrr Cheerful pink napkins decorate the tables and colorful Rajasthani crafts brighten the walls at Arya Bhavan, which means “our home.” The main room is dominated by a 20-foot buffet, which on the weekends is laden with all-vegetarian curries, sweets, appetizers, rice, salad, and cooling raita. Along with traditional favorites like chana masala and mutter paneer are original creations by chef Jay Shef. One of his best is the addictive undhia, a complex curry of eggplant, sweet potatoes, and plantains. The satisfying uthappam, pancakes topped with tomatoes, onions, and cilantro, are made to order at one end of the buffet and disappear quickly. Ordering from the lengthy menu allows one to try Indian specialties ranging from a delightful south Indian avial (vegetables cooked with coconut, yogurt, and chiles) to Kashmiri curry and rice. There are also 15 types of bread, including vegan varieties. —Cara Jepsen

Bite
1039 N. Western | 773-395-2483

F 7.2 | S 6.9 | A 7.1 | $ (7 reports)Global/Fusion/Eclectic, Breakfast | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days | Saturday & Sunday brunch | Open late: Wednesday-Saturday till 11:30 | Reservations accepted for large groups only | BYO | Vegetarian friendly

The food is surprisingly good at this offbeat Ukrainian Village cafe, which is connected to the Empty Bottle. Frequently changing specials might include skate wing with a lemon-butter caper sauce and mashed potatoes or a chimichurri skirt steak with sweet potato fries and jasmine rice. The regular menu, which also changes a couple times of year, is eclectic and vegetarian friendly, offering dishes like a Caribbean curried vegetable and tofu stew, penne with avocado cream sauce, and orechiette with broccoli, raisins, and pine nuts. Weekend brunch is a huge draw, frequently packed from its 8 AM start until the 3 PM close; Raters praise the eggs Benedict. —Laura Levy Shatkin

Blind Faith Cafe
525 Dempster, Evanston | 847-328-6875

F 7.5 | S 7.2 | A 6.8 | $$ (13 reports)Vegetarian/Healthy | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days | Reservations not accepted

“Vegetarian and Proud” is the motto at this Evanston establishment. There’s self-service, with a case of tasty baked goods—including vegan cake—and the dining area, adorned with handmade quilts and other colorful local art, is bright and cheerful. Breakfast offers dishes like a tofu and egg scramble with potato, onion, and pepper hash; huge portions of fluffy French toast; and a nondairy Mexican scramble with tofu, soy cheese, and salsa. Homemade corn or blueberry muffins are a meal on their own, as is the granola, especially when topped with fresh berries; to drink there’s freshly brewed coffee, tea, and a longish list of smoothies. Raters praise the service: “courteous, attentive, and pleasant,” says one. “Plus our waiter sported a spiffy little Mohawk.” —Laura Levy Shatkin

Chicago Diner
3411 N. Halsted | 773-935-6696

F 8.1 | S 6.3 | A 6.0 | $ (13 reports)Vegetarian/Healthy | brunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Friday & Saturday till 11 | Reservations not accepted

“Vegetarian heaven—so many choices, so little time,” says one Rater of this north-side meatless mecca. Chicago Diner offers creative veggie, vegan, and gluten-free dishes in a comfortable space lined with old-fashioned wooden booths. Dishes made with eggs and dairy are indicated on the menu, and vegan substitutions are often available upon request. Brunch, served till 3:30 daily, is very popular, though Raters warn that the always laid-back service gets even more erratic as the place fills up. Offerings include biscuits and gravy and green eggs and “ham.” —Martha Bayne

Cousin’s Incredible Vitality
3038 W. Irving Park | 773-478-6868

$$Vegetarian/Healthy, Small Plates | Lunch, dinner: seven days | BYO

Two years ago chef Mehmet Ak traded in his kebab grill for two dehydrating cabinets, transforming Cousin’s Turkish Cuisine into Cousin’s Incredible Vitality, a vegan restaurant specializing in raw (or “living”) foods. The menu still nods to his Turkish heritage: there’s zucchini hummus and tabbouleh made from soaked and sprouted quinoa; “living mezes” include stuffed grape leaves and house-marinated olives. There are entrees of “not tuna” wraps and minipizzas: avocado, mushrooms, olives, and almond cheese on flaxseed flatbread. Mediterranean “pasta” has angel-hair made from zucchini, raw marinara, and “Parmesan” made from pine nuts. A delicious wild cherry cheesecake—one of several rotating varieties—contains cashews, dates, and raw agave nectar for sweetness. There’s an all-you-can-eat salad bar for $12, your choice of three appetizers for $6. —Susannah J. Felts

Demera
4801 N. Broadway | 773-334-8787

$$African | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Friday & Saturday till 11

“Would you like something to drink?” asked the sweet-faced waitress. “Ethiopian beer, or some honey wine?” It was a reasonable question, and the wine, a goblet filled to the rim with sweet mead, was delicious. If only she had asked 20 minutes earlier—like, before we had ordered. This sort of ultimately inoffensive disorganization was typical of a recent dinner at Demera, a new Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant at Lawrence and Broadway, across from the Green Mill. Menus were slow to appear, actual food even slower, and I’m not actually sure we got everything we ordered. But the array of Ethiopian wats (stews) was creative and tasty. The extensive menu features a wide range of traditional preparations of lamb, chicken, beef, and seafood, but we opted for the diners’ choice vegetarian combo. Presented on a platter lined with deliciously sour injera, the veggies included gomen (collard greens) and tikle gomen (cabbage and carrots) stewed in the same complex blend of onions, garlic, and ginger and served with fresh green pepper; shiro, a mild mix of legumes, ginger, rue seed, bishop’s weed, and garlic; and the house specialty ye-selit fitfit, a fluffy pile of injera bits flavored with roasted sesame, garlic, onions, and ginger. Hung with African art and set around the perimeter with little woven tables for two, the two rooms are warm and cheery. And there’s an upside to the hit-or-miss service: you can linger as long as you want. —Martha Bayne

Earwax
1561 N. Milwaukee | 773-772-4019

F 6.0 | S 5.3 | A 6.8 | $ (6 reports)Vegetarian/Healthy, Global/Fusion/Eclectic | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days | Reservations not accepted | BYO

“It’s great to walk past the 45-minute-to-an-hour wait at Bongo Room for a Sunday breakfast and right to a waiting table at Earwax,” says one Rater. This pioneering Wicker Park cafe serves up a fairly consistent menu of vegetarian-friendly dishes at fittingly slack prices. Salads and sandwiches anchor the menu while whoever’s in the kitchen indulges an experimental urge with vegan stews and other specials. Service is erratic, but no one seems to mind. The laid-back attitude makes Earwax one of few such oases left in the neighborhood. —Martha Bayne

Ethiopian Diamond
6120 N. Broadway | 773-338-6100

F 9 | S 6.9 | A 6.7 | $ (11 reports)African | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Friday & Saturday till 11

rrr At this large, shabby-comfortable Edgewater storefront there are savory wats (stews) with beef, chicken, lamb, and fish, but vegetarians never need feel deprived. Vegan options include a spicy red lentil wat; yellow split pea wat; gomen (oniony collard greens); slightly sour tikil gomen (cabbage and carrots); and a mild wat made with potatoes and large chunks of carrot, all served on injera, the large, spongy pancake made with flour from teff, a tiny grain indigenous to Ethiopia. For appetizers there are sambusas, samosalike pastry triangles stuffed with meat or vegetables and served with lemon and a tamarind sauce. Meat dishes include the classic doro wat, chicken stewed in a spicy red sauce with a hard-boiled egg; kitfo, described on the menu as “Ethiopian steak tartare”; and tibs, cubes of various meats or seafood available in a range of preparations and spice levels. There are African beers, served in frosty mugs, and tej, Ethiopian honey wine; service too is honeyed—the staff here couldn’t be more genuinely welcoming. On Friday nights from 7 to 10 PM Chicago legend Kelan Phil Cohran, a cofounder of the AACM and a member of Sun Ra’s band back in the day, dreamily plays jazz and ambient horn and harp.—Kate Schmidt

Green Zebra
1460 W. Chicago | 312-243-7100

F 9.0 | S 8.4 | A 7.4 | $$$ (25 reports)Small Plates, Vegetarian/Healthy, American Contemporary/Regional | Dinner: seven days | Sunday brunch

rrr It’s been three years since chef Shawn McClain transformed a dilapidated East Village storefront known to me and my neighbors as the “pigeon palace” into a sleek haven for vegetarian dining, and I’m still impressed with the number he did on the space, all cool earth tones, warm low lights, and bursts of greenery. The seasonally changing menu is currently featuring a shaved artichoke salad with arugula-preserved lemon and a “mushroom roll”—shiitakes with crispy potato. Sesame-soy gnocchi come with glazed carrots and hon-shimeji mushrooms. One popular dessert is peanut butter and chocolate mousse with marshmallow fluff and banana fritters. The pricey wine list is heavy on crisp whites and a few lighter, brighter reds. After-dinner options include some wildly exotic teas—for example, one that according to the menu was once harvested by monkeys. —Martha Bayne

The Handlebar
2311 W. North | 773-384-9546

F 8.4 | S 7.3 | A 7.8 | $ (26 reports)Global/Fusion/Eclectic, Vegetarian/Healthy | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Friday & Saturday till midnight, other nights till 11 | Reservations not accepted

rrr A cyclist hangout—­the bar stools are made from chrome rims, vintage bikes hang from the ceiling, and there are specials for messengers on Mondays­—this is a theme restaurant that doesn’t feel precious. The food is cheap and vegetarian friendly: most entrees are under $10, and the only meat option is fish. The chefs don’t do anything flashy, but they do a little bit of everything and do it well—the samosas with tamarind chutney, for example, are on par with any you’d find on Devon. The kitchen also does a bang-up job with comfort food: the short list of seitan and tofu sandwiches come with a variety of sides including a respectable vegetarian version of southern collard greens and a totally addictive smoked Gouda mac ’n’ cheese I’ll crave on my deathbed. —David Wilcox

Heartland Cafe
7000 N. Glenwood | 773-465-8005

F 6.4 | S 5.8 | A 6.6 | $ (20 reports)American, Vegetarian/Healthy | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Friday & Saturday till 11 | Reservations accepted for large groups only

“Unfortunately there are not many places to get a really good buffalo burger,” quips one Rater. The Heartland, however, serves up a mean one, plus salads, sandwiches, and enough hearty vegetarian entrees to satisfy the pickiest eater, from veggie chili to tofu scrambles, barbecue seitan, and a macrobiotic plate. Fine dining it’s not (though specials like steamed artichokes and barbecued goat ribs show some aspiration), but it is a north-side sanctuary for hungry bohemians of all stripes, with live music (funk, folk, and jazz) almost every night and a poetry open mike on Wednesday evenings. While service can be erratic, most who frequent the Heartland know what they’re getting into. —Martha Bayne

Karyn’s Fresh Corner
1901 N. Halsted | 312-255-1590

F 7.7 | S 5.7 | A 6.6 | $$ (7 reports)Vegetarian/Healthy | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Sunday brunch | BYO

When they yanked my rotten tooth a few years back I lived on beer and Potato Buds for a week; when I forgot where my house was and became dizzy with nausea, it seemed like a decent excuse to duck inside Karyn Calabrese’s raw-food restaurant. I scarfed down a slightly sweet, soft sea-lettuce-and-macadamia-filled crepe made from dehydrated young green coconut meat. It was strange and delicious, and after a few minutes I realized that I didn’t have a stomachache and—what ho?—my hangover was gone! When I could chew I came back, curious about the firmer stuff on the menu. Nuts and legumes are soaked in water and pureed, sprouted, or fermented to make “cheeses,” pastes, sauces, even a delicate cashew “sour cream”; grains are soaked, sometimes sprouted, and dried to make dense, cakelike bread products. CaIabrese’s pasta primavera with rich, savory nut sauce, “meatballs,” and mushrooms is a favorite among her waitstaff (the “pasta” is julienned vegetables). If you’d rather not gamble on the $11-$15 entrees at the sit-down restaurant, there’s a take-out joint and juice bar on the side, offering salad, sandwiches, and prepackaged meals. —Ann Sterzinger

Lake Side Cafe
1418 W. Howard | 773-262-9503

$Vegetarian/Healthy | Lunch: Saturday; Dinner: Sunday, Tuesday-Saturday | Closed Monday | Reservations accepted for large groups only

It’s not likely Hot Doug’s will ever pitch a sausage that tastes like brussels sprouts, but many of the dishes at vegetarian joint Lake Side Cafe seem to point to a case of meat envy. A veggie gyro is made out of seitan, sliced to ragged thinness and dyed to give it the color of meat. A thin-crust pizza can be prepared vegan style, with soy cheeze and seitan; there’s also a Chicago-style Polish made of wheat gluten and soy protein. Lake Side also offers changing weekly specials, soups and salads, and vegan desserts, and despite its tie to yoga and meditation school Inner Metamorphosis University, the wall of windows, comfortable seating, and recycling bin right next to the trash can give it a relaxing neighborhood feel that attracts customers beyond the mystic set. —Edward McClelland

Lucky Platter514 Main, Evanston | 847-869-4064

F 7.6 | S 6.7 | A 7.4 | $ (11 reports)American, Global/Fusion/Eclectic, Breakfast | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days | Reservations not accepted

Decorated with kitchen knickknacks and thrift-store art, this is a whimsical setting for down-home diner cooking that features lots of options for vegetarians. Chef-owner Eric Singer has a talent for scrumptious vittles that shines especially bright at breakfast: heavenly banana and blueberry buttermilk pancakes with homemade syrups, vegetable-and-potato hash, house-made breads and scones. On weekends be prepared to wait in a cramped entryway. (Parties of six or more are advised to call 30 minutes ahead.) —Laura Levy Shatkin

Lula Cafe2537 N. Kedzie | 773-489-9554

F 8.4 | S 7.2 | A 8.0 | $$ (40 reports)Global/Fusion/Eclectic, Breakfast | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: Sunday-Monday, Wednesday-Saturday | Saturday & Sunday brunch | Closed Tuesday | Open late: Friday & Saturday till 11 | Reservations not accepted | vegetarian friendly

rrr At this point I’ve taken dozens of people to Lula Cafe, and I don’t say this lightly: it may be the best neighborhood restaurant in Chicago. One side of the menu is dedicated to cheap, surprising, delicious entrees in the $7-$14 range, like the Moroccan tagine: warm cinnamony chickpea stew with chunks of sweet potato over couscous, with fresh greens strewn on top. The Tineka sandwich is—of all things—a spicy peanut butter sandwich with cukes and red onion and lots of other veggies, plus something they call “Indonesian sweet soy sauce.” There’s beet bruschetta, and peanut sesame noodles, and a great roast turkey sandwich; at brunch there’s eggs Florentine and mascarpone-stuffed brioche French toast. Appetizers include a shiitake-spinach quesadilla and vegetarian maki. Then there’s a more expensive menu ($9-$25), as if the owners just thought, “What the hell, this’ll be fun too.” These items change constantly but have included a scallops appetizer that makes vegetarians very sad to be vegetarians, a roast leg of lamb with sherry-braised mission figs and cippolini onions, and an ocean trout served with brandade-stuffed peppers. I brought a friend who’s a chef in New York, and he stuck around for hours to order nearly everything on the menu. And then we came back the next night. —Ira Glass

M. Henry
5707 N. Clark | 773-561-1600

F 7.7 | S 7.3 | A 7.0 | $ (20 reports)American | Breakfast, Lunch: Tuesday-Saturday | Sunday brunch | Closed Monday | Reservations not accepted | BYO | Vegetarian friendly

This charming cafe from partners Michael Moorman and Jorge Aviles offers an eclectic selection of breakfast, brunch, and lunch dishes featuring natural ingredients and house-baked breads. There’s a turkey sandwich with walnut pesto and cranberry sauce, a miso-glazed veggie burger, a veggie Dagwood, and six others, along with nourishing “peasant bowls” of beans, noodles, organic rice, and veggies. Breakfast and brunch entrees include a dish called Vegan Epiphany: organic tofu scrambled with red and green peppers, onions, and yuba (a baconlike soy product). Pancakes come with either pomegranate or maple syrup or layered with blackberry compote and vanilla mascarpone and topped with a brown-sugar-and-oat crust. An attached patisserie offers breads, focaccia and other savories, and an array of tempting-looking treats for takeout; it’s open till 4 PM. —Laura Levy Shatkin

Mysore Woodland
2548 W. Devon | 773-338-8160

F 6.9 | S 7.0 | A 5.7 | $$ (6 reports)Indian/Pakistani, Vegetarian/Healthy | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Reservations accepted for large groups only | BYO

At Mysore Woodland there are no fewer than 14 types of the house specialty, dosa (thin light rice crepes), including a masala dosa, stuffed with potatoes, onions and spicy chutney, and an impressively massive paper dosa, enough to feed at least three people. Other specialties such as pongal, a sweet rice dish, and uppuma (savory cream of wheat with nuts and vegetables) are right on the money. But the best deal is the Mysore Royal Thali, a complete meal served on a large round stainless steel platter dominated by a pile of aromatic basmati rice, the staple of south Indian cuisine. The accompanying army of small dishes includes dal, sambar, vegetable curries, spicy pickled mango or lime, dessert, pappadam, chappati, and thick, creamy curd, which is traditionally eaten last. The dinner portion comes with soup (try the lentil mulligatawny) and a trio of deep-fried appetizers. The Woodland’s signature dessert is paysam, a comforting pudding made of vermicelli noodles, milk, honey, raisins, and cashews; there are also spicy masala chai and creamy Mysore-style coffee for after the meal. Service is courteous, and Bollywood music plays softly in the background. —Cara Jepsen

Que Rico
2814 N. Southport | 773-975-7436

F 6.0 | S 6.8 | A 5.6 | $ (5 reports)Mexican/Southwestern | Lunch: Friday-Sunday; Dinner: seven days | Vegetarian friendly

Que Rico is a Mexican restaurant with Argentinean and vegetarian influences that come together in, for instance, an empanada stuffed with spinach or other veggies. Berenjenas al ajo is like an Argentinean baba ghanoush—bright green eggplant chopped with a little garlic and lemon. Balitas de fuego are jalapenos stuffed with Chihuahua cheese, batter dipped, and fried—in other words, poppers. Alongside Tex-Mex chimichangas, burritos, and fajitas, the menu is heavy with predictable traditional Mexican selections, but what it lacks in originality it makes up for in freshness, though seek ye elsewhere for Scoville units. I asked our server to bring us the hottest thing on the menu, and he recommended the enchiladas picosa; honestly, you couldn’t break a sweat eating this dish unless you consumed it sitting on a sweltering day sitting in front of the restaurant’s charming French doors. Margaritas are available by the glass or in pitchers, whipped up with regular, super, or superpremium tequilas (though such quality distinctions hardly make a difference when you mix your tequila with lime, sugar, and salt). —David Hammond

Soul Vegetarian East
205 E. 75th | 773-224-0104

F 8.0 | S 6.3 | A 6.3 | $ (6 reports)Southern/Soul Food, Vegetarian/Healthy | Breakfast, Lunch: Monday-Saturday; Dinner: seven days | Sunday brunch | Open late: Friday & Saturday till 11

rrr Raters agree that this unique restaurant—in business more than 25 years—is worth the trip. The menu offers vegan and vegetarian soul food—barbecued wheat gluten, stir-fried meatless “steak,” tofu tidbits, and many other unusual, reasonably priced dishes. “The dining room is casual, but has a comfortable familylike feel,” says one Rater. “The food made me want to kiss the cook!” says another. —Laura Levy Shatkin

Spacca Napoli
1769 W. Sunnyside | 773-878-2420

F 7.9 | S 6.5 | A 6.9 | $$ (26 reports)Italian, Pizza | Lunch: Wednesday, Friday- Saturday; Dinner: Sunday, Wednesday-Saturday | Closed Monday, Tuesday | Vegetarian friendly

True Neapolitan pizza is just flour, water, yeast, salt, and a few spare toppings baked in an oven so hot it could almost forge steel, up to 1,200 degrees. To build his oven, which owner Jonathan Goldsmith matter-of-factly says is “probably the best in America,” he packed a shipping container in Naples with three types of sand, three types of brick, and a slab of volcanic stone—13,000 pounds total—then flew three third- and fourth-generation Neapolitan oven builders over to put it together (it took them ten days). The result, which stands in the corner, tiled and shimmering with heat, turns out the real thing: pizza with a pliable, not crackerlike, crust with blackened blisters, their tops moist with fresh mozzarella and a few classic toppings (margherita, quattro formagi) and their rims puffy. Antipasti like zucchine alla scapece, melanzane, and insalata di mare are also splendid. —Nicholas  Day

Swim Cafe
1357 W. Chicago | 312-492-8600

$American, Breakfast, Vegetarian/Healthy | Breakfast, Lunch: seven days; Dinner: Monday-Friday

Former caterer Karen Gerod serves fresh, organic foods from local and socially conscious vendors and uses them in her sandwiches, salads, quiches, and sweets at this cafe awash in mild, bright shades of aqua and sea foam green. I can think of no more perfect treat for kids who’ve worked up an appetite across the street in the Eckhart Park pool than a PB&J on Red Hen’s scrumptious chocolate bread. A tuna sandwich on pumpernickel gets a kick from capers, avocado, cucumber, and lemon, and a ham-and-cheese panini uses Jarlsberg cheese. Desserts vary, but with any luck the selection might include chocolate bread pudding. Gerod also bakes her own cupcakes, muffins, cookies, and scones, which she keeps diminutive by design—”small but rich” is her motto. —Susannah J. Felts

Taste of Lebanon
1509 W. Foster | 773-334-1600

F 7.2 | S 7.2 | A 5.2 | $ (5 reports)Middle Eastern | Lunch, dinner: Monday-Saturday | Closed Sunday | Reservations not accepted | Cash only | Vegetarian friendly

rrr This Andersonville shotgun storefront is a reliable proletarian alternative to the comparatively bougie atmosphere up the street at Reza’s and Andies. Orders for tightly rolled lavosh wraps—falafel, hummus, grape leaf, lamb kebab, chicken and beef shawarma—are taken next to a bathroom sink through a hole in the tiny kitchen. They’re delivered to eight tables in the stark dining area, along with a nice lentil soup and salads (Lebanese, fattoush, tabouli, chicken). The falafel seems particularly popular, if unusually bready. —Mike Sula

Udupi Palace
2543 W. Devon | 773-338-2152

F 7.4 | S 8.0 | A 7.1 | $ (8 reports)Indian/Pakistani, Vegetarian/Healthy | Lunch, dinner: seven days | BYO

rrr From the outside, Udupi Palace is bright, spacious, and friendly, which is why the famously bad service inside is so puzzling. Ignore it—you’ll get your food soon enough, and it’ll make you happy. (And the service isn’t always bad: on a recent visit, the waitstaff thoughtfully moved us and our dozen bottles of booze to a larger table.) Udupi’s menu is all-vegetarian and south Indian. Dig deep into the appetizer menu: the chaat papri, fried dough dosed with yogurt and tamarind chutney, is addictive, and the vadas, or lentil doughnuts, are great doused with chutney or sambar. The paper masala dosai could double as plumbing pipe: three feet long, the wafer-thin dough is rolled and filled with potatoes and onions. And remember those dozen bottles? Udupi is permanently BYO: bring a good wheat beer or a sparkling wine. —Nicholas Day

Uncommon Ground
3800 N. Clark | 773-929-3680

F 7.1 | S 6.9 | A 7 | $$ (24 reports)

American, Coffee Shop | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Friday & Saturday till midnight, other nights till 11

Popular Wrigleyville coffeehouse with a dinner menu that changes seasonally. From the breakfast/brunch menu, whole wheat banana pancakes and French toast made with Red Hen bread are well worth trying. This is a comfortable place to stay warm: there’s music seven nights a week, and in addition to coffee drinks, they offer one of the best-prepared mugs of hot chocolate in the city. —John Norris, Rater

Vella Cafe
1912 N. Western | 773-489-7777

$American, Breakfast, Coffee Shop | Breakfast, lunch: monday-friday | Saturday & Sunday brunch | Reservations not accepted | BYO | vegetarian friendly

Sara Voden and Melissa Yen made their reputations at Green City Market, peddling some of the finest sandwiches in Chicago—among them a killer brisket panini and a French toast a la bread pudding. Then last year they opened this dine-in breakfast-and-lunch storefront, tucked neatly beneath the Blue Line stop at Western. The excellent paninis remain, including a frittata version that’s among the best egg sandwiches ever invented, but the menu now includes crepes, soups and salads, and a brunch that’s more affordable than its Wicker Park competition and hair-of-the-dog-friendly to boot (drinks include a virgin Bloody Mary). The high-ceilinged space was renovated with the help of family and friends; warm and cheery as a sunny-side-up egg, it feels well loved. —Nicholas Day

Victory’s Banner
2100 W. Roscoe | 773-665-0227

F 7.8 | S 7.6 | A 7.0 | $ (15 reports)Vegetarian/Healthy, Breakfast | Breakfast, Lunch: Sunday-Monday, Wednesday-Saturday | Closed Tuesday | Reservations not accepted

rrr Victory’s Banner is one of the best breakfast houses in Chicago, period; the owner told me he learned how to make his omelets from the immortal Lou Mitchell himself. Satisfaction Promise is a scrambled-egg dish with spinach, pesto, sun-dried tomato, and feta. But the killer is the French toast, made with cream and orange marmalade and served with peach butter and real maple syrup. There are also pancakes, waffles, and uppuma (an Indian hot cereal). Lunch items include homemade soups, salads, and wraps. The restaurant is owned by a student of meditation master Sri Chinmoy, and the menu says that it exists for one reason—to give joy. I think they’ve succeeded, and other Raters agree: “Friendly and cheery host/waiters and nice big windows showing all the glory of the Roscoe Village good vibe,” says one. —Jeff Kolton, Rater

Send a letter to the editor.

From the Reader blogs