**** (4 stars)
This authentic Greek restaurant is a sprawling collection of rooms and outdoor spaces located on the rear side of The Laundry complex. There is a very extensive list of Greek wines, plus all the Greek appetizers and entrees you’d expect. We particularly enjoyed the salads and the lamb burger.
Avli Estiatorio
566 Chestnut
Winnetka, IL 60093
(847) 446-9300
http://www.yelp.com/biz/avli-estiatorio-winnetka
***** (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