This time of year, Carol Wallack is torn between her two loves: Chicago and Hawaii. So, it's no surprise then, at her North Center neighborhood restaurant, Sola, she always infuses the menu with a few touches from the islands.
"I grew up surfing in California and Hawaii, and I have a home there now and go back and forth a lot, and it's very dear to my heart," Wallack said.
Wallack craves the sunshine in the depths of a Chicago winter, but she's doing something about it: cooking up a Hawaiian luau every Sunday night at the restaurant.
"Sunday night is family night. We get a lot of young families that come in for dinner, so we thought it would be really fun to bring the feel of Hawaii back to Chicago, bring it to Sola and do family-style dinners," said Wallack.
Starters might include a colorful platter of roasted red and golden beets with fresh pineapple, plus radishes and Asian greens dressed in a lively yuzu vinaigrette.
Tuna is flown in weekly from Hawaii, and so Wallack coats it in a hoisin-mustard glaze, then dredges the giant loins in Japanese panko breadcrumbs before frying them. Sliced in half, they're plated over bamboo rice, served with crunchy avocado tempura, as well as a few drizzles of soy-wasabi butter.
Even slowly-braised short ribs have an Asian accent, in the form of hoisin, soy and ginger.
"There's a lot of different Asian ethnicities in Hawaii that kind of make up the culture, and that's kind of where that derived from," said Wallack.
A saute of snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, red peppers and asparagus provide a colorful, crunchy base for the short ribs.
Wallack loves the whole family-style approach to eating, and says while cooking this "urban luau" once a week will keep Hawaii on the minds of her customers, it won't take much to remind her of her second home.
"I think about Hawaii once a day, it's in my blood," said Wallack.
The urban luau runs every Sunday night. It costs $30 per person. Kids 12 and under pay their age.
Sola
3868 N. Lincoln Ave. (note: the front entrance is actually on Byron St.)
(773) 327-3868
