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SAYAT NOVA AN EXOTIC SETTING FOR TASTY EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN FOOD
By Mary Jane Grandinetti
Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1121-out-to-lunch-sayat-nova-20111121,0,1939623.story
Nov 21 2011
IL
Who eats: Businesspeople, tourists and shoppers.
Why eat: Sayat Nova serves reasonably priced and tasty Armenian -
think Eastern Mediterranean - food in somewhat exotic surroundings.
Ambience: The long, narrow room is dimly lit, emphasis on dim the
farther from the windows you sit. Off-white stucco walls are contrasted
with soothing purple in the seven intimate booths.
Patterned brass fixtures cast soft, mysterious patterns on the
ceiling. Tables, with white tablecloths and small vases of red and
purple carnations, line the center of the room and fill the area near
the windows. Though they are close together, the tables don't deter
confidential conversations.
Dress code: Jeans and sweaters are as at home here as suits and ties.
Noise factor: New-age jazz plays pleasantly in the background,
allowing and even enhancing conversation. It also provides a focal
point so you're not tuned in to what your neighbor's saying.
Overheard: "You, I don't owe."
Service: The waiter was prompt, efficient and congenial. Appetizers,
including yummy hummus with warm pita, were served within moments of
our arrival while we made our entree selections.
Cellphone reception/Wi-Fi: Both are available.
Reservations: Accepted, generally not needed.
Menu: Vegetarian and meat appetizers that can make a fine meal. Soups
and salads, the latter with a hint of mint. Chicken, beef and lamb
like you've rarely had them before.
Reliable options: Hummus (chick-pea dip), baba ghanouj (eggplant dip),
olives and Armenian string cheese and stuffed eggplant ($5 each from
the appetizer menu); kebabs (chicken, beef, lamb, shrimp, veggie
- $9.95-$17.95); pita pockets (chicken and lulla - $9.95); combo
plates, particularly the vegetarian option (plaki [beans], cheese or
spinach boereg [phyllo pie], tabbouleh (bulgur wheat salad), green
salad and rice - $9.95); shawarma (charbroiled beef tenderloin with
root vegetables - $10.95); and kibbe, Sayat Nova's signature dish,
a nicely seasoned lamb meatloaf.
Contacts: 312-644-9159 or sayatnovachicago.com.
By Mary Jane Grandinetti
Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1121-out-to-lunch-sayat-nova-20111121,0,1939623.story
Nov 21 2011
IL
Who eats: Businesspeople, tourists and shoppers.
Why eat: Sayat Nova serves reasonably priced and tasty Armenian -
think Eastern Mediterranean - food in somewhat exotic surroundings.
Ambience: The long, narrow room is dimly lit, emphasis on dim the
farther from the windows you sit. Off-white stucco walls are contrasted
with soothing purple in the seven intimate booths.
Patterned brass fixtures cast soft, mysterious patterns on the
ceiling. Tables, with white tablecloths and small vases of red and
purple carnations, line the center of the room and fill the area near
the windows. Though they are close together, the tables don't deter
confidential conversations.
Dress code: Jeans and sweaters are as at home here as suits and ties.
Noise factor: New-age jazz plays pleasantly in the background,
allowing and even enhancing conversation. It also provides a focal
point so you're not tuned in to what your neighbor's saying.
Overheard: "You, I don't owe."
Service: The waiter was prompt, efficient and congenial. Appetizers,
including yummy hummus with warm pita, were served within moments of
our arrival while we made our entree selections.
Cellphone reception/Wi-Fi: Both are available.
Reservations: Accepted, generally not needed.
Menu: Vegetarian and meat appetizers that can make a fine meal. Soups
and salads, the latter with a hint of mint. Chicken, beef and lamb
like you've rarely had them before.
Reliable options: Hummus (chick-pea dip), baba ghanouj (eggplant dip),
olives and Armenian string cheese and stuffed eggplant ($5 each from
the appetizer menu); kebabs (chicken, beef, lamb, shrimp, veggie
- $9.95-$17.95); pita pockets (chicken and lulla - $9.95); combo
plates, particularly the vegetarian option (plaki [beans], cheese or
spinach boereg [phyllo pie], tabbouleh (bulgur wheat salad), green
salad and rice - $9.95); shawarma (charbroiled beef tenderloin with
root vegetables - $10.95); and kibbe, Sayat Nova's signature dish,
a nicely seasoned lamb meatloaf.
Contacts: 312-644-9159 or sayatnovachicago.com.