Tweet
A LOOK AT SAYAT NOVA / ARMENIAN FOOD
Chicago Now, IL
July 11 2013
By Matt Mosconi, Wednesday at 11:41 pm
I mentioned before how Roupen and his restaurant take pride in their
cooking and their fresh ingredients. Roupen mentioned to me how
they even butcher their own meats. Everything at this restaurant
is made from scratch. You can notice the freshness in the food,
but even just looking at the economics you can get an idea what
to expect. When Roupen's father opened the restaurant in 1969,
Streeterville wasn't what it is today. But now... Streeterville is
swanky and all fancy-pants, and I'd suspect that comes with some
fancy-pants rent prices. And still, the restaurant remains. So there
are obviously good things going on here. Check it out.
Number time.
Where is it? 157 E. Ohio, in Streeterville
Is there a website? Yep. http://www.sayatnovachicago.com/ Lots of
fun stuff on here.
A new experience (have folks heard of it and eaten it before?):
3.5 out of 5
- I'd say that Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine in general gets a
2.5. People in suburban bubbles might not have had it, but even then
it's growing in the 'burbs, and most city dwellers have had at least
some kabobs or falafel or something. Armenian specifically gets a
4.5 out of 5. Most people probably don't know much about the country
or the food, and I found some of the specific Armenian twists to be
pretty unique. So overall that average gets a 3.5.
What "common" cuisine comes closest? Mediterranean/Middle Eastern
- I'd call the Armenian cuisine at Sayat Nova 7 parts standard
Mediterranean (with an emphasis on Turkish), 1 part Greek, and 2
parts unique Armenian twists.
Spicy: 2 out of 5
- Actually not that spicy. This is another place where you can have hot
sauce with your meal if you wish (and yes, Sayat Nova makes their own
hot sauce too), but it's not standard and while I enjoy Mediterranean
hot sauce I've never found it as spicy as, say, the spicier Thai or
Indian dishes.
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten friendly: 5 out of 5
- These guys are studs in this department. Mediterranean food is
awesome for vegetarians and vegans, and there's even a quote on the
menu that says "most dishes can be made gluten free".
Variety: 3 out of 5
- Pretty good. Roupen mentioned how he keeps to a more limited menu
and just makes sure to make everything on the menu well, but all
told I'm thinking there are roughly 20-30 menu items, and they're
not all just similar variations on a dish (i.e. there are four entree
categories). Some desserts, too.
How big is the restaurant? Smaller and swanky, and skinny in shape.
I'd guess there are 20-25 tables plus another 4 outside.
What could Ulysses S. Grant get me? A meal and an appetizer each,
for two people. Appetizers are $5-10, entrees are in the upper teens,
and desserts are about five bucks. Lunch is cheaper.
What's up with booze?
- There's a fun bar on one side in the center of the restaurant. The
Content-Type: MESSAGE/RFC822; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-Description:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
From: Katia Peltekian
Subject: A look at Sayat Nova / Armenian food
Chicago Now, IL
July 11 2013
A look at Sayat Nova / Armenian food
By Matt Mosconi, Wednesday at 11:41 pm
I mentioned before how Roupen and his restaurant take pride in their
cooking and their fresh ingredients. Roupen mentioned to me how they
even butcher their own meats. Everything at this restaurant is made
from scratch. You can notice the freshness in the food, but even just
looking at the economics you can get an idea what to expect. When
Roupen?s father opened the restaurant in 1969, Streeterville wasn?t
what it is today. But now... Streeterville is swanky and all
fancy-pants, and I?d suspect that comes with some fancy-pants rent
prices. And still, the restaurant remains. So there are obviously
good things going on here. Check it out.
Number time.
Where is it? 157 E. Ohio, in Streeterville
Is there a website? Yep. http://www.sayatnovachicago.com/ Lots of
fun stuff on here.
A new experience (have folks heard of it and eaten it before?): 3.5 out of 5
- I?d say that Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine in general gets a
2.5. People in suburban bubbles might not have had it, but even then
it?s growing in the ?burbs, and most city dwellers have had at least
some kabobs or falafel or something. Armenian specifically gets a 4.5
out of 5. Most people probably don?t know much about the country or
the food, and I found some of the specific Armenian twists to be
pretty unique. So overall that average gets a 3.5.
What ?common? cuisine comes closest? Mediterranean/Middle Eastern
- I?d call the Armenian cuisine at Sayat Nova 7 parts standard
Mediterranean (with an emphasis on Turkish), 1 part Greek, and 2 parts
unique Armenian twists.
Spicy: 2 out of 5
- Actually not that spicy. This is another place where you can have
hot sauce with your meal if you wish (and yes, Sayat Nova makes their
own hot sauce too), but it?s not standard and while I enjoy
Mediterranean hot sauce I?ve never found it as spicy as, say, the
spicier Thai or Indian dishes.
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten friendly: 5 out of 5
- These guys are studs in this department. Mediterranean food is
awesome for vegetarians and vegans, and there?s even a quote on the
menu that says ?most dishes can be made gluten free?.
Variety: 3 out of 5
- Pretty good. Roupen mentioned how he keeps to a more limited menu
and just makes sure to make everything on the menu well, but all told
I?m thinking there are roughly 20-30 menu items, and they?re not all
just similar variations on a dish (i.e. there are four entree
categories). Some desserts, too.
How big is the restaurant? Smaller and swanky, and skinny in shape.
I?d guess there are 20-25 tables plus another 4 outside.
What could Ulysses S. Grant get me? A meal and an appetizer each, for
two people. Appetizers are $5-10, entrees are in the upper teens, and
desserts are about five bucks. Lunch is cheaper.
What?s up with booze?
- There?s a fun bar on one side in the center of the restaurant. The
back wall is lit up in green light. You can get a lot here -- beer,
wines, Armenian cocktails, and other cocktail specialties. I had the
Kilikia, an Armenian lager. Standard better-than-Bud version of a
foreign lager, though had just a little bit more bite to it.
http://www.chicagonow.com/chicagos-worldly-tastes/2013/07/a-look-at-sayat-nova-armenian-food/
Chicago Now, IL
July 11 2013
By Matt Mosconi, Wednesday at 11:41 pm
I mentioned before how Roupen and his restaurant take pride in their
cooking and their fresh ingredients. Roupen mentioned to me how
they even butcher their own meats. Everything at this restaurant
is made from scratch. You can notice the freshness in the food,
but even just looking at the economics you can get an idea what
to expect. When Roupen's father opened the restaurant in 1969,
Streeterville wasn't what it is today. But now... Streeterville is
swanky and all fancy-pants, and I'd suspect that comes with some
fancy-pants rent prices. And still, the restaurant remains. So there
are obviously good things going on here. Check it out.
Number time.
Where is it? 157 E. Ohio, in Streeterville
Is there a website? Yep. http://www.sayatnovachicago.com/ Lots of
fun stuff on here.
A new experience (have folks heard of it and eaten it before?):
3.5 out of 5
- I'd say that Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine in general gets a
2.5. People in suburban bubbles might not have had it, but even then
it's growing in the 'burbs, and most city dwellers have had at least
some kabobs or falafel or something. Armenian specifically gets a
4.5 out of 5. Most people probably don't know much about the country
or the food, and I found some of the specific Armenian twists to be
pretty unique. So overall that average gets a 3.5.
What "common" cuisine comes closest? Mediterranean/Middle Eastern
- I'd call the Armenian cuisine at Sayat Nova 7 parts standard
Mediterranean (with an emphasis on Turkish), 1 part Greek, and 2
parts unique Armenian twists.
Spicy: 2 out of 5
- Actually not that spicy. This is another place where you can have hot
sauce with your meal if you wish (and yes, Sayat Nova makes their own
hot sauce too), but it's not standard and while I enjoy Mediterranean
hot sauce I've never found it as spicy as, say, the spicier Thai or
Indian dishes.
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten friendly: 5 out of 5
- These guys are studs in this department. Mediterranean food is
awesome for vegetarians and vegans, and there's even a quote on the
menu that says "most dishes can be made gluten free".
Variety: 3 out of 5
- Pretty good. Roupen mentioned how he keeps to a more limited menu
and just makes sure to make everything on the menu well, but all
told I'm thinking there are roughly 20-30 menu items, and they're
not all just similar variations on a dish (i.e. there are four entree
categories). Some desserts, too.
How big is the restaurant? Smaller and swanky, and skinny in shape.
I'd guess there are 20-25 tables plus another 4 outside.
What could Ulysses S. Grant get me? A meal and an appetizer each,
for two people. Appetizers are $5-10, entrees are in the upper teens,
and desserts are about five bucks. Lunch is cheaper.
What's up with booze?
- There's a fun bar on one side in the center of the restaurant. The
Content-Type: MESSAGE/RFC822; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-Description:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
From: Katia Peltekian
Subject: A look at Sayat Nova / Armenian food
Chicago Now, IL
July 11 2013
A look at Sayat Nova / Armenian food
By Matt Mosconi, Wednesday at 11:41 pm
I mentioned before how Roupen and his restaurant take pride in their
cooking and their fresh ingredients. Roupen mentioned to me how they
even butcher their own meats. Everything at this restaurant is made
from scratch. You can notice the freshness in the food, but even just
looking at the economics you can get an idea what to expect. When
Roupen?s father opened the restaurant in 1969, Streeterville wasn?t
what it is today. But now... Streeterville is swanky and all
fancy-pants, and I?d suspect that comes with some fancy-pants rent
prices. And still, the restaurant remains. So there are obviously
good things going on here. Check it out.
Number time.
Where is it? 157 E. Ohio, in Streeterville
Is there a website? Yep. http://www.sayatnovachicago.com/ Lots of
fun stuff on here.
A new experience (have folks heard of it and eaten it before?): 3.5 out of 5
- I?d say that Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine in general gets a
2.5. People in suburban bubbles might not have had it, but even then
it?s growing in the ?burbs, and most city dwellers have had at least
some kabobs or falafel or something. Armenian specifically gets a 4.5
out of 5. Most people probably don?t know much about the country or
the food, and I found some of the specific Armenian twists to be
pretty unique. So overall that average gets a 3.5.
What ?common? cuisine comes closest? Mediterranean/Middle Eastern
- I?d call the Armenian cuisine at Sayat Nova 7 parts standard
Mediterranean (with an emphasis on Turkish), 1 part Greek, and 2 parts
unique Armenian twists.
Spicy: 2 out of 5
- Actually not that spicy. This is another place where you can have
hot sauce with your meal if you wish (and yes, Sayat Nova makes their
own hot sauce too), but it?s not standard and while I enjoy
Mediterranean hot sauce I?ve never found it as spicy as, say, the
spicier Thai or Indian dishes.
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten friendly: 5 out of 5
- These guys are studs in this department. Mediterranean food is
awesome for vegetarians and vegans, and there?s even a quote on the
menu that says ?most dishes can be made gluten free?.
Variety: 3 out of 5
- Pretty good. Roupen mentioned how he keeps to a more limited menu
and just makes sure to make everything on the menu well, but all told
I?m thinking there are roughly 20-30 menu items, and they?re not all
just similar variations on a dish (i.e. there are four entree
categories). Some desserts, too.
How big is the restaurant? Smaller and swanky, and skinny in shape.
I?d guess there are 20-25 tables plus another 4 outside.
What could Ulysses S. Grant get me? A meal and an appetizer each, for
two people. Appetizers are $5-10, entrees are in the upper teens, and
desserts are about five bucks. Lunch is cheaper.
What?s up with booze?
- There?s a fun bar on one side in the center of the restaurant. The
back wall is lit up in green light. You can get a lot here -- beer,
wines, Armenian cocktails, and other cocktail specialties. I had the
Kilikia, an Armenian lager. Standard better-than-Bud version of a
foreign lager, though had just a little bit more bite to it.
http://www.chicagonow.com/chicagos-worldly-tastes/2013/07/a-look-at-sayat-nova-armenian-food/