Hungry? serves up fresh fast casual fare
Fast casual, the theme of owner Sam Syreggelas' Hungry? in Rolling Meadows, may be pegged as “the new way to dine” on the menu, but it's not exactly an unfamiliar concept. Often the notion is a little too familiar, conjuring up images of fast-food places where little thought is given to creativity in the kitchen.
But Syreggelas didn't just throw on an apron one day and decide to go into franchising. He grew up in the business and got a culinary degree; his resume even includes experience at Le Francais.
And the execution at Hungry? shows thought and skill behind the accessible, freshly made spread that has a Mediterranean lean (gyros, Athenian burger, shish kebabs, Greek salad), together with breakfast classics (steak and eggs, omelets, French toast) and house specialties (Shepherd's pie, pork chops, and fish and chips).
The strip-mall location with large windows ensures a sunny, 90-degree view, while a jaunty palette of yellow, orange and blue reflects an easy mood inside.
There is a casual feel to the place for sure: counter service, plastic dishes, no alcohol and, surprisingly, tips are not accepted.
We started off with the French dip sandwich — a take on the Italian Beef (the latter also featured on the menu) with crusty French bread and layers of shredded beef. It came with a generous cup of jus for dipping.
A pork kebab special came recommended after an exchange with one of the owners, who, upon being asked what's really good, replied “there's nothing that isn't,” and then pointed to the special in question. It came with plump pieces of smoky pork with char marks, set over warm pita with a couple of slices of tomato, and it was indeed quite good, save for the tzatziki sauce, which was not as tasty as other versions we've had.
Another house specialty was the seared tilapia — a customer favorite, we were told. This was a nicely cooked, well-spiced fish, served with julienne, sautéed zucchini and pilaf rice that all had clean, fresh flavors.
Not completely satiated by this point, as any normal person would be, we decided to challenge ourselves further and opted for the M.O.A.B.: the Mother of All Burgers. It included the dizzying combination of a half-pound beef patty with bacon, grilled ham, American and Swiss cheese and, in case that wasn't enough, a fried egg. We couldn't tell for sure if it was the mother of all burgers, but it sure was matronly.
We had heard a lot about the homemade banana cream pies that are prepared in house, but unfortunately, since we visited midweek, the batches weren't yet made (they usually start making them around Thursday). We had to instead make do with a rather fine substitute: a dense, creamy chocolate fudge cake flanked by sweet whipped cream.
<b>Hungry?</b>
1673 Algonquin Road, Rolling Meadows, (847) 439-5700, <a href="http://www.hungryrestaurant.com" target="_blank">hungryrestaurant.com</a>
<b>Cuisine: </b>American, with Greek accents and breakfast specials
<b>Setting: </b>Vividly colored space with counter service, reliable specials and a low-key crowd
<b>Hours: </b>9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday
<b>Entrees: </b>$6.50 to $10.75