Category Archives: Evanston

Bistro Bordeaux

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***** (5 stars)

I’ve now been to Bistro Bordeaux many, many times over four years, and it is always superb. Favorites are the chicken for two (better than at Alain Ducasse’s Louis IV in Monaco!), the house salad, the French onion soup, whatever the day’s tart is, whatever the current preparation of the foie gras, the Cognacs, the decaf teas, pretty much everything. Great authentic ambiance, great food.

Bistro Bordeaux
618 Church St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 424-1483
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bistro-bordeaux-evanston

Las Palmas Restaurant & Bar

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**** (4 stars)

I was hesitant to try this place because of the reviews, and I’m a bit of a Tex Mex snob. But I have to say that their premium margarita is killer. Maybe no one tries it because it’s $11 bucks, but it was worth it: top of the line Sauza and Gran Marnier.

I had the veggie fajitas, which were an amazing spread for $7.95.

Service on a quiet Friday afternoon was attentive. I’d go back.

Las Palmas Restaurant & Bar
817 University Pl
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-2555
http://www.yelp.com/biz/las-palmas-restaurant-and-bar-evanston

Campagnola

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**** (4 stars)

An intimate upscale Italian restaurant with good food and great ambiance.

I tried three three tasty dishes: The diver scallops appetizer was a bit heavy, almost floating in butter, but tasty. Caesar salad was traditional and tasty, but served in “kit” form requiring a lot of cutting up to assemble it. The barramundi special was a tasty piece of fish enhanced by the horseradish creme fraiche, but the beets and kale didn’t add much.

Very reasonable wine prices, and attentive, cordial service. I loved the intimate atmosphere, subdued lighting, and low noise level.

Campagnola
815 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 475-6100
http://www.yelp.com/biz/campagnola-evanston

J.T’s Bar & Grill

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*** (3 stars)

This place has a pleasant outside eating area. Inside the atmosphere is more sportsbar-ish. The menu is weighted towards burgers, and there didn’t seem to be any salads. The veggie burger I had on a pretzel bun was delicious. The Greek fries were soggy. So, one for two.

Although it’s called a bar and grill, half the menu is breakfast, so I’d return to try that.

Service was friendly.

J.T’s Bar & Grill
1639 Orrington Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-6200
http://www.yelp.com/biz/j-ts-bar-and-grill-evanston

Tapas Barcelona

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**** (4 stars)

This is very authentic tapas. In fact, except that the plates are larger, it is extremely similar to Tapa Tapa in Barcelona. I tried the ceviche, the asparagus, the grilled squid and the grilled mussels. The ceviche was my favorite. It’s a fully cooked version, and the shrimp and squid were tender, and the diced peppers and onions nicely marinated. The grilled mussels, served like fajitas, were also good.

The wine pours are a bit small for the price, but the dessert coffees at $3.95 make up for it. Try the Matador, which has Spanish vanilla liqueur in it.

Service is a bit uneven, but if you’re not in a hurry that’s okay. The place is very busy; it was packed on the Tuesday night I went, so that could account for it. The outside dining area is very nice on a warm evening.

Tapas Barcelona
1615 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 866-9900
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tapas-barcelona-evanston

Golden Olympic Restaurant

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**** (4 stars)

This IS you father’s diner. Or maybe your grandfather’s. In fact, he may still be eating here.

Golden Olympic is like stepping back into the fifties, in terms of ambiance, service and food. True, there are some Greek (and even a few Asian) items on the menu, but basically it’s a diner.

I went with the Greek theme, since there was a photo of Santorini on the wall, and had the Village Sandwich, which consisted of feta cheese, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions with Tzatziki sauce, rolled in a pita.

Good choice. It was refreshing, tasty and yet light like a salad.

It came with a choice of sides, and to offset the healthfulness of the sandwich I chose onion rings.

Bad choice. They were the kind of onion rings you buy in the frozen food department and bake until they’re crunchy, except these hadn’t made it to crunchy.

Service was pleasant in a detached, 50s waitress kind of way.

This is the first restaurant I’ve been in for a decade that had an FM radio station playing. But it was music from the 70s, so I guess they’re going modern.

All in all a fun trip down memory lane, and a good spot for breakfast or a sandwich.

Golden Olympic Restaurant
1608 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-1617
http://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-olympic-restaurant-evanston

Greek Fire Grill

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**** (4 stars)

This is a good place for a Chicago Dog, which is pretty much indistinguishable from all the other Chicago Dogs in town. One day I made the several mile round trip walk to the highly rated Mustard’s Last Stand, and couldn’t tell the difference, so now I just stick with (what is now called) Greek Fire Grill.

They have a fairly wide variety of foods, and burgers and greek specialties are also popular, although they are rarely busy.

Greek Fire Grill
1625 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 869-9453
http://www.yelp.com/biz/greek-fire-grill-evanston-2

Bar Louie Evanston

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**** (4 stars)

I’m not much of a bar person, but I really like Bar Louie. They have a great outside dining area, and surprisingly they make one of the best salads in town. The chop chop salad has iceberg lettuce, bacon, tomato, carrot, avocado, garbanzo beans, chopped egg, cucumber, tortilla strips, and house dressing. I also really like their pretzel sticks, which come with three very good dipping sauces. Service has always been efficient and friendly.

Bar Louie Evanston
1520 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 733-8300
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bar-louie-evanston-evanston-2

World of Beer

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**** (4 stars)

This place is about beer, not food. I sat outside on a lovely evening and tried a Young’s Double Chocolate Stout from a bottle. It was excellent. It took a while for my server to show up, but once she did, she was friendly and efficient. I also had one of their enormous pretzels, which was pretty good, although I would have preferred it with a sampling of mustards rather than just one.

Although the list of beers may seem overwhelming, they are clearly labelled as to origin and style, and the list is online, so you can plan before you go. If you’re into beers, this is a great place to sample them.

World of Beer
1601 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-3688
http://www.yelp.com/biz/world-of-beer-evanston

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