Eldar Afashokov missed the food that used to eat growing up in Eastern Europe — so he decided to do something about it.
Afashokov grew up in Georgia, a country just south of Russia. He said the Russian community in the Chicago area is small, but intimate, and when they would get together, they would often talk about home and the food they missed eating.
“We didn’t have our own place,” he said. “I decided to take advantage of that.”
So Afashokov, 24, opened a restaurant that would bring the food of his homeland closer to his new home.
Elbrus Restaurant, which has been open for less than a month, is located at 6818 W. North Ave. in Chicago’s Galewood neighborhood. The location was formerly occupied by “My Mother’s Kitchen” restaurant.
The restaurant specializes in eastern European cuisine from Russia and Georgia. His restaurant is named after Mount Elbrus, a dormant volcano located in Russia and a popular tourist location for skiers.
“You see it once and you will remember it forever,” he said.
Prior to coming to the United States, Afashokov says he worked as a ski instructor at Mount Elbrus. The warm interior of his restaurant is patterned after restaurants in the lodges and hotels of that area, where he ate food much like what he now serves at his restaurant.
One of the traditional favorites he serves is shashlik, which is wood-grilled beef chicken or lamb. Other dishes include shorpa, a traditional soup made of lamb bouillon with vegetables, and khychin, a kind of flat pie made of thin dough with potato and cheese filling.
He said the food has passed the test of his fellow eastern European expat friends, in terms of authenticity and taste.
Afashokov added that they use only organic food in their recipes.
“They try it, they like and they remember it,” he said.
Afashokov says his restaurant is BYOB, but says his food goes best with wine. The restaurant also offers take-out service as well.
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He said North Avenue has the right traffic flow, which he hopes will bring in customers in the long run..
“I feel good,” he said. “I’m pretty sure this place is going to be popular.”
The restaurant is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, call 773-688-5590.
Twitter: @DavidDPollard