Chicago’s first Venezuelan restaurant is easy to miss–CARACAS GRILL is a small space sandwiched between an upholstery store and a gas station on North Clark. It’s worth searching for, if only to discover specialties unlike the Argentinean or Peruvian dishes offered at other local South American eateries. There are empanadas, but they’re big and fluffy, made with superfine white corn flour imported from Venezuela. The arepas aren’t the pancakelike disks Chicagoans might be used to but come stuffed two inches thick with smoky ham, tender and earthy roasted pork, shredded chicken, fish, or vegetables. Even the tostones (green plantain fritters) are unusual, with the starchy bananalike fruit sliced lengthwise rather than mashed and topped with a savory mixture of chicken and vegetables stewed in a tomato sauce. The cochino frito con cacapa special was a pancake of mashed sweet corn filled with cheese, folded over omelet style, grilled, and served with large chunks of pork. Another dish, pabellon, is shredded beef stewed for hours in a rich tomato and onion sauce, served with pork-laden black beans and rice along with slices of fried plantains for a sweet contrast. The marigold-colored room is cheerful but poorly ventilated, an issue owners Eleadia Solano and Arnold Vanderdijs (who also runs the specialty-foods importer El Chamo del Pan) are working on. The colorful paintings by local Venezuelan artist Jhonmar Castillo are all for sale. Caracas Grill is at 6340 N. Clark, 773-743-3593.
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GRANDE NOODLES AND SUSHI BAR would easily blend into a trendier area like Lincoln Square or Wicker Park but stands out in the space that used to be Cam Ranh Bay, an unassuming Vietnamese restaurant, amid the Mexican bakeries and taquerias of West Rogers Park. The stylish lavender and orange walls are hung with kitchen utensils and a black-and-white photo montage of flowers; the cuisine is a Japanese-Thai hybrid. Platters of fresh, generously cut sushi, maki combination plates, and bento boxes are reasonably priced, as are relatively standard but nicely prepared Thai specialties (all under $9) like the mildly seasoned Seafood Delight with shelled mussels, squid (scored with a knife to make it more tender), shrimp, and crabmeat stick tossed with fresh red and green peppers, napa cabbage, pea pods, and baby corn. For lighter appetites there’s a salad with warm ground chicken, beef, or pork served on greens; cold cabbage and shredded carrots topped with peanuts; close to 50 individual nigiri sushi; and some interesting maki like the sweet potato tempura roll (with green onion, cream cheese, and wasabi mayo). Grande Noodles and Sushi Bar is BYO indefinitely. It’s at 6632 N. Clark, 773-761-6666.
10 Pin, 330 N. State, 312-644-0300. This renovated bowling alley at the House of Blues Hotel now has a full-service restaurant and lounge with decent American fare, run by the Harry Caray Restaurant Group.
