Dinner in Deerfield: recommendations requested

A search (admittedly not exhaustive) has failed to turn up much (okay, anything) of interest in the Deerfield vicinity. Even so, I am unwilling to believe that this area is the culinary wasteland I've always (unfairly) assumed.

We are babysitting the (16-year-old) niece tonight and would like something casual yet--dare we hope?--culinarily interesting. We're all pretty open-minded, even adventurous, eaters. Are our options as limited as I fear? Inasmuch as I am almost completely unfamiliar with the area (FWIW, we're near Lake-Cook Road and Wilmot), can anyone recommend something for a relaxed enjoyable and interesting dinner?

Many thanks in advance!

While not exactly in Deerfield, I would suggest a burger at Charlie Beinlich's.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=1839

I work in the area, and often struggle to come up with a lunch destination for our dept.

A restaurant on my list to try is Francesco's Hole in the Wall on Skokie Blvd just south of Lake Cook Rd. Charlie Beinlich's is also nearby, which is an old institution known for its burgers. A search on the forum will produce a thread or two. Also on Skokie Blvd is Pacific Rim and Dr. Zushi. I had lunch at Pacific Rim a year ago, it has a wide variety of Asian cuisine w/o being "Americanized." I have never been to Dr. Zushi myself.

I live in DF and sadly, I think the best "restaurant" (for dinner) in DF is Potbelly Sandwich works in the Whole Foods mall at Deerfield Road and Waukegan Road. And, they carry Homers' Ice cream so dessert is pleasant there as well.

What compounds the problem is that traveling west at dinner hour can be quite nightmare-ish, so that even decent, kid-friendly spots like Champps, Red Robin and Big Bowl (remember, I said decent, not good), all near Lake Cook on Milwaukee Avenue, are tough to reach.

I'm not a fan of Max and Benny's but it's a passable deli located on Waukegan Road, in the Brookside Plaza, just north of Dundee Road. There is also a decent Japanese place in the same plaza called Kegon.

Beyond that -- depending on how crowded Ravinia is -- you're best bet is probably to drive into Highland Park. There are a lot more options there -- especially for good places, where kids won't be out of place. If you want a few suggestions for HP, just say the word.

=R=

I haven't been for about three years, but unless it took a serious dive in that time, Carson's on Waukegan Road was always at least decent -- especially the pork chops.

Why not go to Prairie Grass Cafe (Sarah Stegner & George Bumbaris, formerly of the Ritz Carlton)? It's casual American with a twist and the food is excellent (and they offer a children's menu, if needed). It's not a long drive at all from where you are. You can find the address and menu at www.prairiegrasscafe.com.

These are a range of ideas with posts you can read:

Highland Park/Highwood

Bertucci's

Mimosa

"Los Mogotes" de Michoacan

Miramar

Pancho Viti’s

Lake Forest

Many ideas


Northbrook

Charlie Beinlich


41 North

Another casual possibility is Bluegrass. It has decent Jambalaya, steaks, some asian dishes and a neatly presented calamari appetizer. I'd avoid the Banana Foster desert though, it's a little overboard.

Bluegrass
1636 Old Deerfield Rd.
Highland Park, IL 60035
847-831-0595

Yes, Prairie Grass is a great idea but you may need a reservation.

=R=

Also on Skokie Blvd is Pacific Rim and Dr. Zushi. I had lunch at Pacific Rim a year ago, it has a wide variety of Asian cuisine w/o being "Americanized." I have never been to Dr. Zushi myself.

I've been to Pacific Rim once. I've walked into Dr. Zushi, read the menu and took off. For either place you could do better in the city.

I'd be interested to know what your niece recommends since I am sure she has an opinion, too.

Regards,

Ron of Japan. One of my absolute favorite places anywhere.

Thank you all for the many suggestions. We decided to put it to the niece who, of course, managed her own spin. She gave us her three choices: PF Changs, Walker Brothers, and Phoenicia (in Highland Park). We were a little dismayed by the options, but under the circumstances decided to honor her list and chose Phoenicia.

Turned out to be a great choice. For those unfamiliar, it is a white tablecloth, somewhat pan-Middle Eastern restaurant on First Street in Highland Park. I will edit this post later tonight to provide details (there was, sadly, no carryout menu), but for now suffice to say we all enjoyed our meals very much: three apps (hummus, baba ghanouj, and a dish I have never ever seen outside Egypt, the "national dish" if there is one, fuul madames). Dinners were a salad, vegetarian couscous and a lamb kelaya (?). As I say, more detail later. But for now, thanks very much for all the recs. Would that we actually had MORE time in Deerfield to try some of them out! We are most grateful for the response.

GB: thanks for the report on Phoenicia, which sounds like a place worth keeping in mind. How funny that your niece was able to suggest a good place, after all the discussion here. (Though I just searched on Phoenicia and did find this LTH thread:)

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=717

Gypsy Boy wrote:....a dish I have never ever seen outside Egypt, the "national dish" if there is one, fuul madames).

As for fuul madames, though, you don’t have to go all the way to Highland Park to enjoy it. It’s available much closer to you, at City Noor Kabab and Semiramis in Albany Park, for example; also at Couscous on Taylor Street. Al-Khaymeih used to have a particularly good version on their appetizer menu, but that has, alas, disappeared from their more recent and pared down list of offerings.

City Noor Kabab
4714 N. Kedzie
Chicago, IL 60625
773 267-6777

Semiramis
4639-41 N. Kedzie
Chicago, IL 60625
773 279-8900

Couscous
1445 W. Taylor St.
Chicago, IL 60607
312 226-2408

Al-Khaymeih
4758 N. Kedzie
Chicago, IL 60625
773 583-0999

Amata wrote:

Gypsy Boy wrote:....a dish I have never ever seen outside Egypt, the "national dish" if there is one, fuul madames).

As for fuul madames, though, you don’t have to go all the way to Highland Park to enjoy it...

And I'm crazy about Salam's fuul.

Salam Restaurant
4636 N Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
773-583-0776

You can also find some halfway decent canned versions in markets.

Best,
Michael

Amata wrote:GB: thanks for the report on Phoenicia, which sounds like a place worth keeping in mind. How funny that your niece was able to suggest a good place, after all the discussion here. (Though I just searched on Phoenicia and did find this LTH thread:)

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=717

Gypsy Boy wrote:....a dish I have never ever seen outside Egypt, the "national dish" if there is one, fuul madames).

As for fuul madames, though, you don’t have to go all the way to Highland Park to enjoy it...

Steve's Shish-Kabab also has ful but I can't recall off hand how they prepare it. The version at Al Kheymeih was excellent -- primarily favas but with some chick peas mixed in; the old cook there was great.

In the winter we make it at home sometimes; it's a very homey but delicious dish.

Antonius

Steve's
3816 W. 63rd St.
Chicago, IL
773.581.8920

HI,

I knew of Phoenicia. I didn't recommend it because you can get as good or better at many other places for a lot less money.

sdritz went there last winter when visiting friends of her daughter. When she told me what they ate and the level of cost, it didn't persuade me to visit there any time soon. Well, maybe if the car died, my leg is broken and I cannot conveniently head south, then I will go to Phoenicia. It is less than a 10 minute walk from my house --- ok I hope I have a walking cast!

I also go to Chinatown for Chinese for the same reasons I leave HP for middle eastern: better and cheaper elsewhere. (Of course, I am not adding in the cost of transportation)

Regards,

I've had very good food, consistently, from Phoenicia but as Cathy mentioned, it's pricey. It's probably no farther from my office than it is from Cathy's house but still, we usually cruise down to Dempster and hit Pita Inn or Larsa's because, well . . . it's just hard to justify spending that kind of money on middle-eastern, even though their food is well-prepared and of high quality.

Rent's expensive in HP, so I do understand.

=R=

At long last, my promised follow-up on our dinner at Phoenicia.

Let's see...I agree with Cathy2 that it is not an inexpensive place. It is a white tablecloth restaurant and the dishes are priced accordingly. I disagree, however, with Cathy, for we all found the food quite good. It may, indeed, be possible to find this quality elsewhere for less, but we enjoyed it and did not feel overcharged. I wouldn't go so far as to claim that it is a destination restaurant or that I would particularly go out of my way to return. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to return if in the vicinity.

Each of the appetizers (baba ghanouj, hummus, and fuul) was very nicely done, nicely presented, and enjoyed by all. So too our dinners. I was unfamiliar with kelaya (offered in your choice of beef/lamb/chicken; I chose the lamb) and, intriguingly, a Google search turned up a grand total of zero references to something spelled that way as a dish. Can anyone help me out here? Where is this from? The dish was small pieces of lamb mixed with peppers, onions, and assertively seasoned, though not hot (spicy-wise).

Portions were generous and there was a little dessert given as a token of thanks at the end. (I'm not sure of the name: little cigar-like rolls of baklav-esque something. Very enjoyable in that it wasn't drenched in sugar syrup; pleasantly, mildly sweetened. I'd be curious to know the name of this dessert. We didn't think to ask.)

Unfortunately, they did not have a carryout menu and so I am unable several days later to recall specifics of the menu other than that I was interested to note that not all the dishes were the "standard" Middle Eastern menu items. I am also very pleased to hear from all that fuul madames is available elsewhere in town. Special thank you to Amata, eatchicago and Antonius for providing great information. I guess I need to start frequenting more/different Middle Eastern places and expand my horizons a bit more.

Once again, thanks to all for the myriad suggestions. We will print off all the responses since we know we'll be back in the area many times. It's great to have a whole list to choose from next time.

Any good places in or around Deerfield? I'm meeting my folks up there for dinner tomorrow, and I don't know the area... I see references in the forums to Italian Kitchen and Thai Thai, is there anything else you guys could recommend? We're open to the food-type, I think we all like just about everything

Rob

Burgers etc - Boston Blackies - http://www.bostonblackies.com
Ribs - Carsons - http://www.ribs.com/menu_locations
Greek -
Demetri's
660 Lake Cook Rd
Deerfield
(847) 940-0777

Not to betray my own hometown but I'd choose Prairie Grass Cafe (ongoing discussion) in Northbrook over any place in Deerfield (unless I specifically wanted a burger, which I might get at Boston Blackie's).

=R=

Prairie Grass Cafe (their web site)
601 Skokie Blvd (just north of Dundee Rd)
Northbrook, IL 60062
847 205-4433

By no means excellent, Rhapsody Cafe executes pretty well for an all-things-to-all-people restaurant. The whole thing is a little clumsy--there is a breakfast menu, a typical lunch-dinner dining menu, a specials menu consisting of Mexican and continental classics, and a daily specials board of $20+ entrees--but they generally execute consistently across the board; in fact, I find the "high end"--relative to everything else, I mean--stuff executed better than the pedestrian sandwiches and omelettes. They do a nice job with fish, and the asada dishes, particularly the cornish hen, are always reliable.

They rely on Sysco less than a place like this really has to, and that in itself is commendable.

833-C Deerfield Road
Deerfield, IL 60015
847-267-1700
http://www.rhapsodycafe.com/

I would not recommend Blackies. We went a few weeeks ago. My husband wanted the pork chop and asked for a vegetable instead of the potato. The waiter first said he couldn't do that then he said he would ask the manager. He came back and said there would be an upcharge. We both ordered a side salad and for $5.00 we got a small plate of iceburg lettuce and 1 tomato slice. The hamburger was preformed and tasted like a hockey puck. All in all a pretty bad experience.

The following week we went to J Alexanders. No problem getting vegetable. Juicy hamburger. Salad $5.00 large enough to share. Service could not have been better. J Alexander is just down the road from Blackies on Lake Cook.

Paulette

paulette wrote:The following week we went to J Alexanders. No problem getting vegetable. Juicy hamburger. Salad $5.00 large enough to share. Service could not have been better. J Alexander is just down the road from Blackies on Lake Cook.

Paulette

J Alexander is just west of the Tollway bridge, then be prepared to turn south (left) almost immediately after crossing the bridge.

Regards,

J Alexander's
4077 Lake Cook Rd
Northbrook, IL 60062
847-564-3093
www.jalexanders.com

For "along with the crowd" type suggestions, you have Benihana, Bob Chinn's, and <shudder> Claim Jumper.
Bob Chinn's is an institution in the area, and plenty of ppl thinks it's the bees knees. I don't get it.
Benihana can be fun if you have a few cocktails. The food is ok.
I wouldn't do Claim Jumper
There's also a Bucca Di Beppo S of lake Cook on Milwaukee
And that tramonto italian place in the hotel on Milwaukee just S of Lake Cook:
Osteria di Tramonto (might be closed for "remodeling")

Then there's dark wood combined with diner food plus about 2 dollars at Hackneys:
Hackney's
847/537-2100 www.hackneys.net
241 S. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling

Decent Chinese Food:
Szechwan Kingdom
545 Waukegan Rd
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 562-1368

paulette wrote:I would not recommend Blackies. We went a few weeeks ago. My husband wanted the pork chop and asked for a vegetable instead of the potato. The waiter first said he couldn't do that then he said he would ask the manager. He came back and said there would be an upcharge. We both ordered a side salad and for $5.00 we got a small plate of iceburg lettuce and 1 tomato slice. The hamburger was preformed and tasted like a hockey puck. All in all a pretty bad experience.

The following week we went to J Alexanders. No problem getting vegetable. Juicy hamburger. Salad $5.00 large enough to share. Service could not have been better. J Alexander is just down the road from Blackies on Lake Cook.

Paulette

I recently had the exact same experience at Blackies in Arlington Heights and will not go back. The burger was like almost like a rubber dog toy in its consistency. And I agree with your recommendation of J. Alexanders. While it is a bit overpriced, and even with service that is lacking unless you are ordering drinks, the combo of the Alex Salad and the Cheeseburger (with crispy and small french bistro style frites) is a great lunch if you don't mind spending $20.00.

Odd tidbit: I went to J. Alexanders for lunch a few years ago and the bill was $16.94. The server gave me $3.00 as change. I asked about the rest and he told me that they don't give back change. I was really annoyed that they decided to round the bill in the restaurant's favor.