Mike G wrote:

Perhaps they are observant Muslims?

If I recall correctly, the menu says "Zabiha Halal" on the cover, that would seem to say so.

Speaking from experience living in the former Soviet Union, my various Muslim friends came in many flavors of observance. Most of them wouldn't dream of eating pork, at least not where other Muslims would see them doing it, but they had no hesitation about drinking vodka.

Habibi wrote:I think its courtesy to always ask before BYOB. Even if the place doesn't feature cuisine from a country whose name ends in "stan." Would you assume that its OK to BYOB at Hot Doug's without asking?

I'm not much of a drinker, and I can't imagine BYOB at Hot Doug's (I hate beer, which seems like the natural BYOB choice there). But some of the friends who are coming on Saturday are of the South Slavic persuasion, and so they may default to bringing rakija without thinking twice about it, which is why I was asking. I'll just put the word out that they should probably skip it this time.

Eva Luna wrote:

Habibi wrote:I think its courtesy to always ask before BYOB. Even if the place doesn't feature cuisine from a country whose name ends in "stan." Would you assume that its OK to BYOB at Hot Doug's without asking?

I'm not much of a drinker, and I can't imagine BYOB at Hot Doug's (I hate beer, which seems like the natural BYOB choice there). But some of the friends who are coming on Saturday are of the South Slavic persuasion, and so they may default to bringing rakija without thinking twice about it, which is why I was asking. I'll just put the word out that they should probably skip it this time.

It is actually OK to BYOB at Hot Doug's... I've seen several tables with beer and wine in my visits there. Just for future reference

Eva Luna wrote:Has anyone tried BYOB there? Friends of mine went and brought wine and said the management was a bit weird about it, as in the management removed their bottle from the table after my friends poured it into their teacups. Perhaps they are observant Muslims?

I've been to Jibek Jolu twice (and some day might even get around to posting about it). On our first visit we brought beer that we consumed without feeling uncomfortable. We popped it open before even thinking and our server (who couldn't have been nicer) asked if we needed glasses. So it's not out of the question but I would definitely ask before pulling out a bottle.

Habibi wrote:I think its courtesy to always ask before BYOB. Even if the place doesn't feature cuisine from a country whose name ends in "stan."

Yes, that advice is simply common courtesy (that we failed to observe at Jibek Jolu). No matter what the restaurant, one shouldn't assume BYOB is accepted. In future visits to Jibek Jolu I'll probably stick with tea (gratis, I think) or have another cup of airan (similar to kefir). In any case, I'd recommend a visit to Jibek Jolu. You can always go across the street to The Atlantic for a shot and/or pint if needed.

Mike G wrote:If I recall correctly, the menu says "Zabiha Halal" on the cover

Your recollection is, as typical, correct.



Far as Jibek Jolu alowing BYOB, while I have not done so, I have specifically asked and was told it is ok for customers to BYOB.

This is interesting. The Manti in Turkish cuisine must be dating back to Central Asia as well. Apparently, same or similar dishes are called Mandu by Koreans, Mantuu by Mogols and Mantou by Chinese. Per Wikipedia, there is a popular story in China that the name Mantou actually originated from the identically-pronounced word mántóu meaning "barbarian's head". See the link below.

When Turks moved from Central Asia to today's Turkey / Anatolia, the preperation of manti must have varied from the initial version. Unlike the Chinese or Kyrgyz version, Turkish manti evolved into a much smaller but boiled version instead of getting steamed. It is often semi-baked before being boiled and served with yogurt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantou

cilantro wrote:Looking forward to trying this place, but, man, that nan does not look right. Neither does the plov. However, I'm still there, if only to try the housemade noodles (and capture the elusive sister).

JoelF wrote:"Manty" or "manti" are also found in Turkish cuisine (I theorize that the "man" may be shared with far-east mein/men/myun), "Borsch" is lacking a "t" to be Russian, and "Samsy" would appear to share roots with Samosa, Sambusa and similar pastries, plus the Korean carrots. Plov is a variant on pilaf or pilau -- a word found widely distributed in Asia.

Manti are Turkish in origin, I believe, and eventually made their way east where they became mantou, mandu, etc. Different from "mian". "Borsch" is Russian; the additional "t" is a Yiddishism, I think. "Samsa" and "samosa" you're definitely right about.

I just called the Jibek people and the reason (or one reason) for them being uncomfortable about alcohol is that they do not have a BYOB license. So this is not a BYOB restaurant. They were very nice about it.

Marko

Marko wrote:I just called the Jibek people and the reason (or one reason) for them being uncomfortable about alcohol is that they do not have a BYOB license. So this is not a BYOB restaurant. They were very nice about it.

The person I spoke to specifically said Jibek Jolu was fine with BYOB, so there seems to be conflicting information. I suggest erring on the side of caution by, if you do bring alcohol, asking permission before opening.

Greetings!

This is a great feedback and I am sure the management appreciates it. In fact, as an ethnic Kyrgyz I am much delighted to read such a vivid discussion. Thank you!

As far as conflicting information or lack of certain dishes, I think it's a matter of time. Come on people, this is a brand new experience for the family venturing into the restaurant business in America. -- How many of you would dare to open the first American restaurant in Central Asia?.. Do you realize how overwhelming it is to start a new business with no previous industry experience?.. Also, let's say you were missing certain "proper" ingredients (for whatever reason). Would you skip the item on the menu all together or go ahead with closest substitutes just to please your customers?..

Please keep in mind that Jibek Jolu is a family-owned restaurant. They serve same food as they would eat themselves! -- That by the way also explains variations of cooking certain dishes. -- The restaurant has been around just for a couple months and they are still trying to figure out the tastes of their customers as well as order flow. The fact that so many people have posted comments about lagman, manty, and other dishes is only indicative how popular these dishes are. So it's not surprising that by the time the next customer walks in, they already had run out of the meal. -- Can you imagine two hundred people ordering different things in a single day? Worse yet, can you now forecast what another five hundred people would be ordering tomorrow?..

Also, if you have noticed, these meals are hand-made from scratch to finish. Most of genuinely "traditional" dishes are very elaborate and time-consuming. Plus, where else would you expect to pay just a couple of euros (dollars) for something hand-made AND healthy?

In my humble opinion, the owners deserve some break (from criticism) as well as some benefit of the doubt. They work hard and want nothing else but happy (and repeat) customers.

If you really want to get a certain dish (especially if you want it cooked in a certain way), I think it would only be fair to give the restaurant an advanced notice. -- Would you tell your Mom that you wanted her apple pie beforehand or when you suddenly show up at the doorstep? Surprise!..

Other than that, welcome to Central Asia (from the Kyrgyz angle)! Enjoy the truly home-made food the way we eat it, which is your best available opportunity to get a glimpse of the part of the world that is 12-hours away.

Bon appetit!

Kyrgyz_Don_Quixote


Disclaimer: I am not related to the restaurant owners. In fact, I have never met them.

Dear Kyrgyz_Don_Quixote,

Don't get me wrong - I love Kyrgyz and other Central Asian food. I've been to Jibek Jolu a couple of times, and though (as with any new restaurant, and certainly one whose owners have no prior industry experience) they have some bugs to work out, I wish them all the best and am looking forward to visiting them for many years to come, especially now that I've moved closer to the neighborhood. I realize, having studied in the former Soviet Union when it was still the Soviet Union and made various dumplings and other regional foods of the former Soviet Union myself, with training from friends who grew up making them (not manty, but certainly varenniki and pelmeni and borsch and plov), that preparation of this kind of food is a time-consuming labor of love.

However, you have to realize that Jibek Jolu is in a town with some pretty stiff food competition. Though they have a somewhat built-in market of the small local Central Asian expat community and others who have come to know and love Central Asian cuisine as nostalgia food (other residents of the FSU and those few Americans who have lived and/or traveled there), the vast majority of Chicago-area restaurant customers are likely to be more fickle. If it takes too long to get dumplings at Jibek Jolu, they are apt to wander off to the nearest Chinese restaurant the next time they are craving dumplings. A nearly infinite variety of noodle dishes can be found at scores of local Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, etc. restaurants. If you are yearning for a rice pilaf with lamb, or even with lamb and barberries, you can just as easily check out any of the local Indian, Persian, or Afghan restaurants. (And by the way, Jibek Jolu is the first Central Asian restaurant in Chicago propper that I'm aware of, but certainly not the first in the U.S.; just go to Rego Park, Queens, near my dad's house, and there are more Bukharan Jewish restaurants than you can shake a stick at. No, it's not exactly the same, but it's probably close enough for all except those who grew up with that specific food.)

Anyway, like I said, I love the food and intend to keep going back to Jibek Jolu, and I hope they can work out their kinks sooner rather than later. One can never have too many kinds of dumplings!

Eva Luna wrote: the vast majority of Chicago-area restaurant customers are likely to be more fickle. If it takes too long to get dumplings at Jibek Jolu, they are apt to wander off to the nearest Chinese restaurant the next time they are craving dumplings. A nearly infinite variety of noodle dishes can be found at scores of local Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, etc. restaurants. If you are yearning for a rice pilaf with lamb, or even with lamb and barberries, you can just as easily check out any of the local Indian, Persian, or Afghan restaurants.

If being "more fickle" means lumping together slightly similar dishes from a variety of cuisines, then yeah some Chicagoans are fickle - yourself possibly included.

I consider myself a discerning diner. If I want pulao, I'll get pulao, if I want biryani, I'll get biryani, and if I want maqlouba, I'll get maqlouba.

Jibek Jolu,

Keep doing what you are doing at the pace you are doing it.

Habibi wrote:[
If being "more fickle" means lumping together slightly similar dishes from a variety of cuisines, then yeah some Chicagoans are fickle - yourself possibly included.

I consider myself a discerning diner. If I want pulao, I'll get pulao, if I want biryani, I'll get biryani, and if I want maqlouba, I'll get maqlouba.

Sometimes nothing but plov will do, in which case I am glad to wait as long as it takes (or spend half a day cooking it myself). But sometimes I am just hungry and want to grab something to eat. I suspect most people are the same way to one degree or another. If that makes me "fickle" in your opinion, c'est la vie. I just want to see these guys do well enough that they can, for example, hire a busboy or two and take some of the workload off of Albina. She was really hustling the last time we were there, but it's just too much for one person to handle the whole front, at least the way the workload was distributed when we were there last Friday.

Before eating here with my husband (about 3-4 weeks ago) we called to ask if they served beer/wine or if we could BYO - we were told to leave the booze at home as they did not have thier BYOB license yet but were hoping to have it soon.

I had an excellent meal at Jibek Jolu tonight. The Korean carrot salad and the Funchoza (a cold noodle salad) were particularly good, as was the cabbage-based borscht. I also enjoy the soupy-lamb and noodle entree Lagman. The food was far less heavy than what I had imagined it to be - to its credit. My only disappointment was the plov. Granted plov can be made in many variants, but I wished that there had been more spices - cumin, coriander, cinnamon, or even garlic. It is rather plain rice with some beef and some carrots. But aside from this, the rest of the meal was flavorful and worth a visit. I would eager order the funchoza, borscht, and lagman again.

Tobermory wrote:Before eating here with my husband (about 3-4 weeks ago) we called to ask if they served beer/wine or if we could BYO - we were told to leave the booze at home as they did not have thier BYOB license yet but were hoping to have it soon.

Is there such a thing as a BYOB License?

In America, get license for BYOB. In Kyrgyztan, BYOB licenses you!

Mike G wrote:In America, get license for BYOB. In Kyrgyztan, BYOB licenses you!

нарушение. The Party permit only one Smirnoff reference per week; is rationed.

Mine was from Yakov's brother, Meta-Smirnoff.

stevez wrote:Is there such a thing as a BYOB License?

I assume this is shorthand for dram shop/liquor liability insurance, which a business should have (although I am not sure it is an actual legal obligation) if alcohol will be consumed on premises.

Stopped by Jibek Jolu tonight. It was fun to try Kyrgyz food, particularly since it really is a cuisine that features elements of so many others. In particular I enjoyed reading over the menu since many of the words were so similar to Turkish, Kyrgyz being a Turkic language afterall.

We started off with a Chebureki which is a fried meat pie stuffed with lamb. I noted that the dish was very similar to Turkish Cig Boregi, while my Taiwanese wife was reminded of fried wanton wrappers. I think she won this battle since the meat stuffing was made with scallions, definitely a nod to the eastern influences. The outside was puffy and crispy and the inside juicy, a nice start to the meal.

Afterward we split an order of pelmeni, which I suppose highlights the Russian influence. Once again the stuffing reminded my wife of Chinese dumplings, though these were served with sour cream a very non-Chinese condiment. The dumpling wrappers were thick and chewy, definitely made fresh.

For entrees we ordered the plov (which I presume is related to Turkish pilav) and lagman. The plov was something a lowlight. The rice was fluffy but lacked the rich, meaty flavor I typically associate with the dish and the chunks of beef were woefully overcooked. The lagman on the otherhand was excellent. The nice and long noodles were clearly freshly made with a spongy texture. This dish was once again a wonderful confluence of cuisines. The noodles and daikon showed the eastern influence while the tomato, bell pepper and green bean stew tasted Mediterranean. It was a simple dish, but the taste was authentically homemade and delicious. Dessert was the honey cake which was pretty ordinary.

Overall we really enjoyed the meal. The room is very homey which matches the simple but well executed food. We were happy to hear they deliver as well, most of the food definitely seemed like it would withstand delivery. Lastly, I have to mention that the prices were very reasonable particularly when considering that the noodles and dumplings are all hand made (you can watch them working in the back). We'll be back.

Thanks for the report; I'm really pleased to hear that you liked it. I was thinking about it just a few days ago and thinking we need to get back. I'm also pleased to hear that they deliver since we would likely be in the delivery zone. The one question I'm curious about, though, is how busy were they? I remember early on that I was very concerned for their continued existence. Were there many other folks there?


PS Thanks for the "fried wanton wrappers"; you provided a smile amid the new snow.

We were there Friday night at primetime. When we arrived there were 4 small groups (including us). When we left a couple groups had left and one large group that had a reservation had arrived. I think the concerns about their survival are legitimate, but I've certainly seen worse.

Having wanted to try this place for quite some time we finally gave it a shot last Friday night. We were only one of two parties at the restaurant. Jibek Jolu has an extreme case of under appreciation. The place was a cozy escape on a cold winter night. Thoroughly enjoyed a sampling of many menu items (four of us shared). Had the solyanka (soup), Carrot salad, Funcheza (salad), manti, lagman and more. The service was efficient and helpful. Based on the sparse customer count on a Friday night I am a bit concerned of it's ability to survive. Please give this place a shot. They deserve it.

Two weeks earlier we went to Kabul House and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. I would say that Jibek Jolu is just as good.

The bill for four $41. It's byob.

This is one of the best food values in Chicago right now, right up with the better tacquerias. I LOVE the soups.

I hope to see Jibek Jolu survive and thrive; perhaps then we'll be able to get more of the dishes in lamb instead of beef (for more $$, of course). (I've been told, by someone who visited there, that the staple meat of Kyrgyzstan is lamb/mutton. Perhaps some of the Kyrgyz here in the US are happy that here they can afford to eat something else, but I myself could go for more sheep on my plate.)

Jibek Jolu has been nominated as a Great Neighborhood Restaurant. Please post your comments here on this thread. Discussion ends on March 7.

Thanks,

=R=
for the GNRs

Mike G wrote:

"Samsa" and "samosa" you're definitely right about.

As Gregor Samosa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he discovered that he had been transformed into an enormous curry-flavored potato dumpling

I'm glad Jibek Jolu was nominated for a GNR - if only because I somehow missed this whole thread and therefore the opportunity to laugh out loud at my desk at this little gem from Mike G.

As this is quite close to me I am putting it on my "try this soon" list - the pictures in G Wiv's post show some very appealing dishes to me.

Jibek Jolu is the kind of restaurant that makes Chicago such a great place to eat. Most people can't place Kyrgyzstan on a map, let alone know what lagman and plov are. Yet, hidden in plain site, Chicago boasts a charming, family-owned restaurant specializing in Kyrgyz cuisine.

The food has a distinctively homemade quality to it. Each dish is made from scratch and it shows. Particularly noteworthy are the dumplings (manty and pelmeni) and the lagman noodles that have that unmistakable chewy texture of homemade dough that absolutely makes the dish.

When it first opened, Jibek Jolu captured LTHforum's imagination, and for good reason. It's exactly the type of place we have awarded GNRs to in the past. Yet inexplicably at the end of February, the posts stopped. As far as I can tell the quality didn't drop, just the interest.

So I urge people to give it another shot. The food is both interesting and delicious. I'd like to see this place get awarded a GNR, but it needs some more attention to truly be considered a board favorite.

If I weren't in California, I would certainly organize a dinner. Perhaps someone else can. The main Jibek Jolu thread is three pages, which seems very respectable, including posts from December 2010 and after. Often after a flurry of interest, people stop writing, but they don't necessarily stop dining. If nothing else this nomination will bring this fine restaurant to the board's attention again.

I can think of few restaurants that better encapsulates the GNR philosophy than JJ.

Eh, I don't know. I wonder if all the praise isn't a bit of a "dog walking on its hind legs" thing. But we now have three places serving a very similar cuisine; I've been to all of them several times, and the only one I'd choose to go back to is Diora, which is head and shoulders above the others. If forced to go back to JJ, I'll order the manti and be (relatively) happy, but I would not use the word "great" to describe any of the offerings here.

I adore Jibek Jolu, for many reasons that have already been mentioned. The garlicky carrot salad, the comforting noodles, the warm service, the excellent late night people watching of young men gathered around huge bowls of soup. If you haven't been since the initial flurry, you've missed out on their summer menu (cold soup! refreshing noodles!) and also their vegetarian-friendly additions (what's more stick to your ribs than a slice of oromo?) We should absolutely have a dinner to celebrate their food, and shore up this excellent GNR nomination.