When most people hear the word Gypsy, they think of carnival barkers, fortune tellers and romantic-but-shadowy characters from late-night movies. In Europe, the Gypsies are a visible part of the street culture and culinary atmosphere, and like all immigrant groups, they have carried this with them to Chicago.
Yet, because of prejudice, persecution (Hitler's camps executed Gypsies alongside Jews) and the old Gypsy ways, finding Gypsy influence in Chicago's culinary culture is not easyÐunless you know where to look.
The image of Gypsies that most Americans are familiar with are those from Southeastern Europe and the mountains of Romania, Bulgaria and parts of the former Yugoslavia. In these countries, gypsies often worked as waiters, cooks and restaurant entertainers, where their influence has been felt for hundreds of years.
The purest example of this can be found at Lidja's Romska Noc', 4343 North Lincoln. The restaurant's bold patterns and decorations, mirrored walls and long, cloth-covered tables reflect the Gypsy influence. So does the clientele, as the restaurant is often inhabited by at least one or two tables of older women in long patterned skirts and scarves, with black hair pulled back and large earrings, smoking unfiltered cigarettes.
The fare is a combination of Romanian and Serbian dishes. Since both cultures are mountainous and nomadic, dinners consist mainly of marinated and grilled meats prepared somewhat like kabobs. This is apparent in one of the restaurant's tastiest dishes, vesalica, or grilled pork, and mukalica, grilled pork simmered with green pepper, tomatoes and spices. They also serve cavapici, a Serbian blend of grilled beef and veal, and razninci, small smoked sausages resembling dry, smoky links. If all of these dishes sound appealing, they are blended together in what the restaurant calls a "G'ypcy Plate" [sic], which feeds at least two, for $30.
The only problem with Romska Noc' is that it serves as much as a community headquarters as it does a public restaurant. On many nights, it is the site for funeral dinners, celebrations and other gypsy gatherings, and customers are politely but firmly told that there is a "private party."
The Central-European tradition of gypsy music/entertainment, however, is in full swing at Paprikash, 5510 West Diversey. For years weekend guests have been wowed by the symphonic music of Alex Udvary, a half Gypsy who plays the cymbalom, an ancient Baltic instrument. Joined by Jovan on violin, the music blends traditional Central European folk music, done with an improvisational spontaneity that rivals American jazz. Not only does Paprikash offer the best free restaurant entertainment in town, but it also qualifies as a true dining secret. Dokfo Zelek, a blend of zucchini, onion and dill, offers a Hungarian version of many Greek and Middle-Eastern dips/spreads. For the value conscious, the Farmer's Plate offers heaping portions of Hungarian salami, a brie-like cheese and red and green peppers. Main courses include Chicken Paprikash, three large pieces of chicken smothered in a creamy sauce loaded with paprika, beef goulash, veal paprikash and two large pieces of wiener schnitzel, fried lite and crisp, made even tastier by squeezing a little lemon juice into the crust. All dishes are served with homemade spaetzel noodles and Hungarian vegetable salads. Prices are moderate to low.
For those who want to get a bit of nomadic Gypsy camp flavor, Little Bucharest, a Romanian restaurant, holds annual outdoor festival September 19-21. Held on the grounds of St. Alphonses at Wellington, Southport and Lincoln, an area formerly known as the "Gypsy neighborhood," the fare features whole pigs, lambs and other dishes cooked on a spit over an open flame. Served with plenty of soup, authentic Romanian wine and with guitar and violin music in a brick courtyard underneath a towering church, it recalls old Central Europe.
Finally, no story about Gypsies would be complete without mentioning the Gypsies of Spain. In areas such as Seville and Grenada, Flamenco music, which the Gypsies invented and mastered, drifts through the wrought-iron windows and turns every dinner into a celebration. In Chicago, Tomas de Utrera reigns as king of the Flamenco Gypsies. Utrera formerly entertained at "Viva Madrid," which recently closed. Currently, none of the city's Tapas bars feature live Flamenco regularly. However, de Utrera strongly recommends the Tapas Bar, Cafe Iberico, 739 North La Salle. With dishes like imported Spanish Ham (most of the stuff we get is made in New Jersey), cold Morsiella, Salpercane de Marisco, and the tender-yet-crispy favorite Calamari de Romagna, and various kinds of flavored and fried papas (potatoes), it has become a popular North Loop night spot.
(Dave Witter)
[--Vote for Best of Chicago and you may win--]
copyright 1998 New City Communications, Inc.