Monthly Archives: March 2011

Treat: A spot that lights up the neighborhood

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Treat
1616 N. Kedzie, Chicago
(773) 772-1201, www.treatrestaurant.com

Hours: 5-9 p.m., Mon.-Thurs.; 5-10 p.m., Friday; 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat.; 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday.
Entrée prices: $12-$19.

Editors Note: Since writing and publishing this story in the print version of StreetWise, we’ve learned that Treat will close on April 3. Owners are looking for a new location, so hurry over and have a fabulous meal and if you know of any great spots for this gem of a restaurant, give them a call!

Anyone who has lived in Chicago for awhile becomes familiar with the restaurant hot spots—those neighborhoods that are teeming with good, interesting places to eat. River North, Bucktown and Lincoln Square come to mind, but there are many others. It’s great to have these destinations but often the out-of-the-way places get overlooked.

Lately we’ve come across a restaurant whose presence is a beacon of light in its neighborhood. You wouldn’t expect to find such a good spot in the vicinity, but when you do, you are thrilled there are still restaurateurs willing to go out on a limb to pioneer a neighborhood that is sorely in need of a worthwhile gathering spot.

Where North Kedzie meets North Avenue you’ll find Treat, a small but creatively designed contemporary American BYOB restaurant with a strong South Asian influence. The warm colors, local art display and casually warm atmosphere are perfect for enjoying quite tasty food, a bottle of your favorite wine or beer and good conversation. We went there recently with a group to celebrate a friend’s birthday and we had a wonderful time. Treat is an oasis of dinner and weekend brunch.

The menu is intriguing from top to bottom—well thought out and creative yet accessible, with a more than ample selection of vegetarian dishes if you’re so inclined. Because the food is creative, take time to enjoy at least one first course—if not a first and second course—before the entrée is served.

First courses include meat and fish creations such as an interesting Beef Kabob with smoked spices, baby spinach in a yogurt dressing and Daisy’s Fried Calamari served with a carrot, parsley salad and harissa aioli. Other seafood starters include Scallops served with a yogurt crème, potatoes and leeks and Goan Crab Cakes with a panko bread crumb crust and creamed peas. Among the vegetarian starters are tasty Samosas, flaky pastry dough filled with potatoes, peas and served with a cilantro, mint and tamarind chutney, and the delicious Mushroom Paneer Purse: leeks and goat cheese in phyllo dough served with mixed greens and balsamic reduction.

A second course will provide a soup or salad. There is a daily soup and there are three salads, all are nicely conceived and shareable. The Mixed Green Salad includes tomatoes, cilantro and mint in pomegranate vinaigrette. You can enhance the salad with chicken salad or marinated flank steak for an up charge. The yummy beet salad is accompanied by herb crusted baked goat cheese, pickled onions, greens and walnuts in a citrus vinaigrette. Another nice choice is the Paneer and Spinach Salad, with cucumbers, paneer (soft white cheese), spiced corn, Israeli cous cous and shredded carrots in a cumin vinaigrette.

The entrées showcase Treat’s penchant for creative interpretations of South Asian specialties. Non-vegetarian entrées include Chicken Tikka Masala in a yogurt tomato sauce with Indian spices, basmati rice and curried seasonal vegetables. Meat lovers can select the Marinated Flank Steak served with mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus and korma (yogurt, nuts, spices) sauce or the Mint Creek Farm Lamb Shank with saffron cholay (curried chick peas), potatoes and rice. If you’re in a fish or seafood mood, you can select a perfectly prepared Seared Salmon with Israeli cous cous, fennel, tear drop tomatoes, edamame and almond cream or Scallops in a yogurt crème sauce, potatoes and leeks.

Vegetarian selections include Daai Tadka with Indian spices, clarified vegetable butter, basmati rice, and curried vegetables as well as a very delicious, albeit somewhat spicy Curried Gnocchi in a garam (ground spices) masala crème, with spinach gingered raisons, roasted fennel and mint. If pasta is in your future, you can go for the Garlic Paneer Linguini with roasted garlic, mushrooms, fennel, edamame, paneer, asparagus and herbs.

A nice feature about Treat as a neighborhood spot is that if you’re more inclined to eat light, there are several interesting sandwiches to choose from. Among the creations are a Lamb Burger with roasted red pepper, red onions, herb aioli, cilantro chutney on a toasted bun. There are two panini selections: the Jake’s Farm Ham and Cheese Panini comes with smoked ham, swiss cheese, mustard relish aioli, caramelized onions, all served on a light rye bread. The Turkey Panini is served with an apple tarragon cole slaw and swiss cheese on a light rye. You might also want to try the Beer Battered Cod Sandwich with capers, herb aioli, pickled onions and mesculin greens. Each sandwich comes with choice of side dish: French fries, basmati rice with chutney, apple tarragon cole slaw, wilted spinach or curried seasonal vegetables.

Treat doesn’t skimp on the desserts; we were delighted with our Spiced Apple Tart topped with Black Pepper ice cream—not your typical, run of the mill tart by any means.

Treat is BYOB but if you’re not drinking alcohol, you might want to try their homemade Ginger Limeade or choose from a wide range of teas.

Don’t forget the weekend brunch; visit the website, www.treatrestaurant.com, for menu information.

About DineWise
DineWise Chicago is written by Cindy Kurman Barrie and Lee Barrie, the principals of Kurman Communications, Inc., a Chicago-based marketing and public relations agency. The DineWise column appears weekly in Streetwise magazine. Please visit their blog at www.gotbuzzatkurman.com and check out all DineWise articles at www.dinewisechicago.com.

Glencoe’s Everest Burger – Organic, Sustainable, Hormone-Free – Delicious

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by Lee Barrie and Cindy Kurman Barrie
Everest Burger
91 Green Bay Rd., Glencoe, IL
(847) 242-0909; www.everestburger.com

The organic sustainable food movement has pretty well gone mainstream, reaching most corners of the culinary world. We figured that burger joints would be the holdouts – after all, if burgers aren’t broken why fix them? Americans, in droves, continue to eat burgers of all shapes and sizes without, it would seem, apparent concern for their healthfulness. But perhaps we were mistaken.

According to Mark and Margarita Challenger, there are many people who would jump at the chance to eat a good healthy burger. And parents, they say, long for a healthy alternative to Mickey D’s to satisfy their kids’ burger crave. So the Challengers opened the new Everest Burger and Bakery in Glencoe, which serves only hormone-free, steroid-free and antibiotic-free burgers and other good stuff. The Challengers are parents and part of their reason for launching the restaurant is to help other families feed their kids with good food they’ll enjoy.

So our hats go off to this husband and wife team, which has already brought healthy, authentic Mexican food to the Glencoe area with their Guanajuato, a contemporary Mexican eatery a few doors away from Everest Burger.

Everest Burger

Everest Burger is “the peak of better burger joints,” says Mark. It’s somewhat kitschy but not over the top, with a Himalayan/Mt. Everest theme. There is a huge stone wall at the entrance and the mountain theme continues inside, including a ceiling-to-floor, larger than life mural replica of a painting of the Himalyas by artist Nicholas Roeich.

The restaurant is a casual, come as you are place. One side has an open kitchen where you can watch your food being prepared. The other side has a bakery display case which showcases the day’s fresh baked goods which can be purchased to take home.

Freshness and quality are the mantras here. After months of searching for healthy, great tasting beef products, the Challengers chose the 100 percent hormone-free, steroid-free and antibiotic-free beef from Montana Brand Ranch. Other ingredients, including the chicken used for chicken burgers, are sourced locally. Fresh wild Alaskan salmon is flown in every week.

It gets really interesting once you choose your burger and enjoy the experience. The menu offers many original burger creations or you can build your own burger from the long list of toppings and ingredients.

Diners choose their burger recipe and their choice of protein: beef, turkey, chicken or wild Alaskan salmon. There are also vegan versions using portabella mushroom, black beans or walnuts. Burgers are served on fresh, baked-on-premises buns: whole wheat, whole wheat white or gluten free.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a traditionalist or a food adventurer or a burger lovin’ kid; Everest Burger has something that will “peak” your interest.

Aloha Burger

On the traditional side, you can order a straight-ahead Base Camp Burger, served with lettuce, tomato and onion, or you can get more sophisticated with choices such as the Everest Burger, with lettuce, tomato, onions, avocado and kalamata olives, topped with organic blue cheese. Odysseus’ Feast includes lettuce, tomato, onion, kalamata olives and feta cheese grilled with olive oil. The Aloha Burger comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, pineapple and Swiss cheese; the BLT Burger is served with lettuce, tomato, and onion topped with home-made turkey bacon; and the Texas BBQ, lettuce, tomato and onion topped with home-made regular or spicy BBQ sauce.

If you’re in the mood for adventure your expedition can choose from such unique options such as The Australian, pineapple, beet, lettuce and tomato topped with a fried egg and grilled onions in a tangy blend of mayonnaise and chilies; The Fez, a secret Turkish burger recipe combining spices and grains to create a spicy, nutty flavored burger; Fiesta Burger,

Fiesta Burger

a spicy Mexican burger cooked with chipotle peppers and topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapenos and cheese; and the Chimichurri Burger, onion, cloves, cilantro, oregano and some special sauces for a spicy South American taste.

For vegetarians and vegans, the Black Bean Burger, Mushroom Burger and the Walnut Burger are all delicious and healthy options.

Chimichurri Burger

Hot dogs haven’t been forgotten: Everest Dogs are prepared in-house using Everest’s own high-quality beef.

Guests can add a side of Organic fries to any burger or hot dog order, with a choice of regular, parmesan, Cajun or cheesy varieties. The fries are made from organic potatoes freshly cut and fried in rice bran oil to give the cleanest and best taste possible.

The children’s menu includes Children’s Burgers, beef, turkey, chicken or black bean, with or without cheese;

Meatball Slider

Meatball Sliders, three meatballs with marinara sauce on a child-sized bun; Chicken Tenders and an Everest Beef Dog.

Guests can top off the meal with Everest Organic Frozen Yogurt, prepared in-house using fresh and organic ingredients.

The bakery features croissants, breads and churros as well as fast breakfast items such as quiche, breakfast burrito, croissant egg sandwiches, scones, muffins, and Danishes all made using organic flours, fresh ground coffee and herbal teas.

The best news is that a trip to this Everest doesn’t require months of training. So hop in the car and treat yourself to something delicious and healthy. You’ll be as proud of yourself as those brave souls who have conquered the mountain. Well, maybe not, but…

Everest Burger & Bakery soon will be open for breakfast and bakery orders. Here’s a sample of their offerings:


DineWise Chicago is written by Cindy Kurman Barrie and Lee Barrie, the principals of Kurman Communications, Inc., a Chicago-based marketing and public relations agency. The DineWise column appears weekly in Streetwise magazine. Please visit their blog at www.gotbuzzatkurman.com and check out all DineWise articles at www.dinewisechicago.com.