Chatham, Burnside

Chatham, Burnside continued...

Yassa, the Senegalese restaurant, transports diners to West Africa not only with its cuisine (Ever tried tiebu djeun?) but with its decor and the music it has for sale.

Or walk into Izola's Restaurant, two blocks west of Yassa on 79th Street. It looks like any other diner anywhere in the country -- right down to the padded seats at the counter -- until you peek into the more formal dining room on the right. There, bigger than life, are huge photos of late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, two other local pols and a fourth, this one of respected TV reporter Russ Ewing. A framed life-size Barack Obama nearly covers a south wall

Then back in the diner, you realize those walls are covered by photos of dozens of uniformed policemen, plus a signed letter from the late mayor, plus other photos of people known in the neighborhood and beyond, and you realize this is not just any diner.

Izola's has been here more than a half-century. Yes, the mayor ate here, often. The president has eaten here. Congressmen and other important people have eaten here. And if they had the short ribs or the deep fried breaded pork chops or the chicken and dumplings or the chitterlings or just about anything else on Izola's menu, they ate well. (Be warned: The ham hocks and greens tend to sell out early.)

Not all the good eats in Chatham are on 79th. Pull into the lot at Dat Donuts on Cottage Grove Avenue, if you dare, and look past the regular donuts in the glass case for something a little unusual. You won't miss it -- and you probably won't finish it -- the Big Dat, a frosted donut big as a Frisbee (and a mere $2.59 at last check). But people do.

People also roller skate in this area -- which, if you knock off a Big Dat, might be a good plan. A rink called The Rink is just past the viaduct that ends Chatham and begins Avalon Park, and folks have been going in circles at this location for more than 25 years.

They also roll into The Rink from Burnside, southwest of Chatham, a residential community that's the home of Harold Washington Elementary School, named after Chicago's first African American mayor.

Until 1992, it was the Oliver H. Perry Elementary School, but in Chicago, local history always takes precedence over the War of 1812.

For more information about Chatham, Burnside, contact the Chatham Business Association at 773-994-5006.