By Rick Karlin

Contributing writer

FaMe da Lupo
1463 W. Leland
773-334-9800
pizzafamedalupo.com

Blue Ocean
4650 N. Clark
(773) 334-6288

Chava Café
4656 N. Clark
(773) 942-6763
chavacafe.com

As a born and bred Chicagoan, I am constantly amazed at how neighborhoods change suddenly.

The area between Ashland and Ravenswood, from Lawrence to Montrose is just such an example. No less than a half dozen new restaurants opened on the 4600 block of Clark in the past few months. So I decided to check a couple of the new joints out.

FaMe da Lupo has gotten a lot of buzz, no doubt for the unusual pizza offerings on the menu, such as the Kariola (bacon, onions and fried egg), Chicken Bacon Ranch (ranch sauce base, chicken, bacon and black olives) and Fruti di Mare (a mixture of seafood and parmesan cheese.) That’s the only reason I can see for the buzz.

We stopped in at about 7 p.m. on a Friday and the place was empty. We decided to split a pizza and a Caesar salad. I asked the server if the salad came with anchovies. She looked at me as if I stood on my chair and shit on the table. After she regained her composure, she brought out the “chef.” He appeared equally taken aback. Since anchovies are a major component of Caesar dressing, I didn’t think it was an unusual question. “Chef” said that he’d never heard of such a thing. We decided not to stay.

We dashed across the street to another of the newly opened places on the block, Blue Ocean . The attractive restaurant has a menu that would make any sushi lover swoon, with the breadth and innovations on its menu. However, the dining room at this place was also empty. The friendly hostess offered to seat us, but the minute we entered the dining room, we were put off by the odor, a combination of ammonia and fish. We turned and walked out. They say “Third time’s the charm” and it proved true in this case.

Chava Café is an unassuming coffee house. The mid-century modern furnishings make the place look hip, if a little cold. The food, the other hand, was easy to warm up to. Since we were hungry after our table-hopping, we each began with a cup of soup. Both the vegan vegetable stew and the Yukon Gold potato and leek took the chill off a cold and damp night. The stew, while similar to a ratatouille, had a more sophisticated edge, while the creamy potato leek was hearty and topped with crisp chunks of bacon.

The menu is limited in number, but not in scope. In addition to our starters, there are four salads and a half-dozen sandwiches with something to please everyone from vegans to meat and potatoes folks. The cold lamb sandwich is served with thin slices of medium rare meat leg meat on a baguette, topped with a baby arugula salad, and a slice of rich Romano cheese laden polenta. Yummy homemade potato chips accompany the sandwich. For those with a sweet tooth, the combination of cashew butter, gruyere and fig preserves offers a gourmet twist on the PBJ.  Other options include herb-roasted turkey breast with lemony mayo, mortadella and ricotta or the sautéed portobello and spinach combination. We wanted to try the desserts made especially for the café, but their pastry chef was on her honeymoon, so we’ll have to stop back another time, and we will.

The Bottom Line: A soup, sandwich or salad and a dessert will run about $15.