Author Archives: steve

Coffee Lab

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***** (5 stars)

In a world filled with nasty, weedy Starbucks coffee that has to be diluted with milk and sugar just to make it potable, it’s easy to forget what coffee can and should be. Coffee Lab reminds us of just how great an experience a superb cup of unadulterated coffee can be.

The pour over coffee made here extracts exactly the optimum brew from the beans, with no bitterness, no matter how strong the coffee. It’s a time-consuming process, so don’t go if you’re in a hurry. As with anything, to do it right takes care and attention to detail. But if you think coffee needs to be “fixed” with cream and sugar, you owe it to yourself to experience the real thing at least once.

Coffee Lab
922 Noyes St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 868-8033
http://www.yelp.com/biz/coffee-lab-evanston-2

Davis Street Fishmarket

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*** (3 stars)

This is an okay fish restaurant in a town that has good sushi places but no really great seafood places. The food here is similar to what you’d find at a Red Lobster, and the atmosphere not that much different, either. Service is fine, but seems stretched a bit thin. Probably best if you’re in the mood for fried seafood.

Davis Street Fishmarket
501 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 869-3474
http://www.yelp.com/biz/davis-street-fishmarket-evanston

Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria

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*** (3 stars)

This place is popular due to its close proximity to Northwestern. I have to admit that Chicago deep dish pizza isn’t my favorite style: I don’t like crust that tastes like saltine crackers, and I prefer the pizza to be more about the sauce and toppings than about dough. So I find nothing noteworthy about Lou Malnati’s pizza. It’s a plus that they offer a gluten free variety, which I haven’t tasted, but might be better.

I will say that the service is friendly and efficient, especially considering how busy they are. Frankly I think the best pizza in Evanston is the one we order delivered from Sarpino’s.

Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
1850 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-5400
http://www.yelp.com/biz/lou-malnatis-pizzeria-evanston

Dixie Kitchen & Bait Shop

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**** (4 stars)

Considering the owners are not originally from the South, this is a remarkably authentic dining experience.

I had the lunch special of a half blackened catfish poboy and a cup of gumbo. The catfish was the perfect spiciness, still moist, and not muddy, and the bread was fresh. Gumbo was a tasty, rich mixture, served with the rice separate on one side of the cup, which was an interesting approach. My meal came with a pair of corn meal pancakes rather than muffins, which is a bit unusual, but tasty. At under $7 it was a good buy for lunch.

The unsweetened peach tea was very tasty; it’s hard to find good unsweetened tea in the South. The breakfast items and salads I saw also looked good.

I love the funky atmosphere. The space is decked out like a bait shop, and red checkered plastic tablecloths brighten things up. There are also four tables out on the sidewalk.

Dixie Kitchen & Bait Shop
825 Church St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 733-9030
http://www.yelp.com/biz/dixie-kitchen-and-bait-shop-evanston

Cross-Rhodes

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**** (4 stars)

I would describe Cross Rhodes as more of a diner than a restaurant. With a different menu it would be a typical greasy spoon breakfast place. The food is conventional Greek fare. I had the Gyro dinner, which was a large mound of sliced lamb served over vinegar fries with sliced tomato, onions, greek yogurt and a pita. Quite tasty. The hummus appetizer was also fine, lemony, and fairly thin in consistency, with pita for dipping. Service was fast and friendly, and I was greeted by the staff upon arriving and departing. The place was busy, and I think it is this friendly atmosphere as much as anything that accounts for it. No credit cards and no alcohol.

Cross-Rhodes
913 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 475-4475
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cross-rhodes-evanston

Found Kitchen & Social House

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**** (4 stars)

This trendy new Evanston hot spot bursts out onto the sidewalk with patrons every evening, but it’s possible to find a table at lunch and in the afternoons. Before 4:30 the emphasis is on sandwiches, afterwards on small shared plates. Our favorite was the salmon salad, a baguette slice topped with salmon, mayo, dill, red onion and celery.

There’s an interesting drink list with a short but thoughtful selection of beers, and quite a few interesting bitter aperitifs. I love Amaro, and there were four on offer, plus a sparkling wine mixed with Campari and grapefruit, inexplicably called an lsd.

The funky interior has no matching tables or chairs, and adds a fun off beat sense to the fairly intimate (and often noisy) space.

Found Kitchen & Social House
1631 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 868-8945
http://www.yelp.com/biz/found-kitchen-and-social-house-evanston

Andy’s Frozen Custard

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**** (4 stars)

This place is incredibly popular, rain or shine there is always a line, and always people eating on the tables out front. The custard is tasty, especially the concretes, which are mixtures of custard with interesting debris thrown in, like cookies pieces or fruit.

The only problem is that if ice cream isn’t exactly health food, I don’t know what to call frozen custard. The best plan is to order a small, eat half (or less) and then take the rest home and put it in the freezer. This works great, because the custard won’t get rock hard, due to the incredibly high fat content. So save the other half for a later–much later–date.

Andy’s Frozen Custard
719 Church St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 864-8009
http://www.yelp.com/biz/andys-frozen-custard-evanston

That Little Mexican Cafe

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**** (4 stars)

The first time I went here I had pretty conventional Tex Mex fare, and it was fine. But on my return visit I decided to see if they could do authentic Mexican food, and I left quite impressed. I had the Pibil, a slow roasted marinated pork, somewhat like pastor. It was brimming with interesting spices and had a piquant tang to the barbecue-like sauce. Served with corn tortillas, it was delicious and authentic.

The salsa here is quite good, a homemade version more about the herbs and spices than tomato sauce. Chips are fairly sturdy, and also seem homemade.

The margaritas are excellent. They’re hand shaken and poured over the rocks, and have just the right level of tartness, and a good balance of tequila to juice.

Service is friendly and attentive. Brunch is available on the weekends.

That Little Mexican Cafe
1010 Church St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 905-1550
http://www.yelp.com/biz/that-little-mexican-cafe-evanston

The Vineyard Grill

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**** (4 stars)

This is the main restaurant at the Ritz Carlton, since Normans (which I’m not fond of) is independently operated. So this is the main place for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some people list it as a steak house, but when you first walk in it looks a bit more like an upscale coffee shop dining room. I’m sure it has a very different atmosphere at various times of day, but I’ve always gone for dinner, when it transforms into a fairly upscale experience.

I’ve found all of the entrees to be reliable, but for me the highlight is the wine list (not surprising, given the restaurant’s name). The trick is to look beyond the least expensive selections, because the pricier wines are listed at a fairly reasonable markup for a restaurant in such a fancy environment.

The wine manager here is very friendly and knowledgeable, and can give you some guidance as to food pairings. We live in Orlando, yet make it a regular stop on the way back from the airport if we’re picking someone up, so that says a lot for a hotel restaurant.

The Vineyard Grill
4012 Central Florida Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32837
(407) 393-4648
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-vineyard-grill-orlando

Norman’s

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*** (3 stars)

I have to admit I don’t really get Norman’s food. I’ve been to a couple of special events here that I liked quite well, including a Paul Bocuse dinner that was superb. But it was Paul Bocuse’s food, for the most part, that made it so. The restaurant’s normal menu doesn’t do it for me. It always seems to me as if there is one too many spices in each dish, that somehow muddle the flavors. It leaves me yearning for something a bit simpler, where the quality of the natural ingredients is allowed to shine through.

Service is pleasant, although I’ve run into more than one server who was clueless about wine. One server had never heard of the expression “corkage charge,” which is a bit amazing for a restaurant of this caliber.

The room is pretty, although it can be noisy. If you’re staying at the resort, it’s probably worth trying. It’s certainly better than the dozens of steakhouse alternatives that surround it in the tourist area. But when I visit the Ritz I eat at The Vineyard, which has a better wine list and a subtler touch with the food.

Norman’s
4012 Central Florida Pkwy
Orlando, FL 32837
(407) 393-4333
http://www.yelp.com/biz/normans-orlando