Happy Labor Day weekend, folks. And a special thanks to all the folks working in Industry keeping everyone fed with yummy things.
This is Part 7 of my Dumpling Journey (see The Map for photos and reviews of the dumplings based on location, or read parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6), with a bunch of reviews to share today… and then in a follow-up post I'm going to pick out some of my favorite dumplings so far. And as a reminder–I'm just a 40-something fat guy who describes my experience, so feel free to disagree along the way if you love something that I didn't.
Savory Crust (135 E St Charles Rd Unit A, Carol Stream)
Ethnicity/Cuisine: Filipino-Mexican Fusion
What I got: Pork Belly Empanada, Chicken Pot Pie empanada, Chicken Curry Empanada, Guava & Cheese empanada, and Banana Hazlenut empanada (Shared across our family)
Don't be fooled by the location of this place in a business park–they have some awesome empanadas!
The savory empanadas are baked which gives them a cooked crust with the right amount of toothiness to the dough. BUT without the deep fry, it's not quite as crisp as I expect or would prefer. It's still SO HARD to find a complaint because the cook is spot-on for what they're doing, so read that very much as a preference thing.
The empanadas themselves were delicious…the filling was unquestionably good (even the ones my family wouldn't give me a taste of), stuffed nicely full with components that didn't leave it dry. If anything, we thought maybe the filling was a bit lacking in spice, but then the sauces accompanying each were delicious too, kind of customizing your flavor. Of the 3 savory empanadas I tried, I liked the pork belly the best on its own, BUT I thought the chicken curry was best when combined with the mango chutney sauce. The chicken pot pie was also good, but I associate it too much with winter to have it really hit home on the savory part of things. The Blueberry hoisin sauce was also a favorite for my wife and I.
We ordered a guava and Cheese empanada and an apple pie empanada for dessert….and since we were there right at close (I guess?) they also tossed in a banana hazelnut empanada. The Guava & Cheese was my favorite by far, with a filling that seemed like jelly and pastry cream. Really rich without being overly sweet. The dessert empanadas all seemed to have a more flaky pastry…more like puff pastry instead of the regular empanada wrapper—lots more crumbs at least!–but it went really good with the sweet filling.
Overall, really great across all of them. Wish they were closer since I don't get to Carol Stream or Morton Grove very often.
Joong Boo (3333 N Kimball Ave, Chicago)
Ethnicity/Cuisine: Korean
What I got: Pork Wang dumplings.
What I thought:
Sure, laugh at the name of these dumplings if you share a 12-year old's mind like me. But these big and fluffy steamed bao are great, and plenty filling (especially for the price). They weren't quite as flavorful on the inside as some other steamed dumplings have been. It's good, but just not great. Nonetheless, it's really hard to complain about these when you get a giant bao for $3.50. Very much worth it.
(Protip: On Wednesdays and Fridays, the sashimi platter is discounted to $30. Enough fresh fish pieces to make sushi/sashimi/maki rolls for probably 6 people. Feeds our family of 4 with plenty left over for "poke bowls" the next day. Joong Boo is great.)
Chicago Diplomat Cafe (3134 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago)
Ethnicity/Cuisine: Georgian
What I got: Khinkali
What I thought: These Khinkali are what XLB wish they could be when they grow up. They are these really massive dumplings that come fully sealed, with meat and broth inside. (There's a mushroom version too that I absolutely intend to have next time, because I can only imagine how rich/umami that combo will be!)
The kind folks at Chicago Diplomat explained that the best way to eat these are to hold them by the 'knob' of dough at the top. Flip it over and nibble a bite into the dumpling, slurping some of the soup broth out. Then take a bigger bite, drink the rest of the soup, and then eat into the meat and dumpling. Most people don't eat the 'knob' part of the dumpling because it's too doughy.
And let me tell you, it's an amazing experience. The dumpling itself is thick, which works given its size and contents. It holds up even once you've nibbled a hole without falling apart and dumping the contents anywhere. The soup/broth inside is delicious–I could maybe go for a bit more seasoning in that (if it were a pho broth with all the anise and cardamom and cloves…it'd be absolute tops), but really no complaints on the flavor. The meat (meatball?) inside is well seasoned, and obviously juicy from the soup. Altogether it's a sequence of bites from dumpling dough, to soup, to meat, to combination of all of it that just absolutely wins. This *might* be my favorite dumpling out of all the dumplings from 30 different dumpling places I've visited to this point.
PS. The price tag on these seems high — $20 for 5 dumplings is a lot. But it's 100% a full meal's worth of food for this fat hungry guy. If I wasn't absolutely famished, I wouldn't have been able to eat all 5. The price is legit for the quantity of food you get.
5411 Empanadas (Food Truck or 2045 W North Ave, Chicago)
Ethnicity/Cuisine: Mexican
What I got: Bacon/Date/Goat Cheese empanada, Malbec Beef empanada, Mushroom & Blue Cheese Empanada. ($14.90)
What I thought: The biggest issue I have with 5411 is that the empanadas are…small and leave me unsatisfied. (Joke goes here.) They definitely have some moments of great flavor, but for $4.25 per Empanada, it's pricey. $15 later and I'm definitely still hungry, which I did not expect.
Bacon, date, and goat cheese empanada has ALL the Umami. A good, flaky, crispy crust with a rich interior, and just a hint of sweetness from the dates. It was delicious.
Malbec beef – The empanada itself was crispy around the edges but soggy across the 'body' of the empanada. There wasn't a ton of flavor–just the beef itself. The chimichurri sauce is a must-have to go with this.
Mushroom and Blue cheese also turned out to be soggy–something you can even tell from the photo how juicy it is. I think the blue cheese or mushroom juice started coming out into the pastry. The flavor was really dominated by the blue cheese, and it was hard to get any of the mushroom.
Jibek Jolu (5047 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago)
Ethnicity/Cuisine: Central Asian/Kyrgystan/Russian
What I got: Pelmeni, manty, and samsy ($43)
What I thought:
The Samsy was basically a savory meat pie pasty, with a flaky puff-pastry crust covered with sesame seeds for a nice texture. The onion and beef inside was flavorful and rich despite not being overly spiced. The pepper (??) sauce it comes with had a nice vinegary, bell pepper flavor. Overall, reminiscent of a meat pasty from England or Scotland, with a twist. (And the best dish I had from here.)
The Manty were 6 giant dumplings, and honestly a lot of food. The quantity was the high point for me, though. The wrappers fell apart as I was trying to eat each one, the filling was loosely packed (and fell out easily) as I ate, and it wasn't particularly flavorful. The sauce that came with it added a little sweetness. Not offensive or bad, but not a culinary highlight for me, and definitely not an entree I'd pay $20 for.
Finally, the Pelmeni (soup) was just okay for me. The broth was rather plain — just a chicken or vegetable stock. The dumplings that come in it had a lovely little shape and had a good amount of filling. But the whole thing was rather lacking in flavor. Adding sour cream (which came with it) made it a bit richer and creamier, but ultimately I feel like this has the same issue that a lot of wonton soup has — the flavor of the dumplings gets diluted by the broth, and everything wants a stronger flavor profile.
Overall? If your grandma from Iowa who enjoys Cream of Mushroom-based casseroles comes to town and wants to try something 'exotic,' this will be a great place to take them. And if I ever find myself in central Asia, any of these dishes will be perfectly serviceable. I wish I had better things to say, but "inoffensive" is probably the best I can summon.
Nirav Express (2646 W Devon Ave, Chicago)
Ethnicity/Cuisine: Indian
What I got: Samosa, Lilva Kachori ($3.60)
What I thought: The Samosa was solid. The exterior was crispy and flavorful, and the filling was spot-on great. Flavorful, complex, and stuffed full without being too dry. I preferred the red sauce with it to add some sweetness with just a hint of spice; it wasn't necessary by any means, but made the samosa that much better. If I have a complaint–the nature of this Express counter is such that it was handed to me room-temp rather than freshly cooked and still hot.
This was the first time I've had kachori, and certainly the first time I've had Lilva Kachori. I found this to be a remarkably good little bite–well-filled, nicely balanced, and way more filling than it should have been given its size. A great little bite, perfect appetizer or snack, and I would highly recommend.
by TheRedSe7en