Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
The common denominators in lablabi, a Tunisian stew, are chickpeas, chunks of toasted bread, and a soft-cooked egg.
A little bird told me to take a trip down to Fox Park, where Kakao Chocolate’s original location sits at the neighborhood’s eastern edge. A few blocks west is the new perch of The Purple Martin, whose presence quite literally glows on the adjacent pocket park that gives the neighborhood its name. The colors and lights will draw you in. The electricity inside, along with the relatively unknown-to-these-parts, North African–inspired menu, will bring you back for more.
You won’t find many local restaurants that serve lablabi, a Tunisian chickpea stew flavored with garlic and cumin and loaded with sliced kalamata olives, diced carrots, and capers. Oversize cubes of bread serve as both calorie-extenders and sponges. A poached egg topped with pickled onions crowns it, if you want to stay relatively vegetarian and drop only $7. For only $4 more, a small tuna steak—cooked all the way through without losing its moistness—will be wedged in under the egg. A ramekin of harissa sits alongside, for those who prefer a little more spiciness in their North African cuisine (although diners are well-advised to stir the bowl when it arrives to let loose the distinct salty pucker of preserved lemons).
On the other hand, you’ll probably find more than a hundred places locally to get the vastly overexposed tilapia. But as a native of North Africa and its environs, the fish fits in perfectly well here, in a thicker cut than you’re likely used to, vividly decorated with red and green peppers and parsley. The mild spice mixture on the fish itself filters down into a broth for the underlying bed of rice.
The signature Purple Martin Nest appetizer is elegantly simple from a flavor standpoint, but it’s flamboyant in presentation. Four halved, beet-boiled eggs are bordered by pickled carrot sticks, with deep-green spinach and pink pickled onions nestled around and under the ubiquitous metal container of harissa.
The menu’s geographical origins aren’t limited to North Africa, though. On one visit, shrimp and grits was an off-the-menu appetizer. Its presence helped to highlight the thought that’s gone into the restaurant. “It pairs very well with the Perennial Saison de Lis or with our champagne cocktail,” noted our server. Indeed, there’s a moderately short but well-curated selection of beverages: about a dozen cocktails; beers from five local craft brewers; and a wine list that offers such inexpensive exotica as the Roditis- and Moschofilero-based Skouras Zoe from Greece, as well as a Côtes du Rhône made from sauvignon blanc and Grenache blanc.
Be sure to let your eyes wander while you eat. Take in the base of the bar, repurposed from crates and signs; the white pressed-tin ceiling; the canning-jar light fixtures; and the wooden Purple Martin sign behind the bar.
It’s a first-class, meticulous renovation. And you can experience it at bargain prices.
The Bottom Line: The South Side meets North African cuisine in a neighborhood restaurant unlike any other.
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2800 Shenandoah
Fox Park
314-898-0011
Dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sun
Average Main Course: $9
Reservations: Encountering a full house is possible. Plan accordingly.
Acoustics: It can get loud, but not deafening, when full.
Chef: Chase Overaker
