fbpx
[additional-authors]
March 2, 2016
Already known as one of the top dining destinations in the United States, Chicago showcased some of the best food it has to offer during its Restaurant Week in late January, followed by the smaller North Shore Restaurant Month in February.
Chicago Restaurant Week 2016 included over 350 restaurants around the city and suburbs, with 54 of them participating for the first time. This two-week event is not only a time to discover new places to eat, though – it’s also a time to revisit old favorites and experience them in a new way.
Smylie Brothers in Evanston, for example, was already on my radar for its reliably delicious food in a cozy setting. The spacious building has high wooden ceilings, a fireplace, and brewing equipment visible through the glass behind the bar. It frequently rotates the styles of its beers, along with a selection of local guest beers. Still, my Restaurant Week meal went above and beyond my expectations.
My first course was a salad with cheese, beets, and pistachios, while my main dish was a vegetable sandwich with white bean dip. The ingredients were fresh – crispy cucumber, ripe avocado – and the baguette in the sandwich was pleasantly warm. Karson, my fiancé, had a generous portion of creamy tomato basil soup as his first course, followed by a barbecue platter, with ribs, brisket, and pulled pork served with a slice of white bread and a choice of one side. He selected corn bread pudding, which came in its own skillet. There were two barbecue sauces on the table, a vinegar-based Texas style and a tomato-based sweet Kansas City style.
The desserts were elegantly presented. My brownie was supposed to come topped with house-made bacon-flavored cracker jacks and a scoop of ice cream. Since I do not eat bacon, I requested that the cracker jacks be served on the side so Karson could try them, but my waiter returned to tell me that there were other cracker jacks they could use instead. The brownie was not warmed, but it was decadently rich, with the cracker jacks adding a crunchy texture and slightly salted flavor that provided the perfect contrast. Karson’s passion fruit and banana panna cotta came in a glass jar, topped with a small scoop of caramel ice cream.
Venues participating in Restaurant Week set a fixed three-course menu, with two to three options per course. Lunch was priced at $22 excluding drinks, tax, and tip, and dinner is either $33 or $44 depending on the location. According to Choose Chicago, the city’s official marketing organization, last year’s Restaurant Week generated $24.2 million in direct spending at Chicago area restaurants, with over half a million diners served.
North Shore Restaurant Month included restaurants from Chicago’s northern suburbs, including Evanston, Skokie, Glenview, Northbrook and others. While some offered prix fixe menus, others offered deals such as a discount off a customer’s entire check or a free appetizer with an entrée purchase.
I visited Farmhouse Evanston for lunch with my friend Lena, who chose the prix fixe three-course meal while I ordered off the menu. She started with beer battered cheese curds, which were served in a metal tin with two sauces on the side. The house-made catsup more closely resembled a cocktail sauce, but the spicy curd sauce complemented the warm melted cheese nicely. Her main course was a chicken bacon ranch sandwich. I tried the veggie burger, a mix of mushrooms and grains that was crispy on the outside but unusually airy, an effect accented by a soft butter bun. Both of us rounded out our meal with scoops of house-made ice cream. The dessert was the highlight of the meal, with a creamy consistency and a delicious, though not overwhelmingly sweet, white chocolate flavor.
Farmhouse seeks to use local ingredients as much as possible in its dishes, and one of the couples that run the restaurant owns a farm in Wisconsin. Although it was not in use when they bought it in 2012, they have partially restored it and planted a variety of fruits and nuts. The restaurant hopes to have the farm’s honey on its menu later this year, giving restaurant-goers another reason to stop in.
IF YOU GO:
Address: 1615 Oak Ave, Evanston, IL 60201
Hours: Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., closed Mondays
Address: 703 Church St, Evanston, IL 60201
Hours: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to midnight
All photos copyright Paulina Berkovich
Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Difficult Choices

Jews have always believed in the importance of higher education. Today, with the rise in antisemitism across many college campuses, Jewish high school seniors are facing difficult choices.

All Aboard the Lifeboat

These are excruciating times for Israel, and for the Jewish people.  It is so tempting to succumb to despair. That is why we must keep our eyes open and revel in any blessing we can find.  

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.