Category Archives: Illinois

City Winery Chicago

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***** (5 stars)

I love everything about this environment. The bar is a great place to hang out before a show, and the show space has great acoustics. You can arrive an hour or two early and have a great meal of small plates. The flat breads and dips were good, but the “root beer” rubbed pork belly with savory french toast and maple-bourbon sauce was phenomenal. I’ve had pork belly in some of the world’s best restaurants, and this was the best ever: not too fatty, bursting with subtle flavors, and the perfect accompaniments. Their house made wines are respectable and interesting, and there are also lots of beers and other choices. Good service, too. An excellent venue for a show, probably my top choice in Chicago.

City Winery Chicago
1200 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 733-9463
http://www.yelp.com/biz/city-winery-chicago-chicago

Mago Grill & Cantina

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**** (4 stars)

Mago Grill offers a nice mix of authentic Mexican items plus Tex Mex standards. The highlight is their various Mole sauces. Most of the food here tends to be spicy, so if you’re sensitive, be sure to ask about heat levels.

The ceviche sample is a nice way to start. It offers shrimp, tilapia and bay scallops. All appeared to be cooked. The marinade were different for each, and all three were fairly spicy.

The tamales are also a good appetizer. The come with brown and green moles, both of which are tasty.

Of the tacos, our favorites were the shrimp and the pastor, although the snapper and pibil were also good. Although an order is two tacos at lunch and three at dinner, it’s quite a lot of food, because each comes with two corn tortillas, so you can divide them up to make them more manageable and end up with twice as many.

Margaritas are good, but if you don’t like spicy beware of the salted rim, which contains peppers!

The only item we were disappointed in was the veggie fajitas, which were a rather sodden lump. I’d avoid that, as it’s not authentic anyway.

Note that Mago is a great place to eat outside on a nice day.

Mago Grill & Cantina
115 W Campbell St
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(847) 253-2222
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mago-grill-and-cantina-arlington-heights-2

Symphony’s Cafe

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***** (5 stars)

From the outside Symphony’s looks like it might be a period diner, but in fact the interior is bright, modern, sleek and very appealing. So is the service, which is very friendly.

While a large section of the menu is breakfast, there are some great sandwiches and entrees here as well. I had the Chicken and Vegetables, which were stir fried to caramelized perfection. On a tip from another Yelper I ordered the accompanying salad with garlic dressing. Wow, was that fantastic! Fortunately I got it on the side, and while I used very little on the salad, I saved it and couldn’t resist dipping my chicken in it. Great combination. I’ll definitely be back to explore more of this menu.

Symphony’s Cafe
1945 Central St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 475-1200
http://www.yelp.com/biz/symphonys-cafe-evanston

Ahjoomah’s Apron

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**** (4 stars)

Very good service and food at this Korean restaurant that faces Chinatown. We started with the Seafood Pancake, which was quite large, an appetizer suitable for four or even six. For entrees we had the Dolsot Bibim Bop, which is served still cooking in a stone bowl, and the Kalbi, slices of beef with the rib bone attached, grilled with a sweet Korean barbecue sauce. Both were very good. Service was super attentive. I think everyone working in the place came by to check on us at least twice! A great choice for Asian food when near Chinatown.

Ahjoomah’s Apron
218 W Cermak Rd
Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 326-2800
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ahjoomahs-apron-chicago

Ravinia Festival

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*** (3 stars)

A wonderful concert venue with nice restaurants and great ambience both inside and out.

Unfortunately the audio upgrades made in 2013 have rendered the rock concert audio unlistenably loud. Even with earplugs, the sound in the pavilion is unbearable. Because the quiet numbers sound fine, it is quite clear that driving the subs to absurd levels is what has muddled everything up. This ruined all eight concert we attended during the summer, and in one, where our seats were in the front to the side we were driven from our seats.

In contrast, the classical concerts, which are largely unamplified, sound great.

Ravinia Festival
200 Ravinia Park Rd
Highland Park, IL 60035
(847) 266-5000
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ravinia-festival-highland-park

Dave’s Italian Kitchen

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**** (4 stars)

Dave’s may have the best wine list in Evanston. It’s certainly the best priced wine list. The selections are well thought out, good quality, and priced only a bit above retail. Weirdly, the best section of the list is Australian, where there are a number of old gems.

Food-wise, our results were good but not amazing. I really liked the Ceasar salad, and the bread was great. I was less enthusiastic about the house made pasta, which seemed heavy and overcooked. The small calzone was huge and tasty, although next time I’ll make sure to get one with ricotta cheese in it. We didn’t sample the pizza, but it looked very good.

The entrance is weird, with steps leading down to an industrial cubicle and no signs indicating where the restaurant is. But this makes it a delightful surprise to open the door onto a cheerful, bustling, and surprisingly large space.

Service was very friendly and attentive. We’ll definitely return for another crack at that wine list.

Dave’s Italian Kitchen
1635 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 864-6000
http://www.yelp.com/biz/daves-italian-kitchen-evanston

Jilly’s Cafe

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**** (4 stars)

Jilly’s is a casual French cafe with friendly service and a fairly traditional menu. One of the more interesting aspects is that there are almost as many specials each night as there are regular menu items.

The meal begins with excellent crusty French bread, butter, and chicken liver pate.

I had the escargot, which were the traditional preparation, topped with small croquettes and served with a slice of lemon. The escargot and garlic butter were good, especially with the French bread. I’m not sure the croquettes and lemon added a lot.

My second course was my favorite, a poached pair and bleu cheese salad. It had just the right mix of bitter and sweet ingredients.

An intermezzo of pinot noir sorbet cleared the palate.

For my entree I selected their specialty, the skinless duck breast and confit. Both were good, but the breast was swimming in a very sweet sauce, so I stuck with the confit.

Service was extremely friendly at all the tables, and they were reasonably busy on a Tuesday night, with a crowd composed of about half regulars. Wine prices is reasonable, although the website version of the wine list is out of date.

Jilly’s is a good choice if you are in the mood for traditional French food in a friendly atmosphere.

Jilly’s Cafe
2614 Green Bay Rd
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 869-7636
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jillys-cafe-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

Go 4 Food

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***** (5 stars)

Great little place on a side street in Chinatown. Clean, friendly, and superb food. Lunch is an incredible bargain for under $7, but we chose to explore the main menu, which is also reasonably priced.

We tried the Salty Egg Yolk Shrimp, Dungeness Crab Curry, and the French Beef. All were excellent.

I would have liked the shrimp a bit crispier; it’s definitely worth $2 extra to have it shelled.

If only the crab could be shelled! It was our favorite dish because of the rich spices in the curry, but it was an absolute mess to eat because it’s a whole crab covered in curry sauce, and you have to crack the shells; but hanging onto something covered in hot, slippery sauce is a real challenge. They can do other proteins with this sauce, and that’s what I’d get next time.

I’d definitely get the French Beef again. It was wonderfully tender cubes of beef with an aromatic crust. No Frenchmen were harmed in the preparation of this dish.

This is definitely a non-touristy place to have great food in Chinatown.

Go 4 Food
212 W 23rd St
Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 842-8688
http://www.yelp.com/biz/go-4-food-chicago

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