South Halsted Street isn’t the only place you’ll find Hellenic cuisine. Here are some further afield city and suburban Greek restaurants:
Athenian Room (807 W. Webster St., 773-348-5155): Students and residents alike value this long-time DePaul neighborhood mainstay for good food at reasonable prices. The decor is Greek restaurant regulation white stucco walls augmented with brick arches that highlight the scenes of Greece hung within. Feta cheese is featured all across the menu, from the crumbled feta in salads to the slices of feta in a pita sandwich to the melted feta in one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, the feta charburger. The burger is served on pita with a side of excellent, lemon-accented fries. Wine or beer requires a trip next door to Glascott’s, another DePaul old-timer.
Demetri’s (660 Lake Cook Rd., Deerfield, 847-940-0777): This spot offers fresh seafood in an upscale setting. The walls in dining areas both inside and outdoors are painted in lovely, warm Mediterranean colors. The dual level main dining area features a pergola-like ceiling with hanging vines. Chilled, marinated octopus would be a good starter followed by a grouper, talapia or other fresh catch, most of which can be ordered baked in a sauce or chargrilled with lemon, olive oil and herbs. There’s also salmon exohika (“outside” or country style). The salmon is cooked with spinach and feta and served in phyllo. Scallops Demetri come sauteed in olive oil, brandy, tomato, garlic, shallots and–inevitably–feta.
Periyali Greek Taverna (9860 Milwaukee Ave., Glenview, 847-296-2232): Especially in its appetizers, Periyali offers choices not often seen elsewhere. Try starting with soutzoukakia sharas, char-grilled beef and lamb meatballs seasoned with garlic and oregano. There’s also a marvelous platter of gigandes plaki, extra large lima beans cooked in a sauce of tomato, onion, celery and dill. Among recent entree specials was a piglet roasted skin-on in a wood-burning oven. Periyali has a spacious, taverna-styled interior or, weather permitting, outdoor dining in a blue and white setting reminiscent of the islands south of mainland Greece. The star of the dessert tray is bogatsa, custard rolled in phylo leaves and baked, then served warm with powdered sugar and cinnamon on top–sort of a big, fat Greek strudel.
Two of Greektown’s restaurants have suburban counterparts. Greek Islands West, 300 E. 22nd St., Lombard, 630-932-4545; and Costas, 1100 Summit Ave., Oakbrook Terrace, 630-620-1100, share their downtown cousins’ menus and prices.