Delicacies Await in Greektown
Have you seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding? If so, you've already seen a lot of Chicago's Greektown neighborhood. Most of the movie was filmed in this bustling area on Halsted St. between Monroe and Van Buren.
Recently, I had the pleasure of dining at Greek Islands. This restaurant has been featured on the Food Network on both The Hungry Detective and (I think) Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels. Greek Islands is a huge restaurant - that's the first thing you'll notice when you walk in. On the inside, it's decorated to look like an outdoor island cafe in Greece (hence the name). The next thing you'll notice is that someone is giving you a warm welcome and showing you to a table. I found that the staff at Greek Islands was incredibly warm.
The menu is lengthy. I had a chicken kebab and a lamb kebab, and both were excellent. The meat was tender and well seasoned, and the vegetables were absolutely succulent. Many of the tables around us ordered the flaming saganaki cheese appetizer. This is a piece of fried cheese served flambe at your table. The waiter gives a hearty "OPA!" to accompany the flame, just to round out the Greek experience.
This stretch of Halsted is lined with great looking greek restaurants. The next time you're here, why not take a walk west from the Sears Tower and check it out? Greektown is easily reached on the #8 Halsted bus from the north or south, or the #126 Jackson bus westbound from the west loop. Greek Islands restaurant is located at 200 S. Halsted St.
