help on the business side, and thereweren’t many places in Chicago to turnto.” Acri Sr., an Austin High Schoolgrad, joined the NBC Orchestra at 17,toured with Harry James and WoodyHerman, and was the house pianist atMr. Kelly’s. From the mid-60s to themid-70s his trio was the house band atthe Continental Plaza (now the Westin).

college disputed—including tutors—hadn’t been opened. The NationalLabor Relations Board held threeweeks of hearings on the disputed bal-lots, and one year ago it handed down adecision that 42 should be counted.The college appealed, putting every-thing back on hold until this month,when the decision was upheld by anNLRB panel. Ten days ago administra-tion and staff representatives met inthe Chicago NLRB office to watch asthe 42 ballots were opened. Five werecast against the union and 37 were infavor—enough to swing the vote. JoanMcGrath, spokesperson for the UnitedStaff of Columbia College, says benefitspreservation, pay inequities, job securi-ty, and staffing levels are all potentialissues for negotiation, but the firstthing they’ll do is throw a big fence-mending party on April 28. McGrathsays they hope to have a signed con-tract with the college sometime duringthe next academic year.

Meanwhile Keith Kostecka, presi-dent of the Columbia College FacultyOrganization, says his group is finallygetting some representation on the col-lege’s board of trustees. One studentrepresentative and one faculty repre-sentative will be seated at its nextmeeting. They won’t have voting privi-leges, Kostecka says, but for the firsttime “the faculty will have a voice—theboard can hear our concerns directly.”The Columbia College Board has 47voting members.

Transitions in TroubleTransitions Bookplace owner GayleSeminara Mandel sent an SOS thisweek to the store’s 3,500 book-clubmembers imploring them to come inbefore the end of the month and makesome purchases. Mandel says the store,which specializes in recovery and spiri-tual titles and has been operatingunder Chapter 11 since last fall, is des-perately in need of a boost in dailyreceipts and working capital. “If wedon’t get some extra funds, we could beclosing as early as June,” she says. “Myhusband and I have put everything weown into the store. I’m at the pointwhere I would rather know, ‘Are youguys done with this?’” v

The Business

B ob Acri Jr. is an investment guru,so the Cavalcade of MusicFoundation, the nonprofit he

founded four years ago, must makefinancial sense—I’m just having a littletrouble seeing it. This weekend thefoundation will open the doors of itsnew headquarters at the SkokieTheater, 7924 N. Lincoln, with a three-day concert series. The facility was pur-chased last year for $375,000, and anadditional $1.1 million has been spentturning it into a state-of-the-art 150-seat music venue. After this weekendthe programming will mainly consist ofweekly Wednesday afternoon concertswith very modest ticket prices: $6 inadvance, $9 at the door, and $5 perhead or less for groups. Acri says there’llalso be a Sunday afternoon event everymonth or so, but the theater won’t domuch (if anything) at night and it won’tbe rented out. The Wednesday matineeswill feature the same band every week:the Bob Acri Jazz Octet, with Bob Jr. ondrums and his dad, 87-year-old BobAcri Sr., on piano.

“We’re a charity,” Acri says, explain-ing that the theater doesn’t have tomake money. “Our basic mission is to provide seminars and programsfor working musicians or people interested in careers in music.” Theseminars, conducted by Acri and Allan Curtis, Cavalcade’s director ofoperations, address legal, financial, and promotional aspects of the musicbusiness. Acri is an attorney and MBA who cut his teeth in the trustdepartments of the Northern Trust and Harris banks; he launched his own investment advisory firm,Kenilworth Asset Management, about the same time he foundedCavalcade. Curtis is a longtime Skokie-based agent, manager, and promoter. So far they’ve taken theirspiel on the road, speaking for free at more than a dozen colleges, mostlyin the midwest. In the future they’lloffer seminars at the Skokie venue,which they say will also give students a chance to plan, promote, stage, and perform in concerts. Acri envisionsthe new headquarters as “an incubatorfor the great musicians of tomor-row. . . [with] students coming fromacross the country.” Curtis says they’d

like to affiliate with a community college or local university, where a certificate in the business of musiccould be developed.

Acri says he’s felt a need for thiskind of resource since he was a kid:“One of the reasons I started this foun-dation is that while [my father’s] a phe-nomenal musician, he needed a lot of

Though he’s recorded with bands, hedidn’t release a recording under his ownname until 2002: Timeless, on theSouthport label. In 2004 Cavalcadeproduced a second CD, The Cavalcadeof Music Foundation Presents Bob Acri(Blujazz), with Acri leading a sextet that included Lou Soloff on trumpet,George Mraz on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums.

The Skokie Theater was built as amovie house in 1915, originally screen-ing silent flicks. A revamp in the 1940swas responsible for its distinctivecream-and-brown tile art modernefacade, now neatly restored with thehelp of a $100,000 grant from the vil-lage. The seating inside has beenreduced from 320 to 150 to make roomfor a bigger stage, backstage area, andlarger restrooms, but Curtis points outthere’s still minimal lobby space. Showswill be presented without intermission,and Cavalcade won’t sell concessions toboost revenue. Acri declines to identifyindividual donors, but says private con-tributions, including some pledges dueby the end of the year, will pay off thepurchase and remodeling costs entirely.In 2007, the foundation’s first full yearof operation, the budget will be about$200,000. Curtis, who’d been produc-ing ten concerts a year for Acri Sr.’sband in community auditoriumsthroughout the midwest, says he has amailing list of 3,500 individuals and3,700 groups and thinks they’re allpotential audience members for thenew venue. He plans to tap a “tremen-dous market of older, active adultslooking for something to do in theafternoon.” Even with their near-give-away pricing, Acri expects ticket salesto cover the costs of the midweek con-certs. Tickets for each of the four con-certs this weekend, which include per-formances by the Diane Delin Quartet,the Greg Pasenko Trio, and the BobAcri Octet, are $35. For more informa-tion, call 847-967-7652.

A Slow WinIn October 2004 the staff of ColumbiaCollege voted on whether to have unionrepresentation. The tally was 158against and 138 in favor, but 60 ballotscast by employees whose eligibility the

Musicians and Their MoneyA North Shore investment manager wants to help musicians across the country get a handle on the business side.

ROBE

R T D

REA

Bob Acri Jr. at the newly renovated Skokie Theater

By Deanna Isaacs

thebusiness@chicagoreader.com

2 CHICAGO READER | APRIL 21, 2006 | SECTION TWO

CHICAGO READER | APRIL 21, 2006 | SECTION TWO 3

In the NeighborhoodA selection of restaurants in Albany Park

Al-Khaymeih4748 N. Kedzie | 773-583-0999

$MIDDLE EASTERN, MEDITERRANEAN |BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL 11 |RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED

The menu here is limited to the mostfamiliar Lebanese dishes, but the food isalways fresh and tasty. The smooth, flavor-ful hummus goes light on the tahini and isdrizzled with olive oil; the grape leaves aretightly rolled and bursting with lemonyrice and vegetables; the lamb, beef, andchicken kebabs are nicely seasoned andgenerously portioned; and the pita, servedwarm, is homemade. Brothers George andPierre Mounsef, who also own the marketnext door, have brightened up the diningroom to better match the food, paintingthe walls two shades of blue and addingan exposed kitchen to the formerly drabspace. Laura Levy Shatkin

Arun’s4156 N. Kedzie | 773-539-1909

F 9.1 | S 9.3 | A 8.0 | $$$$$ (16 REPORTS)THAI, ASIAN | DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY

rrr I’ll admit the most oveRRRated Thairestaurant on the planet is a fine-diningplayer—service is well oiled and profession-al, the surroundings are a fantasia of lyser-gic folk art, and the food is prepared bypeople who know how to cook. But for theprice of the degustation with wine pairingsat Arun’s you could put together five moresurprising, authentic, and delicious ones atSpoon Thai, TAC Quick, Siam’s House, orSticky Rice. If you can’t be convinced ofthat, $85 and your willing suspension ofdisbelief gets you 12 courses of ArunSampanthavivat’s exquisitely plated butdomesticated versions of his homeland’scuisine. While the staff makes the perfunc-tory effort of accommodating culinarypreferences and taboos, it seems dinersare not to be trusted with the more aggres-sively spiced and funkier flavors of Thaicuisine—even if they ask. The event beginswith six appetizer courses, in which everywonderful detail seems to be unbalancedby an inappropriate one: maybe a one-bitesalad arrives perched on a perfectlyshaped betel nut leaf, which imparts anearthier flavor than the usual lettuce, butthen an oyster pancake will be drizzledwith Sriracha, the Heinz ketchup of the FarEast. Appetizers are followed by four maincourses served all at once, family style,

many of which overrely on the sweet endof the Thai spectrum; fat, fresh prawnswith an unusual and tangy purple moun-tain fern might come with a lobster WillyWonka’d by a sweet, brown, cornstarchysauce more suited to Chinese takeout. Onmy most recent visit the dish that was per-haps the least authentic was my favorite—afist-size hunk of tender pot roast in greencurry drizzled with coconut cream. Giventhe notorious challenges in pairing Thaifood with the grape, someone at Arun’sdoes a really good job matching things up.

Then again, the delicate Brut LaurentPerrier that came with crispy fried pike onchard, bean sprouts, and sweet-and-sourrhubarb would get its ass kicked by some-thing like a real papaya salad with chilesand dried shrimp. Any fine-dining experi-ence in this price range requires more thana few wows over 12 courses. The only one Irecall was my first glimpse of the amazingmural depicting struggle between goodand evil—eight months in the making—thatSampanthavivat’s brother was painting inthe main dining room. Mike Sula

Brasa Roja3125 W. Montrose | 773-866-2252

$$LATIN AMERICAN | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER:SEVEN DAYS | BYO

This outpost of Jorge and JeanetteGacharna’s excellent Lakeview churras-caria, El Llano, has one major advantageover the original: pollo rostizado. Everymorning the birds start spinning over hotcoals in the window of the Albany Parkstorefront; plump and round, with steadily

browning skin, they beg to be tucked underthe arm like a football and carried away. Inthe dining room the Gacharnas have dis-guised the ghosts of retail past, festooningthe dropped ceiling and walls with folkloricgimcracks and posters of South Americanranch life. The scent of sizzling flesh pre-cedes the arrival of wooden boards ladenwith grilled steaks, short ribs, or rabbit,accompanied by a sharp salsa verde andthe four starches of the apocalypse—rice,fried yuca, boiled potato, and arepas. Milk-or water-based jugos like blackberry and

RestaurantsListings are excerpted from the Reader Restaurant Finder, an onlinedatabase of more than 3,000 Chicago-area restaurants. Restaurantsare rated by more than 2,200 Reader Restaurant Raters, who feedus information and comments on their dining experiences. Webratings are updated daily; print listings reflect the most currentinformation available at publication time. Reviews are written by

Reader staff and contributors and (where noted) individual Raters.Though reviewers try to reflect the Restaurant Raters’ input,reviews should be considered one person’s opinion; the collectiveRaters’ opinions are best expressed in the numbers. The completelistings and information on how to become a Reader RestaurantRater are available at www.chicagoreader.com/restaurantfinder.

Unusual Japanese, Nuovo Italiano,and Sophisticated Comfort Food

and the accompanying sage-infused polenta soft-pedaled the herb, which can taste medicinal ifoverused. I’m not a huge fan of risotto, but herebraised leeks gave a pear, Gorgonzola, and artichokeversion an appreciable crunch. Speaking of leeks: onMay 8 Bubala will be joined at his restaurant by PaulKahan of Blackbird, ex-Trio chef Mary McMahon,and 312 Chicago’s Dean Zanella for Rampfest, a five-course benefit in support of farmland preservationand organic farming that features ramps (wild leeks)in every course. It’s $125; for more information seethelandconnection.org. —Heather Kenny

N ow that chef Carol Wallack has moved on toher sleek new restaurant, Sola, her sister Lynnehas warmed up DELEECE, the place they ran

together for ten years, with copper-hued tiles, tastefulnude photos, and a new chef, Steven Obendorf(Chestnut Street Grill, Fuse). The restaurant remainsfamily friendly, the kind of neighborhood place where

you can take your children and they will miraculouslybehave. Thankfully, that doesn’t condemn you tochicken fingers (though they are on the children’smenu). Instead there’s sophisticated comfort food like

a starter of crab cakes with analmond crust served withavocado yogurt or a crispy-skinned duck breast with pea-confit ravioli and a salad of

pea shoots and mint. Some favorites from the oldmenu remain, like a succulent pan-roasted salmonfillet served with Chinese sticky black rice, spinach,and leeks in a pear-ginger sauce. Lunch service is now offered Tuesday through Friday, andthere’s a three-course prix fixe meal for $20 everyMonday and Tuesday. —Mara Tapp

OTHER RECENT TRANSFORMATIONSStrega Nona, 3747 N. Southport, is now Take FiveFluky’s, 6832 N. Western, is now U Lucky Dawg

Transformations

I guess Chicago wasn’t ready for an all-kaisekirestaurant. Elaborate multicourse dining based onsimple, pure ingredients chosen to philosophically

coincide with the changing seasons was an ambitiousidea, and the meal I ate at Matsumoto, Isao Tozukaand chef Seijiro Matsumoto’s Albany Park restaurant,was one of my most memorable. But despite intensemedia interest the place never seemed to be occupiedby more than a few diners at a time. The doors closedlate last year, ostensibly for vacation, and when itreopened a few months ago as CHIYO, the greatMatsumoto—a man licensed to prepare fugu in five

cities—was gone. Kaiseki isstill available—ordered aweek in advance—but nowTozuka and his charmingwife, Chiyo, focus on more

conventional Japanese fare: teriyaki dishes, tempura,sushi, sashimi, sukiyaki, and shabu-shabu with achoice of prime or Kobe (actually Wagyu) beef. Thelast two are showy performances in their own right,and Chiyo is still a restaurant where one can samplethe uncommon, like ankimo, or monkfish liver, other-wise known as the foie gras of the sea. Fans of repro-ductive fluids might consider the fish egg tempura—actually the milt sac of a codfish. The sake list isimpressive, and the standard array of sushi and sashi-mi items is available, prepared with skill thoughsomehow lacking the pristine freshness thatMatsumoto delivered. As far as customers go hisdeparture’s made little difference—so far the place isas forlorn as ever. —Mike Sula

“I s this the same restaurant?” three differentbefuddled guests asked the host at TIMO thenight I was there, about two weeks after the

restaurant formerly known as Thyme reopened in itscurrent incarnation last month. You can see whypatrons might be confused: apart from new Chihuly-like light fixtures, the interior is unchanged—there’s

the same open-air kitchen andgrey-and-brown color scheme.But chef John Bubala haschanged the name of his place tothe Italian word for “thyme” and

moved from a French-Mediterranean menu to anItalian-influenced one. Such transformations can berisky, with the final result neither fish nor fowl, butin this case Bubala has successfully adapted the cui-sine to his contemporary approach. You probablywon’t ever find ravioli filled with turkey and pancettaat a traditional trattoria, but maybe you should: thesmoky taste of the pancetta joined with the earthi-ness of the porcini cream sauce to create a woodsyflavor. Bubala is talented at balancing: a tenderorganic pork shank came with a balsamic-fig relish,

ROB

WA

RNER

Chiyo3800 W. Lawrence773-267-1555

Timo464 N. Halsted312-226-4300

Deleece4004 N. Southport773-325-1710

Chiyo and Isao Tozuka, kyuri nagashi appetizer, and shabu-shabu veggies at Chiyo, formerly Matsumoto

4 CHICAGO READER | APRIL 21, 2006 | SECTION TWO

mango are surpassed by the sweet butoddly peppery passion-fruit variety, anddesserts include brevas con arequipe(caramel-filled figs). Doors open at 9 AMfor calentado, the traditional Colombianbreakfast featuring beans, arepas, pota-toes, eggs, carne asada, and cheese-stuffed pastries called buenelos. Mike Sula

Chicago Kalbi3752 W. Lawrence | 773-604-8183

$$DINNER: SUNDAY, MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED TUESDAY | OPEN LATE:MONDAY, WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY TILL MIDNIGHT |RESERVATIONS ACCEPTED FOR LARGE GROUPSONLY

Considering the great number of Koreansthat run sushi bars around town, is it reallyso strange that a kalbi place would be runby a Japanese-Korean couple (also the own-ers of Chiyo, the Japanese restaurant downthe street)? Here there are terrific appetiz-ers of oyster pajun—bivalves individuallycooked in eggy batter—and a lightly fried,almost tempura-style chicken. But the vari-eties of panchan are milder and scarcerthan those in a typical Korean restaurant,and the barbecue meats are leaner, shavedfrom higher-quality cuts—the menu evenadvertises Kobe beef, though whenever yousee that you should wonder if it’s actuallydomestic Wagyu. Of course, the cooking isdone over real wood charcoal, but becausethe delicate cuts have a harder time stand-ing up to the intense heat, you really have topay attention to what you’re doing. Thewhole experience is a little more refined andless orgiastic than at most Korean places—it

leaves you feeling as if you’ve eaten morelike Sailor Moon than Conan the Barbarian.On the other hand it attracts a great numberof local and traveling Japanese pro ballplay-ers, whose posters cover the wall, and a col-lection of balls autographed by the likes ofHideki Matsui, Tadahito Iguchi, and IchiroSuzuki are enshrined under the register.Though the place is extremely hospitable,outrageously there’s a $2 surcharge forextra lettuce and bean paste, which almostnegates any good feeling I have for it.Overall it’s less forbidding than a typicalkalbi restaurant—our waitress offered toshow us the ropes in a flat midwesternaccent, and the busboy was easternEuropean. Perhaps as a result there arealways lots of white people at the tables.“That’s because it’s not real Korean,” a skep-tical Korean told me. Mike Sula

City Noor Kabab4714-B N. Kedzie | 773-267-6777

$MIDDLE EASTERN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |OPEN LATE: TILL MIDNIGHT EVERY NIGHT | CASH ONLY

Recently arrived ethnic cleansers likeMcDonald’s, Starbucks, and Subway areno match for the Middle Eastern cooks onthe 4600 to 4900 blocks of North Kedzie,one of most wonderful food stretches inthe city. Two of my favorite defenders onthe Albany Park barricades are Maysounand Sami Rabie. Palestinians who arrivedvia Jordan, they run the tiny, terrific halalbutcher shop City Noor Meat. In spring2004 they saw an opportunity to inte-grate their access to fresh meat, hand

slaughtered as the Prophet directs, andMaysoun’s homey cooking and took overthe kebab place three doors down.Maysoun learned to cook from her moth-er and mother-in-law, and her style’s dis-tinct from that of the other chefs onKedzie. She says that’s because most ofthem are men. Her menu includes typicalMiddle Eastern spreads and salads—hum-mus, baba ghanoush, fattoush, and tab-bouleh—and a small variety of Pakistaniand Indian plates, an offering to the cab-bies in this polyglot neighborhood. Thereare even halal hot dogs, chicken nuggets,and fish sticks for the observant toddler.That’s all fine, but every day Maysounalso prepares two specials from a stan-dard list of 19 that exhibit her formidableskills. Most are generous: hearty platesof stuffed cabbages and grape leaves,meaty white bean or okra stews, piles ofrice with nuts and meats. My favorite,mansaf, is a layer of pita drenched with areconstituted cow-and-goat-milk yogurt,under a pile of rice sprinkled withalmonds and crowned with a hunk offatty braised lamb on the bone. It’sserved with a bowl of the warm yogurtsauce, or nage, to spoon on top. Thewhole heaping thing arrives preceded bya gust of cardamom, an aromatic mound

of love so luxurious I want to curl up andsleep on it. Mike Sula

Cousin’s Incredible Vitality3038 W. Irving Park | 773-478-6868

$$VEGETARIAN/HEALTHY, SMALL PLATES | LUNCH,DINNER: TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY,MONDAY | SMOKE FREE

Chef Mehmet Ak has traded his kebab grillin for two dehydrating cabinets, transform-ing Cousin’s Turkish Cuisine into Cousin’sIncredible Vitality, a vegan restaurant spe-cializing in raw (or “living”) foods. Themenu still nods to his Turkish heritage:there’s zucchini hummus and tabboulehmade from soaked and sprouted quinoa;samplers of “living mezes” feature stuffedgrape leaves, shepherd’s salad, and house-marinated olives alongside “not tuna”wraps and minipizzas with avocado, mush-rooms, olives, and almond cheese onflaxseed flatbread. Mediterranean “pasta”has angel-hair made from zucchini, rawmarinara, and “Parmesan” made from pinenuts. A delicious wild cherry cheesecakewith a walnut crust contains cashews,dates, and raw agave nectar for sweetness.Or try the rich hand-rolled raw-chocolatetruffles. Susannah J. Felts

Dharma Garden Thai Restaurant3109 W. Irving Park | 773-588-9140

F 8.5 | S 6.8 | A 7.5 | $$ (8 REPORTS)ASIAN, THAI, VEGETARIAN/HEALTHY | LUNCH:TUESDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED MONDAY | BYO

rrr Catering to a health-conscious crowd, allthe dishes here are prepared without MSG,processed sugar, fish sauce, or artificial ingre-dients. Though there are chicken and beefofferings, menu items are mostly meatlessversions of Thai classics: vegetable pot stick-ers, a “garden” roll filled with tofu and vegeta-bles, an imitation duck curry (the “meat” ismade with soy and wheat). Other dishes incor-porate nuts for protein. Cold options include atofu-and-oyster-mushroom salad and a tangychilled seafood salad; a standout soup is thekow tom, seasoned with ginger, garlic, andlime and made substantial with a choice ofseafood or tofu. Laura Levy Shatkin

Great Sea3254 W. Lawrence | 773-478-9129

$ASIAN, CHINESE, KOREAN | LUNCH, DINNER:SEVEN DAYS

Great Sea phones in unremarkable Korean-Chinese—Chinese food with nods to Koreantongues—and one remarkable thing: Hot andSaucy Chicken Wings. Frenched, battered,deep-fried, and slathered with a sweet,dark, oily chile sauce, this version of a clas-sic Chinese snack is the reason for the per-petual train of pilgrims that stomps throughthe drab dining room to collect Styrofoamboxes heavy with lollipop poultry. If youreally need something else, there are a

Restaurants

Food (F), service (S), and ambience (A) are rated on a scale of 1-10, with 10 representingbest. The dinner-menu price of a typical entree is indicated by dollar signs on thefollowing scale: $=less than $10, $$=$10-$15, $$$=$15-$20, $$$$=$20-$30,$$$$$ =more than $30. Raters also grade the overall dining experience; these scoresare averaged and rs are awarded as follows: rrr=top 10 percent, rrr=top 20percent, rrr=top 30 percent of all rated restaurants in database.

CHICAGO READER | APRIL 21, 2006 | SECTION TWO 5

handful of interesting departures from thecodified wok glop. Cha chiang mein—a deepbowl of noodles in a thick black bean sauce—distinguishes itself. So does chow ma mein,a seafood-and-pork noodle soup with a rich,fishy red broth. But Great Sea knows itsstrength. They even sell jars of the wings’sauce at the register—it’s terrific on salmon.They could easily cut out the overhead andmake a fortune selling their miraculousdrummettes from a lunch cart outside somesports bar. Mike Sula

Kang Nam4849 N. Kedzie | 773-539-2524

$$KOREAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS

When a meal starts with a man wearing

flame-retardant hand gear bearing a blazingbucket of coals from the kitchen, it conjuresall sorts of enjoyable medieval associations,as if he’d just taken a break from poundingout broadswords and horseshoes to providefuel for your feasting. Kang Nam is one ofthe handful of Korean barbecue housesaround town that offer that sort of spectacle(unlike those that use gas burners), andamong them it’s probably my favorite. Thelittle accompanying bowls of panchan at thismost generous of kalbi joints are plentiful,varied, and bottomless, and the glisteningmorsels of lean seasoned pork, beef, andcephalopod sizzling over the flames at thecenter of the table taste like you baggedthem that morning. The primeval pleasureof eating such food with your hands is con-trasted with the civilizing possibility of wrap-

ping it in circles of pickled daikon or freshred-leaf lettuce. Off the grill there are othergood possibilities: the dolsot bi bim bop isparticularly well-executed, with crispy raspaon the bowl’s bottom, and rich gamy goatsoup is robust with bright greens. Otherbowls and soups are amply sized andaggressively seasoned. Food here is givenindividual attention as the occasional sightof workers gathered round a table stuffinggreat piles of dumplings testifies. Mike Sula

Kokeeri Restaurant4346 W. Lawrence | 773-205-5680

$KOREAN, ASIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | BYO

The menu at Kokeeri is a carb counter’s

nightmare: homemade dumplings, noo-dles, wonton skins, as well as Korean sushirolls with fillings like sundae (Korean porksausage), cheese, or a minty-anise perillaleaf that certainly separate these makifrom their Japanese cousins. Round, fluffydumplings look and taste like the more-familiar Chinese bao—the jjin bbang is evenstuffed with sweet red-bean paste. Otherdumplings offer different textures—the gunmandoo (fried dumplings) come crispy,while the beef- and pork-stuffed tong man-doo are steamed. The wonton skins in thesoo jae bi are thick and chewy like a south-ern dumpling, but the soup broth theycome in tastes deeply fishy—not offensivelyso, yet it’s possible that someone notaccustomed to anchovies might be star-tled. Since there’s no cook-it-yourself BBQ

here and the bi bim bop is just OK, why nottake the opportunity to try somethingyou’ve never heard of before, like gaerandup bop (fried rice omelet); dak do ri, ahomey, hot chicken-and-potato stew; ormaybe even a little of that sausage sushi?There can be something of a language bar-rier, but the menu’s fully translated, andyou can order by number. Kristina Meyer

Mr. Pollo2937 W. Montrose | 773-509-1222

$LATIN AMERICAN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED | CASH ONLY

After a long delay this second outpost ofthe Ecuadoran rotisserie-chicken chainfinally opened last year, two blocks east

6 CHICAGO READER | APRIL 21, 2006 | SECTION TWO

of Brasa Roja’s spinning brown birds. Mr.Pollo is a leaner operation—it’s just chick-en, sides, and drinks, only a few tables atwhich to linger, and none of BR’s theatri-cal range of grilled meats. The chickenitself is a simpler rendering of Brasa’s,amplifiable by a watery and potent redsalsa but minus the relatively complicatedseasonings of its neighbor. It’s crispy,juicy, and devourable. For a couple dollarsmore you can get one of Mr. Pollo’s widerange of sides—standard fried yuca andplantains but also corn, salads, mashedpotatoes, and a clear, light soup withshredded white meat that defines poultrypurity. Mike Sula

Noli’s4839 N. Kedzie | 773-588-0400

$PIZZA, EUROPEAN, MEDITERRANEAN | LUNCH,DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY &SATURDAY TILL 2, SUNDAY-THURSDAY TILL MID-NIGHT | BYO

Though it’s possibly the only Albanianpizzeria in town, Noli’s sells New York-stylepizza. It’s too bad that the Albanianshaven’t seemed to master the delicatealchemy of coaxing a red-tinged grease outof their cheese in the manner of a goodNew York pie. Maybe they don’t cook itlong enough, or hot enough. Maybe there’stoo much cheese and not enough sauce, orthe crust is too doughy. Maybe they’ve puttoo much effort into their Hawaiian pizza,but the New York style here is, at best, onlyfor emergencies. What Noli’s does do wellis the hot puffy Balkan pastry called borek.Pulled from the oven, they look like phylloballoons straining upward against theirmeat, cheese, or spinach ballast. Theground meat borek is bland, but the cheesevariety is filled with a thick, slightly sharpwhite cheese, and the spinach is a tangyamalgamation of greens and cheese. Theoven turns out sweet pastries and freshbread by the loaf, and the refrigerator isfilled with tubs of house-made yogurt.These things are good for the road, but thehot stuff doesn’t travel well, so it’s best toeat on the premises. Mike Sula

Noon-O-Kabab4661 N. Kedzie | 773-279-8899

F 8.4 | S 8.2 | A 5.6 | $$ (9 REPORTS)MIDDLE EASTERN | LUNCH, DINNER: SEVEN DAYS |RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED

rrr Mir Javad Naghavi, chef and co-owner(with his father Amin and sister Parvin) ofAlbany Park’s Noon-O-Kabab, says hemakes his koubideh, skewers of groundbeef and lamb, with a marinade of “ingre-dients your body needs”—salt, pepper, andonion. He takes a similarly elementalapproach to all his cooking, relying on sim-ple marinades and classic techniques toproduce the menu of grilled meats; heartyvegetarian entrees like a stew of deep-friedbaby eggplant, tomatoes, saffron, andsauteed onions; and traditional MiddleEastern dishes like hummus, babaghanoush, and kashke bademjan, a deli-cious appetizer of pureed eggplant, onion,garlic, and mint. Laura Levy Shatkin

Paradise Restaurant2916 W. Montrose | 773-588-1989

F 6.4 | S 7.2 | A 7.2 | $$ (5 REPORTS)ASIAN, JAPANESE | LUNCH: MONDAY-SATURDAY;DINNER: SEVEN DAYS

The clean, simple decor and low-key serv-ice at this Albany Park restaurant areexceptionally relaxing, especially if you’recoming in after indulging in a sauna at theadjacent Paradise Spa. Meals start off witha complimentary marinated seaweed andcucumber salad and a taste of creamy butdelicate shredded potato. Reasonablypriced entrees include katsu (deep-friedpork chop) and a variety of bento boxes.Maki are artistically prepared: the dragonroll comes covered with sweet caramelizedeel, deep-fried shrimp, and flying fish roe,and the nori is filled with silky avocado andcrunchy cucumber. Nigiri sushi pieces areamply cut, and the hamachi (yellowtail),when offered, is remarkably fresh and ten-der. Laura Levy Shatkin

Salam4636 N. Kedzie | 773-583-0776

$MIDDLE EASTERN | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER:SEVEN DAYS | RESERVATIONS NOT ACCEPTED |CASH ONLY

This spare, narrow Palestinian eatery in acramped strip mall quietly dominates a

stretch of Kedzie Avenue crowded withfantastic Middle Eastern restaurants.Platters of meat are lined up in front ofthe grill, fairly bleating freshness. Serviceis sometimes stoic but always solid, soft-ened by a complimentary teaser of brinyolives and bright pink radishes. The menudoesn’t call attention to its unremarkableselection of shawirma and kebab entrees(downsizable to sandwiches), but theyarrive in a nearly insurmountable heap,sprinkled with sumac on a pile of rice orcreamy hummus. The accompanying pitacomes soft and hot, with a cucumber-tomato salad that somehow remainstangy, sweet, and juicy in the dead of win-ter. This lineup is rounded out with a rota-tion of specials, usually sold out bymidafternoon, including grape leaves,zucchini, or cabbage stuffed with lamb;massef (a soup traditionally accompaniedby lamb and rice); and a Sunday wild cardthat ranges from string beans to Cornishhens. Smaller dishes include the stan-dards; the addictive kibbe usually doesn’tlast until nightfall either, but the perpetu-ally crispy and fresh falafel, the best dealon the street at 19 cents apiece, neverseem to run out. More than a few itemsare not often seen on English menus:chickpea dishes such as fatah and moss-abaha, and an organ trio of liver, heart,and kidney sauteed with onions andlemon. Sage and mint tea are freshlybrewed, orange and carrot juice freshlysqueezed. The owners impose the samestandards on their bakery next door, sell-ing rich, honey-drenched pastries frombroad baking sheets under gleamingglass. Mike Sula

San Chae Dol Sot Restaurant3737-B W. Lawrence | 773-588-5223

$$KOREAN, ASIAN | LUNCH, DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | BYO

Located in a Lawrence Avenue strip mall,San Chae Dol Sot is easy to drive past, itsvague signage of little help. Once insideand seated, guests are greeted brisklybut benevolently (the controlling-mother-type service will continue for the rest ofyour visit, so it’s best to just accept it).Dolsot bi bim bop is the house specialty,and few places offer more variations. Thedish consists of a hot stone pot, ordolsot, filled with steamed rice and acombination of meats, vegetables,seafood, and kimchi. Assuming you mixyour bi bim bop correctly, you’ll berewarded with the prized crispy goldenrice clinging to the bottom of your bowl—the best part of the meal. An egg topper,to my mind a critical component of bi bimbop, is not normally served here—if youwant one you’ll have to ask for it by itsKorean name (dal-gyal) while miming theact of cracking an egg. San Chae Dol Sothas one of the better panchan selectionsin town, and while they don’t give you alot, whatever they put on the table isfresh. Typical soups and stews are also onthe menu, and you can get barbequecooked for you in the kitchen. Unlikemost Korean restaurants, San Chae DolSot isn’t open late at night, and be fore-warned: anyone still on the premises atclosing time is asked to put down thechopsticks and leave. Kristina Meyer

Semiramis4639 N. Kedzie | 773-279-8900

$MIDDLE EASTERN | LUNCH, DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | RESERVATIONSACCEPTED FOR LARGE GROUPS ONLY | BYO

The semilegendary Assyrian queenSemiramis supposedly ordered her posseof fanatical drug-addled priests to tearKing Nimrod limb from limb, eat him raw,and put her illegitimate son on the thronein his place, but don’t read too much intothe name of this spot in the space leftvacant by the semilegendary ShawermaKing. Joseph Abraham, late of ZouZou andLeo’s Lunchroom, offers a wide assort-ment of dishes, beginning with nine vege-tarian mezes, most notably tabboulehdone Lebanese style: heavy on the pars-ley, light on the bulgur. Elaborate kebab,falafel, and roast chicken sandwichesreach a pinnacle in the lamb and beefshawirma combo—a textural marvel ofjuicy, caramelized meat wrapped in thinlavosh with roasted eggplant, red cab-bage, tomatoes, pickles, hummus, andharissa-spiked tahini. The shawirma andskewered meat entrees include a marinat-ed roasted chicken resting on a huge

Restaurants

CHICAGO READER | APRIL 21, 2006 | SECTION TWO 7

blanket of lavosh beside a cup of coolglutinous garlic mousse called toum. At$5.50 per bird it could be the take-outdeal of the neighborhood. And Abrahamhas reintroduced the sumac-sprinkledfrench fries that were so popular atZouZou. The broad front window is a per-fect spot to take a pot of strong, sweetcardamom-laced coffee and watch thestreet. Mike Sula

Ssyal Ginseng House4201 W. Lawrence | 773-427-5296

$ASIAN, KOREAN | LUNCH, DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSED SUNDAY | BYO

When I find myself weakening in the earlystages of the grippe and the usual fortify-ing regimen of zinc, vitamin C, raw garlic,and Wild Turkey won’t vanquish it, saamgae tang, chicken ginseng soup from thisKoreatown dispensary, is my tonic of lastresort. A stewed Cornish hen stuffed withrice and small dates sits meekly in a smallbubbling cauldron of murky yellow broth.

Whole, softened, and slightly sweet gin-seng roots swim under the surface, andsmall side dishes of green onions and seasalt are meant to enliven what is other-wise an appropriately bland remedy. I’veheard others say they find an off-putting,slightly bitter understory to the broth, butI’ve never detected it. As a furtherreminder that you’re not so much meantto enjoy yourself as heal yourself, the potcomes with a side of sticky brown rice andred beans. For the healthy there are fourother perfectly respectable hot soups(codfish, bean with seafood, beef with cab-bage, and bean and vegetable) accompa-nied by the usual assortment of panchan.And you don’t have to take your medicinein a bowl: there’s a $3.95 sweet ginsengshake or hot ginseng tea with pine nuts;for the home cure you can buy ginsengfresh, dried, powdered, and infused in amolasseslike solution, all displayed undertall clear containers of whole roots, withan extraterrestrial appearance resemblingsomething I once saw in the woodsdevouring a squirrel. Mike Sula

8 CHICAGO READER | APRIL 21, 2006 | SECTION TWO

Tagine4749 N. Rockwell | 773-989-4340

$$MOROCCAN | LUNCH: SATURDAY-SUNDAY;DINNER: SUNDAY, TUESDAY-SATURDAY | CLOSEDMONDAY | OPEN LATE: FRIDAY & SATURDAY TILL11 | BYO

The arrival of this Moroccan storefrontwas heralded throughout the neighbor-hood for weeks. On opening day it wasswamped, and co-owner RichardMouhcine seemed out of his depth. Butsince then Mouhcine and chef EddieMaettaoui—who paid dues at NoMi andthe Peninsula—have found their game.The poor lighting has been remedied,service has become more efficient, andjudging by the respectable number ofpeople that show up on weeknights, cus-tomers haven’t been alienated too much.If the food still seems slow coming out ofthe kitchen understand that Moroccanfood is slow food, especially when pre-pared in the namesake tagine, a claycooking vessel in which food vapors con-dense on the insides of the pot and arereabsorbed into sauce. Certain things onthe menu just aren’t that intriguing: thetiny briwats, phyllo puffs filled withchicken, vegetables, or seafood, and thecrevette pil pila, marinated shrimp intomato sauce, are too tiny to appreciate.On the other hand, harira soup was richand tomatoey, and the lentil soup wasalso good. Entrees, mostly tagines (stewsnamed after the cooking vessel) or cous-cous plates, are much more interesting.Owing to their lengthy cooking times themeats in the tagines are consistently ten-der, but they’re best ordered with sidesof the very fine, fluffy couscous, especial-ly the Rabat tagine, a circle of meatballssurrounding an egg poached in a richtomato gravy. Sultan’s tagine or theKasbah tagine are large braised lambshanks served with peas and artichokesor prunes, hard-boiled eggs, and

almonds respectively. The couscous dish-es themselves are huge and comforting.If you run low on sauce ask your waiter tobring more. Mike Sula

Tom Yum Thai & Japanese Cuisine3232 W. Foster | 773-442-8100

F 8.9 | S 9.6 | A 7.6 | $ (5 REPORTS)ASIAN, THAI, JAPANESE | LUNCH: MONDAY-FRIDAY; DINNER: SEVEN DAYS | BYO

rrr We didn’t know what to make ofthis place at first. The room had pleatherbooths, sheer fabric thumbtacked to

the ceiling above Christmas lights in the windows, and, strangest of all, a large, shiny motorcycle parked justinside the front door. But our server took our orders promptly and zippedback with our appetizers and entreesbefore we had a chance to ponder thebike’s significance. The menu is of the something-for-everyone variety,with a wide sampling of tried-and-trueThai, Chinese, and sushi selections and a good number of vegetarianoptions. Servings of crab Rangoon,“crispy delight” prawns, and pot

stickers were a bit greasy, nothing out of the ordinary. Shu shee pla—alightly panfried red snapper atopromaine leaves and bathed in a red curry sauce—went over well, as did the pad sie mao, mixed vegetables ina classic bean sauce; it was just spicyenough, though a dish of Thai red curry with chicken could’ve stood a kick. The most pleasing part of theevening might have been the check:prices here are very reasonable, whichmay explain Tom Yum’s popularity with Raters. Susannah J. Felts

Tre Kronor3258 W. Foster | 773-267-9888

F 8.6 | S 8.5 | A 7.5 | $$ (20 REPORTS)SWEDISH, BREAKFAST | BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER: MONDAY-SATURDAY; SUNDAY BRUNCH |BYO

rrr Every morning the kitchen at Tre Kronor turns out their legendaryDanish, cinnamon rolls, and a number of cheese-filled omelets, each packingenough points to top out your WeightWatchers quota for the day. Most of the foods are of Scandinavian stock,though there’s one quisling burger on the lunch menu. Herring is perhaps the most predictable ofScandinavian starters, but Tre Kronor’s superbly moist and meaty version, made in-house, has a toothsome goodness lacking in standard deli varieties. Lunch offerings include quiche and Norwegian meatballs on limpa, wheat bread with deep hints of fennel; Swedish meatballs here are light,delicate, and deliciously dressed with sweet-tart lingonberry sauce.In line with the robust Viking tradition,you won’t find a salad here withoutcheese or bacon or both; the menu is full of the kind of fortifying food you’d want to eat before heading out to herd reindeer or invade your southern neighbors. The fish entrees are mostly of salmon, prepared in a number of ways (smoked, cured inaquavit, and as gravlax) and genuinelysuperior. Servers in this warm, woodyplace are exceptionally friendly andinformed about the cuisine. It’s small,though, so you might want to make reservations (accepted only on weekdays and at dinner on Saturdays).Check out the gift store across the street to stock up on clogs, trolls, and high-end versions of Swedish fishcandy. David Hammond

Restaurants | Movies

We believe that a restaurant can be more or less than the sum of its parts, so apart from rating Food, Service, and Ambience, Reader Restaurant Raters are asked to give a score for the overall dining experience. These overall scores are averaged and rs are awarded as follows:

rrr top 10 percentrrr top 20 percentrrr top 30 percent

of all rated restaurants in our database

A restaurant can have high scores for Food, Service, and Ambiencewithout receiving an rrr rating; a restaurant may have unspectacularratings yet still possess an unquantifiable something that our Ratersfeel deserves recognition.

What do all those rs mean?

CHICAGO READER | APRIL 21, 2006 | SECTION TWO 9

Akeelah and the Bee Angela Bassett andLaurence Fishburne star in this dramaabout an 11-year-old girl in South CentralLA who fights to make the Scripps NationalSpelling Bee. PG. a Century 12 andCineArts 6, Chatham 14, City North 14,Crown Village 18, Gardens 7-13, Lake,Lawndale, Norridge, North Riverside, RiverEast 21, 62nd & Western.

RAll I Desire A failed actress andmother of three (Barbara Stanwyck)

returns to the husband (Richard Carlson)and family she deserted years before inthis superior 1953 drama by Douglas Sirk, avery personal reworking of a standardsoap-opera plot. True to form, Sirk trans-forms the material through a careful andironic subversion of the conventions; whatemerges is a biting assessment of the valueof survival in the face of small-town mean-ness and prejudice, a neat use of a verybourgeois format to satirize its audience.79 min. (DD) a Music Box.

Videos by the Alternative SchoolsNetwork Two full-length videos created bystudents at Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos High

School and Westside Alternative HighSchool. a Sat 4/22, 2 PM, Gallery 400,1240 W. Harrison, 312-996-6114. F

NAmerican Dreamz Paul Weitz is madas hell, and he’s not gonna take it

anymore. The director of American Pie hasset out to make a merciless satire ofAmerican media culture along the lines ofNetwork, but his ideas are so common-place that nothing registers except the bile.Hugh Grant does his self-loathing scumbagroutine as the host-producer of an

American Idol-style reality show, andDennis Quaid plays a thinly veiled GeorgeW. Bush, trying to pump up his approvalratings by serving as guest judge for thefinal episode. Misguided comedic riffs on AlQaeda and the Iraq war add to the sensethat Weitz is out of his depth. With MandyMoore, Marcia Gay Harden, Chris Klein,Jennifer Coolidge, Sam Golzari, and WillemDafoe. PG-13, 107 min. (JJ) a Century 12and CineArts 6, Crown Village 18, Davis,Gardens 1-6, Lake, Norridge, Pickwick,River East 21, Webster Place.

The Aristocrats A gimmicky documen-tary by Penn Gillette and Paul Provenzabuilt around the ultimate obscene joke,which depends on a performer’s style and a certain amount of embroidery to achieve maximum impact. The idea isto set about 100 stand-up comics loose on this material, but the results are predictably so sound-bitey that only a few of them get to tell the joke all the way through, and many just offer com-mentaries. One sympathizes with DonRickles’s complaint that this is the sort of

movie whose performers don’t get paid.But with such participants as Hank Azaria,Shelley Berman, George Carlin, CarrieFisher, Whoopi Goldberg, Eric Idle, BillMaher, Michael McKean, Chris Rock, JonStewart, Dave Thomas, and RobinWilliams, you won’t be too bored. R, 92min. (JR) a Music Box.

NAsbury Shorts Chicago ChicagoSun-Times columnist Rick Telander

will introduce this eclectic program ofcomedy shorts, many of which surprised

Film listings are compiled from information available Monday.Occasionally bookings change after our deadline; we suggest youcall ahead for confirmation. Most films are screened in 35-millime-ter and most videos are projected. Where possible, exceptions arenoted below. Submissions to the film listings are always welcome,

but must include a phone number for publication. Commentary byJonathan Rosenbaum (JR), Lisa Alspector (LA), Fred Camper (FC),Don Druker (DD), Pat Graham (PG), Andrea Gronvall (AG), J.R.Jones (JJ), Joshua Katzman (JK), Dave Kehr (DK), Peter Keough(PK), Hank Sartin (HSa), Henry Sheehan (HS), and Ted Shen (TS).

The book that “shines a blazing new light on America’s criminal justice system,”says ROBERT A. CARO. “An important and illuminating work…

Bogira shows that he is a masterful reporter.”

STEVE BOGIRA

SCOTT TUROW hails“A wonderfully vivid portrait

of a criminal courtroom in thenation’s busiest courthouse.”

“For fans of Law & Order, CSIand other crime dramas dominating prime time,

Bogira offers the real thing”—BALTIMORE SUN

Published by KNOPFwww.aaknopf.com

The owner of a shoe factory in provincial Northamptondies suddenly, leaving the besieged family business tohis good-hearted but uninterested son (Joel

Edgerton). He’s forced to lay off longtime employees andconsider liquidation until a chance encounter with a Sohodrag queen (Chiwetel Ejiofor of Dirty Pretty Things) giveshim an idea: convert his product line from staid businessshoes to supersturdy high-fashion boots for cross-dressingmen. Neatly scripted by Tim Firth and Geoff Deane, thissticks to the Full Monty formula of starchy working-classtypes learning to loosen up about sex, but Julian Jarrold’ssincere, low-key direction erases any sense of artifice. WithLinda Bassett and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead). PG-13,106 min. a Century 12 and CineArts 6, Landmark’sCentury Centre, River East 21. —Jonathon Rosenbaum

Critic’s Choice

Kinky Boots