Pars Cove

435 W. Diversey
Chicago, IL 60614
773.549.1515

Type: Mediterranean/Persian
Fancy Shmancy Factor: 3.5/5
Price: Entrees range from $10-$18
Quality for price: 4/5
Ambiance: Cozy and romantic
Other: Weekly specials, check website

We thought the sign in front of Pars Cove reading "Causal Dining" was merely a misspelling but now we're not so sure. For one, the dimly lit, intimate dining room wasn't quite what we would describe as a casual, jeans-and-a-tshirt type place. When we went for dinner last night, the place was hardly busy, especially for a Friday night, and we were ushered to a table for two in the corner. The small, below-street level dining room might have made us feel claustrophobic if it weren't for the fact that we were seated under large skylight windows. The authentic decor and music was as calm and unimposing as our server, who told us in barely more than a whisper that she would arrange for us to use a coupon we had on the Dinner for Two special we were considering.

This is where we got more than we bargained for. Emphasis on bargain. For $50, we ordered the Kabob Dinner for Two. That's 50 dollars total. The deal includes any two drinks but we opted to pay the 7 extra dollars to get a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, though the specialty martinis did sound delicious. After eating our two appetizer selections of hummus with naan and Persian potato salad, and then our course of Lentil soup and salad with Feta, we didn't know how we'd have room for the main course. However, we somehow managed to eat every bite of the perfectly tender chicken, lamb, and tenderloin kabobs as well as the dessert of baklava and ice cream. Since it turns out that their current Friday special is free after dinner drinks with a Dinner for Two, we ended the meal on a sweet note with a bit of Bailey's. And in case our desserts and cordials weren't sweet enough, our server delivered a single fresh rose when she dropped off the check, a sweet deal at about 50 total after our $9 coupon.

Though we didn't ask the owner of Pars (who frequently checked on us and helped serve us during our meal) if the spelling on the sign was intentional, we're now inclined to believe "causal dining" is exactly what he meant. The effect: Full stomachs AND full wallets.