Banura 1

This week we experienced another Lars-instigated complication in our dining plans. She picked a restaurant that was not even in operation anymore. Nevertheless, Sarah and I rose to the occasion and selected a nice "Greek and American" place at 79th and Michigan Road called Banura 1. For those of you familiar with the name, this restaurant is owned by the same people who previously ran Banura's at 56th and Illinois. This blogger, in particular, is very familiar with the restaurant and the owners, as I have been eating at both places regularly since I was a wee child. Although Nihad was not there Tuesday night, his wife was more than ably filling in as lead server and conversationalist. We began by ordering a few appetizers, with Lars getting Fried Kibbee which, despite it's appearance, was quite tasty. I ordered the hummous and pita, which is a necessity when dining at Banura 1. It was delicious and quickly destroyed by the entire table, particularly myself, A-bob and Nick. Not to be outdone, Beth and Wyatt ordered 2 spinakopitas and with the help of Laura quickly ate them up. Heath and Ashely went with the fiery feta cheese dip, which was absolutely delectable.

For our entrees, we tended to go with the "American" side of the equation, with a couple exceptions. The exceptions were the bold trio of A-bob, Evan "Freshy" and Nasty Nick, who all got gyros, with Evan's consisting of chicken. All three demolished the food without stopping to breathe or speak. After finishing the massive amount of food they all agreed it was delicious. The Liggett (and Liggett-Buzzard) girls all went with a good old Indiana breaded tenderloin sandwich and fries and loved it. As for Flying Death, he chose a pepperoni and mushroom pizza reported a high quality flavor. As a former pizza eater I agree, Banura 1 makes a terrific pizza, especially for a place that is by no means a "pizza joint." Heath and Smashley each order a sub and reported that although they were good, they wished that they had gone more "authentic" and ventured out. I settled, as always, on a spaghetti and greek salad. The Greek salad was wonderful and I almost never venture from the spaghetti when I go to Banura 1. Weird I know.

All these food items were merely foreplay for the grand finale, however. For dessert we ordered a large "honeyballs." These little balls of happiness are essentially doughnut holes sitting in a honey-cinnamon sauce and covered with love. A large order fed all 10 of us quite well. Despite the multitude of swimsuit body diets, we could not put our forks down when they brought the honey balls to our table. These are an essential to any visitor to Banura 1.

After all this, the food is very low-priced in comparison to its flavor content. I highly recommend anyone in the mood to pop in and enjoy a meal and a conversation with Nihad, who makes the eating experience very pleasant with his genuine friendliness.