The former Kungsholm restaurant on Ontario Street always presented a quandary for me: How could I possibly taste every single dish from their mind-boggling Scandinavian smorgasbord without walking away groaning, “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing”? The choices were too numerous, too diverse and too darn good to pass on even one.
Kungsholm has been closed since 1970, but the smorgasbord lives on in ethnic eateries, on buffet tables and now in the menu presented by Orbie’s International Cafe, a 4-month-old restaurant in Calumet City.
Orbie’s’ “League of Nations” menu, eclectic ambience and huge portions combine to create a smorgasbord solution for diners who want to try a little bit of everything without having to graze the buffet tables.
The cafe does its best to take diners around the gastronomic world without ever leaving the cozy, former home of The Cottage restaurant.
Scenes from far-flung destinations dot the stucco walls; African sculptures and bonsai plants share windowsills; Oriental antiques accent the sea of red-cloth-covered tables.
The background music ranges from Latin to Sinatra to New Orleans jazz, and the waitstaff exudes pure Southern hospitality.
The ambitious menu brings to life the dream of Orbie Vevstad, who says she “always wanted to open a restaurant with a choice of many things from many different countries.”
Choosing from the menu is like planning a culinary travelogue.
The appetizers are labeled tapas, but the portions belie the Spanish term’s “little bites” definition. Start with the special-recipe sausage from the tapas list, a huge link of smoky heaven with complex seasoning. The sausage comes with a sweet-hot sauce that gently cools — and amplifies — the meat’s bite.
Another good appetizer choice: herbed crab cakes Victoria, two large, subtly seasoned patties served with a sprinkling of Parmesan and chopped parsley.
For the next course, you can stay in the American food category or shift to a different locale: Choose from Asian, Mediterranean, Latin, Continental or down-home Southern-cooking.
One good choice from the Mediterranean list is linguine with mussels, an artful arrangement of pasta, peppers and mollusks in a beautifully seasoned broth. The flavors are perfectly in sync, although the pasta was slightly overcooked on our visit.
Less successful is the shrimp al-ajillo, succulent, sauteed butterflied shellfish in a garlic-sherry broth, served on a bed of rice with an assortment of sliced vegetables. In this dish, the seasonings are out of balance — sherry overpowers any garlic flavor.
For dessert, try the peach cobbler — it’s sweet, rich and ample enough for two — or the lighter raspberry-filled cake.
Orbie’s has an adequate wine list with several selections by the glass, a must if you mix cuisines. After 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, you can relax with tapas and live jazz.
New restaurants always have a few rough spots. At Orbie’s, the waitstaff’s friendliness doesn’t compensate for its lack of attentiveness in clearing dishes, pouring wine and refilling water glasses. Vevstad says she is aware of this shortcoming and is working to fix it.
With ambitious plans — special menus for various international holidays, a luau, a New Year’s celebration — the proprietor will need to put her staff through some rigorous training.
———-
Orbie’s International Cafe
(Two forks.)
525 Torrence Ave., Calumet City
708-891-3900
Open: Dinner/Lunch Mon.-Sun.
Entree prices: $8-$19.50
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Accepted
Other: Wheelchair accessible; arryout available; catering
Ratings key: 4 forks: Don’t miss it
3 forks: One of the best
2 forks: Very good
1 fork: Good
Reviews are on based on an anonymous visit by a Tribune staff member. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.
