Ilija’sPlace is located in a quiet residential neighborhood away from thefactories of Cudahy. It is easy to pass by this plain, red brickbuilding with dark windows, though a neon sign and ornamental ironworkaround the entryway promise something special. And,indeed, the interior is a different world. Ilija’s Place belongs toIlija Zoric and his family, and the restaurant is devoted to theirnative Serbia.
Acozy bar, a few tables and a fireplace occupy the front room, which isdesignated as the smoking area. The rest of the tables can be reachedby climbing a few steps past burgundy draperies. Charming bric-a-bracis everywhere, from hand-woven kilims to oil paintings and even acluster of guitars. Service is warm and friendly, especially forregular customers.
Themenu features many items found at other local Serbian establishments,including sarma (stuffed cabbage), veal paprikash and a host ofsausages. More unusual are dishes of sweetbreads and breaded vealbrain. Then there is schnitzel a la Karadjordje, stuffed withprosciutto and cheese, and a Friday special of venison goulash. Theonly item missing is burek.
Mealsstart with a basket of fresh bread and side dishes of ajvar and kajmek.Ajvar is a spread of sweet red peppers and eggplant; kajmek is ahomemade cheese spread that is almost buttery in texture. Be sure toeat these sparingly, however, as the entrees are quite large.
Chevapchichi($16.50)just call them chevapsare homemade sau sages that arrive on aplatter. The skinless sausages have a springy texture and an excellentflavor with just a hint of char from the grill. Slices of tomato andraw onion accompany the dish. One item is even better than the chevaps,though it is only served on Fridays: venison goulash ($19.50). Theprocess to make this entree includes a weeklong marinade in red wine,as the wine removes any gamy flavor in the venison. This truly superbgoulash is served over noodles.
Themenu also features ossobuco ($19.50) and lamb shank ($18.50). A recentvisit found the ossobuco veal shank unavailable, but the latter onhand. The slow-cooked lamb was not tough, though the flesh was firm,almost hard. The braised sweet red peppers and onions do their best tomake the lamb shank worth another try. Sarma ($16.95), a Serbiantradition, is stuffed cabbage leaves filled with bits of smoked porkand rice. The ones here are very good and disappear quickly.
Mostentrees include potatoes and vegetables. The potatoes are all worthy,whether simply peeled and baked with the juices from the sarma or justmashed with a bit of butter. The vegetables could be a mix of steamedbroccoli with cauliflower or string beans that have been cooked forquite a while. Either way, they still retain some flavor.
Thelunch menu is almost as large as dinnerand prices drop nearly in half.Even then they include potato, vegetable and soup or house salad. Soupschange daily. They are decenta hearty white bean soup was particularly noteworthy. Thehouse salads consist of iceberg lettuce with some tomato. The cheesechanges with the whims of the kitchencrumbled feta or a milder gratedwhite. Consider ordering a different salad, like the Serbian tomato($3.50). This is mostly fresh tomato with some chopped green pepper andonion with the same light vinaigrette. Both cheeses are used to goodeffect on this salad.
Ilija’sis a quiet little place that is perfect for out-of-town visitors(unless they are vegetarians or light eaters). The service has warmth,the setting is cozy and the Serbian fare has a satisfying heartiness.Plan for a leisurely pace, although lunches in less than an hour areeasily possible. Also remember to visit on a Friday for the venisongoulash.
Ilija’s Place 3701 E. Squire Ave., Cudahy (414) 727-5885 $$ Credit Cards: MC, VS Smoking: Yes
Photo by Don Rask