Kebabs a headliner at fresh, inexpensive Greek eatery
In business for more than seven years, LaShish the Greek has built its reputation on fresh, quality food at modest prices.
Nestled into a strip center on the Northwest Side, the restaurant offers familiar Mediterranean fare, such as the shish kebab ($13.99) — 8 ounces of filet mignon that has been skewered and grilled. Topped with a lemonato sauce, the kebab is served with vegetables and rice.
Owner Ayman Gasam said the dish is among the better bargains at LaShish, which has a number of grilled kebabs. He said his lamb chops ($16.99 for five), also served with rice and veggies, rival the best in town in flavor and price.
All meats are halal, meaning they prepared per Muslim dietary laws.
The shawarma features marinated lamb and beef, placed on a spit and seasoned before being vertically roasted. The shawarma is $6.95 for a sandwich garnished with pickles, tomato, onion, tahini and hummus. A combo costs $9.99, which includes a small tossed salad, fresh-cut fries, rice and soup or a soda.
“We sell a lot of shawarma,” Gasam said.
The menu has several Greek comfort-food dishes, such as pastitsio ($11.99), using pasta, beef cooked in a tomato sauce with both nutmeg and cinnamon, and a layer of bechamel on top.
“The meat sauce makes the pastitsio,” Gasam said.
Moussaka ($12.99) is another hearty choice, using thin slices of panfried eggplant, ground beef, potatoes and zucchini, also topped with bechamel.
On the lighter side of the menu is Key-lime red snapper ($13.95), finished with a citrusbutter sauce for a bright, fresh flavor, Gasam said.
Other seafood choices include fried smelts ($6.95) and fried calamari ($6.95), both served with tzatziki or a choice of other sauces.
The fattoush salad ($6.99) is a Mediterranean classic, using a mix of lettuces plus cucumbers, sweet peppers, parsley, green onions and a lemony vinaigrette with dried mint, sumac and garlic powder.
“We don’t prep it,” Gasam said. “We do it to order.”
LaShish has a multitude of house-made Greek and Mediterranean desserts, including a round chocolate baklava ($4.95) crowned with chopped walnuts.