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It’s something of a drive from the city. It’s not exactly the same fare that appeals to the Chili’s and Houlihan’s crowd. On weeknights, it may be empty. But none of these factors should prevent Chaihanna from being named a Great Neighborhood Restaurant.

I think I can say without contradiction that it’s among the top Uzbeki restaurants in the area.

The existing thread on Chaihanna has almost all positive things to say about the restaurant and its food.

To summarize:

• great flavors, interesting combinations

• a cuisine that’s not easy to find

• obvious attention to detail, as shown by the elaborate tableware, much brought over from Uzbecistan

• an obvious flair for pickling vegetables of all sorts

• a clean, comfortable space (although that’s not a clear requirement for a GNR)

I can truly say that I never would have discovered Chaihanna if it weren’t for LTH (thanks, d4v3). It’s the kind of place that deserves more attention from people other than those from Russia and other Soviet-era nations – the loyalists who seem to make up the bulk of its business. It seems to be exactly the type of place that screams GNR – even if it is a little far from the city (but it does help increase the geographic diversity of GNRs).

So I’m not only nominating Chaihanna for a GNR, I’m encouraging anyone who hasn’t been to get to the strip mall at the corner of Dundee and Buffalo Grove Roads and try some of the best Uzbeki food you’ll ever eat in Chicagoland, if not much more broadly.

Chaihanna
19 E Dundee Rd
(Note: this is the mailing address - the restaurant is located on the east side of Buffalo Grove Road, 1/2 block south of Dundee Rd. )
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
847-215-5044

edited to add address

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Big support for Chaihanna from me. I've been back once since my post in the linked thread, and would be there way more frequently if I lived closer.

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...defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

Fuckerberg on Food

Do you mean this Chaihanna? I was wondering, since there was no address in your post.

Chaihanna
19 E Dundee Rd
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
847-215-5044

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Steve Z.
Photographer/Pseudojournalist

"The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook." - Julia Child

That's the one - but the address is hard to see. That's why I think it's easier just to say it's at the corner of Dundee and Buffalo Grove Roads. (It's actually on the Buffalo Grove Road side of the L-shaped strip mall - if you were looking only at storefronts along Dundee Road, you'd miss it.)

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Chicago Craft Beer Week!

Tom,

It's my opinion that a GNR nomination, or any fresh thread on a restaurant, should always include the address. Makes it easier to reference, makes it easier to find directions on a GPS or look up the route on Google or Mapquest and provides a solid frame of reference.

Regards,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

I too like Chaihanna very much, and would gladly support a GNR nomination.

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"Nothing important is easy." Patrick White (Australian Nobel laureate)

http://waltzingaustralia.wordpress.com

I'm also a fan of Chaihanna, which I thought very good indeed the one time I visited with the LTH girls. It really would be a shame to go there without a group, since sampling the unusual combinations and spicing is a large part of the appeal of this place. I remember the garlicky eggplant as my favorite dish in spite of the consequences.

This is an interesting nomination, nr706, and very much in keeping with the spirit of the GNR's as I think of them.

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Man : I can't understand how a poet like you can eat that stuff.
T. S. Eliot: Ah, but you're not a poet.

I have made my pilgrimage, added my post to the Chaihanna thread, and wish to add my enthusiastic amen to this nomination.

The only concern I have is that Chaihanna may be the most immaculate restaurant I have ever visited. The ceramic tile floor was scrubbed and spotless and everything else bright and shiny. I always thought that one of the requirements for a GNR was a certain slight dinginess, a lived-in feeling, and there is none of that here.

As we got there at the beginning of the evening, we could even see that someone had arranged every chair in the place at exactly the same, slight angle to its table, just so.

Okay, I guess we can accept an immaculate room, and I rather like the murals representing, I assume, scenes of traditional Uzbeki life. The artist shows some skill.

Good call, Tom.

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d
Retired, gone fishing, and exploring my curmudgeon within

NR,

My one and only Chaihanna was memorable, very much enjoyed both meat and cheese blintzes, Manti - Uzbeki style dumplings, spicy eggplant and loved the variety of pickles, in particular the full sour pickled watermelon. Service was terrific, place, as Dickson points out, startlingly clean, and I found the overall vibe friendly. I'm looking forward to a return visit.

A solid GNR nomination.

Enjoy,
Gary

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Sauce on the side, always, implied, axiomatic..........never a doubt, BBQ sauce without.

Low & Slow

I have made the trek out to Chaihanna on just three occasions, and one of those times it was closed, but based on my limited experiences, I totally support this nomination. Although the intersection of Dundee and Buffalo Grove roads is hardly what Mr. Rogers might consider a neighborhood, Chaihanna is definitely what I would consider a GNR. They serve interesting and well prepared dishes from a culture that is unfamiliar to most Chicagoans (and at a very reasonable price). The service is welcoming and helpful, and the staff and owners seem genuinely enthusiastic and proud to share this remarkable cuisine with strangers.

Solid nomination. Although not everything the kitchen puts out is stellar (the much-discussed watermelon is over-pickled, to my taste), there are enough good renditions of dishes not otherwise locally available that I hope it sticks around for a long time.

I had only been to Chaihanna only one time before and enjoyed the food, however, my second experience was better than my first as it was with LTH and the group was larger so I was able to sample more of the menu. I thought the appetizers were wonderful, in particular the spicy carrots, anchichuck w/sour cream and garlic eggplant. The entrees were delighful, especially the chicken tabaka and the grilled lamb chops. Overall, I had a wonderful experience at the restaurant. The waiter was friendly and accommodating to our group. I noticed he was amused at some of our bad humor and was particularly friendly and amused by the youngest attendee, Lucas. I appreciated his easy going attitude and how he responded to the many requests we presented to him. The food service was good as it didn't come out all at once, which allowed us to sample some and then continue on the new arrivals. I feel the kitchen staff handled the many appetizers and entree service in a nice flow. Overall, I truly enjoyed the overall experience of the restaurant and would definitely go back. (An added bonus is that the restaurant is very clean, and where else can you hear background noise of birds chirping!)

I guess that I am going to be a dissenting opinion.

I went to Chaihanna a couple of weeks back. The food was in general pretty good but there were few dishes that were very spectacular.
The lamb chops were good but were served over frozen vegetables.

It is not a place that I would be rushing back to any time soon.

The atmosphere is pretty nice but is that really enough to make it a GNR?

What I don't understand is how they are still open. I arrived there at 6 pm and left at 9:30 pm and there were just two parties there the entire time. Pho U next door had 50+ customers during the same period.

Love this nomination.

Despite its farflung location and single thread, that thread shows a steady (if slow-flowing) streams of LTH-motivated satisfying meals over the course of a year (well before the GNRnom).

Chaihanna benefits from the distance curve (harder to get people to a place so far away), but it's attracted a diverse group over a long period of time with pretty consistently good reports here.

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LTHForum Kansas City

I've only been there once, most of a year ago. I think I can still taste the garlic from the Chicken Tabak (that's a good thing). I'll be back there eventually, and these posts have been making that time closer.

I definitely agree with this nom.

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

Hi,

I have been to Chaihanna twice. While it is an exotic and under-represented cuisine in our region, it does not mean it is a stellar example. If it were in Uzbekistan, I am not sure it would be considered the best restaurant in town.

Some dishes like the Chicken Tabaka, which happens to be Georgian, are pan roasted with a heavy weight on them to flatten and press as much surface area to the hot pan. Chaihanna's Chicken Tabak showed no evidence of being cooked with a heavy weight. While the garlic sauce was very present, there was no sour plum sauce one might expect.

Pilaf/Plov is the great national Uzbek dish, which is served to honored guests, at weddings and celebrations. I remember Monica Eng's former husband commenting every household they visited served plov/pilaf. I was pretty surprised at the oil collecting on the bottom of the pilaf's serving dish. This is a dish where all the oils and cooking liquid are absorbed by the rice with no evidence of a small river of oil.

The kebabs may also be a Georgian influence, rather than Uzbek. The heavy presence of garlic in many of the dishes, didn't seem especially Uzbek, either. Their presence on the menu is very likely a nod to their client base that is mostly Russian. There is enough Uzbek foods on the menu to be exotic even for Russians, though enough Georgian-Russian food to attract those who may want Slavic over exotic Asian food.

The pickles seem to have captured people's imagination and has made quite an impression. I will admit to never having had a watermelon pickle before, though I don't know if it was a great one or simply an exotic example.

I also thought it was rather expensive for what was offered. However I have that comment for most restaurants from the former Soviet Union. I think it also accounts for the relatively light attendance the two times I have been there. It isn't exactly being hotly supported by the Russian-Slavic immigrant community, which Buffalo Grove has a good representation in their population. They have no proximity excuse for not supporting one of their own.

While I may be a lone voice in the woods, forgive me jlawrence01 - the other lone wolf, I am not too enthusiastic about what Chaihanna offers.

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

I'm fairly certain that even aschie30 would agree that a Tavola wouldn't be considered the best restaurant in Italy. I don't think anyone could claim that TAC would be considered the best in Thailand, nor Nuevo Leon the best in Mexico. I have to ask though... so what?

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...defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

Fuckerberg on Food

HI,

While there are many Italian restaurants one could readily compare, there is but one Uzbek. When the only Uzbek restaurant does not make their national dish of Plov/Pilaf right, then is it really a good representation?

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

C2,

Undoubtedly you have more of a basis of comparison to authentic Uzbeki food than I, so I'll take your word that Chaihanna is somewhat inauthentic. All I know is that I think the manti and the chicken tabaka are delicious.

Your questioning of whether the tabaka is really cooked under a weight is interesting. In the main thread, Gwiv's pictured dish looks clearly like it had been heavily weighted, but that is much less apparent in Ronnie Suburban's picture. This could just be a difference in photographic angles, or it could be that there’s some inconsistency night to night. I personally have had the dish 3 times, and can say with near certainty that each time my chicken had been cooked under a heavy weight.

Kenny

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...defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

Fuckerberg on Food

I went to Chaihanna with a friend who spent three years with the Peace Corps in Uzbekistan, and while she did find the pilaf disappointing, she thought everything else was great. Of course, if you're with the Peace Corps, you probably aren't getting the best food a country has to offer. But at least it's authentic (which is not the same as "the best.")

I will say that, having been there a few times now, I find that the pilaf varies from kind of disappointing (it was dry one time I was there) to fabulous, so I think unevenness might be an issue. But I still quite like Chaihanna -- especially the fabulous sour spinach soup (anyone have a recipe?) and the dumplings. I'd go back if those were the only things they made.

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"Nothing important is easy." Patrick White (Australian Nobel laureate)

http://waltzingaustralia.wordpress.com

While I'm still fuzzy on what is and what is not Uzbeki cuisine (I should have asked you more questions the night we were there, Cathy2), I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner at Chaihanna.

Highlights for me were the chicken tabaka (cooked under a weight or not, what I had was absolutely delicious), the eggplant, the manti, the bread (is it made in-house?), and yes--that darn pickled everything! Although there were a couple of things that didn't hit the spot, overall I thought it was a very enjoyable meal.

I would certainly go back to have more of the chicken and to try the pumpkin manti, which they were out of the night we went.

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"Life is a combination of magic and pasta." -- Federico Fellini

On the night of our most recent meal, and the picture to which you refer, the chicken seemed to be prepared with no weight on it. It was just pieces but when we ordered, our server asked if we wanted it cut up or whole. Since we were a big group, we opted for cut up. Perhaps that explains the difference, because during my previous meal at Chaihanna, it was absolutely flattened.

=R=

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I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Spit out the gum, sister!

Twitter: ronniesuburban

Great. Because I love this place. I think it just keeps getting better, too -- or perhaps more consistent. I haven't had anything that wasn't excellent in a long time. And I'm not sure I want to live without their sour-spinach soup.

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"Nothing important is easy." Patrick White (Australian Nobel laureate)

http://waltzingaustralia.wordpress.com

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Chicago Craft Beer Week!

It's too far away for me on a school night. Are they open for lunch? I'm in Rolling Meadows in a couple of weeks.

It looks quite good. I should ask my DDS if he's eaten there.

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Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening

Chaihanna should be open for lunch. Their hours indicate open at noon. You may want to confirm first by calling in case they have changed their hours on a particular day.

Great dinner tonight with eight other LTHers. We were able to order quite an assortment of food ... standouts for me were the sour spinach soup, chuchvara (meat dumpling soup), chicken tabaka, rack of lamb ... heck, it was all good. Server was very attentive, without being overbearing. I'll be disappointed if Chaihanna isn't renewed for a GNR - I don't think there's anything like it in the region.

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Chicago Craft Beer Week!

Hi,

I presume you ordered the Uzbek national dish of plov, how was it?

Regards,

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Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Great dinner last night at Chaihanna. With the large group, we were able to order quite an assortment of food. I've been there before,but we were able to order dishes that I had not had before and loved the new options. The standouts for me were the sour spinach soup and chuchvara (meat dumpling soup). I will remember to order the sour spinach soup next time I am there as I think this is now my favorite item on the menu. Everything was good, as usual, and I left extremely full. Chaihanna should be renewed for a GNR. This is an unusual gem for the area.

No Plov last night. The mutton (really lamb) soup, I think it is called something like Sapura, was wonderful for me - a flavorful, but light broth, full of herbs and vegetables, plus some chunks of lamb. I got to eat most of it as I seem to have been the only one who much liked it. Steve's dumpling soup was also pretty good.

The pork kebab on a bed of mashed potatoes and a few onions was also excellent.

The rest of the meal was good to very good, those were just the standouts. The Eastern European music videos and watching the vampires fade away into the darkness when confronted with my aura of garlic were just a bonus. Great meal, good company thanks for organizing this, Tom. I need to get to Chaihanna more often.

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d
Retired, gone fishing, and exploring my curmudgeon within