Gilson's in Wilmette

I used the search function to see if anyone has written about Gilson's yet, but didn't see anything. My apologies if this is a repeat.

We went to Gilson's last night for dinner and I was pleasantly surprised - I didn't even know the place was there. It's a tiny little space with about ten tables and a bar; they don't take reservations. It has a casual bistro feel with funky artwork and a TV above the bar.

The dinner menu had a bit of everything on it - soups, salads, pasta, fish tacos, skirt steak, baked chicken, tenderloin filet, walleye, burgers, pizza... To start we ordered the "Fancy Fries" (awarded "best fries" at the Philadelphia Food Show), a house salad, and the "Brutus salad" (think slight variation on Caesar). The fries were served in two cones - regular and sweet - with three dipping sauces, and were absolutely delicious. The salads were pretty average.

For dinner I had the tenderloin filet which came with red potatoes and zucchini. The tenderloin came with a thick slab of horseradish/lemon butter on it. I really enjoyed the meat, but thought the veggies were a bit over-salted. My husband had the skirt steak which came on a bed of spanish rice (I think) - he though it was very good. Our friends had the tenderloin and the pasta carbonara; the carbonara was done with thick, wide noodles.

For dessert we ordered a piece of the chocolate layer cake, which had a thick layer of fudge-like icing inside and was covered in a wonderful mocha frosting. The cake got a big thumbs up. I also ordered coffee, which was pretty average. I asked the waitress if they did espresso drinks and she said they used to because the previous tenants had run a coffee shop and had left all their equipment, but they didn't have enough demand to keep the machine running. I really would have loved a cappuccino to finish off my meal.

Service was good - friendly and attentive without being overbearing.

There was enough on the menu that interested me that I'll definitely go back. In the warmer months they have outdoor seating, and they offer a kids' menu for families.

Gilson's
1126 Central Ave
Wilmette IL 60091
847-256-2430
www.gilsonsofwilmette.com