Conscious Choice: Suburban Veggie Oasis

February 2004 | Conscious Dining

Suburban Veggie Oasis

by JoAnn Milivojevic

Driving south along Arlington Heights Road from I-90 is hardly a vegetarian cruise strip. You’ll pass mostly fast food joints touting burgers, dogs and pizza tucked into strip malls along this busy byway until you reach, Chowpatti ("chow" rhymes with dough), a vegetarian oasis since 1982.

The Ambience

A huge Chowpatti sign ushers you into the strip mall where the restaurant is the largest storefront. I walked in to pleasant lilting Indian sitar music, which set a serene scene furthered by a green-on-green interior decor. Sea foam green walls wrap around a large room that seats 85. Green ceiling lamps dangling from chains hover over marbleized forest green Formica tables surrounded by padded chairs and booths in — you guessed — green upholstery. It works though and creates a very casual and pleasant place to dine. Too bad the lovely sitar music didn’t last, it quickly turned into nondescript Muzak and remained such for the hour-plus that I lunched.

The Menu

Their slogan is International Vegetarian Cuisine and they’re not kidding; the menu is a book. Twenty-six pages of selections take you from Mexico to Italy to India and back to the good old U.S. of A. with a page or more of veggie burgers, chili, soups and fries. Good thing there’s an index at the front of the menu. Whew. I watched several patrons leaf through the book in awe over the expansive selection.

The restaurant is perhaps best known for its Indian food. The specialties include Uttapam ($11) which is a thick pancake made with a batter of rice and lentil and is considered a complete protein. This pancake is topped ala pizza style with a variety of veggies and spices. The Masala Uttapam features sautéed onions, potatoes, tomatoes, cilantro, cashews, raisins and spices...an interesting combination of flavors, as are many of the Indian selections here. My server told me that the Indian nachos ($7.50) and Pav Bhaj ($9), a meatless stew served with cheese and grilled white French bread, are among the most popular items.

Aloo Wada ($7), a special appetizer, is a potato dumpling stuffed with chopped walnuts and seasonings and is dipped in chickpea batter and lightly fried. It was served with a delicious spicy-sweet tamarind chutney. Malai Kofta ($9), a main course, is homemade saffron cheese balls cooked in a rich creamy cashew gravy. I ordered mine at spice level four (considered medium) and wished I’d ordered a level two. Still, it was a pleasing blend of unusual flavors.

All the fruit and vegetable juices are freshly squeezed and delicious ($3-$6). The featured apple-lime lemonade was the perfect compliment to my spicy dish and was I glad I ordered a large. Other tempting beverages include Lassi ($4) a homemade yogurt shake, which can be flavored in a myriad of ways with such additions as mango, rose or saffron. Desserts ($4-$5), if you have room after the large-portioned entrées, include carrot cake, Kufi (Indian ice cream) and Gulab Jamun (homemade soft spongy cake balls dipped in sweet saffron syrup).

Clean Food Factor

According to one of the owners, Niyanta Kapadia, everything is homemade and freshly prepared, but they don’t use organic ingredients. They had tried to go organic but the patrons simply wouldn’t support the extra cost so they switched back to conventional ingredients. "Most people who come here are main stream diners," explained Kapadia, "and a bit conservative, we just don’t have that much traffic for people interested in organic.

Final Word

Chowpatti is a wonderful way to introduce anyone to vegetarian fare, as there are so many choices. I saw a few people order extra items for take-out. This family restaurant is now run by two sisters, Niyanta and Sneha Kapadia along with their mother, Niru. They vowed to keep the place open after their father, Anil, passed away in 1999.

The name Chowpatti comes from a popular beach in India where many food vendors sell their items. Mr. Kapadia and his wife frequented the place when they first met. Currently, the Kapadia family is working on a Chowpatti cookbook — a formidable task given the lengthy menu and the fact the original recipes were written in Gujarati, an Indian language, which only the mother speaks. "It’s a long term project," said Niyanta Kapadia, "we’ve got to reduce the recipes to four-six servings and test them all." Once completed, it will certainly be a welcome addition to a any cook’s library.

Until then, sample a few dishes at Chowpatti. Lunch for two with appetizer, main course and large drink runs about $35. Sauces are available for take-out as are any additional dishes that you’d like to take home.

Chowpatti, 1035 S. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights; 847-640-9554. Tuesday through Sunday, lunch 11:30-3:00 pm; dinner 5:00 to 9:00 pm; Friday and Saturday until 10:00 pm.

JoAnn Milivojevic is a freelance writer whose articles on food, fitness, and travel have appeared in magazines nationwide.

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