Category Archives: Illinois

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

Blackbird

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***** (5 stars)

Blackbird has been nominated or received a James Beard award virtually every year for more than a decade, and there’s a reason.

We had the tasting menu, which consisted of ten courses plus a couple of extras. There were several home runs, and a couple of misses. Stellar items included the Foie gras in an amazing shitake broth, and a sweet and savory course of cheese and chocolate. Misses were the sturgeon and the striploin.

Service was super efficient, unobtrusive, and friendly.

The wine list is pricey and doesn’t have a lot of depth, but we found two reasonably priced half bottles that accompanied almost every course.

The place gets noisy, because there is no acoustic treatment, but we went early and had a front corner table that was quite intimate for the first couple of hours.

An excellent culinary experience.

Blackbird
619 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 715-0708
http://www.yelp.com/biz/blackbird-chicago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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