NORTH CENTER — Chef Daniel Sarkiss never met a down-on-its-luck storefront he didn't like.
Five years ago, Sarkiss opened his first casual counter service restaurant, Zaytune Mediterranean Grill, on a stretch of Morgan Street in Bridgeport he called "brutal" for its lack of foot traffic.
"I just saw it as an up -and-coming neighborhood," Sarkiss said.
The gamble paid off.
Zaytune not only gained a loyal following for its shawarma, braised lamb and falafel, but the restaurant's success also jump-started investment in adjacent properties. Three years later Sarkiss took a flier on a second Zaytune location in McKinley Park, telling DNAinfo, "I'm trying to bring that same [Bridgeport] spark over here."
Now the question is whether his luck will hold a third time: The newest member of the Zaytune family just opened at 4322 N. Western Ave.
Patty Wetli says the other locations have anchored block revivials:
Though North Center is arguably a safer bet than either of Sarkiss' previous ventures, the west-of-Western address — better known for its used car lots than its culinary establishments — isn't exactly ideal.
Which is precisely why Sarkiss is there.
"This area needed a good restaurant," said Mercedes Medina, a business partner in Zaytune III along with her husband, Jaime.
Jaime Medina and Sarkiss have been best friends since they went to grammar school together in suburban Carpentersville.
"I thought I was going to be the chef," said Medina, an IT professional and real estate agent.
The next best thing to being one is knowing one, especially when you're looking to expand the dining-out options in your own back yard.
"We feel like Dan's got really good food," Medina said. "He's helped bring [Bridgeport] up, we're hoping this brings others up here."
Though Zaytune's South Side locations pretty much have a monopoly on Middle Eastern/Mediterranean/Persian cuisine, in North Center Sarkiss faces competition in the category from well-established eateries in nearby Albany Park.
"I think we have the quality," said Sarkiss, the son of Assyrian immigrants.
His menu at Zaytune draws partly on family recipes and partly on his training as a classic French chef.
A graduate of Kendall College, Sarkiss spent three months studying pastries in Paris and worked at Le Francais and Le Bouchon before heading west to San Francisco where he held chef positions with the Marriott and Sofitel hotel chains as well as Nordstrom.
He moved back to Chicago in 2006 and began cooking the food he grew up with, while adding a few twists of his own.
The braised lamb, as close to a "signature dish" as Zaytune has, is an unusual offering.
"Most people aren't used to seeing it," Sarkiss said. "They expect shawarma."
Zaytune has that, too, only Sarkiss' shawarmas are seasoned with fresh rosemary and are made to order on a grill versus a spit, so the meat doesn't dry out, he said.
He also bakes his own flat bread, which he uses in Zaytune's wraps rather than pita pockets.
"In the Middle East, shawarma is street food" served in wraps, Sarkiss said. "Pocket bread is made to eat with dips."
Having built its reputation on attention to detail, will Zaytune be able to maintain its expected level of quality now that Sarkiss, who lives in Park Ridge, is running three far-flung operations?
"I have a good crew with me," he said, but he's by no means a hands-off kind of guy.
"My day is literally 16 hours," Sarkiss said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
