Tisiphone "Sushi, Curry, and Buffalo Wings (oh my)!"

As the owner does whenever somebody new walks into his restaurant, I will begin by disclaiming – this restaurant is vegetarian!

OK, now that that’s over, this restaurant is GREAT. If you like Indian food, this is a quiet, authentic, peaceful place to get a meal at a great price. The food is healthy, and always very nicely spiced. It has a family atmosphere and is a good place to hold a quiet conversation.

Despite a significant drive, my office and friends regularly order carryout from Thai Garden. I have tried Thai restaurants all over Chicagoland, and in my opinion, no other Thai restaurant serves food that is as flavorful and fresh. This isn’t your generic Thai-American restaurant. Oddly, I would consider their house specialty their rice. They make some of the best white rice and curry fried rice that I have ever eaten; and I normally find fried rice rather uninteresting. Some other favorites include their Curry Noodles and their Tom Yum soup. They are very good about spice to order, so be sure you specify how spicy hot you want your dish.

My only gripes are that they do not deliver, and I haven’t found a takeout service that picks up from them (please correct me if I’m wrong!). Also, carefully check telephone order bags due to the language barrier.

I struggled with how many stars to give this restaurant; I wish there were more than one category. Their food is really quite good if a bit overpriced: a large selection of different foods with hearty servings. They are open late and have a wonderful breakfast selection. But this will not negate the fact that I just had one of the worst dining experiences of my life at Omega Lombard. Here is my story…

I stopped in by myself for dinner around 7PM. My food was excellent and prompt as always. However, the server stopped several times to make conversation during my meal. This seems totally acceptable to me, to stop and have a brief, friendly conversation with somebody who is eating alone. However, the conversation devolved into more personal questions as I was getting ready to leave, and the waiter (who was also noticeably older than I am) overtly passed me his phone number when I asked for the check!

I was obviously completely mortified and incredibly uncomfortable, and to make matters worse, I had absolutely no idea what to do. I didn’t want to cause an uproar or get him in trouble with his manager – and as he is one of the older staff members there, he might in fact -be- a manager or owner. The other diners seemed to really like him, as well. I think I ended up literally running to the cashier and then to my car in embarrassment. I will never feel comfortable returning to Omega. I think he truly may have had the best intentions, but I don’t think I did anything during my literally 20 minute meal to “lead him on” in any way. I was modestly dressed, I spoke briefly about work and the local area when asked, and explained politely that I wasn’t from his home country when he made that assumption. I simply have good manners and try to be polite when dining!

Perhaps this was a cultural misunderstanding, but I expect that sort of behavior from college guys at a bar, not from mature restaurant staff. Let this be a warning to other young women.

I’m curious to see what other reviewers say. I’m not big on ribs, and I hear The Patio is really good at them. So, my review is based on other grill items, like sandwiches, barbecue, and burgers. Maybe somebody has had something really awesome there.

The place is always jam-packed, even outside normal meal times. After three or four visits (I live really close by and was very hopeful), I just don’t get why.

Firstly, all of their menu items are pretty pricey for an order-at the counter short-order grill, and most are a la carte. Secondly, for barbecue, there’s Famous Dave’s across the street which, in my opinion, is much better at it. For burgers and Italian beef, Portillo’s is cheaper, tastes better, and just a few blocks down the road.

Having a diverse drive-through is great, but again, Portillos has many of the same fresh-cooked grill items and has a drive-through as well.

Last time I was there, I ordered a 6-ish dollar chicken pita and a drink. I figured, normally, a gyro is pretty substantial for 125lb-girl-me. (I get an Italian beef at Portillos, I can barely finish it.) So, I sit down, and the table is barbecue sauce-sticky. The first bite, I had to pick out bits of bones and grizzle that went ::crunch:: (blegh). So, I’m a grown up, I can deal with that;I pick those parts off the sandwich and keep eating. Its OK otherwise, I like the pickled cucumbers they put on it and the spices. However, its not nearly enough to eat! In retrospect, I guess I should have spent another few dollars on fries or salad. At that point, the line to the counter is much too long for me to get back in and get something else. So I leave, go across the street to Yorktown, and get a protein shake.

To sum it up, here are the things that are good about The Patio:
- Their drive-through is pretty quick and efficient
- They serve alcohol
- Their food is decent (not stellar, not bad) and fresh.
- They have a diverse menu.

Here are the things that I think they need to change:
- Inside tables are sticky and gross. (Total restaurant pet-peeve!! This costs them a star in my book!)
- Meals are more expensive than they might appear, because they are -not- large portions and so much of their menu is completely a la carte. That’s more of a warning than a complaint.
- There’s no way to get more food or drinks except to get back in what is often a single long line (since its order at the counter style, nobody checks on you).
- They need to be more careful cooking their meat, because I’ve had (please, I’m not a chef so I’m not sure) either bones or grizzle or other unchewable meat bits in my sandwich a couple times, now.

I’ve been going to this restaurant for years now and it saddens me to see how badly the economic downturn is hurting them. A typical Greek, family-style restaurant, Grandma Sally’s has always had an older customer base. I fear those are the first people to stop eating out at restaurants when budgets get crunched.

However, I’m in my 20’s, and I want to put in a good word for the place. They’re a great short-order sit-down restaurant. They have a huge menu with practically any American favorite you could want, plus a full all-hours breakfast menu, Greek specialties, and a nice assortment of other dishes. I’ve never had a bad meal there. Serving sizes are more than ample for prices comparable with Dennys or Omega. Plus, they have fantastic, fresh baked pies and cakes. Service is prompt and always friendly and polite. They always have specials. Finally, although they keep a TV running, its quiet enough to talk and the tables are set up well for a family dinner.

I particularly recommend this restaurant to college students who want a good meal with plenty of left-overs, and to families. I suggest giving it a chance if you’re thinking of Dennys or Omega.

I can’t believe Shady’s doesn’t have any other reviews yet (do a Google search to see that I’m not crazy). This is one of the most remarkable fusion restaurants I have ever had the pleasure of going to in my life. Me, an urbanite Chicagoan – Shady’s, a post-Katrina Mississippi pre-fab full of FEMA memorabilia. I honestly wasn’t expecting awesome Asian fusion food. Would you? …Yeah, I’m embarrased.

There were stories, and I don’t know how many of them are true. They involve several chefs from high profile casinos and beachfront restaurants whose restaurants were decimated by the hurricane. They decide to get back on their feet by working together on a fusion menu (Thai, Cajun, Italian…) restaurant in a little pre-fab. Even if it isn’t true, its an adequate description of their food.

Whoever designed the dishes at Shady’s was obviously very talented and creative. The Cajun/Thai/Italian combinations are fascinating and they really work! Prices are totally reasonable.The building is (obviously) small, lively, and totally unpretentious. They have a full bar with great mixed drinks.

I wish I had an excuse to go back to Biloxi, just to have their Thai pizza, again. I totally recommend going a bit out of the way to eat there.