The Rice Table With close to 250 million people, Indonesia is the world’s fourth-largest country and its cuisine is one of the tastiest on the planet, so why doesn’t Chicago have a single freestanding Indonesian eatery? Chris Reed, owner/chef of The Rice Table catering company, attributes the absence to greater Chicago’s relatively tiny Indonesian expat community and American unfamiliarity with the rich, spicy fare of the archipelago nation. Fortunately, if you want to sample classic dishes like rendang (beef in coconut curry) and gado gado (salad with vegetables, hard-boiled eggs and tempeh in peanut sauce) Reed serves a monthly rijsttafel, a lavish Dutch-Indonesian buffet, at Andersonville’s Vincent. Here’s hoping he opens his own brick-and-mortar soon. Rijsttafel on the first Sunday of every month, 5:30pm-9pm.
The Rice Table at Vincent, 1475 West Balmoral, (773)334-7168, thericetable.com
