Jilly's (Evanston)

We've been curious about this place ever since we moved to Evanston a few months ago. The Lovely Dining Companion grabbed a Groupon and so we toddled over last night. I was surprised that there is no dedicated thread despite what seems to be a fairly regular attendance by various LTHers. Bottom line: LDC liked it; I thought it was remarkably average.

It's a small, haimish room (read "homey" for those who don't speak Yiddish), a little tight but not too bad. The ceiling and walls and floor have all seen better days (actually, substantially better days). But the table settings were lovely and the feel welcoming. Our server, a jolly older gentleman from either Eastern Europe or Russia, sounded like a voice double for the old character actor, SZ ("Cuddles") Sakall. LDC started with the spring roll (spinach, mushrooms, brie, and cherries) on a bed of greens. The roll, uh, didn't work for her. I tasted it and thought it very strange: the "wrapper" was not crisp, the ingredients sound more harmonious in theory than in practice. But for the very nice fresh greens, forgettable. I had a crab cake: generous in size and in crab. Very little filler (and perhaps, for that reason, a little on the one-note side), a nice tartar sauce to accompany (it sure looked and tasted like tartar, not the remoulade listed on the menu). The crab cake sat atop a corn relish that, while tasty, seemed based on canned corn. If not canned, it was overcooked.

Dinner: arctic char for LDC and bouillabaisse for me. She was quite happy; I was quite not. The bouillabaisse included a reasonable number of "nothing special" mussels, a number of scallops that just didn't work (not good texture, not much flavor...just not much of a contribution at all), two shrimp (that were fine), some fish (I'd swear it was some arctic char, of all things) and a very generous portion of sliced fennel and underripe tomato chunks. The broth was reasonably tasty but the dish just didn't come together particularly well. It didn't help that the "rouille" that it was served with (including two slices of toast) was the only rouille I have ever seen without a grain of red pepper and without saffron. It was mayonnaise. Bizarre. And wrong. And useless with bouillabaisse. Very disappointing.

We had some a la carte sides: mashed sweet potatoes and pureed butternut squash. LDC professed herself very happy with the sweet potatoes (they seemed heavy to me); my squash was very flavorful though it would have helped to drain the juices before serving. Desserts looked lovely (they bring a tray): we split a peach and berry crisp served with good vanilla ice cream. Nicely done but nothing I'd rush back for.

All together (including $10 for a glass of forgettable Pouilly-Fuissé), about $109, including tax but not tip. With the Groupon, $79. You be the judge. With the selection of restaurants available in Evanston--Quince was roughly the same price but light years away in quality--I can't see much point in returning soon. I know that this place has a number of fans (or at least it once did to judge from posts scattered elsewhere). But we're not among them.

Jilly's Cafe
2614 Green Bay Rd.
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 869-7636

Jilly's Cafe is MUCH better for Sunday brunch than for dinner. Strangely, good brunches in Evanston are hard to come by.