Tobermory wrote:

On Central St. across from Bluestone there's a new-ish Thai place called Pinto Kitchen - it went into a space formerly occupied by a Chinese takeout spot. I've eaten there a few times and although they seem to serve the tamer side of Thai cuisine (along with some other Asian menu items) everything I've had has been very tasty and with quality ingredients and since there are only a few tables the service is very attentive.

My business is only a few steps from Pinto Kitchen and we get take-out lunch from there about once a week. The heat is indeed tamed down though you can always ask for more. Some of the curries and the Spicy Basil have a reasonable amount of heat (though far from chili-head standards).

Service is friendly and the ingredients seem to be quite fresh. I've found the garlic chicken has nice flavor. My wife didn't particularly care for the cashew chicken and she gives thumbs down to the Pad Thai (lacks peanuts).

Another Thai place in the area is Andaman West (about 6 blocks further west on Central). It's primarily Japanese/sushi, but also has a reasonable selection of Thai dishes we've found to be quite good. Again it's usually take out for us, though we did dine in once and I had a bento box which I enjoyed.

Andaman West
2861 Central St
Evanston 60201
847-328-5470

Pinto Kitchen
1931 Central St
Evanston 60201
847-328-8881

By the way, on the Evanston restaurant news front, Cozy Noodle (on Davis) had a kitchen fire recently and is closed for the time being, though they have posted signs saying they will reopen.

Tobermory wrote:Speaking of Evanston - has anyone been to the new-ish steakhouse that opened in the Orrington? It got a good review but I haven't spoken to anyone who has actually eaten there. If memory serves me correctly I think it was called something like Narra or Nava and there was a big name chef involved. Sorry I'm not more specific.

We went a while back, maybe a month or two after they opened. It's OK, I guess, but nothing to rave about. I like the steaks at Pete Miller's better. They do give you some sauces with the steaks, which is fun, but since I like my steak plain, wasn't my thing.

Re: Narra:

It's been in turmoil virtually since they opened the doors. Jacky Pluton was the consulting exec chef, Eric Aubriot the chef de cuisine, and neither is exactly a shrinking violet.....I did a demo at the Botanic Garden with Aubriot late last summer, and I found him to be an interesting fellow, if perhaps a little bit prickly. He left for unexplained reasons - "creative differences," perhaps? - shortly thereafter. Being that he's blown through at least half a dozen kitchens in the last decade, I confess that I wasn't at all surprised - the concept of the place didn't seem to suit him at all (nor Pluton, for that matter, but who knows what the story is there?).

Does anyone know where Aubriot went subsequent to Narra, BTW? I keep a fairly close eye on this sort of thing, and I know nothing.

JoelF wrote:Daruma's gone, eh? Add that to the list of RIP faves from my college days:

Is Thai Sookdee long gone?
It has always been my gold
standard for Laad Nar - fat
rice noodles in a perfectly
balanced sweet/savory sauce.

Thai Sookdee moved west on Church Street, by Carmen's and Asado. I haven't been since they moved.

http://www.thaisookdee.com/

Thai Sookdee
1016 Church Street
Evanston
847.866.8012

I'm new to the forum and have lived in Evanston for a while now but aside from chain places? I'm not sure if that is the right word, but places like Bar Louie, Pete Miller's, Chipotle, Las Palmas, Giordano's, Lou Malnati's I have yet to find great small little places to eat. I know of a few but am looking for more of a specific to the neighborhood place, especially mexican and chinese food (not sushi). If someone could recomend some great places, I find myself going to places in the city and would love a place close by, espcially a chinese place that delivers. There is that one chinese place that delivers by the walgreens on chicago by I'm not impressed with the food. Any thoghts? Thanks for the help!

Other than perhaps Evanston Chicken Shack, you're going to have a hard time finding a place that can be called great in Evanston. If you're willing to settle for good, do a search for "Evanston lunch" and you'll see a number of reports by the Evanston lunch group, who get together monthly and have sampled numerous small, family-run places around town. You may also want to check this thread.

LuLu's delivers -- but in my opinion, it's best in person so you can access their excellent all you can eat brunch, which is at certain times but is pretty tasty.

LuLu's -- Dim Sum and Then Sum
804 Davis St.
Evanston 60201-4419
847-869-4343

I don't know -- I live in Chicago but I know if I go up to Evanston there are plenty of nice places to eat. There's Dixie Kitchen and many different kinds of good italian joints (Dave's Italian Kitchen is affordable and kinda fun), Clarke's is good for an excellent breakfast or a decent lunch, there's the Lucky Platter as well. I think Evanston has some great little places.

Shannon

stevez wrote:Other than perhaps Evanston Chicken Shack, you're going to have a hard time finding a place that can be called great in Evanston.

I absolutely, totally disagree!!!

There are many, many places in Evanston where you can find very, very good food, in all categories! For example, here are some of the very best in each...

Fine dining:
Oceanique
Chef's Station
Stained Glass
Jacky's Bistro
Va Pensiero
Campagnola
Jilly's Cafe
Pete Miller's
Quince (new, I haven't been there yet, am optimistic after seeing their menu)

Thai:
Thai Sookdee

Mexican:
Lupita's
That Little Mexican Cafe
Las Palmas

Pizza:
Giordano's
Lou Malnati's
Carmen's

American:
Prairie Moon
Wolfgang Puck's Grand Cafe
The Globe

Eclectic:
Lucky Platter
Blind Faith

Chinese:
Koi

Pan-Asian:
Lulu's Dim Sum
Joy Yee's Noodle

Bait (sushi) :
Kansaku

Greek (Gyros):
Cross Rhodes

Burgers:
Pete Millers (also mentioned under Fine Dining)
Cross Rhodes (also mentioned under Greek)
Buffalo Joe's

Italian:
Gio
Trattoria DOC

Seafood:
Oceanique (also mentioned under Fine Dining)
Davis Street Fishmarket

Cajun:
Dixie Kitchen

Barbecue:
Hecky's (carry-out only)
Merle's Barbecue

Indian:
Mt. Everest Restaurant

Tapas:
Tapas Barcelona

Sandwiches and Cookies
Al's Deli (thank you, Pucca)

As I mentioned earlier, I've found very, very good food at ALL of these places. I'm sure that some here will disagree with one choice or another - we all have our favorites - but put together, it's quite an impressive list of choices for excellent food. (And these are just the best in each category, not a comprehensive listing.) That's quite an amazing assortment of quality AND quantity for an area just a couple miles wide.

Now, there seems to be a disconnect between babyd28's use of the term "great" in his/her query, and that of stevez in his reply. If you define "great" to mean delicious food that provides a very satisfying experience, then all of the above places could easily be considered "great". But if you define "great" to mean "outstanding and significantly better when compared with most other places similar in style/cuisine/price", then the number, almost by definition, is far smaller. Still, even by that latter, more restrictive definition, I think that some of the places in Evanston are "great", and worth driving from anywhere in the Chicago area to enjoy. I would certainly put Oceanique and Chef's Station in that category of greatness; the food at both places is simply wonderful, pure culinary bliss in every bite of every dish (don't miss the soups and the desserts at both places, in addition to the other dishes), with friendly, casual, fun atmosphere to go along with it. (In fact, I would be quite surprised if stevez has actually been to either one, based on his nasty quip). I've also had absolutely wonderful meals at all the other places listed in the Fine Dining category (except Quince, see note), as well as some of the other places listed, notably Lupita's and Thai Sookdee, but I'm not sure I would say that they are as unusual in terms of sheer excellence as the first two listed.

babyd28 wrote:I know of a few but am looking for more of a specific to the neighborhood place, especially mexican and chinese food (not sushi). If someone could recomend some great places, I find myself going to places in the city and would love a place close by, espcially a chinese place that delivers.

For Mexican, Lupita's and That Little Mexican Cafe are both wonderful! Lupita's has a very conventional Mexican menu, all of which they prepare very well, but where they really excel is their weekly specials (the dinner specials, but not the lunch specials, are also posted on their website). Very creative, unusual dishes, consistently outstanding. That Little Mexican Cafe is also very good, and their regular menu has more provincial dishes than the usual. Both are highly recommended!

For Chinese, I've been underwhelmed by the choices in Evanston - can't have everything, I guess - but I do have one recommendation. In the past month, I've eaten at Koi twice. Once was outstanding (had the Glazed Orange Shrimp and the Szechwan Style Red Snapper) and the other was pretty good but not great (had the Mongolian Beef and Mu Shu Chicken). They do carry-out and delivery, according to their website. I am hopeful that my first visit is more representative, since it was the best Chinese food I've had in Evanston in at least the second half of the 28 years I've lived here in town.

earthlydesire wrote:LuLu's delivers -- but in my opinion, it's best in person so you can access their excellent all you can eat brunch, which is at certain times but is pretty tasty.

I, too, recommend what Lulu's Dim Sum calls their "munch a bunch". It's not just limited to brunch, either; they serve it on Saturday and Sunday before 3 p.m., and also Monday and Tuesday after 5 p.m. So you can do it for dinner on those weekdays. The deal is, they offer all you can eat (not buffet style, but made to order) on almost everything on their pan-Asian menu, which you can check out on their website. It's a great way to try what they have to offer, for one very low price. And, while I'm not sure I would call their food "great", exactly, it's generally quite good, and tasty.

nsxtasy wrote:I disagree!!!

There are many, many places in Evanston that I would call GREAT, in all categories!

You are certainly entitled to your opinion.

I would definitely second Lupita's. The menu is pretty standard mex-american, but on my one trip there, the execution was first class. I wouldn't call it a "hole in the wall" (I think you asked for Mexican hole-in-the-wall on another thread) but it's the best standard Mexican I've had in Evanston.

For chinese delivery, we do pretty well with Hunan Spring. It's not world class, but it fills its niche pretty well. I like their garlic broccoli and chicken with string beans. I've also had some pretty good food from Joy Yee, although they don't get much love here at LTH.

Cross-Rhodes is great hole-in-the-wall, especially their burgers.

While I'd eat without argument at many of the places on nsxtasy's list, it's hard for me to agree that they are all "great", in the scope of all the places I've ever eaten. (And to be honest, that the list includes a place that hasn't been tried yet and another which later in the same post is disclaimed as "I'm not sure I'd call it great" leads me to take the list with a grain of salt!)

I like Prairie Moon and Lucky Platter for their menus, although execution can vary. Prairie Moon deserves wider recognition for their beer selection.

It's tough for me, because I live two blocks from the Evanston border. I can say I like a place, but if I lived much further away, I'm not sure how many of the places on that list I'd make a great effort to reach for food in their style. Especially considering that "further away" for me would definitely mean into the city not out of it, and by then, there's no way I'd choose a trip to Evanston for almost any of those foods compared to other options in the city.


Lupita's Restaurante
700 Main St
Evanston, IL
(847) 328-2255

Hunan Spring
635 Chicago Ave # 12
Evanston, IL
(847) 328-8082

Cross-Rhodes Restaurant
913 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL
(847) 475-4475

Joy Yee's Noodle Kitchen
519 Davis St
Evanston, IL
(847) 733-1900

nsxtasy wrote:Narra

Narra is closed.

germuska wrote:It's tough for me, because I live two blocks from the Evanston border. I can say I like a place, but if I lived much further away, I'm not sure how many of the places on that list I'd make a great effort to reach for food in their style. Especially considering that "further away" for me would definitely mean into the city not out of it, and by then, there's no way I'd choose a trip to Evanston for almost any of those foods compared to other options in the city.

Having also lived in the city as well as traveling into the city to try many, many restaurants, I think you could pretty much say the same thing for just about anywhere you live, including city neighborhoods as well as suburbs. IOW - There are also plenty of places that are not all that great in the city. Just about anywhere you live, there are places close to home that most of us continue to go to, that are not "great", but are still pretty good, and pretty much everyone frequents them more often than driving some distance to someplace that is truly the best in its category.

There is a tendency to generalize and claim that the city is automatically better than (insert name of suburb) when in fact the city is a collection of neighborhoods and you're not likely to find higher quality, taken overall, in a similar size neighborhood than you are in, say, Evanston. Yes, there are specific places in "the city" that may be better than specific places on the above list. But you're comparing restaurants in dozens and dozens of neighborhoods to one specific small area. Compare one specific city neighborhood - say, Bucktown/Wicker Park, or the South Loop, or Lincoln Park - to the above list for Evanston, and you will be able to come up with a similar list of the best places in all categories, all of which will also be very good, but that list won't be substantially better in either quantity or quality than the above. (And I say that in all due respect towards those neighborhoods, which have many excellent restaurants, as I have found in my travels around town. I mean that statement as a sincere compliment!)

As far as choosing a trip to Evanston from the city for any of those foods, every one of the fine dining restaurants listed is worth a trip to Evanston from anywhere in the Chicago area. The other categories (with the exception of Thai) are ones in which I tend to eat in very good places close to home, rather than traveling 30-60 minutes somewhere else. When I have tried places elsewhere in those categories (including city neighborhoods as well as other suburbs and out of town), I find that the quality is generally similar to, and not often better than, the ones listed.

Again, I think you are likely to say the same thing no matter where you live. If you live in, say, Bucktown/Wicker Park, there are many, many restaurants in the area that are very good. But the number that are worth a trip there from anywhere in the Chicago area is relatively small, and similar to those in Evanston. Of course, people in Bucktown/Wicker Park will claim that the quality and variety in "the city" is better, when they are in fact including Lincoln Park and Logan Square and other nearby areas in that statement. To do the same thing in Evanston, i.e. including not just the immediate neighborhood but also other areas within 10-15 minutes travel time, you would throw into the mix restaurants in nearby suburbs (Skokie, Wilmette, Winnetka) and city neighborhoods (Rogers Park, Lincoln Square, Argyle Street, and maybe even Lincoln Park). Comparing apples to apples (i.e. comparing either only the immediate town/neighborhood, also including surrounding towns/neighborhoods), the dining opportunities in Evanston are every bit as good - including as many "great" restaurants - as those in most parts of the city.

eatchicago wrote:Narra is closed.

Post edited.

nsxtasy wrote:Just about anywhere you live, there are places close to home that most of us continue to go to, that are not "great", but are still pretty good, and pretty much everyone frequents them more often than driving some distance to someplace that is truly the best in its category.

I guess what I'm trying to say, gently, is that your list seems to be more a list of these places than a list of GREAT places.

germuska wrote:I guess what I'm trying to say, gently, is that your list seems to be more a list of these places than a list of GREAT places.

And what I'm saying is, the original poster's question, when you read it, is not really asking about that definition of "great", i.e. "destination places" worth traveling an hour or more for food that's unusual in some way, since they're looking for Chinese places that deliver, etc. Every place on my list is very, very good, where you can get consistently excellent food (which is a different definition of "great"). And in addition to the lengthy list, that post also includes specific recommendations in response to the original poster's question.

If you're asking about limiting the discussion to such "destination places", then you're right - the list would be shorter. But it wouldn't answer the OP's question at all.

Thai Sookdee is in their new, larger space on Church just west of the tracks, and it is better than ever! I've tried every one of the (10-12?) Thai places in Evanston, and Thai Sookdee is by far the best, IMHO. Everything I've had there is simply excellent.

I do know we live fairly close to two different movie theatres, but still see the majority in Evanston as an excuse to grab food at Blind Faith Cafe (no small trek from Chicago/Western where we live). And ~I~ am the kind of person vegetarians hate.
Jamie

I think you might have missed one restaurant

Octarine wrote:I think you might have missed one restaurant

As I mention, this is not a complete list. It's just the ones I think are the best in each category...

I want to be drinking whatever nsxtasy is when I dine in Evanston. I have had some great meals at Va Pensiero (although the last time was a bit of a wreck), and some on the list are good (Pete Miller is fine for steak and Oceanique for fish). But Dave's Italian Kitchen? I doubt that even Dave would say his food is GREAT (undergrads seem to like it, however). Dixie Kitchen?

De gustibus non disputandum.

Evanston, like all communities, has a range of restaurants, a few of which deserve the label "great," many are quite good, and others are serviceable. As critics, I think that we do restaurants a disservice if we lump them all together, even if we recognize that some quite good restaurants can and do provide an enjoyable and satisfying evening. And even some that don't take much care in their food serve their customers well.

Part of Evanston's culinary limits stem from that 800-pound purple Gorilla. Northwestern University will reimburse faculty dinners up to $50/person, and this means that restaurants, if they hope to get faculty business, which they need to survive, will create $50 menus (these menus need to include wine, tax, and tip!) (This limit has been in effect for at least ten years, probably more, and was reasonable in 1997, but not now). Faculty may be profligate with your money, but not with their own. Imagine what this does to menu development. I believe that this was Va Pensiero's problem, and it seems to have affected Stained Glass as well (fortunately not Oceanique, so far). Restaurant life in Evanston at the high-middle range restaurants is shaped by the institutional policies of NU as well as by the personal preferences of its employees.

I didn't see Prairie Joe's on the list. I rather like PJs for 1970s nostalgia.

I'll put in my obligatory post for the Celtic Knot for burgers and fish and chips. I particularly like the Irish bacon and vintage cheddar burger. The goat cheese salad is another of my favorites.

While the above post lists a lot of restaurants and I have tried them all, I will insert the caeveat that a few of them I only go to if there is NO time for me to go elsewhere. Hecky's in particular, I'll go without BBQ first. The owner of Mt. Everest is a friend of mine but pretty much the only time I go is for lunch buffet when I am completely out of time. it's good but Devon is so close, cheaper, and better.

We can't forget the Weiner and Still Champion for burgers and hot dogs and their incredible hand dipped corn dogs...I'll be there later this afternoon before I go to the movies.


Celtic Knot
626 Church St.

Weiner and Still Champion
802 Dempster

disclaimer, I do work for the owners of the Knot and have counted them as friends for 15 years.

I think the disconnect here is that some are posting their favorites in the city while some are expanding to the the rest of Chicago. Taken this way, not looking beyond to the city limits, most of the places are indeed serviceable. You can be the best in Evanston and still be in the bottom ten of a larger geographical list without much problem.

Okay, first off, the next time there's an occasion to list not quite every restaurant in Evanston , let's link to one of the earlier iterations of this list rather than posting it or something like it again. The long long list just kinda derails these threads.

There's a story about the legendary film critic Pauline Kael where she was at a dinner party with friends, and the 13-year-old son was allowed to eat with the grownups, and he offered that his favorite movie was The Man Who Came to Dinner. To which Kael's response was, "See it again. It won't be."

Now, I realize that most folks' first response will probably be "What a bitch!" But actually I think she was paying the kid the highest compliment, of taking his opinion seriously enough to challenge him to be tougher in his judgements, rather than just patting him on the head.

That's how I feel about the word great. It means a lot more applied with a fine-point pen than a spray gun (and yes, I know I've been complicit in awarding 70 or 80 awards using the term). I also know that several of those places would rank on my most overrated (coughluckyplattercough) restaurants in Chicagoland list, so that doesn't help the cause of the ones that may actually be quite good. But in any case, I think insisting-- multiple times-- that Evanston is such a be-all and end-all for dining in Chicagoland misses the reality, which is to say the economic reality, that different kinds of dining are only viable in certain parts of the city, and if you want great, you gotta go where great happens. There is a reason why Chipotle and That Little Cutely-Named Mexican Cafe can be found next to the movie theaters and Urban Outfitters, and the little family-run taquerias with hand-lettered green fluorescent signs in Spanglish can't-- but once you cross the border to Rogers Park, they're everywhere. The original poster seemed to be looking for those kinds of places, and it's just a fact that they're not in Evanston-- but they're very, very close to the south. Start here.

Though I’ve refrained before now, I figure I’ll put my two cents in on this one time, and I think I’m echoing what Mike says above (and my comments involve educating kids, too). We’ve lived in Evanston for many years now and have two children in school here. We love the community and it’s a great place to live. Evanston has a variety of restaurants much envied by Highland Park and Winnetka. We’ve eaten at most of the restaurants mentioned on the lists above (just had dinner at Oceanique two weeks ago.) Nonetheless, we don’t eat out in Evanston very often because 1) the food is not great at any of these restaurants. It is serviceable at many, and very good at a few. Were we limited to these restaurants for our dining options, we’d probably find them more than adequate. Fortunately, since we live so close to Chicago, we’re not (and by going into the city, we can almost always save lots of dough.) Though the food is okay at The Little Mexican Café, for instance, I can’t bring myself to pay $11.95 for a so-so plate of enchiladas when, for $10 and a 10-minute drive down Clark Street, I can pick up a dozen sublime tamales at Tamales de Guerrero (I think it’s called.) Or, for a few dollars more, get a variety of dishes, far superior to Evanston’s Mexican offerings, for the whole family at Taquieria El Milagro in Pilsen, and in the meantime, take in one of Chicago’s great neighborhoods. Yes, that involves a bit of a drive. But that brings me to point 2) the atmosphere at most Evanston restaurants is, I find, stultifyingly dull. This is a self-criticism of course, for I mean that everybody in Evanston’s restaurants pretty much looks like we do – pleasant middle-aged white suburbanites (with or without kids, and mixed in, at some spots, with NU students.) Though sometimes eating out is dictated by convenience, when I have any sort of choice I prefer (and prefer for my kids) restaurants that are more stimulating to all the senses, including the sense of curiosity, than what we’re able to take in here. Last night, after a short drive to Devon and Western, we had a truly spectacular meal at Khan’s BBQ (first time – thanks, LTH.) The food was really exciting, far better, much more special, much more uniquely spiced, than that offered by the perfectly-fine Mt. Everest here in Evanston. But just as important to our enjoyment of the evening were the friendly conversations we had with the fellows behind the counter and the interesting discussion we got into with our kids about Islam, prompted by the large picture of pilgrims at Mecca adorning one of the walls. That simply wouldn’t happen spontaneously at any Evanston restaurant, and that’s why, when we want an all-around great meal, we go into Chicago or eat at home. That said, I do have some favorite Evanston restaurants: Prairie Joes, because it is a real neighborhood place, where the owners know most customers by name (yes, they’re mostly middle-aged white folks! -- though landscapers and cops eat at the counter), with a quirky menu and great milk-shakes. The newly opened Addis Ababa offers Ethiopian food that is as good as the places we’ve tried in Chicago (of course, it used to be in Chicago) and surprisingly may be more reasonably priced. I do think Joy Yee’s can be quite good. I’ve only eaten once at Trattoria D.O.C. but thought (gasp!) that the pizza there was as good as the much-touted Spacca Napoli. And of course there's Hecky's fried chicken. Sadly, my kids like Noodles and Company, but that's an option we resort to only when Dad is out of town.

Edited to fix location of Kahn's!

I think a lot of this has to do with the experience level of the diner. If a person has only had experience dining in suburbia, at high end chains, or even one off chain-like establishments, I can see why they might say that dining in Evanston is great. Luckily, LTH Forum is here to educate and expand the horizons of folks like that if they choose to follow up on some of the leads they can find here. Just making it part way through the list of the GNR winners could broaden their horizons significantly. For example, at one time, I probably would have thought a place like Little Mexican Café was great. But once I started going to more authentic Mexican restaurants, it put the LMC's of the world in perspective.

Four that have not been mentioned yet:

Noyes Street Cafe
Greek & Italian - love the chicken sandwich
www.noyescafe.com
828 Noyes St
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 475-8683

Al's Deli
Lemon cookies
914 Noyes (west of El)
847-475-9400

Celtic Knot
Irish Pub discussed here
626 Church St.
847-864-1679

Really been wanting to try Weiner & Still Champion next time I am in the area. Corn Dogs discussed here
802 West Dempster Street
847-869-010

I differ slightly from Octarine. What I like best at the Wiener and Still Champion is the flavorful char Polish. It's among the best in the Chicago area.

I do agree that the Celtic Knot is an excellent place. My family and I enjoyed every visit there.

Re my post of June 8 above, Pinto Kitchen is even better. My wife now likes the cashew chicken. (I had a bite of hers recently and it was very good.) Also, they seem to be putting more heat into the dishes.

I haven't been to Kansuku, but I can say that Kuni's has the best sushi I have had anywhere.

Kuni's Japanese Restaurant
511 Main St.

And I would contend that Koi and Pine Yard are simply the best of a bad lot, and that there really isn't a good Chinese restaurant in Evanston (though I do like some of the Chinese selections at Joy Yee)

Well, I must say, as a relative newcomer to LTH, I've found the replies here to be opinionated - of course, I expected people here to have strong opinions - but I also see a lot of downright RUDENESS in many of them. It is RUDE to make assumptions about anyone else's background and experience, like stevez does, and then ascribe differences of opinion to those assumptions, especially when those assumptions are just plain WRONG. It is also RUDE to criticize someone else's opinions as wrong, when they are exactly that: opinions. I've never seen such RUDENESS as some of the posts above. And I think such rudeness really makes LTH a worse place as a result. I thought I would pick up some useful tips and shared information here, as well as provide information that would be helpful to others, but most of what I read here is biased snobs looking for an opportunity to post insults that they think are witty. What a disappointment!

Again, I think perhaps the biggest disconnect here is over the word "great". "Great" can mean a place that serves consistently excellent food, at a reasonable price - which just about EVERY place on the above list does (okay, maybe not Dave's, but you can't criticize their prices). "Great" can also mean a place that serves food that is so good, and so unique, that it stands out from other places and is worth squawking about, here, and to your friends, etc. And, as I previously said, there ARE places on that list that qualify for "greatness" under this latter definition. Places like Oceanique or Chef's Station, where the seafood, and the soups, and the desserts, are all wonderful, culinary bliss. Places like Thai Sookdee, where all the food is consistently delicious (despite Erik M's RUDE comments in another topic about dishes HE wants that are not commonly found on menus, rather than about the quality of what IS served). Places like Lupita's with its truly outstanding regional Mexican cuisine (which is better than any place I've tried in Pilsen as well as in many parts of Mexico).

I still stand by everything I previously stated above. And, despite the false accusations in some of the RUDE comments above, I have tried many, many neighborhood and family-run and hole-in-the-wall places in the city of Chicago and in other cities. Some are indeed excellent, but many other such places are simply dreadful. And NONE of them are better solely because they are small, or because they are within the city limits, despite what the biased comments of rude city snobs would have you believe. The great ones - by either definition - are great because they have people who run the place with the objective of turning out great food - the same as the great places in Evanston.