This is the kind of restaurant I'd like to see more of: the Gypsy Café serves delicious, inventive dishes in a beautiful dining room with a bunch of neat extra touches. It's located in the South Side, near the City Theatre, so it makes a good pre-show destination. It's also more upscale than the places I usually review, so I'd recommend it if you're trying to impress a certain someone.

You notice the atmosphere as soon as you walk in: eclectic, elegant, and with a sense of humor. The lights are dim, everything is colored in welcoming shades of red and purple, and Mediterranean pictures dot the walls. Actually, you get hints of the atmosphere before you walk in. The sign from the outside and the location on a neighborhood block hint that the restaurant is a little bit "off the beaten path." Its entrance is by no means grand; it could be mistaken for an old storefront. Once you get inside, look around, notice the various Middle-Eastern-themed decorations, and – wait, is that a fortuneteller? Yes. On Fridays and Sundays, the Gypsy Café holds "Readings by Rebecca," a trained tarot card reader who can tell your fortune for donations of $15-25. The restaurant hosts many other events, particularly music acts. Check the restaurant's website for details.

The innovation doesn't stop at the variety of performances, either; their dishes are fantastic. First of all, they serve four different kinds of hummus; my friend and I tried the Pumpkin-Curry and Black Pepper-Sesame. Both hummuses were great, but the Pumpkin-Curry was more memorable due to its slight sweetness and originality. The Gorgonzola and Walnut dip is perfectly creamy, and attractively served with crispy "crostini" bread and apples sliced into cute garnishes. If you're looking for something heartier, try the Zangra, a bean and sauerkraut soup. Doesn't sound too appetizing? Try it anyway, and just think of it as a variation on chili.

Their entrees include a wide selection of pastas and meats. My friend tried the Gemelli Fall Pesto, which had a pleasant texture. It was a little tougher than most pasta dishes I'm used to, but not in a bad way. I have to recommend the Mediterranean Crusted Salmon Fillet, though. The crust – made of breadcrumbs, Kalamata olives, and sun-dried tomatoes – added a distinctive Greek taste to the tender salmon. The textures complemented each other perfectly, too, with the crust being a little drier than the fish.

How much did all of this cost? Surprisingly, not as much as you might think. On Sundays, the restaurant offers a prix-fixe menu for $20, which offers a chance to try a few dishes very affordably. During the rest of the week, an entrée alone costs $15-20, and appetizers run $5-9. Lunch is much more economical: most entrées are under $10.

Sunday is a great time to go to the Gypsy Café, because they get a little inventive. Brunches are themed, at the discretion of Chef Jim. You may find some of the themes, listed on the restaurant's website, worth a chuckle. Some dishes include Quagmire's Giggity Giggity Goulash, from the Family Guy brunch, and Metal Gear Salad, from the Video Games brunch. It's nice that the folks at the Gypsy Café don't take themselves too seriously.
 
I try to be balanced and pick out both good and bad parts about each restaurant I review, but I have to reach a little bit for bad aspects of the Gypsy Café. The rice that came with my salmon was uninteresting, and the one wall of Catholic decorations seemed out of place with the rest of the décor. I think the biggest complaint one might have with this restaurant is its price, but $15-20 per entrée is a small price to pay for a meal this delicious and intriguing.

Restaurant type: Pre-theatre Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern
How to get there: Drive or take a 54C. It's at the corner of S. 14 Street and Bingham Street, one street north of Carson.
Price for an entrée: $15-20; $20 prix-fixe on Sundays
Rating: 9.2
Website: http://gypsycafe.net/gypsy.html 

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