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Hardly a week goes by that I don't find myself strolling down Devon to Argo Georgian Bakery for their wonderful bread - the round lavash and shoti "long bread." It is fresh, wonderfully chewy and full of flavor. I think it's about my favorite bread in the city and the one I serve most frequently for guests, who also fall in love with it. It is perfect with soup, a great base for spreads, and just perfect for tearing chunks off the still warm loaf as you walk out the door and wander down Devon.

While I haven't tried them, several people have also noted that their frozen dumplings, pelmeni, vareniki and pastries are also quite good.

But I think the other great star at Argo is the hachapuri. Oh, the hachapuri. When people ask, "What's hachapuri?" - my short answer is that they are cheese clouds on angel's wings. The longer description is that they are amazing flaky pastries filled with a mix of farmer's, mozzarella and feta cheese. More often than not when I get one, it is straight from the oven - hot, light yet rich, and redolent of tangy, creamy, cheesy, buttery fabulousness. I would eat one every day if I could.

Surprisingly, Argo has only one dedicated thread and it dates back several years.

Georgian Bakery Thread

There are, however, several positive references on other threads which you can find if you search "Argo." I think it's one of those places many people love, but maybe don't think about that often. I think it's time to give it some GNR love.

Argo Georgian Bakery
2812 W Devon Ave.
Chicago, IL 60659
773-764-6322

Argo makes one of my favorite breads, of any kind, in all Chicago. They turn out a few simple products with great care and consistency. I support this nomination.

Jonah

I wonder if we should have another category for Great Neighborhood Food Purveyors...or something like that. I don't really think of Argo as a restauant. That being said, their hachapuri is my favorite Saturday morning breakfast in Chicago. Absolutely delicious. In fact, I blame Argo for all the little croissant-like flakes of pastry in the creases of my car seats (since I am unable to drive home without reaching into the bag of the still-warm, melty cheese, dough-wrapped wonders). I emphatically third.

Per this year's new guidelines, "Great Neighborhood Resource" is a new category. Nominators, though, are supposed to specify whether they are nominating it as a resource or a restaurant.

Aha! That sounds much better. Anyhow, I still emphatically third.

Oops - in my hachapuri-focused haze, I forgot to note that I'm nominating Argo as a resource. I believe that's where it fits.

I'm not quite sure that I appreciate the difference between Restaurant and Resource, because like Thaiobsessed, my order is often half gone by the time I reach home: that sounds ready to eat to me. But whichever it is, I endorse the nomination of Argo Bakery with cheese-puff enthusiasm.

Note: Bakeries have historically been considered GNR(estaurants,) and for consistency's sake should remain so.

That is A-OK with me. I was wavering about the category when I wrote up the nomination, anyway.

LTH,

I've loved Georgian Bakery since the first time I walked into the place. Beautiful beehive oven, but they had me at the first bite of the bread.

Count me a fan.

Enjoy,
Gary

The hachapuri is destination dining.