You’re planning to dine out, but can’t decide whether to go for sushi, French, American, Turkish or pub grub. Why limit yourself when you can choose all of the above? On a recent Friday night, we set out on a progressive dinner in restaurant-laden Lincoln Square, sampling one course each from of a variety of neighboring eateries.
7:10 p.m.: Cocktails
Although Tank’s extensive list of nigiri and maki looked inviting, we bypassed the sushi bar in the front of the restaurant in favor of the cocktail bar toward the back. We perused the ample martini list and selected a Red Octopus ($9), made with vodka, pomegranate juice, triple sec, and lime–a trendy (and tasty) twist on the standard cosmo. 4514 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-769-2600.
7:40 p.m.: Appetizers
When we arrived at Anatolian Kabob, the small Turkish storefront spot was only about half full, so we had no trouble grabbing a table to enjoy some starters. The menu is stocked with standard faves such as hummus, falafel and baba ganuj. We ordered the dolma–grape leaves stuffed with a delicious spiced mixture of rice, pine nuts and parsley ($5.25)–and sigara boregi–baked phyllo dough filled with a feta cheese mixture ($5.25)–and paired them with some strong Turkish coffee ($1.75) to temper our martini buzz. 4609 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-561-2200.
8:30 p.m.: Salad
Things were cooking when we popped into Square Kitchen to get our greens. We figured a full house meant we’d be dining at the bar, but when we told the hostess we were stopping in for a snack, she graciously steered us toward one of two high-tops in the bar area, where we enjoyed a pear and red oak salad ($6), watercress topped with melt-in-your-mouth pears, blue cheese, walnuts, champagne vinaigrette and port wine syrup. 4600 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-751-1500.
9:15 p.m.: Entree
We were skeptical about our chances of waltzing into Bistro Campagne on a weekend night, but were seated within minutes. We contemplated the salmon, roasted chicken, beef stew, lamb and rabbit dishes on the recently unveiled fall menu, but opted for the flavorful cote de porc aux peches epicees, a super-juicy (they’re brined before cooking) pork chop complemented by sweet glazed spiced peaches and crispy corn fritters ($18). 4518 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-271-6100.
10:22 p.m.: Dessert
We’d heard it would be best to arrive at She She after 9 p.m. to avoid the dinner crowd, but we were a little too fashionably late and found the kitchen finishing up and the restaurant devoid of other guests. However, we were still warmly welcomed for dessert and coffee, and our sweet tooth was more than sated by this upscale, contemporary American spot’s tasty take on bananas Foster, served with bread pudding, Tahitian vanilla gelato and brown sugar-spiced brandy sauce ($7). 4539 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-293-3690.
10:50 p.m.: Nightcap
An Irish pub sounded like a good bet for a toddy or two, so we headed to The Grafton, where we worked our way past the crowd in the front to snag prime fireplace seating in the back room. The selection of hot cocktails, which includes coffee and hot chocolate drinks as well as a hot port, didn’t disappoint. We cozied up on the couch, where the warm glow from the Grafton Special–coffee with Frangelica and Baileys ($6)–and the gas logs provided a perfect end to our evening. 4530 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-271-9000.
