WBBM 780 AM
Andalous: A news radio 780 WBBM Restaurant Review
SHERMAN KAPLAN
ANDALOUS A NEWSRADIO 780 WBBM RESTAURANT REVIEW BY SHERMAN KAPLAN
BROADCAST NOVEMBER 5, 2004
Moroccan food is characterized by perfume and sweetness, part of the Middle East, but with a character that is distinctive to its people and their land. Among the few Moroccan restaurants in Chicago is Andalous, at 3307 North Clark Street. It's a small storefront, maybe fifteen tables.
The owner, who identifies himself as Hadj works the front, while his wife does the cooking. It adds a sense of home, he tells interested guests.
Most of what we tasted was excellent, beginning with Harira soup. The soup is seasoned with coriander among readily identifiable herbs. Peas, tomatoes and other vegetables informed the broth.
Among appetizers at Andalous grilled eggplant is reminiscent of the kind found in kitchens from Persia to Turkey and Greece, a thick puree excellent when spread on pita or simply eaten as is.
Similarly, a tomato concasse called Taktouka combines eggplant with olive oil and peppery seasonings.
Moroccan egg rolls, as they are called, are hardly like anything out of Chinese cooking; these have a crispy phyllo dough crust.
The filling is a mince of seasoned beef or chicken. Diners could easily create a mezze of soups, appetizers and salads, or go on to the several entrees. The menu flows with tagines, the slow cooked stews of North Africa, named for the clay pot in which they are baked. Presentation at Andalous forgoes the pot, but that does not prove to be a problem.
Hadj recommended the Rabat Tagine, and he was right to do so. Beef chunks are simmered with mushrooms, fresh cloves of garlic and sliced zucchini. It is a luscious creation. I was not so taken with the lamb version, which tasted too strong, though our guest who ordered it had no such problem.
There are other choices beside tagines. One is bastilla, a phyllo pastry stuffed with chicken and vegetables in a savory sauce. After it is baked, the bastilla is showered with powdered sugar. A first reaction might be that this is an odd concept, but it works. There is a seafood version too, but my guess is that it has no similar topping. Other entrees include a selection of kebabs and North African lamb sausage called merguez with vegetables. There’s even a Moroccan version of French fries, with butter. Bam!, as Emeril might say.
The best thing to accompany this kind of dining is sweet Moroccan tea served from a silver pot. As for dessert, Moroccan pastries are not so sweet as Greek or Turkish. Baklava is a perfect example, perfumed with orange water and honey.
Expect to spend about $50 a couple. Andalous is at 3307 North Clark Street, where parking can be tight. Andalous has a K/RATING of 18/20. AMBIANCE/DECOR 3/4 SERVICE 5/5 FOOD 9/10 VALUE 1/1 (773-281-6885)
Read more Sherman Kaplan Restaurant Reviews in North Shore Magazine.