I am about to shamefully copy someone else's idea.

Of all the features in the new local version of the magazine Time Out Chicago, I am particularly fond of "Save This Restaurant". The Time Out food editors choose an under-appreciated local eatery for a sidebar within their weekly list of 100 places to eat. It's a simple message. "Hey! This place is really good! Why is it always empty?" Not long after I first read this feature, I had a "Save This Restaurant" moment of my own (and I am not too proud to borrow the idea from Time Out).

Larsa's is a Persian restaurant operated by an Assyrian family from Iraq. On a recent Friday night at the peak dining hour, Ms. EC and I were one of only a couple tables occupied. There were two or three carry-out customers, but Larsa's seemed mostly dead (I have received similar reports from others).

Ignoring the lack of a crowd, we appetized with a super-smoky baba ganouj and a delicious mana eash, flat pita covered in an herb paste and sesame seeds and baked. Both dishes were highlighted by Larsa's home-baked pita, hand rolled and fired in a pizza oven by a little old lady in the front window.

After a surprising cup of thick, rich, and flavorful lentil soup, we split two entrees. (The soup was surprising not because it was good, only because we didn't expect it). Entree number one was the combo plate, exactly the same combo plate you find at any other Persian restaurant: shwarema (beef), chicken kebab, kifta kebab, rice, and veggies. Ms. EC loved the beef shwarema, the chicken was tender, and the kifta was flavorful (but possibly re-heated). Overall, an enjoyable plate that showed us that Larsa's can cook meat well. (I'm willing to bet that at lunch or during more crowded times, the kifta is freshly grilled).

Our second entree was the kibbe, a ground lamb paste (similar to meatloaf) often covered in a bulghur coating and either served fried or raw. I am used to having kibbe in small, fried football-shaped portions as an appetizer. Larsa's entree is served in the less-common pancake style, with the meat as a filling for a bulghur pancake. The flavors were quite good but the pancake covered the dinner plate and represented quite a lot of bulghur for one or two people to consume (I think this would work better as an appetizer for a group). The owner's wife was eager to talk to me about the different methods she has for preparing kibbe, including a delicious sounding recipe with Swiss chard. After we had eaten our fill, we had a couple glasses of tea "to flatten the stomach" (that's what she told us it was for, it didn't work).

Larsa's is just a few blocks east of the famous and slightly overrated Pita Inn on Dempster in Skokie. Pita Inn is cheap (but not as cheap as it once was), hectic, and usually very crowded. Their food is good, especially their chicken shwarema and their salads, but I tend to now favor Larsa's for a variety of reasons:

1) I love the thin home-baked pita at Larsa's (Pita Inn's puffy pita has always been a turn-off for me).

2) Larsa's calm atmosphere appeals to me. I can get a falafel sandwich "for here or to go", without the frenetic, fast-food environment.

3) Larsa's feels like a small family operation. From the less common dishes like mana eash to the lady baking bread by herself, it feels like you're eating in the home of your extended Assyrian family.

Our hostess was very eager to make sure we enjoyed ourselves and to have us promise to return (which I will). This eagerness, mixed with the Friday-night emptiness triggered the "save this restaurant" bulb in my head. I have no evidence that Larsa's is hurting for business other than my instinct, but even if they were full, I'd encourage you to check it out. So....

Check out Larsa's at 3724 Dempster, in Skokie, 847-679-3663. Closed Mondays. BYOB. Free parking out front or in the lot to the east.

I agree, Larsa's has great food, and good value. It was not crowded when we were there either.

My only comment on your review is that Pita Inn does not deserve your slam. It's great also.

Posted by: at April 23, 2005 3:45 PM

Thanks for the backup.

I would hardly call my comments a "slam" on Pita Inn. I did say that their food is good and pointed out a couple dishes I particularly like.

Posted by: eatchicago at April 25, 2005 1:11 PM

Larsa's is crazy good. You're right: they work magic with the old pizza oven. This place cooks with love, something I don't find down the street at Pita Inn. I'd love for them to pack the joint. They deserve it.

Posted by: Lisa at April 26, 2005 9:39 AM

I did try Larsas after reading this. Their baba ghanouj and chicken sandwich were excellent, but I'll have to go back to Pita Inn for the falafel.

Posted by: citygirl at June 12, 2005 5:13 PM