at ChicagoReader.com, Mike Sula wrote:That vision involves almost crystallized spheres of crunchy pani puri filled with cool English-pea puree from which sweet pepper-and-garlic grilled shrimp poke out like the tail of a comma. It's conjured the smoky charcoal-fired eggplant-tomato dip baingan bharta, here garnished with roasted carrot halves and beet wedges, an arresting adjustment in texture for a typically homogenous dish. Something similar happens with her saag paneer, a finely rendered, incrementally spicy puree whose thickness is mitigated by pillows of fresh grilled cheese, bits of chopped almonds and cashews, and nuggets of roasted cauliflower and mushroom. It's a version that doesn't so much complicate an elemental dish familiar to anyone who's ever stepped into an all-you-can-eat northern-Indian buffet line as open it to the possibility of evolution.
bweiny wrote:but Sula has hardly had the King Midas touch as of late.
bweiny wrote:It sounds like Mango Pickle should think about taking the former Thali Bites space to lower overhead. Two positive Sula reviews might equal one sustainable venture.
I may very well be ignorant for thinking so, but trying to upgrade/contemporize Indian and Chinese (Won Fun had like 2 people in it at 9.45pm Thurs, go NOW if you really want to try it) is just a losing proposition. Absent unique characteristics and an uncapturable revenue stream (eg. Shanghai Terrace), it is just begging for expectations to be unreasonably high and impossible to satisfy. If Customer X pays twice as much for the same Biryani he loves, it could be the best he or she has ever had, but still not twice as good as the previous best. Optics, economics, literally everything is going against this type of place in a non pure-tourist location. I hope they turn it around and prove me wrong (lie, I never want to be wrong), but Sula has hardly had the King Midas touch as of late.
No fun in West Loop: WonFun restaurant and 2Fun bar closing Saturday
botd wrote:I don't think bweiny was condemning attempts to upscale ethnic food, but merely commenting on its probability of being a successful venture.
Mango Pickle currently offers daily rotating Indian-inspired Comfort Meals, for pick-up or delivery by one of our own team (up to 4-miles)!
Our team at Mango Pickle is overflowing with gratitude, and sincerely thanks you for your support during the most trying times since opening our doors in 2016. We will be pausing service starting on July 4th to reflect on the journey thus far and explore potential opportunities for our neighborhood of Edgewater. We hope we have managed to bring you comfort since mid-March with our meals cooked from the heart, and that we may continue this culinary conversation upon our return. Namaste.
As you may have seen, Mango Pickle is reopening for Choose Chicago’s Restaurant Week for both limited dine-in service as well as carryout and delivery options . We thought this would be an opportune time to tell you what we've been up to.
Mango Pickle is returning by doing a new series of three week long supper events honoring the turn of each season: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Each season offers its own bounty of unique textures, flavors and colors to be celebrated.
SUPPER EVENTS
March 19 – April 11
July 9 –July 25
September 24 – October 10
November 26 – December 13
This comes as a reawakening of the spirit in which we started Mango Pickle in 2016. It is the culmination of personal journeys, of both Marisa and Greg, as chefs and nonnatives living and working in India, our cultural heritages, and creating the center of why we love working together at Mango Pickle. Four times this year we'll break from our routine to co-create an experience that is a fullness of our combined visions cared for and delivered to you by our own hands. This series is meant to mimic the experience of dining in our homes. After the completion of each seasonal supper event, we'll archive the menu and start anew. We invite you to experience the beauty of farm-to-table food through the lens of our years of exploration of cuisines, traditions and community across three continents.
Living through the shut-downs gave us time to re-examine what we love most and also what the neighborhood needs. This reflection sparked our decision to also launch Nonnative - a more casual everyday-dining experience that focuses on daytime food and beverage to stay or to go.
We hope you come along with us on this new journey as we continue to strive to find the best ways to connect through food with our Chicago base, our community of farmers and our intermingling cultures.
Mango Pickle, a multiyear Michelin Bib Gourmand honoree known for modern Indian cuisine, will permanently close after service on Sunday, February 4