Wicker Park is the type of neighborhood where you can find just about anything you're looking for. Now you can add great Greek food to that list.
A new restaurant, Taxim (pronounced tak-SEEM), has set up shop at 1558 N. Milwaukee Ave.
The dining room opened last week, and offers a limited a la carte menu and two prix-fixe options. The full dinner menu and a quick-serve café will debut simultaneously in mid-May.
This summer, look for sidewalk seating and a rooftop deck with views of Milwaukee Avenue in the front and the Blue Line's Damen El stop in the rear.
Executive chef and owner David Schneider will offer a menu that includes both meze (small plates) and full-sized option that will change frequently to incorporate local and seasonal products whenever possible.
Look for staple Greek ingredients such as olive oil, honey and spices, plus handmade phyllo and house-baked traditional and Pontian-style pita (a single-layer durum wheat bread made on a domed satz griddle).
Instead of a cone-shaped hunk of lamb or beef on a spit like you'd find in a lot of Mediterranean-inspired eateries, Taxim will offer marinated duck instead. The restaurant's spin on a gyro features pomegranate-glazed duck wrapped in Pontian pita bread with pomegranate glaze, fresh mint and garlic yogurt mousse.
Entrees run from $16 to $25 and the space has seating for more than 70 people.
