One Great Dish: Zaytune's Braised Leg of Lamb

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Feb 15, 2011 6:30PM

Chuck Sudo/Chicagoist

A restaurant reaching one year in business is a milestone. To do so in this economy is cause for an even bigger celebration. To be a Middle Eastern restaurant in a neighborhood like Bridgeport and survive your first year? You might as well break out the St. Rocco di Simbaria Society's horns and fireworks. Zaytune Mediterranean Grill has managed to do just that, to near universal praise from Our Town's food cognoscenti, including yours truly.

Now that owner Daniel Sarkiss and his staff have entered Year Two, they've added a few wrinkles to what is still a simple menu. The best of the lot is leg of lamb, slow braised with rosemary, garlic and spices. We've had the leg of lamb as both a grill wrap (Zaytune's homemade lavash is among the best in the city) and as the grill platter pictured above, a few times each. The rosemary perfume that emanates from the meat is simply an intoxicating aroma that we pine for once, even after we've cleaned our plate. Zaytune's leg of lamb easily makes out short list of the best things we've eaten all year. Now that Sarkiss has Zaytune open seven days a week, we can enjoy it as often as we can.

Zaytune Mediterranean Grill, 3129 S. Morgan, 773-254-6300. Open 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 12-9 p.m. Sunday