Evanston’s Best: Restaurants and More

Best 2023 spring cookbooks: A baker’s dozen

Every year, I look at my ridiculously large cookbook collection – spread out between two rooms, numerous bookshelves, and, of course, the floor – and think, “Surely, I don’t need another cookbook.…

Evanston’s Best: Brunches

Mother’s Day, traditionally the biggest brunch day of the year (sorry, dads!), is almost here. Gather up your friends and family and get thee hence to one of these outstanding local offerings.

Market recipes

Fennel: Jack of all trades

Fennel, with its anise-tinged flavor, can be polarizing, but it’s one of my absolute favorite veggies because it is so darn adaptable. It’s great raw in…

My Dream Date: Rhubarb

Is rhubarb a dreamboat, or a dud? In my book, this spring vegetable is tops. You read that correctly: Rhubarbs are indeed a vegetable. They are…

Myra makes market magic

Myra Gorman is one of those people who you might never see or meet at the Downtown Evanston Farmers’ Market, which begins a new season this…

Let me persuade you: Radishes rule

Radishes rule. Wait! Come back! I didn’t mean to alienate you. Are you a radish rejecter? I realize that not everyone is as big a fan…

Skip the turkey, start with dessert

Americans eat roughly 50 million pumpkin pies during the month of November, according to an August 2022 article at GoodHousekeeping.com. 

Latest Food news

Sketchbook wins bronze medal at World Beer Cup

It all started with the Evanston Homebrew Club. In many ways, the club led to the creation of Evanston’s two longest-running breweries: Sketchbook Brewing and Temperance Beer Company. In 2008, after Amy Wilkinson and Cesar Marron moved…

What’s cookin’ at the RoundTable

Hello! I’m Julie Chernoff, the new Food Editor for the Evanston RoundTable, and longtime Evanston resident. Perhaps you’ve taken one of my cooking classes, or read my work as a food journalist (thanks for that!). You may remember…

Thomas & Dutch now open, serving modern comfort food with flair

Spring is the time of rebirth, and the emergence of new downtown restaurant Thomas & Dutch from the shuttered Farmhouse Evanston is well worth celebrating. Same owners, but all-new look, ethos and menu. The southeast corner of…

Mas Salud to open in downtown Evanston next week

Mas Salud, a new kitchen-and-bar restaurant, is opening Friday, April 28, at 720 Clark St., bringing Central and South American eats as well as specialty mezcals and tequilas to downtown Evanston. “I want to have a little…

Isabelle Reiniger: Minding our own businesses – Al’s Deli

Al’s Deli on Noyes Street is struggling to stay in business. “We haven’t paid rent in November and December yet,” co-owner John Pottinger said, ”but we have a GoFundMe campaign that has begun to raise some money…

Festive foods from some of your favorite local chefs

‘Tis the season for home cooking and family gatherings, and these Evanston chefs have graciously agreed to share their favorite recipes for delicious sides, so you can try them at home (but then, also, perhaps, be tempted…

Meez Meals hopes to up the ante on meal kit deliveries

Tucked away in a brick building across from the Evanston Police Department headquarters on Elmwood Street sits Meez Meals, a meal kit company founded by Jen Moore in 2011, before many of the mainstream meal delivery services…

Bring your pup to these Evanston restaurants 

Good news, Evanston dog lovers! Ten local restaurant patios have been approved for doggie dining this year, and more permits are in the works, according to Ellyn Golden, Evanston’s Environmental Health Licensing Coordinator. Sometimes sharing a meal…

Give me all the alliums

They’re the essential building blocks of any dish, and spring markets are awash with them. The beauty of spring alliums — we’re talking green garlic, garlic chives, chives, baby leeks, spring onions, and (swoon!) ramps — is…

Picnic offers fresh delights for on-the-go salad lovers

With its eco-chic vibe and luxe furnishings, the stylish reception area of the new carry-out restaurant Picnic feels more like a high-end spa than an eatery. There’s no actual food, not even a sprig of parsley, in…

Evanston Farmers’ Market is back: Take a look

The Evanston Farmers’ Market returned this weekend for its 48th season.  Saturday, May 7, opening day for the season, brought crowds to 1800 Maple Ave., where dozens of vendors sold a variety of products including locally grown…

Japanese street food comes to Evanston

When Penny Mohr immigrated to the United States in 2011, she knew she wanted to be in a kitchen. Her cousin had recently opened several Japanese restaurants in Chicago, so she got to work helping him and…

Asparagus is springing up all over

Spring has finally sprung, and I just can’t wait to take advantage of all the tender, thin asparagus spears cropping up in the markets. Who could resist? But if you’re not using them right away, be sure…

Evanston native wins Food Network’s ‘Chopped’

Chef Donna Lee never imagined she would participate in a reality cooking show, but then she got an Instagram direct message from “Chopped.” The show has been on the Food Network since 2009 and with almost 700…

Trattoria Demi, woman-owned for almost 30 years

While COVID-19 closed the doors of many businesses in Evanston, and the hope for a new chapter has ushered in new coffee shops, zero-waste stores and bars, one place in Evanston has remained constant – Trattoria Demi.…

Good to Go is here to stay, despite challenges

After 20 years of cooking up their beloved Jamaican cuisine, husband and wife team Tony and Lenice Levy said the key to working together has been understanding one another’s strengths and weaknesses. “We balance each other out,”…

Taste-testing ‘hygge’ in downtown Evanston: A review

February draws to a close next week, and so does Evanston’s “Hygge Fest,” a series of events inspired by the Danish and Norwegian word “hygge,” which is pronounced “hyoo-guh” and describes a feeling of comfort and coziness.…

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