:: Tuesday, October 08, 2002 ::

(first draft)

If you are an Indian/Pakistani cab driver in Chicago, LAIQ'S (1009 Orleans) is the restaurant for you. The same is true if you are a hungry vegetarian wandering the streets south east of Cabrini Green with only six bucks in your pocket. The building looks abandoned on the outside, save a small green awning advertising “Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian Food.” On the inside it maintains the abandoned look, but with the contents of a 70's era diner teleported in. There are booths arranged along the shadowy walls, a couple coolers with bottles of soda, and a small counter selling cigarettes and personal items, all under a spacious 15 foot pressed tin ceiling from Chicago's distant architectural past. The menu is quite a challenge to those not familiar with Indian/Pakistani cuisine. I eat a fair amount of Indian food and still felt absolutely stupid trying to order. Luckily, everything is laid out cafeteria-style behind the counter (which is the same era as the other furniture) so you can just point at what you want instead of embarrassing yourself with the names. The stainless-steel pans of food look scary (a little too much orange grease floating on top), but the servings are huge and they taste great. One large size order comes with flatbread and yogurt-sauce salad and can feed two people or one starving cab driver. For another two bucks you can get a big serving of sweet rice. The green bean dish I had was spicy, and one of the two vegetarian options. I split it with a friend and we had more than enough to eat. If you are not familiar with Indian/Pakistani cab driver culture, LAIQ'S is a unique experience. If you want to escape the Chicago’s stylish mainstream for a cheap relaxing meal, LAIQ’s is a good place to drop off of the map.
:: Ira 10:53 AM [+] :: [comment/respond]
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