LTHForum.com

A recent conversation about laham ajeen/lahmacun/lahma bi ajeen, etc. had me anxious for a return to Larsa's. So, last week, a quick phone call was all it took to get C2 to meet me there for lunch.


Larsa's, 3724 W. Dempster, Skokie 847.679.3663


shorbat adas, jajeek, baba ghanouj, and pita


laham ajeen


Larsa's Combo Plate feat. shish tavouk, kefta, and shawerma


Larsa's adaptively reused bread oven


As I have mentioned before, I think that Larsa's brilliant readaptation of the former pizza parlour's oven makes it a very special place. The pita, pictured along with the soup etc. is made fresh to order in this oven. This oven is also pressed into service for the production of the laham ajeen.

C2 and I always enjoy Larsa's shorbat adas, or lentil soup. We are able to discern red lentils, rice, stock, and dried dill. The real magic of the soup, though, remains a mystery.

This was our first time trying the jajeek, or cucumber and yogurt salad. We both found the yogurt to be pleasantly thick and tangy.

While I admire the texture and consistency of their baba, it is not one of my favourite versions. C2 seems to like it more.

The laham ajeen at Larsa's is delicious. The ground lamb meat has a sweet and savoury taste, and the bread is piping hot and crisped around the edge.

All of the meats on the combo platter are prepared with care. My only quibble would be with the kefta, as I find it to be a bit too firmly packed.

Regards,
Erik M.

Larsa's
3724 Dempster
Skokie, IL
847-679-3663

I am so happy that word is getting out about Larsa's. While I don't post much, I've been reading CH for some time, and have learned much. Only recently have I found my way to LTH, and read through the earlier posts on Larsa's. I can fill in with a little background.

The owner of Larsa's, Johnny, is indeed not Lebanese. He identifies as Assyrian. When people press him on what country he's from, he admits to present-day Iraq, but as I've learned, Assyrians have an ancient culture that is very distinct from the Muslim Arab world. And they're proud of it.

That being said, however, Assyrian cuisine seems to me to be similar to the Middle Eastern food found at places like Pita Inn and Basha. I'm very glad that Johnny is serving this food. When he first bought the restaurant last year, he served gereric Meditterranean cuisine, mostly unexceptional Italian and Greek dishes. Business was not good. So, Johnny decided to change the menu and serve the food that he knew best. He got rid of the chef, and I think now he and his wife are doing the cooking. I certainly prefer what he's now serving, but I was worried that he couldn't compete with all the other restaurants on Dempster serving similar fare. I'm encouraged to read positive reports from others on these boards.

By the way, I first got to know Johnny at his other restaurant, Portofino's Pizza, in Evanston at Dodge & Main. Seeing as how it's behind the alley from my house, I frequented the place a lot. Johnny doesn't spend much time there anymore, concentrating on Larsa's instead. But I still like the pizza at Portofino's. Over the 4 years or so it's been open, I've gotten to know several of the guys who make the pizzas. They're generally of Middle Eastern descent, but spent time in Sweden or Germany before coming here. And that's where they learned to make their pizza. Most people order the traditional American toppings at Portofino's, but they also offer more adventurous ones, like they do in northern Europe...shrimp, mussels, octopus (actually, I think they took that one off the menu). But my favorite Portofino's pizza by far is something they call the "Mama Mia." Along with the mozzarella, toppings include gorgonzola, thin slices of onion, tomato, and filet minon! Sounds weird, but I love it. Be forewarned, you don't go to Portofino's for the crust, which isn't all that special. You go for the fun toppings.

Hi Rev!

The other major Larsa thread, you may or may not have seen. If you refer to the on-site search engine and use keyword 'Larsa,' there are several other posts.

I am glad to have more information on the history of this restaurant. I was somewhat startled when I learned they were Iraqi, not for any other reason than the prominent Lebanese flag on the take-out menu. The shop immediately next door is Iranian, which I think we thought they were connected though they're not.

Assyrian Christians are a minority in pockets all over the middle east, which is why there is a Lebanese Christmas tree at the Science and Industry.

Thanks for the information on the pizza in Evanston.

On my first couple of visits, I simply was not disabused of my notion that they were Lebanese. I have since learned the truth.



While it is only tangentially related, I will say that I am intimately familiar with a number of Assyrian Christians from Syria, and they go to great lengths to differentiate between their culture/cuisine and those of the Muslims in the region. It is a running joke with me, as I find so much overlap with what I grew up with in the decidedly Muslim Emirates.



A few of the Assyrian Christians that I know migrated to Northern Europe from Syria. One gentleman takes tremendous pride in his pizza-making skills, which were learned in Sweden. I must say that I was favourably impressed with what he was able to do with a home gas range. It was nothing fancy, mind you, just cheese and sauce, but it was delicious.

Thanks for the reply and welcome to LTH.

Erik M.

Now I'm really intrigued. I plan to ask Johnny about that Lebanese flag.

And now that I think about it, he used to have an Assyrian flag/banner hanging at Portofino's. It may still be there, and I've just not noticed.

I think I spread the misinformation that Larsa was lebanese (actually i'm sure of it), fooled by the flag.

My apologies.

I agree with all the positives about Larsa's food mentioned above, especially about their soup (I like both soups they make)

I also think for most dishes (not just bread based ones) they are better than their better known rivals on dempster.

Did Johnny also own Fun On/In The Bun which was replaced by Portofino's?

Yeah, thanks for the info on Portofino's Fire Rev! Your name wouldn't be Stefan would it? If so, we know each other through Grace Lutheran I will be sure to try Portofinos as I drive by there every day ( I live 5-6 blocks E of there)




edited to fix coding

No, Fun in the Bun was owned by a Korean family. They served up some mean french fries. Crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I was sad when they closed...but am obviously delighted with Portofino's in that space now.

Yesterday evening Nancy and I went to see Sideways at the Loews Old Orchard. I thought we should have a Central Coast Pinot before the movie so we went to the BYO Larsa's.

We wound up having many of the same items Erik and Cathy had. We were brought the wonderful, rich lentil and rice soup to start. This comes with the dinners. The pita is really good. Made in the pizza oven, it is thinner than most, which I prefer, and had nice flavor.

It is easy to do a Waviest here since everything is so inexpensive. We ordered a lot and took quite a bit home. We ordered three appetizers, which were $7.15 total!

We had the afore mentioned, delicious Laham Ajeen and its vegetarian cousin, Manna Eash. The Manna Eash shares the same thin pizza-oven fired crust, but is topped with a light coating or olive oil and minced fresh herbs and sesame seeds. It is a nice combo. It is nice to try a slice of each. We also had an order of very good falafel, brought out crisp and steaming hot.

We had the combo plate (chicken kabobs, kifta kabob, and beef shwarma) and an order or chicken kabobs. While good, I felt the entrees were the weakest items of the night. The chicken was perfectly cooked, just did not have much flavor from the marinade and the beef shwarma was a tad gristly.

The 2001 Miner 'Gary's Vineyard' Pinot Noir was very nice, but it was in a closed phase. I have had other bottles which showed much better.

Our waitress was extremely friendly and attentive. She even volunteered to wash our Riedel 'O' Pinot glasses! We didn't take her up on it, but that was a first. Unfortunately, here we go again, was just about empty the 1 1/2 we were there. I can't understand why so many terrific, dirt-cheap restaurants have such a difficult time. Our bill was $29 and we took food home. No corkage.

A quick note on Sideways, I was really disappointed. Not as much wine involvement as I hoped for. It is hard to get excited about a movie in which the four main characters are such jerks. The men are total losers, but the women are no prizes, either. How did this movie become the darlings of the critics?

Cheers,
Al

It is my understanding, perhaps flawed, that this is topped with zaatar/zaa'tar (also zahtar, zartar, zaartar, ad infinitum). Again, if I'm not mistaken, this word can refer to either a herb/spice blend or a thyme-like herb. The blend, like most middle eastern spice mixes and condiments from harissa to baharat, varies across the region. Kalustyan's sells a Syrian, Israeli, Jordanian, and Lebanese versions. It seems that all have sesame seeds, thyme/zaa'tar, and salt in common. Other additions that I've seen are sumac, oregano, marjoram, and savory. They call the Jordanian version "Green Zaa'tar" tough all versions do appear to be green. Perhaps it doesn't include sumac? I'd be happy to hear someone unravel the regional differences.

In the case of Manna Eash (and variant spellings, of course: manaesh) as seen in Chicago, though perhaps not in the lands of origin, the topping is the zaa'tar blend and olive oil. This is what I've purchased at Al-Khayam and Middle Eastern Market. Is Larsa's doing something different? Are they actually using "Fresh" herbs rather than dried?

Rien

Hi Rien,

If you scroll up to Erik's picture of laham ajeen shows the flat bread the Za'tar (Erik's preferred spelling) and olive oil, as you surmised, are arranged for Manna Eash (Larsas preferred spelling).

Regards,

Rien:

Indeed, the mixture bears simply the name of its most important element, a variety of (wild) thyme. In Standard Arabic there are according to my dictionaries two variants which differ with regard to the initial consonant, namely, s- vs. z-.

Transliterations of Arabic do show considerable variation and especially with regard to renderings of the consonant which occurs after the first vowel in the word in question here. The consonant in question is the pharyngeal fricative which is named in Arabic "9ayn", with '9' here representing this sound which has no equivalent in English or the better known European languages. An accurate rendering of the word in Roman script with a supplementary symbol would be

Almost always when i see packaged za'atar mixes they are of the green variety.

Btw, I have a sumac question maybe somebody can help me out with. Antonius you mentioned the red bark, but I have also seen sumac for sale as berries - which is the portion of the plant used for the seasoning?

Zim,

Thanks, your definitely right, it's the berries that are used. Roden (op. cit., p. 46) says it is indeed the berries, which are also sometimes soaked to produce a juice which can be used in place of lemon juice.

I'm not sure what I got the sumac crossed with there but I can find no reference in the couple of sources on hand here to the use of sumac bark. I'll correct and annotate the above post.

A

I finally made it to Larsa's last week. First off, as I said in another thread, I have a fondness for Assyrians and their cuisine. Despite centuries of persecution and oppression, Assyrians are some of the most genuine and hospitable people you will ever meet. Larsa's carries on the national tradition of welcoming strangers and making them feel comfortable. However, in spite of wanting to really love the place, I have to give it a mixed review. Although, I will definitely return.

The meat dishes ranged from pretty good to pretty bad. The Kifta was very tasty, but the gus (shawerma) was terrible. From experience, I know shwarema can be hit or miss, depending on how long the meat has been on the rotisserie. Too little time and it is too tough. Too long and it gets dry. The shawerma at Larsa's had obviously dried out, then was soaked in marinade to moisten it up. The result was not good at all. Based on this one experience, I would award the Dempster Street Beef shawerma crown to Basha (although I have had a few so-so meals there also).

We also had the Baba Ghanouj which was good, but a little creamy for my taste and lacked that really smoky flavor. Again, the Baba crown goes to Basha (although it has been awhile since I have eaten at Pita Inn).

The best thing about the Baba Ghanouj at Larsa's was the pita bread that was served with it. The pita(s?) must have just come out of the oven. They were thin and moist and delicate. I know that other LTHers were not as wowed by Larsa's pita. Maybe it was because they were fresh from the oven or maybe Larsa's has recently gotten the hang of baking pita in a pizza oven, but I have to say those were the best pita I have ever eaten. I award the Pita crown of Dempster to Larsa's (I really like the thin type of pita).

Which brings us to the other wonderful things that come from Larsa's pizza oven. After all, sampling the Laham Ajeen was our primary purpose for going there. We ordered both the Laham Ajeen and the Manna Eash. We were not disappointed.

The Laham Ajeen was more tomatoey than other versions I have had, and judging by Erik's pictures, the recipe must have changed to a less meaty interpretation. Nevertheless, the topping was spicy and tasty, and the crust was just phenomenal. It was thin and crunchy with just the right amount of brown, a thing of beauty. These guys have it down.

The Manna Eash has an olive-oil crust which makes it bubbly, and a little chewy. It was very different from the Laham Ajeen crust, but just as wonderful, and also perfectly cooked. The dried spice mixture was applied liberally (despite the menu description of a 'touch' of herbs), and was fantastic.

Obviously, what sets Larsa's apart from the other Dempster Avenue middle-eastern establishments, is the outstanding skill they have developed at baking in an old pizza oven. The next time I go there, I will order all of the four 'pizza' type appetizers (laham ajeen, manna eash, gourmet cheese, m'hammarah pita) and maybe some hummus as an excuse to eat the pita.

Also, has anyone ever been to Jerry's meats in the same strip mall as Larsa's? It looked promising.

I hadn’t been to Larsa’s in over a year, but I’ve always thought it was great whenever I was there in the past.

First of all, it was a little sad. I was there at 8:30 on Saturday night, when you might expect it to be busy. There were only two other occupied tables. And, telling of the slow business, they now have an insert in the menu – a page of traditional thin crust pizza (before it was Larsa’s, it was a pizzeria). There are also relatively new signs in the window touting the pizzas. It seems a shame to order a pizza at a place that does such good job with lahma ajeen, but they seem to be struggling and trying anything to get more customers in.

Speaking (typing?) of which, lahma ajeen is the must-have appetizer – a disc of dough from the pizza oven covered with spiced ground beef – pretty simple, really, but delicious.
We also had the Baba Ganoush, a somewhat-more-smoky-than-most, excellent version, along with the house-made pita (another use for that pizza oven).

The catfish was lightly done, with a slight flour-based crust (my friend thought it slightly underdone, but it was perfectly moist and juicy for my tastes).

And the kifta kebab was nicely spiced, generous logs of beef – probably comparable to many other Middle Eastern restaurants.

Both came with mountains of rice – very distinct, al dente grains.

And, both entrees were served with a thick lentil soup with dill, gratis.

The bill was $34 before tip, having been served way too much food.

It’s BYOB.

Interestingly enough, while I couldn’t find a write-up of it on the Tribune site, I did find a Tribune review (slightly out-of-date) here (interesting perspective on the cuisine):
http://www.christiansofiraq.com/restaurant.html

FYI, I still see the for sale ad for it every month in the restaurant publication I get. So it is still available.

Spoke to soon. Ad not in the June 07 publication. Hopefully they just changed their minds about selling.

Tonight my friend took me out to dinner for my birthday. We went to Larsa's after reading such good things about it and, much to my disappointment, ended up being one of the worst meals we've both ever experienced. Seriously, I thought our meal was a joke. My friend got the catfish and I got the veggie plate. The presentation was so depressing, and the portion of the catfish was so tiny that my friend finished it in three bites. I don't see the point of using such gigantic plates when their minuscule portions end up looking ridiculous on them. The white rice that comes with entrees is bland and looks like it's the cheapo boiled-in-a-bag stovetop variety. My veggie plate was just as bad. The hummus and baba were nasty -- pasty and flavorless and a very strange, off color. It looked as bad as it tasted, and my appetite took a nosedive upon seeing the depressing plate of food set before me. The falafel....wth?? It was like three little soggy round flavorless nuggets. I have a suspicion that the hummus, baba, and falafel were loaded with some kind of fillers made to stretch the ingredients and make it cheap to make as possible. The lentil soup was initially good, but the overloading of dill became more and more noticable with every bite until it made my stomach turn . The thin crust pita seemed appealing at first but it was bland and its texture and consistency seemed more appropriate for Indian food than Middle Eastern. We both just shut up and ate out of an effort to be polite rather than get up and leave. After dinner my friend was still hungry, and I was not quite full. Geez, we could've gone to Pita Inn and gotten stuffed on half the price and been much more happier. My poor friend asked where I'd heard of this place. Have you ever had one of those meals where it was so unsatisfying that even though you're physically satiated, you're so psychologically unsatisfied that your body is still craving more to make up for the experience? After dinner we went to Whole Foods and picked up snacks to eat on the way home. Bah, should've went with my first (tried-and-true) choice which was Semiramis. Never again, Larsa's.

Thanks for the post, Bin. Extra points for working portion size right in to the negative meal description organically, instead of leaving the question open.

Sorry for sounding so disgruntled. It's just that this evening was beyond disappointing and it's disconcerting how radically different one experience is compared to others'.

No need to apologize, though it certainly has been a long time since people have reported back their experiences at Larsa.

Thanks for the feedback.

Regards,

I'm guessing it's a case of new owners. The space was originally a pizzeria, and when it became Larsa's, the owners stopped offering pizza, but found some very creative uses for the pizza oven. Last fall, I started to see large signs in the window offering pizza again, which would be out of character for the Larsa's I knew. Pure speculation.

There was some speculation a little over a year ago that they were for sale (in this thread) although G Wiv reports on a nice lunch there last may in the same thread.

Best,
Michael

Checked out Larsa's today.

Although it's not my usual order, for some reason I decided to get the veggie plate. I'm happy to report that all was just as I remembered it. The falafel, while nowhere near my favorite in Chicagoland, was crisp and, as always, fried to order. Hummus -- well, I can only eat so much hummus before I get completely bored with it, so I'm no expert. The baba ghanouj, on the other hand, was creamy and had a nice smoked eggplant flavor. Both dishes looked as they should. The lentil soup remains one of my favorite soups in town, although dill does not make my stomach turn so perhaps I have an iron constitution. Along with the always excellent pita and complimentary torshi, all this was way too much food for me.

Larsa's has not been sold; all the same people as before are still there, both in the serving and the cooking aspects. The "Pizza + Ribs +God Knows What Else" sign went up a long time ago. I was initially apprehensive, but decided that if that stuff will subsidize the dishes at which this place excels (for the record: soup, pita, laham ajeen, kibbeh), then it's fine by me. Since then, I've actually seen people come for the pizza.

I wonder if they would put shawarma and torshi on a pizza?

Just a little bumb-a-rino.

I had my Larsa maiden yesterday. This is a seriously great place.

I thought. It does remind or at least show some of the difficultuy in assessing restaurants. In my mind, pre-visit, I knew of Larsa as a place with good reports. I had remembered a couple of old-timers, at least guys from my generation, Erik M and Zim, loving the place. Yesterday afternoon, I looked at the Larsa threads, this and the other one, and I was surprised that the love for Larsa was not quite as complete as I thought. Could some really not be overwhelmed by this place?!?

Thing is, compare orders and the like. My meal consisted of a variety of the bready things, plus falafal, plus the two standard dips, plus (a lot) of pickles. No shwarma. No meats. No fish. Would I have thought differently if I tried the things that have been panned. Maybe. To me, it points out the inherent difficulty of this enterprise.

Still, for me, for one visit, this was home run city. Even the pizza, from the pizza menu, potatoe with garlic and feta substituted for ricotta; excelled. This was as seriously delicious, superior pizza. I'm a carb kinda guy. A pickle guy. I left Larsa's nearly comatose from stuffing myself so much on the breads and the pickles. The different Middle Eastern style pizzas (tried them all). Yet I cannot complain in the least with anything else ordered. The falafal was distinct, fresh and well made. The two dips met high standads, especially the smoky baba.

Don't forget Larsa's

Count me in as another old timer who loves this place. This spot was formerly LaRosa Pizzereia (there were several LaRosa's in the area but this one was always by far the best). I grew up nearby and and always felt it had the very best thin crust pizza in Chicagoland. Current owners have changed things quite a bit but have tried to keep the pizza close to the original, going to great lengths to insure that they continue to use the same flour , cheese mixture and sauce recipe . Pies are all still hand tossed too. While the pizza is maybe not quite as good as before, it's still great and I agree with VI that this place remains a treasure.

Had dinner at Larsa's last night with the Favorite Dining Companion and a friend. We arrived at 6:00. Two other tables were occupied. By the time we left, it was fairly full.

FDC & I each had the Larsa's combo plate and our friend had the Veggie Plate. We split a fattoosh salad. Everything was quite tasty and we all made out plates squeaky clean. The entrees included a cup of very good lentil soup and top notch pita bread.

The pizza menu looks tempting. I ate plenty of pizzas there back in the LaRosa era. Perhaps for my next visit.

Overall, a good and reasonably priced meal.

Dave148: We were one of the two other tables.

I was less impressed than you: their predominant flavor appears to be turmeric: it saturated the plate of complimentary pickled veggies, and the Umba sauce for the falafel. On the other hand, the falafel were perfectly crisp outside and creamy inside, my current faves.

MrsF's kibee was unlike other kibbe/kibbah we've had elsewhere, it was a thin pancake, a little on the bland side, and served with H-P sauce (!).

Overall, we were hoping for something a little "finer" -- based on the sign which said "Fine Mediterranean Cuisine"

I'd go back, but not in a rush.