Charming Karizma pours on the appeal

(STAR)(STAR) 1/2

Karizma 4741 W. Main

Skokie

(847) 674-6163

3-COURSE DINNER: about $30 before tax and tip

HOURS: lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner, 5-9:30p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5-9 p.m. Sunday

WHEELS: free lot and street parking; wheelchair accessible

TRY: smoked salmon, risotto, arugula salad, roasted chicken,grilled pork chop, study of apples

TIPS: Very clean, bright, comfortable room that comes off in styleas California Modern: light woods, subdued lighting and some sensuouscurves. Paper over cloth on the tables. Low noise level, soconversation does not get lost in space. As noted, service needs tobe more aware of diners' needs (as in taking some time to answerquestions without seeming crazed). Good for children (pizza, pasta,bistro burger).

IN A BITE: Karizma has a certain charm that has brought life tothe Skokie dining scene. The contemporary American menu sports a widearray of choices. I would defy any diner to look at this menu and saythat they "don't see anything they like" And the prices arereasonable, too. Enjoy!

Skokie has Karizma. Don't interpret that as a play on words or amisspelling. Karizma just happens to be a very nice restaurant, onethat has a certain presence and charm. Karizma also happens to be ajewel of an asset to a town that has, for years, been culinarilyparched. (Please, Skokie residents, don't take that comment the wrongway. You know and I know that Skokie has not exactly lit up the skywith culinary fireworks.)

The toques and top bananas that have toggled this restaurant intoa force to be reckoned with are owner Elaine Cook and executive chefand co-owner Marty Rogak.

The only part of that duo that I am somewhat familiar with isRogak. I know that he spent kitchen time in some highly thought-ofrestaurants-Provence in Winnetka and Kiki's Bistro and the NikkoHotel (now the Westin River North) in Chicago. I suppose thatexperience accounts for a bit of the French influence on the menu.

I would quickly point out, however, that in today's culinaryworld, which is an ethnic minestrone of ideas and enhancements,Karizma is, pure and simple, a classic rendition of contemporaryAmerican cuisine. In a strange sort of way, too, it comes off quite abit like a restaurant one would find in, say, the California winecountry.

The menu choices bear out that statement-big time. A quesadillahere, fried calamari there. Risotto, pizza, Caesar salad, steakfrites, roasted chicken, whitefish, pasta and, yes, even asmashingingly good fettuccine and meatballs with a marinara saucethat just might make a few Italian restaurants around town green withenvy.

In other words, there's almost something for everybody, but those"somethings" sampled were handled in a manner (unfussy yetinteresting) that, if I can go back to the "charisma" idea, waspleasing and attractive.

The one crack in this otherwise solid wall of dining was theservice. When the restaurant is percolating, service gets a case ofthe drips. One night, the wait between appetizer and entree, entreeand dessert went into a definite holding pattern, one that washanging over our table like a dark cloud.

That aside, saddle up for a very smooth culinary ride, startingwith a classic presentation of smoked salmon. The succulent fish gota beauty treatment of salmon caviar, grated egg whites, capers andonions. An outstanding blend of creme fraiche and horseradish, alongwith nicely toasted brioche, brought it all into delicious focus.

The soup du jour one night, a roasted pumpkin idea, was rich andlush and good to the last spoonful. A creative addition was thelacing of spicy pumpkin seeds (a smashing idea that amped the flavorto the va-voom level).

The pizza wasn't polished, but then I am a bear when it comes toevaluating pizza. The menu states "stone-baked pizza," which Iinterpret as baked on a stone, not in a woodburning oven.Nevertheless, the pizza toppings-basil, pine nuts, tomatoes,mozzarella cheese-were interesting. It was the crust that was boring.Overall, the pizza was large enough for two to share as a firstcourse.

I forgot to mention that early on (as soon as we are seated), anassortment of breads accompanied by spreads-creamy chicken livermousse, olive and butter-were good munchies for menu studying.

Salads are practically meals at Karizma. A very nice house saladwas included in the price of the entree. But a salad that standsalone for excellence was the arugula affair that was pumped up withtasty tomatoes (marinated, I believe), calamata olives and briny-good feta cheese. The "juice" that jolted this salad quite nicely wasa red wine vinaigrette.

One nice way to start a dinner here is to go with the risotto,which changes daily. The one I got involved with, an arrangement ofsmoked chicken, mushrooms, cuttings of asparagus and niblets ofroasted corn, put me off at first (the many ingredients), but overallthere was good balance, and the "extras" did not overpower theessence of the dish itself-the al dente rice.

Pan-roasted mahi-mahi, a fish special, turned out to be quitespecial. A firm, flavorful fish, the hunky fillet, cooked toperfection, floated atop a dandy rubble of Israeli couscous (largergrains) that got a flavor injection of pesto (nice idea). A julienneof root vegetables and chips of red and yellow bell peppers roundedout the plate.

Nothing amiss with the grilled pork chop either. A handsome, thick-cut chop, one that had been over the heat just long enough to lock inthe flavor, was dressed up with caramelized onions and apples andtaken for a tasty walk with rum baked black beans.

One last dish, and then on to desserts. The meal deal here is"half a roasted chicken." This most flavorful chicken had an escortof good flavor, namely excellent whipped potatoes, haricots verts andpearl onions. At $11.95 this was a winner on all accounts.

Desserts proved to be a sweet-knit bunch that would have takencare of the most demanding sweet tooth. Were I to pick two, it wouldbe the "study of apples," a combo of apple crisp and apple beignet. Iwas almost steered away from this one because our waiter didn't seemto have a clue as to what is was all about. I am glad I stuck withit.

The other would be the bread pudding (bread pudding seems to bethe dessert of choice these days), which I believe was made withbrioche, and that made it a lot more interesting in my book. And thatKentucky bourbon sauce accompaniment was the touch that managed tosustain some delight.