**** (4 stars)
Pete Millers has that clubby feel I like in a steakhouse. The steaks aren’t particularly life-changing, but the ambiance is great, and there’s live entertainment that is pleasant without making conversation impossible. A good place for a business dinner.
Pete Miller’s Seafood & Prime Steak
1557 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-0399
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pete-millers-seafood-and-prime-steak-evanston
**** (4 stars)
This place makes some very inventive rolls, and the fish seems fresher than the other places in town. It is pretty pricey, though. I love to sit outside on the sidewalk late on a summer evening when the traffic dies down.
Kansaku
1514 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 864-4386
http://www.yelp.com/biz/kansaku-evanston
**** (4 stars)
This place offers really authentic Middle Eastern food and at lunch the prices are crazy cheap. A great falafel sandwich, delicious side of hummus and a beverage is under $6. That’s nuts! PLus, it’s full table service, and the owner is always there to make sure things go right. Great restaurant.
The Olive Mountain
610 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 475-0380
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-olive-mountain-evanston
*** (3 stars)
There aren’t a lot of authentic Italian places in Evanston, so Trattoria Demi is probably as close as you’re going to come. They make a good Caesar salad, and the pizza is serviceable. There’s nothing about the place that will really fool you into thinking your in a Trattoria in Italy, but it’s a perfectly fine restaurant.
Trattoria Demi
1571 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 332-2330
http://www.yelp.com/biz/trattoria-demi-evanston
*** (3 stars)
This place has a massive menu, with all types of Asian food. It’s big and busy and loud, and probably the best reason to go is for their huge assortment of beverages and ice cream drinks. 527 Cafe, right next door, offers better Korean and Thai food in a quieter environment.
Joy Yee’s Noodle Kitchen
521 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 733-1900
http://www.yelp.com/biz/joy-yees-noodle-kitchen-evanston
*** (3 stars)
Cozy Noodles is a funky little cafe near Ace hardware, on Davis, but on the other side of the tracks from the business district. The striking thing about the place is the collections of tin toys, Pez dispensers, license plates, canned good, and other oddities that line the walls. Despite its name, it doesn’t serve comfort food (unless you’re from Southeast Asia), but rather Chinese and Thai food. Our food was good — “spicy” definitely means spicy — and the prices are very reasonable.
Cozy Noodles & Rice
1018 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 733-0101
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cozy-noodles-and-rice-evanston
***** (5 stars)
A really top-notch French restaurant with extremely reasonable prices for what you get. The wine pairings, in particular, are extremely attractive.
The restaurant is the latest project of award-winning chef Michael Lachowicz. During our Thursday night visit the place was almost full. What we received was a delicious five-course French meal for two people with matching wine pairings. Each course was super, and the matching wines paired perfectly with the food. We had:
goat cheese puff amuse bouche (we were actually served this twice, which was great!)
corn soup (paired with an Italian white)
zucchini with goat cheese in pastry
seared salmon (paired with a white Burgundy)
roast pork in pastry (paired with an Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon)
chocolate souffle with chocolate sauce and strawberries
chocolate truffles
Service seemed well-intentioned, but not really at the caliber of the food. This was one of the dressier restaurants I’ve been to around Evanston, with many of the men in coats and ties. That was ironic, because the owner is extremely friendly and casual, working the front desk in jeans and a short sleeve shirt!
This place has definitely made it onto our regular dining list.
Michael
64 Green Bay Rd
Winnetka, IL 60093
(847) 441-3100
http://www.yelp.com/biz/michael-winnetka
***** (5 stars)
This is a small plates sort of place, so we sampled some smoked salmon, hummus, Margherita flatbread and some fish tacos. It was all good, and the hummus plate, which is more like a whole Lebanese meal including falafel and olives, is a particularly good deal.
The menu is really interesting, and warrants several repeat visits. Service was well-intentioned but not quite as professional as the food. The place was very busy, due to the trendy vibe and good prices. The bar looks nice, too.
Terra an American Bistro
2676 Green Bay Rd
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 563-9100
http://www.yelp.com/biz/terra-an-american-bistro-evanston
**** (4 stars)
Dumpy old furniture, cave-like ambiance, everything you expect in a college-oriented coffee house. I love it. The food, whcih takes awhile since there’s often not much staff, is surprisingly good, the coffee drinks are Starbucks-killers, and the wifi is free. My favorite coffee house in Evanston.
Kafein
1621 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 491-1621
http://www.yelp.com/biz/kafein-evanston
**** (4 stars)
What looks like a run of the mill coffee house turns out to be a gourmet sandwich and salad experience. Service is a bit slow because there are only a couple of employees, but the results are delicious.
Cafe Mozart
600 Davis St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 492-8056
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-mozart-evanston