Showing posts with label Baklava. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baklava. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Demetri's Restaurant: Chicago's North Shore OUTSTANDING Greek dining destination.

When you think of unbelievable Greek dining on Chicago's North Shore, Demetri's Restaurant in Deerfield (http://www.demetrisrestaurant.com/) should immediately come to mind. This wonderful Greek destination is a gold standard that offers a wonderful ambience and outstanding food in addition to a catering for many types of events.


Demetri's opened their doors on October 26, 2002 and it has been full speed ahead ever since. Sam Marinakos and his sons Bill and George are the partners in this wonderful venture.

Sam and his sons purchased Demetri's and have done an outstanding job of managing their restaurant and making it grow and flourish. One of many steps in achieving a successful establishment is to provide a more authentic menu and include dishes and twists that come from Sam's upbringing in Kastri, Tripoli Greece. The ingredients and products come from some very reputable distributors. The meat and fish are freshly purchased and cut in house. The calamari and octopus are very fresh. The Sea Bass, Lavaraki, Barbounia (which are types of Greek fish) are all flown in from Greece. They offer other fish from the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean such as Dover Sole, Whole Red Snapper, Halibut and Salmon which are very popular with the customers. The menu is authentically Greek and is also inspired by the market area. They try to please a variety of customers at lunch that includes the corporate community and serves a lot of different people. It also includes a variety of American food.


Demetri's provide large portions and good prices. The food is consistently of great quality. Cleanliness is of top priority and they have staff that are very dedicated to this great task.


George Papadatos, who is the Executive Head Chef is in the process of making his own bread recipe which absolutely top secret and has the customers waiting for its arrival.   

Sam is a very astute business man and has adapted his business to the ups and downs of the economy such as providing an early bird special that includes a drink, soup or salad, a full entree, and dessert for $11.95 between 3pm – 5:30pm. His lunch prices range from $7.95 to $14.95 which also helps the customer in a topsy turvy economy. Every entrĂ©e includes soup for lunch and offer a variety of soups such as lentil, bean, vegetable, fish, egg lemon or minestrone that are offered at various times during the week.

When there is a private function or party, Sam is so dedicated to his business, employees and customers that he stays until the last employee walks out the door to make sure that everyone is accommated and to make sure that the customer is happily satisfied and content.

They offer a wonderful catering service and can BBQ a lamb or Pig on the patio which also houses a parrot who is the darling among the customers.

There may be another Greek Restaurant somewhere in the future and they are also going to change the menu so it is graced with more authentic Greek food. 

All the Greek sweets and yogurt are all made in house and taste like they've been shipped from the mother country. They are fresh and created in an authentic manner.

Their  food, the way they treat their customers and employees, the comfortable and hospitable atmosphere and being a family owned establishment sets them apart from their Greek counterparts.


They have two private dining rooms and large patio for private seating with beautiful flowers that give off a beautiful aroma. The restaurant also has a salt water fish tank as you walk in the door. Every table has fresh cut flowers and bottle of olive oil.

They also offer  one room that hold 65 people and other room that holds 40 people comfortably for any large event or occasion. The patio can hold up to 100 people.

They have a fully stocked bar and also offer Agioritiko wine is which is from the monastery in  Mount Athos, Greece in addition to various wines from California. They are also able to have private cocktail parties by the fire place.  They specialize in quality of service which is their main emphasis.  They also offer delivery for large parties which can be arranged for parties starting at 50 people.

Demetri’s Greek Restaurant is a family owned establishment that focuses on high quality, a friendly environment, and great service to make you feel at home.

The patio has  (a type of flower) that came from Sam's mother's home in Greece and he is able to  incorporate a lot of things from his family and his traditions to share with others and takes a lot of pride in his family.




The restaurant and kitchen are immaculate and you can eat off the floors.

There are plans to open a cafe and expand the banquet facilities.

I was able to sample the wonderful Demetri's salad, avgolemeno soup (egg lemon), a spanakopita entree that came with some great lemon and oregano potatoes with mixed vegetables and the combination platter which offers lamb, moussaka, dolmades, potatoes, rice and vegetables. This combo plate did not disappoint. The lamb was moist, flavorful and tender. The Moussaka and dolmades were made with great care and unlike any others on the North Shore. The potatoes rice and veges were also outsanding. For dessert, I was able to try all of the wonderful sweets that they offer. The baklava and walnut cake were very well done and tasted like it came from some yiayia's (grandmother) kitchen. The rice pudding and creme caramale were just unbelievable. They were sweet and cooked to perfection.

I truly recommend this wonderful Greek delight of a restaurant.

Demetri's Restaurant
660 Lake Cook Road
Deerfield, IL 60015
Tel - (847) 940-0777
Fax - (847) 948.8200
http://www.demetrisrestaurant.com/

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Top Gun Dogs Glenview: The Glen's answer to great Hot Dogs, Gyros and Hamburgers!!

Top Gun Dogs (http://www.topgundogstheglen.com)  is owned by the Lykouretzos family who have established a gold star Glenview/North Shore destination for Hot Dogs, Gyros, Hamburgers and all other goodies in the fast food world.  Their restaurant is very clean and well decorated. They have been in the food business since 1972 and have owned Top Gun Dogs for the last two years. The food is unbelievable. It's tasty, well made, flavorful and there is an abundant variety of items to choose from. The inspiration for their menu comes from the lack of tasty, fresh and well made fast food in "The Glen" which is located in Glenview, Illinois.

Top Gun Dogs has participated in alot of community events and truly understand how important it is to get involved with the people and community surrounding your business.

Their clientele consists of a great cross section of people such as families with kids, senior citizens, business people who want to stop for something quick and yummy and alot of different people from Glenview and the surrounding communities.

Their menu also consists of Philly Chicken, Philly Steak, Italian Beef, Polish Sausage and they offer three different types of salads along with Avgolemeno which is a Greek Egg Lemon Chicken Rice soup. The soup is GREAT!! I've eaten ALOT of avgolemeno and this was really special!!

There are some tentative plans for potential new items on the menu but nothing has been solidified. So keep checking for new additions!!!

Athena, who is the matriarch of the family, wants to give a heartfelt thanks to their loyal and wonderful customers who have continued to patronize their business. The whole family really enjoys each and every single customer and wishes them nothing but the very best for everyone. :)

Their catering menu features very high quality dishes that are made with high quality ingredients and they require 48 hours notice to put an order together for ANY type of occasion.

I had the privilege and pleasure of sampling the  Avgolemeno (Greek Egg Lemon Chicken Rice Soup), a Hot Dog, a Gyros with everything, an order of fries and a piece of Baklava. As I mentioned earlier, the Avgolemeno was absolutely divine. It had the right consistency, balance of eggs and lemon, great chicken and the rice was cooked just right. The Hot Dog had the right snap to it and was moist, flavorful and was enclosed in a great bun with ketchup. I've also had ALOT of Gyros but this wonderful sandwich had an unbelievable blend of an abundant amount of Gyro meat, tomatoes that tasted like they had just been picked out of a garden, Tzaziki and onions on a really delicately cooked pita that was accompanied by a wonderful order of fries that were cooked to absolute perfection. And last but definitely not least, the baklava was made with absolute perfection. It tasted like it came straight from Halsted Street. The phyllo was flaky with the right amount of syrup and the nuts were tender and adorned with the right amount of baklava spices.

Top Gun Dogs (http://www.topgundogstheglen.com) is such a treat for anyone or for the whole family!!!



Top Gun Dogs
1845 Tower Drive
Glenview, IL 60026
T: 847-998-0444
F: 847-998-0555
Open 7 Days a Week at 11am
http://www.topgundogstheglen.com

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

The Pita Inn: Chicago's wonderful answer for Middle Eastern Food

The Pita Inn is Chicago's premier destination for Middle Eastern Cuisine. This gold gem serves premier Middle Eastern cuisine that is  fresh and healthy.

Falah Tabahi, who is the owner, came to this country from Palestine  in 1972 and has been in the food business every since he came to this country. He came from Palestine and was studying in this country and ended up in the food business. He worked in the Skokie location, which was another Mediterranean and that’s how he fell into the Pita Inn business. He worked as a waiter and bus boy and learned the business from the bottom up.   His son, Hazem, is top Manager for the business and watches over his father's creation and empire.
Falah worked in restaurant business and makes customer service top priority and provides  people good food that is fresh and of top notch quality. Falah trained all of the cooks and the Manager in Wheeling was the very  first employee and is now the main chef. Mohammed, who is another employee, has been in Pita inn for 20 years. There are alot of of long time employees and the organization doesn't see alot of turn over. Their  Uncle Adel, who works  in Glenview has been with them for 28 yrs.

The inspiration for the menu is to keep it simple for quick service and more consistent you can be. Flavors are in the middle so appeals to everyone. Menu is simple and severl more items have been added. Have organic chicken from amish farm. Is delivered fresh every day so it’s marinated.

There are no special products that are going to be manufactured. They are in the process of opening up a new location in the near future and their grocery store in Skokie is just unbelievable.

Their business is consistent and their prices are affordable. They have the same employees, the same food and the prices have only been raised twice. They still have 3.95 specials. This is the best deal. They have alot of customers and  can compete with a lot of volume so they can keep their prices low.

They offer buffet style abnd can deliver all the food for an event. Have catering packages from 6.95 - 9.95 a person and includes all the different meats, salad, rice, chiken, falafel, and appetizers. They make their own bakalava and kinafa (ashredded wheat and cheese custard dessert).

There are other locations coming in the future and they won't be going into the dessert business. They make their own pita because it’s more authentic, however, it’s more expensive but the product is of higher quality.  The future of Pita Inn is to have corporate growth and open in other cities.

Their best advertising is word of mouth and they also contribute to the local synogogues and churches. Their customers are loyal to the restaurant and come back morning noon and night.  Some of the customers are eating their two times a day.


They have received alot of media attention including being on Check Please  on channell 11 WTTW Chicago and was also featured on Steve Dolinsky's program "The Hungry Hound" on Channel 7 ABC.

I was able to sample the following items which were just flavorful, tasty, moist and of very high quality: Tabouleh, Jerusalem Salad, Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Chicken Shwarma, the lunch special which included several different red meats prepared in the Middle Eastern Style, Rice, Salad with Tahini and of course their wonderful and fluffy Pita. I also got to sample the Kinafa which is a dessert with shredded wheat on top of a cheesecake custard and Baklava. The food was absolutely outstanding and I am definitely going back for lunch.

Our Locations
http://www.pita-inn.com/
Glenview
9854 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Glenview, IL 60016
847-759-9990

Wheeling
122 South Elmhurst Road
Wheeling, IL 60090
847.808.7733
Hours
Sunday-Thursday 11am - 10pm
Friday-Saturday 11am- 11pm


Skokie
3910 Dempster Street
Skokie, IL 60076
847.677.0211
Hours
Sunday-Thursday 11am - 11pm
Friday-Saturday 11am- 12am

Monday, April 5, 2010

Greek Feast: Chicago's OUTSTANDING Greek Street Food

Greek Feast is an unbelievable addition to Northbrook's dining scene. It is a gold gem of a destination that is owned by George Vlahakis and his family who have been in business for more than 35 years. George also owns Georgie V's in Northbrook and Mrs. V's in Des Plaines on the corner of River Road and Oakton. Their sons Peter, who is a chef and Ted whose specialty is the front of the house (the technology) are very very involved with operating and managing the Vlahakis empire. Mrs. Vlahakis running Georgie V's.   George Vlahakis hails from Sparta, Greece and the V on the sign outside of his restaurant symbolizes the Spartan V warrior symbol. There are also olive and lemon trees inside of the dining establishment.

Their inspiration for Greek Feast was traditional greek street in a fast casual atmosphere. The menu delivers on this concept and then some. George and his sons have been thinking about this venture for years. They found a location and opened up a restarant that is all Greek food and wine and just Greek food and wine. This is fast casusal for Greek food done with a 100 Gold star rating. You order your food, sit down and someone will bring your order to you. Their creations are top secret family recipes and are outsourced to a special kitchen that does all of the cooking for them.

Their ingredients are unbelievably fresh and 100% hand picked from their vendors. Grecian Delight (which is in Elk Grove Village, IL and is owned by Mr. Peter Parthenis) is supplying them with their Gyros and Chicken Gyros. All of their recipes are researched. The spice mix for their different dishes is a secret. The Greek Sausage is also top secret and was mouth watering.

George, Peter and Ted will start the catering portion of the business very son and will also offer curbside service. They will also offer family packs and that will be especially helpful on the North Shore because of the number of families and children that reside in the area. There will be outdoor seating in the near future.

Northbrook has been very good to them and the clients at Georgie V's and Greek Feast are just unbelievable.

I sampled Gyros, Chicken Gyros (which was very very lean), Rice, Pita Bread, Avgolemono Soup (Egg Lemon Soup) Skordalia (Potato Garlic Spread) Tzaziki (Garlic Cucumber spread) and a spicy feta spread. I also sampled the Greek Sausage which was absolutely mouth watering and last the baklava which is Mrs. Vlahakis recipe.

Greek Feast is the best addition to Northbrook, IL and to Chicago's North Shore.

Greek Feast

2784 West Dundee Rd.
Northbrook, IL 60062
Phone: 847-559-1901
Fax: 847-559-1903
Hours: 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM