Best Restaurant on The North Shore

I will be celebrating my 10th anniversary shortly and want to take my wife out for a nice, special dinner.

Thoughts on the best North Shore restaurant taking in to account all these variables...

Food Quality- Price- Service- Ambiance.

Thanks for your help.

That's a very vague question. I think you'll get morehelpful replies if you give us a little idea of the type of food and ambience you like and your price point.

I'm guessing the OP is into Thai food.

Not necessarily looking for any specific type of food. My wife is into seafood however. I am looking for something upscale, quiet and clean with a good wine variety. We recently went to Oceanique in Evanston. The food and service there were outstanding.

My favorite special occasion place is Bank Lane Bistro in Lake Forest, but it is not quiet or particularly romantic. The food is fantastic, and the 10 course tasting is a good deal and not as fruffy or scientific as most tasting places (no foams or mists or liquid nitrogen), and they have an excellent, well priced wine list.
For some place quieter (and more expensive) I would probably go to Carlos. I have only eaten once at Michael's in Winnetka, but it too was very good. The Tavern in Libertyville is not as formal, but it also has an excellent wine list.

-Will

Looks like Quincein Evanston is climbing the LTH charts. I haven't been there yet, but it's on my very short list of upscale places to try. I know a non-LTH-er who is very sensitive to atmosphere and food who raved about it. Also, they are likely to have valet parking, and you could take a romantic stroll a couple of blocks to the Clark Street Beach afterward.

For something romantic, with an atmosphere vaguely similar to Oceanique, you might want to consider

Jilly's Cafe
2614 Green Bay Rd.
Evanston
847-869-7636

Here's a link that might help:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... e4cc4d4a80

You might like Va Pensiero in Evanston

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=14019

Va Pensiero
1566 Oak Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201
847.475.7779

Are you looking for someplace that's good for the price, or just great without qualifiers. Because if money is not an issue, Carlos' is probably the best place on the North Shore. Superb cuisine (and you can get foie gras), splendid wine (the house champagne is Veuve Cliquot), and impeccable service in elegant, romantic surroundings. But it ain't cheap. (Still, not as expensive as the same food downtown.)

Carlos' Restaurant
429 Temple, Highland Park, IL 60035
Phone:847-432-0770

http://www.carlos-restaurant.com/

Most of the best, most appropriate places on the North Shore have already been mentioned, but I'll throw a few more into the mix.

I think it depends partly on whether you're looking only for food, only for atmosphere, or a combination of the two. In terms of food, IMHO three places on the North Shore can knock your socks off with one unbelievably delicious dish after another after another: Oceanique, Michael, and the not-yet-mentioned Chef's Station. All three also have a certain casual, almost mischievous attitude about them, which you may or may not enjoy (I do). OTOH, if you're looking for atmosphere - a place that's a bit more formal in feel, "a nice restaurant that acts like a grown-up" - then I think Carlos and Va Pensiero may be more what you're looking for. Both have very good food, too, although they haven't just blown me away the way the previous three have. Same thing with several more casual places: the previously-mentioned Jilly's Cafe, and the not-yet-mentioned Jacky's Bistro and the Stained Glass, all of which are casual and have very good food (without the whimsy of the first three). Throw in Pete Miller's as well, in the steakhouse genre. There you have nine places to choose from, and really, you can have an excellent, enjoyable meal worthy of your special occasion at any of them - so don't agonize too much over the choice; just pick one and have a great time.

Regarding the three other places previously mentioned by others... I haven't been to Bank Lane Bistro. I've been to the Tavern in Libertyville; the food is very good, although the publike atmosphere might be odd for a celebration dinner (also, I assumed the "North Shore" designation applies only to towns on Lake Michigan). And I was rather disappointed by my January visit to Quince; I thought the food was just okay, with virtually nothing that made me say "yum" or "wow" the way anything at Chef's Station or Oceanique or Michael would. The desserts at Quince were particularly disappointing in both taste and size.

$.02

Thanks all. I really appreciate the input. I am going to look at a couple of places you mentioned. Jilly's and Bank Lane Bistro have interested me for some time now. Maybe it's time I gave one of them a chance. Again, thank you all.

mexicanfoodlover wrote:Thanks all. I really appreciate the input. I am going to look at a couple of places you mentioned. Jilly's and Bank Lane Bistro have interested me for some time now. Maybe it's time I gave one of them a chance. Again, thank you all.

I've never been to Bank Lane Bistro but a trusted source tells me that they offer an awesome foie gras appetizer.

I'll cast my vote for Carlos.

=R=

In terms of the quality of the food, the ambience, and the service, my choice is Carlos. As I noted in my post, the desserts did not impress me much, but the rest of the meal was terrific.

I would also recommend both Carlos and Bank Lane Bistro for wine, food, and service. The price points are definitely different however. I've been to Bank Lane many times and have gotten to know Chef John des Rosier. He's got a fabulous palate for matching wine and food. His wine list is excellent and he likes to stock it with small production wines that you might not see elsewhere.

Another option which I didn't see listed was Lovell's of Lake Forest. I've had a couple of very good dinners there. The ambience is very nice, as is the food. It's also nice being able to press the flesh with Jim Lovell, the astronaut of Apollo 13 fame.

All the best,
John Danza

I add another vote for Bank Lane Bistro and mention that I would not recommend Carlos.

My wife and I ate at Carlos Friday night for our anniversary and while the meal was good, it was not worth the money in my opinion. I am also not a big fan of the atmosphere at Carlos. The service is top notch but I don't like the room all that much.

Bank Lane Bistro provides great food at a good price. The tasting menu is amazing and they also offer a Chef's Choice where the chef picks the courses not the diner. Bank Lane Bistro is certainly not as upscale as Carlos but it is a fun and lively room with great food.