AUSTIN KOO`S MANDARIN RESTAURANT, 318 W. Adams St., 853-1155. This basement-level restaurant is sleek, pleasant and bright, but the food`s quality seems to come and go with the crowds. At lunch, it is busy and the fare is good, basic stuff. At night, it is more quiet and the food is more erratic. Recommended: Szechwan snails, hot and sour soup, moo shu, Szechwan orange beef, kung bao shrimp. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Closed Sat. and Sun. Price range: Moderate. Credit cards: A, DC, M, V. Reservations:
Accepted. Other: Wheelchair accessible.-PAC (STAR)
THE BIRD, 1119 N. 25th Ave., Melrose Park, 681-0414. Ben Moy created a following with successive restaurants in Skokie, Glenview, Evanston and now this factory warehouse section of Melrose Park by keeping his food creative and the atmosphere obscure. This is Cantonese a la Ben Moy. Which means anything-French, Italian, American or pure Moy-that improves the dish goes in the dish. Recommended: Wings of the bird, boneless crispy-skin chicken, (fresh lobster in wine and leek sauce,) Peking-style duck. Hours: 4:30-10 p.m. Tues.- Fri., to 11 Sat. Closed Sun. and Mon. Price range: Moderate. Credit cards:
None. Cash or personal check. Reservations: Accepted. Other: No liquor; $1 a person corkage fee when bringing your own.-PT (STAR)(STAR)
HOUSE OF HUNAN, 535 N. Michigan Ave., 329-9494. The first of the great Michigan Avenue Chinese restaurants, this place taught many the pleasures of Hunan-style cooking. Its menu keeps evolving and new dishes uncover new delights. Presentation of house specialties makes the beholding as important as the eating. Recommended: Pot stickers, hacked chicken, beef and scallops, pike with pine nuts, Hunan beef, spicy bean curd. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. daily. Price range: Moderately expensive. Credit cards: A, C, D, DC, M, V. Reservations: Accepted.-MK (STAR)(STAR)
SEVEN TREASURES, 2312 S. Wentworth Ave., 225-2668. Your basic Chinatown Chinese restaurant with basic problems: language barriers between diners and waiters and the tendency for the room to get rather messy by the end of the day. But these are minor hassles and diners can find-with the right order-good Cantonese cooking here. Recommended: Soups, diced chicken, duck, sea snails. Hours: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Thurs., Sun.; 11 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Fri.-Sat. Price range: Inexpensive. Credit cards: Not accepted. Reservations: Not accepted.-PAC (STAR)
SZECHWAN HOUSE, 600 N. Michigan Ave., 642-3900. One of Chicago`s most elegant Chinese restaurants, Szechwan House serves food that surpasses even its decor. Everything moves smoothly as waiters race from table to table bringing course after course. Lunch features a superb, reasonably priced buffet loaded with specialties. Recommended: Dumplings, shrimp toast, moo shu dishes, scallops, sweet and sour pork, hong shao chicken, garlic chicken. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri., Sat. Price range: Moderately expensive. Credit cards: A, C, DC, M, V. Reservations:
Accepted.-MK (STAR)(STAR)
ECLECTIC
BODEGA BAY CAFE, One American Plaza (Sherman Avenue at Grove Street), Evanston, 328-8540. This latest venture of restaurateur Leslee Reis is packed with creative, assertively flavored small ”tastings,” at moderate prices. Plus there are well conceived, often dramatic-looking entrees, teamed with a wonderful beer selection and bargain-priced wine list. Worth a visit, especially if adjacent Leslee`s jazz lounge is swinging. Recommended: Wild mushrooms with garlic and ancho chilies, Szechwan eggplant, pad Thai, grilled shrimp with ancho chili mayonnaise, Moroccan chicken with preserved lemon, and Mariscada, a Brazilian seafood dish. Hours: 6-10 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 5:30 p.m.-midnight Fri., Sat.; 5-10 p.m. Sun. Price range: Moderately expensive. Credit cards: A, M, V. Reservations: Accepted.-PT (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
JILLY`S CAFE, 2614 Green Bay Rd., Evanston, 869-7636. A small, modest-looking restaurant that belies the excellent down-to-earth food. Some creativity is thrown in for excitement. Recommended: Appetizers, soups, sliced veal, blackened fish, pan-roasted duck, cappuccino cheesecake, carrot cake. Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 5-9 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; 5:30-10:30 p.m. Fri.- Sat. Closed Sun.-Mon. Price range: Moderate. Credit cards: M, V. Reservations: Recommended. Other: Wheelchair accessible.-PAC (STAR)(STAR) (STAR)
MONT CLARE RESTAURANT, 4343 N. Clarendon Ave. in the Boardwalk Building, 348-4666. Be prepared to wait for the food, but it`s worth a leisurely meal. With its French-trained Japanese chef, pleasant dining room and soothing music, this restaurant, formerly called Rappers Bar and Grill, is a lovely surprise in an ordinary residential building. The food is very good at extremely reasonable prices. Recommended: Appetizers, daily specials, combination plate, dessert. Hours: 5-11 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; 4-9 p.m. Sun. Closed Mon. Price range: Moderately expensive. Credit cards: A, M, V. Reservations:
Recommended. Other: Parking available (call ahead).-PAC (STAR)(STAR)
PERIWINKLE, 310 N. Green Bay Rd., Highwood, 433-8440. A creative menu offers a plethora of upscale items served on polished oak tables by an affable young staff. A fine assortment of brewed-at-the-table coffees and teas hails from Periwinkle`s Lincoln Park location. Recommended: Seafood ceviche, seasonal; mixed grill with cinnamon-shallot butter, pesto and chive sauce;
tuna with black peppercorn; Fresh homemade ice cream. Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; dinner, 5-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; to 11 p.m. Fri, Sat.; 4-8 p.m. Sun. Closed Mon. Price range: Moderate. Credit cards: A, C, D, M, V. Reservations: Accepted.-PT (STAR)(STAR)
FRENCH
ALOUETTE, 440 N. Green Bay Rd., Highwood, 433-5600. A handsome, upscale country inn with quiet chamber music, this North Shore establishment boasts good to excellent fare that changes daily and an unusually extensive wine list for a relatively small restaurant. Midweek special of $15.95 for four-course table d`hote dinner is a true bargain. Recommended: Shrimp terrine, coq au vin, steamed striped bass. Hours: 5 p.m.-midnight daily. Price range:
Moderately expensive. Credit cards: A, C, D, DC, M, V. Reservations: Accepted. Other: Free parking.-PT (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
AMBRIA, 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, 472-5959. Outstanding, innovative cuisine, knock-out presentations and gracious service mark this starship of Richard Melman`s Lettuce Entertain You Inc. emporium as one of the best restaurants in town. This is serious food served under almost comically pompous sterling silver domes. Much credit goes to chef Gambino Sotelino and wine stewart Robert Bansberg. Expensive, but worth the money. Recommended:
Wild mushroom appetizer, squab, duck salad, grilled seafood, souffles, creme brulee. Seven-course degustation, $42 a person. Hours: 6-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 6-10:30 p.m. Sat. Closed Sun. Price range: Expensive. Credit cards: A, C, D, M, V. Reservations: Recommended. Other: Valet parking, $4.-PT (STAR)
(STAR)(STAR)
Bistro 110 E., 110 Pearson St., 266-3ll0. French. A Levy-Roth collaboration and what a production. The food is good but needs a little more polishing; mostly it is a fun, good people-watching spot. Recommended: Goat cheese salad, roasted chicken, steak, fried vegetables, fruit tarts with creme fraiche. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 11:30 a.m.-midnight Fri.-Sat.; 4-10 p.m Sun. Price range: Moderately expensive. Credit cards: A, D, DC, M, V. Reservations: For lunch only. Other: Short-term valet parking $4, reduced parking after 5 p.m.-PAC (STAR)(STAR)
CAFE DE PARIS, 5550 N. River Rd., Rosemont, 678-4488. You will pay for the pleasure of precise droplets of whipped cream on the dessert, silver domes over entrees, tapestry-like material on comfortable arm chairs, chandeliers, and a fleet of servers. Sock-it-to-`em presentation fits the innovative, light entrees. Portions are large, which is not always the case in dining these days. As might be expected from chef Christian Gaborit, who was saucier and sous chef at Chicago`s original Maxim`s in the 1960s, imaginative, well-executed sauces are the norm. Recommended: Foie gras with ginger sauce, crayfish in puff pastry with saffron sauce, poached scallops topped with golden and black caviar and served with a light melon sauce, souffle crepes with Grand Marnier and strawberry sauce. Hours: Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mon.- Fri.; dinner, 6 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Mon-Thurs., to 11 p.m. Fri., Sat. Closed Sunday. Price range: Expensive. Credit cards: A, C, DC, M, V. Reservations:
Accepted.-PT (STAR)(STAR)
CAFE DU PARC, 2442 N. Clark St., 525-1800. La Fontaine, one of Chicago`s oldest French restaurants, has become a pleasant bistro serving good food in a provincial setting. The menu emphasizes lightness in both the cooking and the prices. An added bonus for early diners–15 percent discount for orders placed before 7 p.m. Recommended: Tarte tropezienne, crab cakes, pates, swordfish, linguini with frog legs provencale, sauteed rabbit. Hours: 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-midnight Fri., Sat. Price range: Moderate. Credit cards: A, C, DC, M, V.-MK (STAR)(STAR)
CAFE PROVENCAL, 1625 Hinman Ave., Evanston, 475-2233. This lovely restaurant in the Homestead Hotel has quiet classical music in the background, a fine wine list and very competent service overseen personally by owner-chef Leslee Reis. This easily ranks as one of the more romantic spots in town. And the cuisine is excellent. Ingredients are particularly fresh, especially the fish, and accompaniments are exceptionally well thought out for color and taste. Recommended: Sauteed wild mushrooms, soups, cholcoate roulade. Hours:
6-9 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.; to 10 p.m. Fri., Sat. Closed Sun. Price range:
Expensive. Credit cards: A, C, DC, M, V. Reservations: Accepted. Other: Valet parking $4.-PT (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
CARLOS RESTAURANT, 429 Temple Ave., Highland Park, 432-0770. Everything goes so smoothly at Carlos, one of Chicagoland`s best restaurants, that even a three-hour dinner seems to fly by. If there can be any complaint it is that everything from service to the food is so outstanding that nothing stands out. Recommended: Fresh grilled goose liver, salmon sausage with basil sauce, mushroom pate, pink grapefruit sorbet, veal medallions sauteed with a rosemary sauce, assiette of squab, flourless chocolate cake, fruit tarts, mango with butterscotch. Hours: two seatings: 5:30-6:30 p.m. and 8:30-8:45 p.m., except Fri. and Sat. when last seating is 9:15-9:30 p.m. Closed Tues. Price range:
expensive. Credit cards: A, DC, D, M, V. Reservations: Necessary. Other: Valet parking.-PAC (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(S TAR)
CHASSEUR, 651 N. Westmont Dr., Westmont, 655-1161. A good bet for this suburb where fine dining is hard to come by. The better-than-average food makes up for the less-than-polished service. The tempo quickens with live jazz Tuesday through Saturday. Recommended: Appetizers, seafood, hunter`s platter, after-season platter, white chocolate mousse. Hours: 6-10 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.;
6-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 5:30-9:30 p.m. Sun. Price range: Moderately expensive. Credit cards: DC, M, V. Reservations: Accepted. Other: Free parking.-PAC
(STAR)(STAR)
THE CHARDONNAY, 2635 N. Halsted St., 477-5130. Wonderfully uncomplicated, moderately priced French cooking and excellent wines by the glass make this one of the city`s better restaurants. The brief menu changes every other week to take advantage of seasonal ingredients and to keep regulars coming back for more. Too much sampling from the attractive wine list can quickly run up a bill. Recommended: pastry appetizer, soup, fish of the day, chicken. Hours:
(wine bar opens at 4:30 p.m. daily); dinner 5-10 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; to 10:30 p.m. Fri, Sat.; 3-9 p.m. Sun. Closed Mon. Price range: Moderate. Credit cards: M, V. Reservations: Recommended. Other: Outdoor courtyard with grilled seafood, valet parking, $2:50.-MK (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
DINING ROOM, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 160 E. Pearson St., 227-5866. The impeccable service and consistently good food, along with a $35 fixed-price menu, make this a hotel dining room worth trying. Recommended: Specials on prix fixe menu, pates, soups, veal, dessert cart selections. Hours: Dinner 6-11 p.m. daily, 6-10 p.m. Sun. Brunch 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Sun. Credit cards: A, C, DC, M, V. Reservations: Necessary.-CH (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
