[Photograph: Josh Conley]
Robert Duvall liked the smell of napalm in the morning. I might also suggest a late-morning stroll up Clark Street in Andersonville, where you can instead find yourself inhaling the aromas of fresh kebabs lapping up open flames pouring out of Reza's. It's the kind of smell that challenges all air to be all it can be. Has no one invented like a humidifier that emanates such fragrances? I'd never leave the house, except maybe to grab a chicken koubideh wrap ($8.95).
Parsley, garlic, and onion are mixed with very finely ground chicken and a bit of egg, and then molded into kebab form. It is then grilled—a nice crust on the outside, juicy inside—then wrapped in fresh lavash bread with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and Persian pickles. It is simple, but every component works. The lettuce, if not fresh, could have been a throwaway filler, but here it adds texture. The onions give it a nice bite, and the pickles add a little brine, and a hint of sweetness. I took mine mostly straight up, but it is served with a massive bowl of homemade tahini, if you so choose.
Reza's Restaurant
5255 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640 (map)
773-561-1898
rezasrestaurant.com
Josh Conley is single-handedly trying to re-introduce the verb beget into the everyday lexicon. He traveled to Easter Island one Christmas out of sheer irony. He excises a hefty syntax, and shamelessly promotes the color orange. His wife begat him two small children that he regularly belittles HERE.
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