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Yassa – Senegalese

Yassa – Senegalese
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  • Yassa – Senegalese

    Post #1 - November 23rd, 2005, 10:05 am
    Post #1 - November 23rd, 2005, 10:05 am Post #1 - November 23rd, 2005, 10:05 am
    Yassa

    Lucantonius and I had the good fortune to be part of a dinner Monday night organized by RST at a Senegalese restaurant on the South Side. I didn’t know anything beforehand about Senegalese food, so everything was new and surprising and delicious. This restaurant, Yassa, is really worth seeking out. Run by a very friendly, warm family, it’s offering unusual and wonderful dishes, and is badly in need of more customers.

    I’ll try to report on what we had at the dinner, and I hope that others who may know these dishes better than I will chime in too. We had three (I think) things cooked over a charcoal grill: debe, marinated and grilled lamb chops, which were fantastic, perhaps my favorite of the night, chicken yassa, marinated in lemon and onions, served with white rice and the onions on the side, and a grilled fish. We also had thiebu djen, considered the national dish of Senegal: fish stewed in a tomato sauce, served on djolof rice, which is made with broken grains of rice cooked with tomato. Another dish was served on couscous made from millet, quite unusual and delicious (the couscous looked like fine breadcrumbs toasted dark brown), served with a stew of lamb (and beef?). There were also boulettes farcies (fish balls), and dakhine, lamb stewed in a rich peanut sauce, another dish I particularly enjoyed.

    Worthy of special mention are the (non-alcoholic) drinks that we were served: ginger, a very simple mixture of fresh ginger, water, sugar, (and lime juice?) blended together and strained – the intense fresh ginger flavor was marvelous. Bissap juice was very similar to Mexican agua de jamaica, and we also had bouye, made from the fruit of the baobab tree. All three were great; my favorite was the ginger.

    I regret very much that I forgot to bring the camera. Perhaps other, less forgetful, people have some pictures they can post.

    The food at Yassa is great and opens up a new (for me, anyway) world of flavors and cooking traditions. I brought along to the dinner a friend who recently returned from several months in Senegal, and she found the food both fabulous and completely authentic. But, to echo recent discussions on Café Salamera, Tacos del Pacifico, and Pico Rico, this fabulous and authentic food is not drawing in very many customers to Yassa. I hope some of you reading this post will find your way to 79th Street and give their food a try.

    Yassa African Caribbean Restaurant
    716 E. 79th St.
    Chicago
    773 488-5599

    P.S. For those of you familiar with the location of Barbara Ann’s barbecue, Yassa is just a few blocks south on Cottage Grove and a block and a half west on 79th.
  • Post #2 - November 23rd, 2005, 10:21 am
    Post #2 - November 23rd, 2005, 10:21 am Post #2 - November 23rd, 2005, 10:21 am
    I’ll try to report on what we had at the dinner, and I hope that others who may know these dishes better than I will chime in too. We had three (I think) things cooked over a charcoal grill: debe, marinated and grilled lamb chops, which were fantastic, perhaps my favorite of the night, chicken yassa, marinated in lemon and onions, served with white rice and the onions on the side, and a grilled fish. We also had thiebu djen, considered the national dish of Senegal: fish stewed in a tomato sauce, served on djolof rice, which is made with broken grains of rice cooked with tomato. Another dish was served on couscous made from millet, quite unusual and delicious (the couscous looked like fine breadcrumbs toasted dark brown), served with a stew of lamb (and beef?). There were also boulettes farcies (fish balls), and dakhine, lamb stewed in a rich peanut sauce, another dish I particularly enjoyed.


    I think I can add a little.

    The grilled fish was big chunks of grouper, served with yuca and stewed cabbage. The dakhine was heavily seasoned with a fish sauce, not quite of the intensity of nuoc mam, but with a good fishy flavor. In fact, other than the plain grilled chicken and lamb, everything had a fish seasoning, I think.

    The millet coucous on its own, and stewed fish balls were the best for me, though the grouper had been sliced and basil inserted, which may have added some interest if I got any of the basil. And the ginger drink was great.

    For me the evening was more interesting for seeing the way the different cuisines of the Americas refer back to this cuisine of Africa, than because I found the food delicious in and of itself. I find the more boldly seasoned stewed and grilled dishes of the islands of the Caribbean more to my taste, which is not to diss Yassa or their food, which was generous and tasty. Just a personal preference.

    Yassa does promote itself as being African & Caribbean in style, and there were some island dishes on the menu, though our meal was focused on traditional Sengalese fare. It has been there for 8 months, and seems quite plugged into the Sengalese community of Chicago, A gentleman stopped by to visit during our dinner and was introduced by the owner as the leader of that community in Chicago.

    Definitely worth exploring.

    Edited to correct the mis-spelling of yuca, per JeffB's kind clarification.
    Last edited by dicksond on December 14th, 2005, 4:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #3 - November 23rd, 2005, 11:00 am
    Post #3 - November 23rd, 2005, 11:00 am Post #3 - November 23rd, 2005, 11:00 am
    dicksond wrote:The grilled fish was big chunks of grouper, served with yuca and stewed cabbage. The dakhine was heavily seasoned with a fish sauce, not quite of the intensity of nuoc mam, but with a good fishy flavor. In fact, other than the plain grilled chicken and lamb, everything had a fish seasoning, I think.


    I'm a neophyte in the arena of African chow, but I believe the grouper contained both cassava (manioc) and carrot -- the cassava, however, sucked up the sauce and started looking a lot like carrot.

    Hammond
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #4 - November 23rd, 2005, 11:23 am
    Post #4 - November 23rd, 2005, 11:23 am Post #4 - November 23rd, 2005, 11:23 am
    dicksond wrote:Boy, I thought it was yuca, not cassava. There was some shredded, fermented cassava passed around at the end, but I swear I was told the big root vegies with the fish were yuca.


    It was my understanding that yucca and cassava are the same.
  • Post #5 - November 23rd, 2005, 11:27 am
    Post #5 - November 23rd, 2005, 11:27 am Post #5 - November 23rd, 2005, 11:27 am
    sazerac wrote:It was my understanding that yucca and cassava are the same.


    Behold, you are apparently correct, sir!

    Yucca, cassava, manioc -- three names, one root.

    http://www.produceoasis.com/TipOTDay_folder/Tips_folder/Sep8tip.html
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #6 - November 23rd, 2005, 12:11 pm
    Post #6 - November 23rd, 2005, 12:11 pm Post #6 - November 23rd, 2005, 12:11 pm
    Let me repeat,

    "the thing that is mandioca, aipim, macaxera, manioc, tapioca and cassava is yuca (like Lucca). Yucca (like sucka') is a spiny, often ornamental, plant native to the Southwest. They are quite different plants.

    Oh, and a person or pepper from La Habana is an Habanero. I don't know how to make an "enye" on my computer, but it doesn't matter because there isn't one in Habanero."

    From the Pico Rico string.
  • Post #7 - November 23rd, 2005, 1:02 pm
    Post #7 - November 23rd, 2005, 1:02 pm Post #7 - November 23rd, 2005, 1:02 pm
    dicksond wrote:For me the evening was more interesting for seeing the way the different cuisines of the Americas refer back to this cuisine of Africa, than because I found the food delicious in and of itself.


    It was also interesting to see the way the cuisine of Senegal reflects the foods of the Americas and Europe...or not.

    The tomato (which found its way into salads and I believe sauce) would have been brought by perhaps Spanish traders, and Yassa advertises fresh-baked pain Francais, one of the surprisingly few French influences on the Senegalese cuisine as served at this particular restaurant. I asked one of the Wolof speakers (grade student who lived some time in Africa) if such a lack of French influence was typical in Senegalese food, and she said it was, and that this was perhaps owing to the fact that the native tradition was sufficiently strong to either not need or to resist the French culinary tradition.

    Hammond
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #8 - December 1st, 2005, 6:08 am
    Post #8 - December 1st, 2005, 6:08 am Post #8 - December 1st, 2005, 6:08 am
    Amata wrote:I hope some of you reading this post will find your way to 79th Street and give their food a try.

    Amata,

    After reading your interesting post I'm quite looking forward to visiting Yassa.

    Thanks,
    Gary
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #9 - December 13th, 2005, 7:14 am
    Post #9 - December 13th, 2005, 7:14 am Post #9 - December 13th, 2005, 7:14 am
    LTH,

    The Chicago Reader's restaurant feature this week is an interesting, well written, article about Yassa by Tasneem Paghdiwala.

    Well worth a read and available on-line for a few more days. Reader/Yassa

    Enjoy,
    Gary
    Hold my beer . . .

    Low & Slow
  • Post #10 - December 15th, 2005, 4:01 pm
    Post #10 - December 15th, 2005, 4:01 pm Post #10 - December 15th, 2005, 4:01 pm
    A sudden craving to eat out but not venture far (not too easy where we are), we thought of BAs and then decided to try Yassa. We called ahead and were told they are open till eleven pm. It is not very hard to miss at night – the sign above their door isn’t lit.
    It was deserted inside and other than the two of us last evening, there were no other customers in a room that has eight tables to seat four with ample space otherwise.
    Many items on the menu weren’t available that evening and the lunch and dinner section separation isn’t really strict. I’m assuming that depending on how much gets sold, some lunch entrees are available for dinner and dinner items at lunch. We ordered Thiebu Djen the fish (stew) with djolof rice and Debe, grilled lamb choosing with it couscous over vermicelli. They were out of Chicken Yassa and the Suppu Kandja as well as the Dakhine, Thiebu Yap and Senegalese couscous (I think this is Mafe in the Reader article). In about twenty minutes we were served the

    Thiebu DjenThe pic has a somewhat skewed perspective – the oval plate is much larger than the fork suggests
    Image
    Jollof rice, in itself not a Senagalese dish, is not soft but al dente and somewhat translucent, texturally like sticky rice. It was somewhat greasy, red from being cooked in tomato paste, with a hint of dried fish smell and very tasty. Together with the soft flaky fish* it was a comforting dish. The long hunk of yucca was tender and had a wonderful deep flavor from being finished in the fish stew, so too the cabbage. There was no real ‘gravy’ from the stew in the dish, but none was needed.

    About six or seven minutes, after the thiebu djen I got the

    Debe
    Image
    Four large pieces of lamb (shoulder chops I think), again greasy (but in a good way), possibly fried on a griddle (menu says grilled) with a nice lamby flavor tremendously accentuated by the spicing (and palm oil?), was served with couscous that was alright. The vegetables in the couscous, probably from a bag of frozen mixed veggies, weren’t particularly tasty, but the grilled onions mixed with tomato paste and other spices were a great flavor boost – spicy with black pepper. Again this was a nice dish on a cold evening.

    Before our orders came in, I asked if the dishes were hot (spicy) – the Reader article mentioned stews with habanero (mafe). I was told that they weren’t really spicy but that hot sauce would be served (I noticed a bottle of LA** hot sauce on another table). It wasn’t but we didn’t need/want it. The dishes we got weren’t particulary hot, but there was a nice gentle glow in my mouth from both the fish stew and more from the grilled onions with the lamb and couscous.

    The only beverage they had was kola champagne, having run out of their house ginger brew, gingembre. I think they probably do good business at lunch (I would say better, but that would mean better than just the two of us…) because many items apparently seemed to have been finished at lunch.
    Amata and others, thanks for posting – it was an enjoyable meal.

    Menu
    Image


    *I should note, though it should be obvious, that fish have bones.
    ** the state not the city, real or otherwise.
  • Post #11 - December 15th, 2005, 4:24 pm
    Post #11 - December 15th, 2005, 4:24 pm Post #11 - December 15th, 2005, 4:24 pm
    Hey sazerac,

    Thanks for the pix.

    I'm sorry Tasneem's excellent article does not seem to be generating more biz for this place.

    sazerac wrote:Jollof rice, in itself not a Senagalese dish, is not soft but al dente and somewhat translucent, texturally like sticky rice.


    If not Senegalese, what? I believe the name comes from Wolof, the tribal/linguistic group of this region. It's likely, though, that Jollof rice is found all over Africa.

    Really too bad they didn't have the ginger drink -- it's fantastic.

    Hammond
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #12 - December 15th, 2005, 5:02 pm
    Post #12 - December 15th, 2005, 5:02 pm Post #12 - December 15th, 2005, 5:02 pm
    I just meant that jollof rice is eaten in other countries as well. I remember having eaten it in Nigeria (long enough ago that I didn't remember what it tastes like, but when I had it yesterday, that was it, except I remembered it also being spicy hot). The origin is Senegalese, but it is a West-African dish. It should be available in other 'African' restaurants, particularly Nigerian.

    About Jollof rice from the congocookbook.
  • Post #13 - February 28th, 2006, 10:05 pm
    Post #13 - February 28th, 2006, 10:05 pm Post #13 - February 28th, 2006, 10:05 pm
    A friend of mine just called to report that there's a sign in the window at Yassa indicating that it's been shut down by the city. Anyone know anything more?
  • Post #14 - February 28th, 2006, 10:21 pm
    Post #14 - February 28th, 2006, 10:21 pm Post #14 - February 28th, 2006, 10:21 pm
    kates wrote:A friend of mine just called to report that there's a sign in the window at Yassa indicating that it's been shut down by the city. Anyone know anything more?


    I just called and spoke with a very depressed male voice. He said they are, indeed, closed, but may reopen by Friday.

    Hammond
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #15 - April 22nd, 2006, 10:16 pm
    Post #15 - April 22nd, 2006, 10:16 pm Post #15 - April 22nd, 2006, 10:16 pm
    Along with my wife and 2-1/2 year old daughter, we ate at Yassa this evening and have mixed feelings. There was no menu--apparently it is being reprinted--so we worked out an order in pleasant conversation with a women who then also seemed to cook the meal. We started with two of the drinks mentioned by others. The ginger drink has an intense and pleasing ginger tang with some kind of other fruit drink base-- fairly sweet. We also had a deep purple drink--not sure if it was the Bissap juice or the bouye but the grape-like flavor was pleasant.

    My wife and I each ordered a main dish-- she had the chicken dish with the red rice described elsewhere in this string and I had the lamb with a string-like noodle.

    Both were quite good--the chicken especially tender and juicy, with nice flavors--but some of the lamb was a bit overcooked. The rice with the chicken was very oily: too much so. The noodles with the lamb were pleasant and were accented by a sort of onion chutney that all worked very well with the lamb. There was also a sort of pickled onion salad that was a nice counterpoint to the very rich lamb flavor.

    When we ordered, we said that we'd just let our daughter have bits of what each of us had ordered for ourselves but the waitress offered to bring our daughter "a little plate of couscous" and we nodded and thanked her. When all of our dishes arrived, the couscous plate was only a little bit smaller than the other two dishes and the waitress mentioned that she had "added a little bit of chicken." She'd actually added quite a bit of chicken--enough to make a full meal for an adult. When the bill arrived, we'd been charged $5.00 for this. What had seemed like a gracious gesture ended up feeling like we'd been duped: the extra food was not at all necessary and we hadn't really ordered the couscous or chicken, just politely nodded when the waitress offered what we thought would be a few spoonfuls--enough for a small 2-1/2 year old child--of couscous. It was a wasted $5.00.

    Our total bill, without tip, came to $29.00. The portions were quite ample but if I went again I'd only order one main dish and split it amongst the three of us and then, perhaps, order another simple dish if still hungry (but since there was no menu, I'm not sure if there are suitable, small side dishes to order-- I was yearning for vegetables by half way through the meal).

    The service was pleasant but very slow and not really attentive. We were the only customers eating in the restaurant but waited 30 to 40 minutes for our food to arrive. Our child was quiet and polite the entire time but that's a very long time for a little one to wait to eat and the simple little plate of couscous we thought the waitress was going to bring would have been very welcome if it had been served to her while we waited for the main dishes. When we finished, we had to stand up and act ready to go in order to get anyone's attention. In addition to the women who served the food, a man was there and rung up take out orders for a number of customers (lots of delicious looking French bread being purchased). He chatted with occasional visitors, watched the television, and wandered back and forth in the restaurant without any hint that he was in any way paying attention to our table. After the waitress brought the bill and I took it to the counter to pay, he got up and took the cash.

    All in all, a disappointing first experience with Yassa.
  • Post #16 - January 28th, 2007, 10:30 am
    Post #16 - January 28th, 2007, 10:30 am Post #16 - January 28th, 2007, 10:30 am
    It's clear from both the April post and the November Check Please that this place reopened at some point after the Feb. 2006 post that said they'd been shut down. But I've been trying for a week to reach them -- e-mail and phone -- and can't get a response. Are they closed again? Is it just the not untipical "closed for January" holiday that lots of restaurants take? Or are they just not responding to phone and e-mail?

    It's 45 miles from my home to Yassa, and while that's not too far to go for a great meal, it's too far to go for a "closed" sign.

    Does anyone know the status of Yassa?
  • Post #17 - January 28th, 2007, 10:48 am
    Post #17 - January 28th, 2007, 10:48 am Post #17 - January 28th, 2007, 10:48 am
    Cynthia,

    I drove by Yassa last night on my way to Sunugal (a little further east at 2051 79th) and it looked like lights were on a Yassa, but I didn't investigate. Tidiane Soumare, owner/chef at Sunugal, told me he helped start up Yassa and seemed to be discussing it in the present tense...though that is not solid enough proof that it still exists.

    I will try to post about Sunugal, which was fine, but perhaps not worth a long drive (the same may be said at Yassa -- we had an excellent dinner there, but it was a special event and so no the usual spread).

    Hammond
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #18 - January 28th, 2007, 11:27 pm
    Post #18 - January 28th, 2007, 11:27 pm Post #18 - January 28th, 2007, 11:27 pm
    Thanks, David. And it did turn out to be open, I'm happy to say.

    The owner is enthusiastically hospitable. When he learned that it was our first visit, he came and sat with us to talk about the food and answer questions. He also said, "You may have heard that our service is slow. Just wait and see. We have changed that. You will see how fast we are."

    Well, he was right -- our appetizers were out in no time and our main courses were on their way to the table just as we took the last bite of the appetizers. So they've really gotten that issue handled.

    The food was great. We started with nem, which is a kind of African egg roll filled with shrimp, ground beef, and vermicelli. You wrap the nem in a lettuce leaf. It was very crisp and wonderfully flavorful. The owner also brought us one fataya to try. This was described as a salmon pattie, but it turned out to be a small fried pastry filled with salmon. This was dipped in a flavorful hot sauce.

    For drinks, we had ginger juice and baobab juice. I've seen baobabs before, but didn't know you could get any kind of juice from them, so I had to try that. The ginger juice was vividly zippy. The baobab was rich and seemed like a cross between a nut milk and a fruit juice. Both were great.

    The yassa chicken was amazing: nicely charred, grilled, spiced chicken served with white rice and yassa sauce, a thick sauce of onions, lemon juice, spices, and other veggies. I would go back in a heartbeat for this dish. The second dish we tried, the Thiebou Djeun, was not my favorite, but only because it was a bit too fish for my tastes (I don't like fishy fish), but my friend loved it. It was a fish stuffed with herbs, fried, and served on a bed of the Djolof rice and accompanied by carrots, cabbage, and cassava (yuca, manioc), all of which had apparently been cooked in the same flavorful sauce that created the red rice. The vegetables and rice were absolutely wonderful.

    It's clear that this is a real neighborhood/community place, as regulars kepts stopping in. People lingered long over their meals and conversations, and no one made any effort to move people along. It was very comfortable and amiable. As is common in many parts of the world, in restaurants where you are welcome to stay, you have to ask for the bill, as it will never be offered if you're still talking. It might look like they want you to leave.

    I want to go back for more yassa, and there are several other dishes I want to try. As the owner said happily, "there are so many things, you cannot try them all at one -- you must just come back." I will -- despite the 42 mile drive.

    If you're interested in a preview, their new menu is on their new website:
    http://www.yassaafricanrestaurant.com/

    The owner and his wife were both charming and eager to please, and both seemed younger than they looked on Check Please. The owner came out to emphasize again that, though they were initially overwhelmed, they have made adjustments, and they think they will be able to be more efficient. "It's not an easy business, running a restaurant." Well, that's true, but it seems like they're figuring out what it takes. I hope they do well.
  • Post #19 - January 29th, 2007, 4:39 pm
    Post #19 - January 29th, 2007, 4:39 pm Post #19 - January 29th, 2007, 4:39 pm
    I like Yassa and the people who run it...so I hope someone offers to give them some guidance revising the copy on their site; I just don't know what to make of the line "We value You as part of our family, in the output side...Bottom-Up," but it sounds friendly.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #20 - February 2nd, 2007, 4:36 pm
    Post #20 - February 2nd, 2007, 4:36 pm Post #20 - February 2nd, 2007, 4:36 pm
    I was planning on eating at Yassa with a few friends tomorrow night but was "warned" of the location. I'm not afraid to venture into the unknown, but this person made it sound like a safety concern. Any thoughts from those of you that have dined there? Is there parking on the street or a lot?
  • Post #21 - February 2nd, 2007, 4:40 pm
    Post #21 - February 2nd, 2007, 4:40 pm Post #21 - February 2nd, 2007, 4:40 pm
    k8edid wrote:I was planning on eating at Yassa with a few friends tomorrow night but was "warned" of the location. I'm not afraid to venture into the unknown, but this person made it sound like a safety concern. Any thoughts from those of you that have dined there? Is there parking on the street or a lot?


    I usually find parking right across the street. I wouldn't linger around in front looking to meet strangers, but I don't think you have anything more to worry about in this area than you do in many other areas of Chicago. It's urban; you're probably going at night; exercise usual caution.

    Hammond
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #22 - March 31st, 2007, 9:58 am
    Post #22 - March 31st, 2007, 9:58 am Post #22 - March 31st, 2007, 9:58 am
    I pretty much like "Check, Please." There's stuff to make fun of, but overall it provides a useful service and gives you a peek into places you haven't been...or have.

    Yassa is featured this week. The kindly Mr. and Mrs. Gueye were interviewed (The Mrs. says you can call her anytime of night or day and she will come by and cook for you. Quite an offer).

    Two of the people on the panel had never had Senegalese food before, and they were knocked out. A good example of how “jes folks” can be introduced to an exotic cuisine and be open enough to enjoy it. I’m glad “Check, Please” models that experience – it contributes to a healthy and growing food scene in Chicago.

    Obviously, there are going to be a few inaccuracies spouted (One panelist said “It’s the only Senegalese restaurant in the city” – which is not true. Sunugal is right down the street…but Yassa is much better).

    I have to believe this is going to help Yassa’s business – and that’s also a good thing.

    David" It's big, it's bold, it's fiesta and fresh" Hammond
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #23 - March 31st, 2007, 10:06 am
    Post #23 - March 31st, 2007, 10:06 am Post #23 - March 31st, 2007, 10:06 am
    David Hammond wrote:I have to believe this is going to help Yassa’s business – and that’s also a good thing.


    I think this week was a rerun -- or else I had a strong sense of deja vu.

    But it did inspire me to make a point of getting to Yassa sooner than later, so if that happens, you will be proven correct!
    Joe G.

    "Whatever may be wrong with the world, at least it has some good things to eat." -- Cowboy Jack Clement
  • Post #24 - March 31st, 2007, 10:16 am
    Post #24 - March 31st, 2007, 10:16 am Post #24 - March 31st, 2007, 10:16 am
    germuska wrote:
    David Hammond wrote:I have to believe this is going to help Yassa’s business – and that’s also a good thing.


    I think this week was a rerun -- or else I had a strong sense of deja vu.

    But it did inspire me to make a point of getting to Yassa sooner than later, so if that happens, you will be proven correct!


    I should have said it's on this week On Demand (pretty much the only way I can watch many of these WTTW shows, including Bayless' and Pepin's).
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #25 - April 6th, 2007, 10:30 pm
    Post #25 - April 6th, 2007, 10:30 pm Post #25 - April 6th, 2007, 10:30 pm
    After seeing the Check Please rerun last night, my partner and I decided to try Yassa for dinner tonight. It was a short drive from our home in Beverly, even with the closure of the 79th St. Dan Ryan exit. Driving all local streets, it was about 15 minutes each way.

    We loved the food, but the service was insane.
    The restaurant was about 3/4 full, and when we arrived, the woman behind the counter told us to sit anywhere. Unfortunately, every empty table needed to be bused. After standing around for a few minutes, we finally sat at a table full of dishes. We sat there for over 10 minutes before getting someone's attention. He came over and asked if we needed our check. When he realized we were arriving, the table was quickly cleared, except for two used drinking glasses which stayed on our table for the duration of our meal.

    Our waiter looked like a high school kid, and was friendly, but unable to describe any of the dishes for us. He descrided the fataya as tuna stuffed with spices (it's salmon, and similar to an empanada). He recommended everything else. Seriously, he said it's all good and left it at that.
    He took our order, but did not ask us which sides we wanted with our entrees (someone else asked us just before serving). Our appetizer arrived fairly quickly, but it was about 45 minutes from the time we ordered until we recieved our entrees.

    None of the employees looked like they had recieved any training whatsoever. Tables that were full of dirty dishes when we arrived had not been cleared by the time we left, and we were there for at least an hour and a half. Waitstaff were practically non existant. The table next to us were ordering when we arrived, yet had not recieved their food when we were half finished eating. They got up to leave and were talked into staying by one of the staff.
    They apperantly had no system for keeping track of customer checks. At one point there were close to a dozen people standing around the counter waiting for someone to show up to cash them out. We asked for our check, when it had not arrived ten minutes later, I walked up to the counter and waited until someone arrived to ring us up. I realized after the fact that she undercharged us by a couple of dollars, she was adding the amounts in her head.

    Having said all that, we actually enjoyed the meal, and the experience. The food was excellant. Very flavorful and prepared well. The ginger juice was amazing, I'd go back just for that. THe grilled fish was great. The restaurant was very homey and comfortable, and everyone was friendly. That and the great food didn't quite make up for what was possibly the worst (yet friendly) service I've ever seen in a restaurant, but it wasn't enough to prevent me from going back, either.
  • Post #26 - April 6th, 2007, 10:46 pm
    Post #26 - April 6th, 2007, 10:46 pm Post #26 - April 6th, 2007, 10:46 pm
    tahewitt,

    Sorry to hear you had an uncomfortable time, but I'm glad to hear that Yassa is getting a good amount of business (no doubt, in part, due to the Check Please Effect). In a way, friendly incompetent service is so much more acceptable to me than unfriendly incompetent service, but the scenes you describe do sound awkward.

    In all likelihood, the folks at Yassa probably started pulling in family and friends to help handle the flood of new business. I can't say I'm surprised at all that they're not "trained" -- in fact, it would not surprise me if most restaurant workers were, effectively, not trained to do their jobs. I realize that may be a shocking generalization, but when one considers the thousands of restaurants in Chicago, and the many tens of thousands of people who work the tables and counters, it seems probable that only a fraction receive any kind of instruction aside from general directions about being polite and making the customer happy.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #27 - April 7th, 2007, 9:37 am
    Post #27 - April 7th, 2007, 9:37 am Post #27 - April 7th, 2007, 9:37 am
    I'm not sure what kind of specialized training one would need to realize that piles of dirty dishes need to be cleared away. I actually don't mind slow, clueless, or inattentive service if the food is good enough, but I have to say there's only so much time that I would spend sitting beside the remains of someone else's dinner before politely excusing myself and going elsewhere.
  • Post #28 - April 7th, 2007, 11:11 am
    Post #28 - April 7th, 2007, 11:11 am Post #28 - April 7th, 2007, 11:11 am
    cilantro wrote:I'm not sure what kind of specialized training one would need to realize that piles of dirty dishes need to be cleared away. I actually don't mind slow, clueless, or inattentive service if the food is good enough, but I have to say there's only so much time that I would spend sitting beside the remains of someone else's dinner before politely excusing myself and going elsewhere.


    That's true; I was thinking more of the server who knew nothing about the dishes, but sure, dirty dishes should be cleaned up...unless a sudden flush of biz is making that impossible. It happens, lamentably.

    I just got off the phone with Pasticceria Natalina -- the new Sicilian pastry shop that Sula reviewed in this week's reader -- and they CLOSED, but plan to re-open at 4:00 because they completely sold out everything by noon today. That is inadequate planning, but they're purportedly a very good place, so I'm ready to forgive them.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #29 - April 7th, 2007, 11:17 am
    Post #29 - April 7th, 2007, 11:17 am Post #29 - April 7th, 2007, 11:17 am
    David Hammond wrote:I just got off the phone with Pasticceria Natalina -- the new Sicilian pastry shop that Sula reviewed in this week's reader -- and they CLOSED, but plan to re-open at 4:00 because they completely sold out everything by noon today. That is inadequate planning, but they're purportedly a very good place, so I'm ready to forgive them.

    Just to clarify, that kind of thing doesn't bother me either (assuming the food is worth it). But piles of dirty dishes is a bit much.

    This happened to us the last time we went to Shui Wah for dim sum. However, 1) we were kind of pushing the 3:00 deadline; and 2) they cleaned it up within a couple of minutes anyway. So no harm, no foul.
  • Post #30 - May 3rd, 2007, 9:35 am
    Post #30 - May 3rd, 2007, 9:35 am Post #30 - May 3rd, 2007, 9:35 am
    Although I've never been to Yassa, and what I know about the restaurant is only from posts here and the Check Please! episode (where, incidentally, all three people liked it), this "Cheap Eats"review in the Trib infuriated me.

    The reviewer slapped the restaurant with 1 fork, although she described the food as "astounding." Furthermore, the one food item she suggested people should "take a pass" on, a dessert, was not because she said it didn't taste good, but because it was "too rich," something that is true of a lot of desserts.

    It appeared that the one-fork review was due to the fact that the food took a long time to come out (something that's well-known about this place), and this waiting aggravated her toddler; and also because several menu items were available for dinner only. Knowing this, however, the reviewer didn't return to the restaurant for dinner, but for lunch again, at which time she again complained that not all menu items were available for lunch.

    The restaurant business is hard enough. But when a reviewer docks a place that otherwise has good food, I get a little miffed.*

    *I realize this subject had been covered before on this board as to Phil Vettel's reviews. But even I've never seen Phil thump a restaurant that he thought had "astounding" food because service wasn't up to his standards.

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