COMPLETE! That was a fun one. With three months left to the year this list will only grow – can I double it! We’ll see…
I left off at restaurant #6…Here are all the places that fed my belly since:
#7 – Boltwood
My friend Sara was in town from Tulsa for much of July and we’d been talking for weeks about heading out to a new restaurant once she got here so we could: 1) spend some time together and 2) work towards crossing another item off my list! Boltwood makes #7 on my way to 12 new restaurants this year. Opened by some local guys including former high school classmates, Boltwood is a modern take on fresh American dishes. They took over the space formerly occupied by another Evanston favorite Lulu’s (word is Lulu’s will be reopening!) and revamped it into a beautiful modern rustic space with seasonally-focused, fresh and delicious food.
If you get the chance to go out to dinner with Sara – do it! She’ll do smart things like buy a growler from your local brewer (and yet another high school classmate) at Temperance and give it to the kitchen staff at the restaurant you’re dining in. I mean – that’s the way to treat your chef and his crew. Much like the style of the menu at Publican (Chef Brian Huston’s last stomping grounds) the dishes are meant to be shared. We went with the Lake Perch, the short ribs, the BLT salad and the crispy potatoes with garlic schmaltz (!). I drank their Homemade Highball with raspberry soda. It was all so, so good. My favorites were the short ribs and the crispy potatoes. That schmaltz!!! It’s something I’d like to eat daily like a meditation. It was a really fun night. The food was great and the company even better.
#8 – The Winchester
If you’re in the Ukranian Village hungry for breakfast – bring your belly to the Winchester. My friend Peggy and I met there for an early brunch one Sunday morning. This is our criteria when meeting up for breakfast: 1) since she lives on the south side and I live north of the north side we try to meet somewhere in the middle of the city 2) they gotta open early. no 11 am brunches for us. The Winchester fit the bill. A clean modern space and a small simple menu focused on local/seasonal ingredients. They don’t brew decaf so I went for the full caf – watch out world. I had the breakfast sandwich with kale and peppers and crispy potatoes. Peggy had the house quiche. The sandwich was appropriately messy and delish. I love a breakfast meet-up with my pal.
#9 – Puebla
My friend Kass and I stopped at Puebla in downtown St. Charles in August on our way to the Kane County Flea Market. St. Charles is just far enough away and just different of a setting to feel like you’ve gone on vacation. I’d spied Puebla on previous trips through St. Charles but had never had a reason to stop and eat. Mexican food is my and Kassidy’s “thing” so a self-described Modern Mexican restaurant was right up our alley. The interior is beautiful - modern, rustic and Mexican. The menu isn’t large, but has it’s own separate category for guacamoles and now all other Mexican restaurants are doing it wrong. We chose the Elote guacamole which had grilled corn, epazote, serrano and queso fresca added to the mix
Kass ordered the Corn Masa Quesadillas which tasted exactly like the quesadillas they used to make in Cuernavaca for lunch at the school I attended when I was 15 (did I ever tell you that story?) I had a total flashback. I ordered the flautas – which didn’t remind me of anything, but were really fresh and delicious and lovely to behold
Our waiter moved from Portland, Oregon to St. Charles for a girl and while I think he still loves the girl he didn’t seem to love St. Charles too much. But I do!
# 10 - Smylie Brothers
I’ve been there 3 times now. The unexpected bar-hop with my pal Sarah landed us here for the beer sampler and the pork belly poutine. WHAT? thanks, Canada.
A visit with an old friend, Molly, to talk about healthy lifestyles. Thusly, there no beer nor poutine this time. The bbq sandwich was just so-so.
The 3rd time with my foodie friend Leah. Poutine reigns supreme. But the rest of the food is still only- so-so. They have pizza too. I’ll go again and again just for the poutine. Someone tried to tell me that it was inauthentic if you went with the fried egg on top and all I can say to that is - for shame. Why would you ever skip the egg?
#11 – Paninos
My friend Lissy travelled around the sun another year! And she let a group of us celebrate the feat at this little Italian pizzeria in town. I was trying to avoid eating meat that night (an unexpected viewing of animal cruelty in a documentary is the culprit) and this restaurant is a little meat-centric, but a caprese pizza came to the rescue. As did the Patty Red – a sweet little red cocktail dreamt up by none other than our waitress Patty.
#12 – Broadway Cellars
Last Sunday I met up with and old friend, Jessie, for Sunday breakfast. They opened at 10am and we were there at 9:59. The coffee was still brewing, but we were happy to take a seat out in the sun in the meantime. It’s almost officially fall and the weather has been lovely. The sun is still warm though the air is cool and it’s just perfect for a big cozy sweater breakfast. I’m still struggling with flashbacks from that movie! So I couldn’t get myself to order any bacon . Usually bacon is the deciding factor in my breakfast choice. As in “Does it have bacon? Then yes, please.” sigh. Am I becoming a reluctant vegetarian? Not quite – I ate eggs. I had a standard eggs, potatoes and toast brekkie. Hit the spot.
Restaurants 1-6:
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What I learned from this challenge
It turned out that the trying-of-new-places wasn’t much of a challenge! I’m drawn to the process of researching new or new-to-me restaurants and that turns out to be half of the enjoyment I get out of the experience. Finding willing compatriots was easy – because I have friends who like to meet up and eat.
What I might do differently next year (of course there will be another list next year)
Try to eat at a restaurant in as many different towns or Chicago neighborhoods as possible. Discover more than just a new place to eat, find a whole new heartbeat.
What I’ll do for the rest of the year
Keep finding new spots! Maybe revisit a couple of the places I’ve been to and learn their menu a bit better.
Any recommendations??
