The Cellar, Evanston

I know it’s reckless, bordering on irresponsible, to post about a restaurant on the first day of its soft opening. The Cellar doesn’t officially open until next Wednesday. Still, I was there tonight – within an hour of the time they first opened their doors. And I have no shame. I’ll write about it.

The Cellar is an offshoot of The Stained Glass. It’s around the corner, and they share the same kitchen. Apparently, it’s been a labor of love for Stained Glass Chef Victor Hernandez and co-owner Victoria Fonseca.

I’ve been driving past for several weeks, wondering what it was all about. Tonight I found out.

It’s not a big space, but it’s comfortable. The focus is on what they call small plates, although elsewhere the servings could be considered entrees that are only on the slightly small side. And there’s also a beer and wine focus, with about 30 very well chosen beers (unfortunately, all in the bottle, no taps), and a dozen interesting wines by the glass.


We started with the soft shell crab jibarito, an interesting take on this classic sandwich. Good crunch from the generous portion of fried crab, and the fried plantains, offset by a smooth, mouth-coating mango mayonnaise. The Puerto Rican rice accompaniment was flavorful enough that it could be a dish on its own.


Chef Hernandez apparently thought it took too long to get out the jibarito (we didn’t think so). Anyway, he personally brought out an order of fish tacos, on the house. The Mahi ceviche was served in fried but greaseless mini taco shells, with a side of roasted corn and black bean salsa.

We also witnessed a couple next to us get “Micro Burgers” – sliders with what looked like very thin, crisp French fries – a steal for $3.75 each.

Sitting at the bar, the staff was friendly, and occasionally chatty, without overdoing it.

It’ll be a great addition to Evanston’s late night dining scene (and, a decade or two ago, whoda thunk to even utter the term “Evanston’s late night dining scene?”)

The Cellar
820 Clark St.
Evanston
847-425-5112

Thanks for the early review nr706, last time we dined at The Stained Glass our waitress mentioned the September opening of The Cellar.

We actually ate in the room that The Cellar is now situated, at that time the room was mostly done and the owners were working on the menu. I agree about the staff at The Stained Glass/ The Cellar being friendly, on our last visit a waitress that was not serving us actually walking by and pick up our finished plates and ask if we needed anything.

Is the Cellar open now? What are the prices like?
I am about to embark on two years of graduate work in E-town and will make my maiden voyage tomorrow to meet up with my new colleagues. This seems like a potential spot for us to get a drink and a bite to eat. I guess that I am looking for any recommendations for a spot for a crew of grad students to hang in Evanston, as I am not super familiar with the area. Thanks!

nr706,

Thanks for the report. I'm intrigued and hope to stop in for a post-work drink and snack some time soon.

Jefe wrote:I guess that I am looking for any recommendations for a spot for a crew of grad students to hang in Evanston, as I am not super familiar with the area. Thanks!

Jefe,

I hope you enjoy your time in Evanston. I actually work full-time with NU graduate students, though I don't think the student population I work with will likely hang out at The Cellar mainly because of cost. (Everything I can see on The Cellar's menu seems reasonably priced but regular visits would be a stretch on standard grad student funding.) I can see though how it might attract, say, Kellogg folks. I haven't been in a while, but I enjoy sitting at the bar at Prairie Moon.

Prairie Moon
1502 Sherman Ave
Evanston IL 60201
847-864-8328

Was there a restaurant in this space before The Cellar?

Also, thanks for posting this. I can't wait to try it!

We were lucky to land in The Cellar last night for their public "Grand Opening". At first glance the space seems very comfortable - great lighting, exposed bricks and beams, some sofas for lounging and tall tables near the bar. You would never know the space used to be a tanning salon - for a similar vibe you might think of Evanston's Union Pizzeria.

The bar menu leads off with $10 cocktails - Maker's Manhattan, Mojito etc. Then heads into the extensive beer selection that is about 1/3 local (Goose Island, Metropolitan, 2 Brothers, 3 Floyds), 1/3 from Belgium and 1/3 misc. Standouts are the $5 Leffe, the $4 Kirin - great values there. No tap beer but that is on its away according to the owners. The wine menu had a selection of some wines I had never heard of.. tried the Malbec and found it to be full and satisfying on a cool night.

But the food was really the standout. Seared Ahi tuna mini-tacos! Mini-Lamburgers with herbed mayo and watercress. Chorizo stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates. Tempura veggies, grilled sandwiches. Great tastes and combinations. Will be back for more of those mini tacos and lamburgers! Because it was grand opening there were a lot of plates being served and I did not get a chance to order off the menu... however two items caught my eye and I will return for them in the future... The Bucket of Chicken (1/2 a chicken deep fried with sides) and The Hungry Man - a $15 steak platter!

Conclusion:
The Cellar uses the same kitchen as the Stained Glass - a gourmet destination in Evanston - but offers a more casual, upscale bar environment that will appeal to those who want a quick bite before a movie or show but don't want to go to a chain or a super upscale venue. They really bridge the gap nicely at The Cellar and I am sure we will do an @evanstonPING tweetup there in the future.

My husband and I ate at The Cellar last week and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We needed to get out for a relaxing bite to eat and the chance to chat over a drink and that's exactly what The Cellar offered. The restaurant was probably 3/4 full when we arrived, we were able to grab a seat at any open table and our server was attentive when we needed him and absent when we didn't.

The menu is (mostly) designed as small/medium plates, which my husband and I shared. We started with the Braised Short Rib, Bacon-wrapped Dates, and the Shrimp n Grits. Loved the short rib, the meat was really tender and the "marrow" potatoes were very rich, but not too heavy. The bacon-wrapped dates were good, but I'm partial to the version that comes out of Avec's kitchen. I would still re-order the dates here, though. The shrimp themselves were perfectly cooked and nicely seasoned. The grits that came along with the shrimp were cooked well, but left me a bit underwhelmed. Nothing wrong with them, per se, just not the most interesting thing on the menu for me.

After we finished the first round of food, we decided we were still a bit hungry and ordered the tramezzini. Great, unfussy sandwich that was on the large side for a place aiming to serve small plates. My husband loved the beer list and had a couple of interesting bottles. I enjoyed the Malbec thoroughly and also had a nice glass of Shiraz.

We will definitely return to the Cellar again, probably for another night when we want a relaxed, but not too casual, dinner with food that is above the standard bar fare.

We visited the Cellar tonight. I tried to talk our companions into a recent GNR recipient, but they insisted that this place is great, so we joined them there.

I'd say they're trying to do an Avec, but maybe aiming a little lower.

We started with the Soupe a L'oignon Gratinee -- excellent example of French Onion Soup. Lots of cheese, good crispness to the cheesy crouton, sweet onions. I've had better broth in such soups, but the rest of the dish was spot-on.

The jibarito isn't crab this season, but beef. I found it somewhat bland, the garlic mayo wasn't enough to lift this. It needed some lime, chile, pickled onions -- something yin to all that yang. But the beef was tender and flavorful, and the plantain wonderfully sweet and crisp. The accompanying rice, like the original poster's was very good.

The bacon-wrapped dates are smaller than those we've had elsewhere, but very tasty, accompanied by a bit of salad which complemented it nicely.

We then added on the empanadas: very tender pastry crust, with cheese and vegetables (mostly poblano and corn) inside. Very nice.

Our companions had acorn squash ravioli, a tomato salad, onion rings, fish tacos and the truffle mac and cheese. I had a taste of the mac and the onion rings, both very good.

Food prices are reasonable -- most items $8-13, with portion size highly variable (five tiny dates versus a half chicken on the fried chicken). Wine and beer are a bit pricey (a $6 porter and a $9 malbec by the glass were pretty much the low end).

I'd recommend this highly over the factory food near the theater, it's only a block away. The place was empty when we got there at 6 (to make a movie) and was hopping when we left at 7:30. No reservations taken.

http://www.thecellarevanston.com

Bumping this tread a bit. The Cellar is still going strong - it was almost full at 8:30 on a Thursday night.

One sign of a good meal - I'm still smelling the garlic from my escargot with puff pastry and cauliflower custard - that's a good thing.

The draft beers are in, with a small but well-chosen selection list. I had a Brother Thelonius and a Revolution Anti-Hero, but for the indecisive they offer four 4-oz. pours of any of the six taps for $10. A nice selection of wines by the glass, too.

The fish tacos were easily on par with those I had last December in San Diego. Smoked salmon flatbread (with plenty of arugula) and tempura vegetables rounded out the meal.

It seems like a perfect place for late night noshing; it's in our irregular rotation.

We go to the celler pretty often, the fried chicken, haricots vert with pesto and almonds, empanadas and the frites are all excellent.