Entries associated with the tag "Albany Park":

Coming soon to the already bread-rich Albany Park Middle Eastern corridor:

Sanabel Bakery, in a gray cinder-block structure, is going up fast at 4253 N. Kedzie, emblazoned with a sign promising mankoushi, the wonderful breakfast/snack bread topped with the herbal mixture za'atar or cheese; there's also a meat version called lahem biajin. Also cheese and spinach pies, and of course plain ol' pita. Brought to you by the good folks at Al-Khaymeih. (A little competition for their next-door neighbors at Al-Khyam Bakery?)

And a few block north, obscured by one of the sidewalk trees, Zahart Al Madaa'en Restaurant has a repair replacement permit in the window over the newsprint. Windows are papered; not much going on inside.

On any given day if I haven't decided what to have for dinner by, say, 2 PM, I start panicking. Such a state of mind calls for a Lawrence Avenue foray, which is almost certain to turn up something new and unusual. Today I hit the jackpot. Proceeding west from Kedzie in Albany Park:

El Huarachin Huarachon, 3320 W. Lawrence. Tiny one-month-old taqueria with a big menu, including house-made tortillas and huaraches and some unusual items such as tlacoyos, masa patties similar to pupusas.

King Tut Restaurant and Hookah Cafe, 3737 W. Lawrence. The owners of the former Queen Nefertiti took on a new partner, remodeled, and expanded the menu, which includes lamb tongues, raw kibbeh, the meat-and-okra stew bamia, and a bunch of other things I've never tried before.

Big Pho, 3821 W. Lawrence. The Korean pho joint now serves teriyaki.

Couscous House, 4624 W. Lawrence. One-month-old Algerian-owned restaurant with a small menu of kebabs, appetizers, and couscous.

Restaurant Bulgaria, 4724 W. Lawrence. Not new at all--it's been around a year--but completely off my radar up to now. Large nightclub and restaurant with a huge menu that includes a surprising number of offal appetizers. On Thanksgiving there's a special of turkey with sour cabbage for $5.50.

I'll tell you where I ended up tomorrow, after I've digested. 

The shelves of noodles, seaweed, soju, and bean paste are slowly emptying as Clark Market, located next to Kang Nam on Kedzie, prepares to close its doors on October 31. It's the second major Albany Park Korean retail casualty since the arrival of the first H-Mart in Niles. I don't pretend to know whether the mammoth (albeit wonderful) Korean superstore killed Arirang, further west on Lawrence, or Clark Market. But if H-Mart--which has opened a second location in Naperville--really has the reach to blot out businesses in Koreatown, it would a sad thing indeed.

Whatever the case, it's a real loss to the neighborhood. The place was shabby looking but had a great panchan bar, fresh marinated bulgogi and kalbi, and other prepared foods. All I could get out of the cashier was a dejected "business slow." 

I fear for Chicago Food Corp.