byA. LaBan
City dwellers looking for a quick getaway often forget about a beautiful beach front community just a hop, skip and a jump away, offering spectacular views of the lake, abundant bike trails and hiking paths, art galleries and cozy establishments where a comforting hot meal can be savored with a refreshing drink.
Just one catch - don't count on that drink being fermentation-based. This bucolic community is Evanston, the North Shore's outer frontier, the academic jewel of the North Side, 847-area code heaven for real estate investors and the historic home of the Ladies' Temperance Union.
The region we know today as the North Shore was once home to the Potawatami Indians, hunters and fur traders who settled along the forested shores of Lake Michigan. The area's first permanent non-native settler was Major Edward Mulford, who bought 160 acres in 1836 and opened Evanston's first tavern and post office, as well as the first court in Cook County. In 1855, Northwestern University was founded by devout Methodists as a haven for "sanctified learning" in the West, one that was protected by a 4-mile alcohol-free corridor.
In 1972, absolute temperance was repealed, and Evanston's first legal beer was served in public; the city's first liquor store opened in 1984. Even with these giant steps forward, night life was still fairly timid when I was a grad student in Evanston more than a decade ago. Dining choices were pretty much limited to Buffalo Joe's (wings), Hecky's (ribs) and the legendary Café Provencal. Café P was well above the reach of my starving-student budget, so for me, Evanston was a veritable gastronomic wasteland.
Today, there's a good selection of establishments that serve alcohol. In addition, Evanston sustains a number of restaurants bridging the culinary and price gap between McDonald's and the three-star Trio. From perky bistros and casual sit-downs to make-your-own stir-fry and cushy coffee shops - but very few bare bones-type hangouts; after all, this is Evanston, not Madison - there's a variety of eating opportunities.
Nowhere has the former culinary desert bloomed brighter than at Campagnola, where Chef Michael Altenberg serves "clean Italian cuisine." Altenberg, whose resumé includes the kitchens at Le Francais, Avanzare and Tucci Milan, trained at the Michelin three-star Antica Osteria del Ponte in Italy. There he learned to incorporate the fresh and natural, chemical and hormone-free ingredients he serves nightly at Campagnola. While known for dishes like his wood-roasted duck with Chianti glaze, mustard greens and black-pepper polenta, and pan-seared Scottish salmon, it's often his vegetarian creations - like a rich tagliatelle with seasonal wild mushrooms and sage topped with a dollop of mascarpone - that get patrons most excited. The recent opening of a second-floor dining room and wine bar has made the crunch at Campagnola manageable.
Found on the lower level of the Davis Street Metra stop, Chef's Station is a relative newcomer to the Evanston dining scene in a part of town that was once "the other side of the tracks." Opened in 1998 after a year of rehab, the restaurant's outside resembles a European bistro, while the interior looks like a ship's galley. Chef's Station's menu is just as varied and features a changing selection of eclectic, ethnically-influenced dishes, including duck breast with lingonberry-zinfandel sauce, and cornmeal encrusted-catfish with spicy tomato-jalapeno chutney, Taos tartar sauce and creamy grits. Homemade soups change daily, and, on chilly days; diners are greeted at the door with a cup of hot apple cider.
Cash-strapped students are no longer faced with a choice between wings or Big Macs. Offering "dim sum and then sum" with no-frills style, Lulu's takes a step forward in creativity and serves a selection of fusion Asian, including dumplings and other small eats, soups, salads and stir-fry. Dim sum is a big hit here, especially on Monday evenings and Sunday afternoons, when it's $10.95 for all you can eat. Entrées play on Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese themes. The Vietnamese rice noodle salad, topped with grilled beef and a spring roll, is a big hit, as is jumbo shrimp and mixed veggies with Thai penang coconut curry and rice.
Campagnola, 815 Chicago, Evanston, (847)475-6100
Chef's Station, 915 Davis, Evanston, (847)570-9821
Lulu's, 626 Davis, Evanston, (847)869-4343
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