Paprika » Chicago Bites

It's summer and we love food - Chicago Bites Round-up

Posted by Tammy at 11:00 am

Jul 172010

It’s been a busy couple of weeks! In case you’ve missed the action, here’s what we’ve covered on Chicago Bites:

Seared pork tenderloin, thyme gnocchi, hon schemidji mushroom ju

Seared pork tenderloin from Lokal.

On the Fourth of July, we looked at red, white and blue food.

Our continuing quest for the best croissants took us to Floriole Bakery in Lincoln Park. It also took us to Bakin’ & Eggs in Lakeview.

We tried the $45 Monday night prix fixe menu at Lokal, which proved to be a good value.

I made my once-yearly foray into Indian food with a look at Paprika. And once a year you should return to Mercat a la planxa to remember how good the food really is there.

Pink peppercorns from the spice house.

We visited three Chicago businesses — Intelligensia, Nicole’s Crackers and Spice House — on the City of Chicago’s Top Shelf Tour.

We couldn’t let July 11th go by without commemorating the Slurpee. And then we kept things cool with some gelato from Black Dog Gelato.

Another food holiday, National French Fry Day, made us remember the duck fat fries at Hot Doug’s.

Cornerstone Cafe proved to be a nice spot for lunch before taking in a movie. And finally, we recounted a recent brunch experience at Bakin’ & Eggs. Bacon flight, anyone?

Look for the next round-up in a few weeks or get up-to-the minute updates on Twitter, Facebook, or Email.

Paprika Indian Gourmet Restaurant

Posted by Tammy at 8:00 am

Jul 072010

You can find fragrant cinnamon sticks and bay leaves mixed in the rice at Paprika.

Paprika is a hole-in-the-wall Indian spot tucked inside a small strip mall along Lawrence Avenue. Among its charms are free parking, no corkage fee BYOB and cheap food spiced to your preference. The dining room is an inviting turmeric color and sitar music pipes through a small stereo next to the counter. It’s very cozy.

The evening we were there, Sha Kabir, the owner, was busy passing free vegetable somosas to tables in the small dining room. It was a graceful touch that put patrons in a good mood. It certainly made it easier to ignore the loud delivery staff that tromped through the space and complained of late orders and the owner’s guests that reeked of cologne strong enough to cut through the scents of curry. Maybe ordering out is the best option here.

Still, between the somosas, pappadam and naan with chutney, we were virtually stuffed before entrees arrived. A huge bowl of spicy, Basmati rice accompanied our orders of Palak Ghoast (seasoned lamb with spinach) and Shag Alu Pannir (spinach with potatos and chunks of cheese). Everything was tasty and filling.

We spent less than $20 apiece and had enough leftovers to last a week. I think next time I’ll order less bread to make room for kheer — home made rice pudding with raisin and almonds.