Unassuming Lashish surprises with sophistication
From the outside, Lashish the Greek looks like another budget-priced gyro joint located in a strip mall.
But a closer inspection shows there is some sophistication to the homespun menu of popular Greek and Middle Eastern classics, plus large platters of scratch-made fare.
Ayman Gasam and Mohammad Ballouz opened the Northwest Side restaurant 12 years ago in a small storefront that’s casual, comfortable and brightly lit.
Gasam said all dishes and sides are made in-house, including the pastitsio, offering cinnamon-accented beef layered with long noodles, Parmesan and tomato sauce, topped with rich bechamel sauce.
The serving is gargantuan. “Most of the customers don’t finish it,” he said.
Moussaka, a cousin of pastitsio, features strata of bechamel and flash-fried eggplant, zucchini and potatoes interspersed with meat sauce.
“It’s lighter than the pastitsio because it has a lot of vegetables inside,” Gasam said.
Lemon sole ($15.99), certainly a rarity in most restaurants these days, is brushed with olive oil, dusted with spices, seared on the grill for some texture and finished in the oven.
“It tastes like butter,” Gasam said. All seafood dishes are served with rice and fresh vegetables or over a Greek salad.
Gasam highly recommends his personal favorite, the blackened grouper ($15.99), a firm piece of fish coated in a robust mix of seasonings that are a little too intense for some customers.
“It’s mild to me; it’s nothing,” he said. “I still add hot sauce.”
There are a variety of kebabs on the menu, all marinated in the lemonato sauce — olive oil, lemon, dill, oregano, black pepper, garlic and other seasonings.
The chicken kebab ($14.99) offers knobs of moist white meat grilled and served with Mediterranean rice and fresh vegetables.
“It has that smoky flavor,” he said. “I think it’s the best. I think it’s so good.”
The shish kebab ($16.99), meanwhile, uses cuts of beef tenderloin.
There are plenty of vegetarian options, such as homemade falafel ($3.99 for four pieces), and stuffed grape leaves ($3.99 for four) drizzled with lemon sauce.
The restaurant offers other types of platters, including the shawarma option ($13.99), a mix of lamb and beef that is vertically spit-roasted. It is served with fattoush salad, freshly made hummus and pita bread.
“It’s a big portion,” he said. Gasam said he’s fortunate that Lashish the Greek has been strong enough to weather COVID-19 and increased competition in the region.
“My restaurant is doing good,” he said. “We’re still here, too. So many restaurants shut down.”