Semi fine dining in far north city or Evanston

My finace and I just moved to Rogers Park (from Hyde Park) and are trying to take advantage of going out a few last times before our baby arrives in the next month or so. I figured we should try some places in this new section of town for us. Entrees in the 20s is perfect (although all types of suggestions are welcome)! Thanks so much!

Have you tried looking at past threads? An easy way to do this is to use google:
http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Al ... m+evanston
http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Al ... ogers+park

Here is a long thread that has some Evanston ideas:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=7368&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=0

We like the Stained Glass and everything about Oceanique but the price.

The Stained Glass ---->http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=196949#p196949
Oceanique----->http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=156714#p156714

Quince
Va Pensiero
Chef's Station
Jilly's Cafe

I second Stained Glass WB in Evanston...couple of other recs:

Bistro Campagne in Lincoln Square proper

Cafe Marbella - North Park/Bowmanville area at the very northern tip of Chicago city limits on Peterson avenue just West of Kimball. Excellent Spanish tapas in a relaxed atmosphere. This would be my #1 rec, it's also BYOB FWIW. Definitely NOT fine-dining though or even semi-FD. Really great food. I spent a year in Spain in the 90's and this is the best Spanish tapas place in Chicago.

Bster

Ditto on Oceanique, though I'm not certain about their entree prices. The menu was acting up when I tried to check.

For contemporary American, I think the best places in Evanston are Oceanique and Chef's Station. Oceanique has an emphasis on seafood.

Regarding pricing, Oceanique has indeed gotten expensive; when I ate there last September, we topped $200 per couple, including wine and tax/tip, although we had slightly more wine than usual. They show prices on their website (in a pop-up window, so you may need to turn off your pop-up blocker); entrees are mostly high twenties to high thirties. If it's not a Saturday they have a special three-course limited menu for around $40 that's a good deal. Also if it's not Saturday, you can print their website's home page and get $25 off on your meal (and I think we did that with our $200+ meal).

Coincidentally, we just now got home after having dinner at Chef's Station this evening, and everything we had was just spectacular. The four of us had three starters, two soups, four mains, two desserts, and three glasses of wine, and the total including tax/tip was under $120 per couple. They don't show prices on their website, but most starters were in the low teens and most mains were high teens to mid-twenties.

For Italian, I recommend both Va Pensiero and Campagnola. Va Pensiero is a bit more upscale and a bit more expensive, with most entrees from the mid twenties to the low thirties. Campagnola is a bit more casual, with exposed brick decor, and a bit less expensive, with most entrees around twenty or so. Both show prices on their websites. Va Pensiero has been our preferred place for Italian in Evanston, but in May we returned to Campagnola for the first time in a while and it was equally outstanding.

One other place not yet mentioned is Jacky's Bistro, for French bistro food. We ate there again a few weeks ago and it was excellent. Entrees are in the lower to upper twenties. It is also the only place in this group that is also open for lunch, and the only one open for Sunday brunch. (EDIT: Jilly's Cafe, mentioned in posts above, is also open for weekday lunch and weekend brunch.)

All of these places offer outstanding food, good service, and pleasant surroundings; Chef's Station and Campagnola also offer the best value in this group.

I've been to the places mentioned in other posts above, but not as recently as these ones I'm commenting on.

I recommend Va Pensiero for a romantic dinner BC (before child). My husband and I can barely remember BC life, but we did have a lovely anniversary dinner in mid-June on a perfect early Summer evening at Va Pensiero in their little hidden patio. The service is attentive, the food excellent, and the ambiance old fashioned but not stuffy. The inside of the restaurant is nice too, with very comfortable chairs (great for pregnant women) and good distances between tables so that you can talk as well as sit comfortably. I've eaten there twice in the past few months and found the food delicious and fairly priced for what it is. Good luck and enjoy the coming months!

nsxtasy wrote:

One other place not yet mentioned is Jacky's Bistro, for French bistro food. We ate there again a few weeks ago and it was excellent. Entrees are in the lower to upper twenties. It is also the only place in this group that is also open for lunch, and the only one open for Sunday brunch.

It's been a while since i've been to Jacky's but everything I've heard about it has been positive. I also liked Va Pensiero when I was last there.

Another place for lunch is Jilly's Cafe. They are open for lunch Tu-Fri and for Sunday brunch.

Also, twice this year I took visitors to Jilly's for dinner and was very pleased both times. On one occasion braised short ribs were on the menu and my guest did everything but lick his plate.

Disclosure: I have a business relations with Jilly's. http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=17165&p=171239&hilit=jilly%27s+map+dinner#p171239

I'll second Jilly's, with whom I have no affiliation whatsoever; we had our first post-kindergarten freedom meal there! Space can be a bit cramped, however - which may be a consideration.

On the lower end of your price range, we've had nice meals at Trattoria D.O.C; it's a little more casual - I'm betting (though I can't speak from experience) that Va Pensiero is better but a bit pricier.

If you go to Chef's Kitchen on a Thursday night for the next month or so, Evmark (the downtown chamber of commerce) is sponsoring live music and dancing just outside but in full view of their patio - we've been going regularly with Sparky despite our six left feet.

George R wrote:Another place for lunch is Jilly's Cafe. They are open for lunch Tu-Fri and for Sunday brunch.

My bad! Previous post edited.

Mhays wrote:If you go to Chef's Kitchen on a Thursday night for the next month or so, Evmark (the downtown chamber of commerce) is sponsoring live music and dancing just outside but in full view of their patio - we've been going regularly with Sparky despite our six left feet.

Just a caution (and I assume you're referring to Chef's Station , named after the Metra station in which it is located)... When we walked out of there on Thursday evening, the music seemed loud enough to inhibit conversation among those dining al fresco.

Yes, sorry, sunburn has addled my brain.

The music is loud, but good, so it would depend entirely on whether you want to enjoy a live show or conversation that evening; I don't know, but I would venture to guess that it also bleeds into the dining room. Chef's Station is one of the sponsors of the event.

Thanks so much for the suggestions! Tonight we are trying Quince, but we are going to try a few others (hopefully) in the next month! I'll try to remember to put up a little post about Quince.

Tonight we are trying Quince, but we are going to try a few others (hopefully) in the next month! I'll try to remember to put up a little post about Quince.

Hmmmm...out of idle curiosity, what made you choose Quince? I'd think the lack of recs of same in response to your post would have t least given you pause. I worked with the chefs at a demo a couple of weeks ago, and was left thoroughly unimpressed, both by the food they (and we, by extension) prepared and by the general lackadaisical attitude exhibited. I'll just leave it at that. Other than that salt customarily doesn't belong in creme Chantilly. Euurhggh. That whirring noise you hear is Leslee Reis in her grave, spinning like a Cuisinart.

Mhays wrote:The music is loud, but good, so it would depend entirely on whether you want to enjoy a live show or conversation that evening

Yup, your choice. In fact, the hostess asked us, upon our arrival, whether we would prefer outdoor or indoor seating, and mentioned the music.

Mhays wrote:I don't know, but I would venture to guess that it also bleeds into the dining room.

I sat in the very center of the dining room and didn't hear a thing. I think the soundproofing in Chef's Station must be exemplary, considering that it's directly below the commuter trains and I never hear them, either.

Mhays wrote:Chef's Station is one of the sponsors of the event.

And kudos to them for that.

sundevilpeg had a good point that there were no enthusiastic raves about Quince and understandably so. I had made reservations there before I had gotten many other suggestions and regrettably stuck with them. We did enjoy sitting on the porch so that was a plus. The appetizers were good, mains were ok and the desserts were a complete disappointment. The one dessert was just a disaster: chocolate covered pretzels (which were more like stale bread sticks) with peanut butter pot de creme that we could only describe as aggressively flavored. Even the ice cream was a disappointment and mind you I am 9 months pregnant and therefore not at all picky about ice cream. I just wished that I had more of the shake I had at the Brown Sack earlier in the day. Oh well...next time, I will attempt to listen better to recs.

ecs wrote:sundevilpeg had a good point that there were no enthusiastic raves about Quince and understandably

ECS,

I suppose raves can be negative, but in either case, I'd expect them to be delivered with enthusiasm

Anyway, Quince has indeed left quite a positive impression on many.

I found the bread service to be very good. I didn't fully appreciate my sweetbreads (I think more me than the sweebreads) but they had a way with fish. Desserts were excellent and I believe there were enough gratis truffles (which were good but belly busting by that point) to treat 'em like highly delicious slingshots and have some to spare.

FWIW, I ate dinner at Quince in January '07 (I think they had been open a couple of months or so at that point) and I was not impressed. I thought the food was okay, but very little was really wonderful. I, too, remember that the desserts were particularly disappointing - in quality as well as in portion size. As a fan of sweetbreads, which they did not have on the menu at that time, I've been wanting to give them another chance, but haven't had the opportunity.

Speaking of which, I'm still fondly remembering our dinner at Chef's Station last week. Chef's Station has been offering consistent quality for ten years; I've eaten there at least half a dozen times (including one Thanksgiving dinner not too long ago) and it has always been excellent. This time I passed on the foie gras appetizer in favor of the scallops wrapped in bacon. The soup of the day was unusual and outstanding; it was a cream of onion soup with a dab of creme fraiche in it. It was smooth/pureed, totally different from, say, a conventional French onion soup. They served a small complimentary intermezzo of mango sorbet. I had a double portion of the sweetbreads as a main course; I also tried the sole stuffed with crab over lobster sauce. Our desserts included a molten chocolate cake and key lime pie. Every dish was absolutely excellent.

I am not sure if it qualifies as semi-fine dining, but once the baby arrives those sorts of quibbles will sort of um, evaporate. anyhow, I had a lovely meal last night at Antiprima in Andersonville, we ate on the back patio (I find the dining room a little tinny and loud) but the grilled octopus was right on, the cucumber salad was divine in the heat and we split two small portions of pasta--a squid ink with rock shrimp and orchiette with lamb sausage. Finished it off with fresh berries with balsamic and marscapone. Not super over the top but everything was executed nicely. I had a glass of pinot grigio and my friend had a coke, the whole tab was $68. That means you'll have a little dough left over for . . . another date at Huey's once the bambino arrives

best wishes for a speedy delivery!

bjt