Many Indian restaurants in Chicago sometimes suffer from a copy-cat syndrome, which is being unable to break the mold. Mango Pickle tries to challenge that perception when it opens in Edgewater next week. The casual restaurant, a bistro owner Marisa Paolillo called it, that it will have an emphasis on presentation, emphasizing on the various regions in India that Paolillo and her husband had experienced once while living on the subcontinent.

The menu has been more compact compared to other Indian restaurants, but the items are still served in family style and there have been plenty of veggie options. Paolillo  breaks down a whole lamb from a local farmer, butchering the animal in house. They have planned to use all cuts of the lamb to offer diners something different each day. One example has been something Paolillo calls as "spoon lamb." The leg of lamb is marinated overnight with a bouquet of spices including cardamom and saffron.

Paolillo along with Nakul Patel, her husband, lived in Mumbai for nine years. They had traveled throughout India, including Punjab and the west coast. When she returned to America she thought of  why restaurants in the states didn’t serve her favorite dishes that she sampled over in India. That had been something Mango Pickle alleviates, making a contemporary spin on dishes.

There will be even desserts like carrot halwa, a traditional closer at Indian sweet shops that for Paolillo is as preferable as brownies even more.

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By Prakriti Neogi