Souk   

1552 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
773-227-1818
www.www.soukrestaurant.com

Directions   Email   Send to Cell  

Named for the markets common throughout the Middle East, Maher Chebaro's trendy tribute to tribal cooking is an exercise in style---but not without substance. The decor, a post-modern Moorish-Iberian fantasy of metalwork and tile with a plush black banquette along one wall and an open kitchen opposite---is long on drama and short on comfort. (Just try to lean back in the ram's horn chairs!) Black-clad servers with tattoos, body piercings and a lot of attitude could be mistaken for customers but they are generally competent. And much of the food--- upscale renditions of traditional dishes plus inventions---is as satisfying as it is unusual. A few highlights: cubes of eel sauted with corn, raisins and garlic and wrapped in a sheet of pressed apricot; baby lamb shank braised with apricots, and aushak, delicate leek-filled ravioli in meat sauce complemented by minted yogurt. Go for a full-bodied red wine from the adequate list. Sophisticated desserts include a terrific chocolate-pistachio terrine. Be sure to check out the super-cool restrooms with recessed lighting in the floor.