Oak Street Beach Cafe

Posted on by

*** (3 stars)

It seems three stars is the highest rating this place has ever gotten, but I thought it was fine, and one of the better choices at Midway.

The menu is a bit confusing, but it’s sliders: pick 1, 2, or 3 and what you want in them. I chose tuna. It was well done, which was probably just as well (no pun intended).

Pick your bun. I chose brioche, but I think I got white. Anyway, they were nicely grilled.

Pick your chip seasoning. I chose salt and pepper. As others have noted, they are fresh, but some are soggy. Still, there were about a pound of fresh ones.

The sliders had nice crispy romaine lettuce and decent tomato. No sign of the advertised aioli, but probably just as well.

Employees see sullen but not outright abusive.

Note: prep time is 10-15 minutes, so don’t go here in a rush.

Bottom line: I’d go here again.

Oak Street Beach Cafe
Chicagi Midway International Airport
Chicago, IL 60638

http://www.yelp.com/biz/oak-street-beach-cafe-chicago-2

Coalfire Pizza

Posted on by

***** (5 stars)

I admit it: I’m not a fan of deep dish pizza. So the pickings are a bit slim for my idea of a great pizza in Chicago. Coalfire pizza to the rescue!

My idea of a great pizza is a thin, slightly charred crust, with flavorful toppings spread thinly enough that they don’t make the crust soggy. That’s exactly what you’ll find here.

Normally I tend to order vegetarian pizzas, but the way to go at coal fire is with the pepperoni and whipped ricotta pizza. The pepperoni is thick cut, so it has tons of flavor, and the fluffy cheese adds a great creamy finish.

If you appreciate thin crust pizza, this is the place to go.

Coalfire Pizza
1321 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 226-2625
http://www.yelp.com/biz/coalfire-pizza-chicago

Buffalo Joe’s

Posted on by

**** (4 stars)

This is a good wings place, but they actually have a lot more, including hamburgers, hot dogs and even vegetarian sandwiches. Everything is cooked to order, so it’s hot and fresh, and there is a nice enough dining area both in front and in back. Service is fast and efficient. Cash only.

Buffalo Joe’s
812 Clark St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-5525
http://www.yelp.com/biz/buffalo-joes-evanston

Katsu

Posted on by

***** (5 stars)

This is the best sashimi I’ve found in Chicago. Interestingly, sashimi is not available by the piece, but only in various collections, such as the chef’s omakase, which is available in three sizes. The quality and presentation is superb.

This isn’t really a place to go if you’re looking for sushi rolls. The selection is limited, and they weren’t the highlight of our meal. Also, the tempura was just so so. However the eel custard was great.

Indeed, this is a sashimi place, so plan on having that when you go, and plan on spending a fair amount for it, as the quality means it is expensive.

There is a thoughtful if short wine list, and the Champagne on it goes great with the sashimi.

Katsu
2651 W Peterson Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 784-3383
http://www.yelp.com/biz/katsu-chicago

Fuel

Posted on by

*** (3 stars)

A good place for breakfast. The chilaquiles and pancakes were both fine, not particularly remarkable. The side order of ham was generous and very tasty, sourced (as are many of their offerings) from a local provider. Service was friendly and attentive.

Fuel
1222 Washington Ct
Wilmette, IL 60091
(847) 251-3835
http://www.yelp.com/biz/fuel-wilmette-2

Longitud315

Posted on by

***** (5 stars)

Superb ceviche, perhaps the best I’ve had anywhere. The sampling of empanadas as interesting, the arepas less so. The drunken mushrooms were a standout, as was the coconut sorbet served with the chocolate cake.

Wonderfully welcoming atmosphere and superb service throughout our visit make this place a special treat.

Longitud315
315 Waukegan Ave
Highwood, IL 60040
(847) 926-7495
http://www.yelp.com/biz/longitud315-highwood-2

DMK Burger & Fish

Posted on by

**** (4 stars)

It’s nice to find a burger place with table service. This small restaurant offers counter service to go, but if you want to eat in, just have  seat.

The veggie burger I had was delicious, with a nice crust, and moist, tasty filling, and good toppings. The bun tended to self-destruct, even though it had been nicely grilled, but fortunately I had a knife and fork!

The fries were tasty but a bit soggy, although that was mostly masked by the excellent blue cheese and bacon topping.

Service, by Tess, was great, friendly and informative. Nice place.

DMK Burger & Fish
815 Noyes St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 424-8226
http://www.yelp.com/biz/dmk-burger-and-fish-evanston

Naf Naf Grill

Posted on by

*** (3 stars)

This is basically a middle eastern Chipotle. You choose a salad bowl or rice bowl or pita, a main ingredient such as falafel or shawarma, and then pick the accompaniments. There’s not much point in choosing the pita, because the bowl comes with a pita anyway.

The falafel was nice and crunchy. I had it on a salad, which would have been rather dry and bland had I not added hummus, which is $1.50 extra.

Combo meals come with a drink and a side. I chose the fries, which were actually house made potato chips. They would have been good had they been fresh and crisp, but mine were soggy.

For about the same amount of money I could have gone around the corner to Olive Mountain and had table service.

Naf Naf Grill
1629 Orrington Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 866-8470
http://www.yelp.com/biz/naf-naf-grill-evanston-2

Dozika Restaurant

Posted on by

*** (3 stars)

While the logo may suggest this is a noodle shop, I would describe it more as a sushi restaurant that also serves pan-Asian food.

There are a number of interesting bento boxes available for lunch, and I like the fact that you can essentially pick your own sushi, sashimi and roll as part of one of them. The sushi was perfectly acceptable, better than a market but not gourmet. Certainly for the price it was good. The miso soup was excellent.

Service is friendly and the atmosphere is casual but nice enough.

Dozika Restaurant
601 Dempster St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 869-9740
http://www.yelp.com/biz/dozika-restaurant-evanston

Libertad

Posted on by

***** (5 stars)

From the outside, with its dark windows, this place looks like a questionable dive, but step inside and it’s a trendy, vibrant (i.e. loud) and wonderful restaurant.

The menu offers fewer than twenty dishes, but if what I sampled is any indication, there is plenty of variety, and a lot of amazing culinary skill behind it.

Yes, it’s Latin American influenced, but if I hadn’t been told that I’m not sure I would have guessed from the dishes I was served. I had an arugula, blue cheese and walnut salad that was superb. Then scallops on black rice that were equally superb; in fact, they were quite possibly the best scallops I’ve ever had.

They have positioned themselves as a tapas style sharing restaurant, but the servings are much larger than tapas, and two dishes was all I could manage, although I wanted to try more.

The beverage service is also noteworthy. I had a specialty margarita with a smoky character that was quite interesting, and then I tried the sangria. Wow. This was easily the best sangria I ever tasted. In addition to Burgundy, brandy, apple and berries, there was also “hum,” a botanical spirit that added an amazing complexity. It was so fantastic I found it online and sought out a place to buy a bottle on my way home (Binny’s on Dempster, if you want some).

Service was friendly and fast. The place was packed, but kitchen service was prompt and didn’t seem stressed at all.

The only downside is the noise level. On a Tuesday night there was no possibility of conversing with a tablemate in anything less than a shout. But if that doesn’t put you off, this is a truly impressive restaurant.

Libertad
7931 Lincoln Ave
Skokie, IL 60077
(847) 674-8100
http://www.yelp.com/biz/libertad-skokie