La Petite Amelia, Evanston

DISCLAIMER: My cousin, Greg Mistak, is Executive Chef. So of course I visited to see what he's up to, after hearing glowing reports from his mother, and my mother, etc.

La Petite Amelia is a French Bistro-style resto in downtown Evanston, in the space where Mt. Everest used to be (618 Church). There's a new, big, dark-wood bar.

On a day when the weather is over 95, I expect casual, and many of the diners are in shorts, sandals, etc., and the staff didn't bat an eye at us being similarly dressed. My son Thing1, and JohnV, who is an old pal from our NU days, joined us.

For starters, we split an order of Escargot (JohnV's choice -- he went all mollusc tonight). Nice fat morsels of snail, in a garlic bath. Frankly, I'd be happy with roasted garlic in the garlic bath, perhaps even gravel and tree bark in garlc bath, but this was quite good, especially with their chewy bagettes.

The other starter was the crudite of the day: the three items on the patter today were a cucumber and onion slaw (kind of somewhere between new pickles and thai cucumber salad), a spinach/artichoke spread, and a crostini with goat cheese and a slice of tomato. All were quite nice, especially the goat cheese.

For entrees, I ordered the Mussels Frites, as did JohnV (although he asked for haricots verts, a $1 upcharge from the frites, and added a side of rattatouille. The mussels were of a small variety, with a peachy-orange color, and nicely flavorful and tender. The sauce they were in was based on chopped tomatoes and garlic, which were nicely sopped up with the skinny, nicely salty frites.

MrsF had the lamb shank with Israeli couscous. This was very tender and also very flavorful. The couscous had tiny chopped veggies in it, making a nice texture contrast. I'd had a lamb shank at Reza's a couple months ago, and this was significantly better, less greasy and held together in nice chunks of meat.

Thing1 had the Steak Frites, which is offered with Roquefort, Anchovy or Garlic butter. He almost ordered the garlic butter until he we told him what Roquefort was -- kids these days. Didn't get a taste of this.

Desserts were outstanding: creme brulee (didn't taste), three quenelles of chocolate mousse with berries (wonderful texture and deep chocolate flavor), warm flourless chocolate cake (something about the whipped cream atop it was amazing), and profiteroles, which were really cream puff sized, but Thing1 had no trouble munching through them.

Definitely worth a stop, and probably another trip for me soon.

A friend just asked me if I'd like to join her for dinner at "that new French bistro near Whole Foods." I knew that it was Amelia, and I had wanted to try it, so I happily accepted the invitation. Amelia was just lovely. The space has been amazingly transformed since its Mt. Everest days -- quite handsome, in neutral tones, dark wood, and, at dinner, low lights.

Myfriend and I split the "appetizer du jour," which was made up of a perfectly seared scallop, a small fresh-tasting salad of grape tomatoes with basil and wilted onions, and a flavorful little salad of yummy duck confit and frissée lettuce.

For my main course, I ordered steak frites with roquefort butter and my friend had the sautéed whitefish with mushrooms and beurre rouge. My steak was perfectly cooked and delicious and the pommes frites were incredibly thin crisp, and flavorful -- and there was a mountain of them (had to opt for a doggy bag). My friend said her fish was perfect -- crispy on one side, delicate and flaky on the other, and perfect throughout.

Having been defeated by the mound of fried potatoes, I simply tasted my friend's chocolate mousse, which was a teensy bit grainy but very chocolaty and really delicious. My friend had no trouble consuming every last bit.

We were told that this evening's menu was a new one, and we saw much on it that would lead us back for another visit (red wine-braised lamb shank with winter squash, filet of beef with pommes gratinées and congnac-peppercorn sauce, duck confit and roasted breast with confit of root vegetables). It was a satifsying and delightful meal. I can see this place becoming a favorite Evanston destination.

For those who might need to know, there was a vegetarian offering: acorn squash stuffed with Israeli couscous and glazed root vegetables with sage browned butter.

Wine is a tiny bit pricey (though the house wine is Mouton Cadet, so a pleasant choice), but the food is very well priced for what you get.

So if you want a really good bistro meal at reasonable bistro prices (average entrée price about $18 ), Amelia is a real find. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys this kind of food.

La Petite Amelia
618 Church Street
Evanston, IL
847-328-3333

Almost a year and a half after it abruptly closed its doors, the windows of La Petite Amelia on Church in Evanston are finally papered over. However, there was no sign (that I could see) indicating what might be coming next.

Every time I drove by there over the past 16 months, I was reminded of Miss Havisham's dining room, as the tables remained set with silver and wine glasses, ready for the guests who would never dine....

Chicago Magazine's Dish column is reporting that that will be the site of Bistro Bordeaux, a bistro from Pascal Berthoumieux, the former GM of one sixtyblue. It's scheduled to open December 15. Click here for the full blurb.