Best of the Burbs
Carlos and Debbie Nieto have operated this intimate French dining room in Highland Park since 1981. The atmosphere is regal, with handsome dark-wood trim, richly toned fabrics, and elegant porcelain dinnerware. Ramiro Velasquez runs the kitchen, dazzling patrons with the expertise he gained under such powerhouses as Jacky Pluton, Don Yamauchi, Eric Aubriot, and Alan Wolf. A la carte dishes include Hot and Cold Foie Gras—seared Hudson Valley foie gras with grenadine-infused caramelized onions and chilled La Belle Farms foie gras on banana bread with vanilla syrup—and herb-crusted rack of lamb. A seven-course degustation menu ($100) with optional paired wines ($155) is a dining adventure, with appetizers like huckleberry-glazed squab breast with grilled pears and New Zealand venison loin with a smoked-parsnip puree, root vegetables, and a cassis gastrique. (A vegetarian tasting menu can be prepared upon request.) The encyclopedic wine list is mostly French but also offers American, Australian, and German options. On Mondays diners can bring their own wine—there’s no corkage fee—and servers will suggest food pairings from the menu. —Laura Levy Shatkin
$Asian, Korean | Lunch, dinner: seven days
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Czechs are traditionally frugal foodies, and Czech Plaza delivers a lot of value with a roster of substantial old-world platters, most clocking in at under $10 for soup, entree with two sides (sauerkraut, dumplings, or salad), dessert, and coffee. The bread is quite good, full flavored with baked-today freshness. Meat is the featured player in most preparations, starting with a fabulous soup in which floats one big liver dumpling of preternatural lightness. The signature duck is superb, with crackly skin and moist, flavorful flesh (hint: forgo the gravy). Lamb shank is shaded with cinnamon and served over an earthy blend of bulgur and the beloved hobies (mushrooms). On tap, find Czechvar (the original Budweiser) as well as other eastern European brews. If you’re vegetarian, your options are rather limited, though huge, magnificent house-made fruit dumplings—packed plump with blueberry and peaches—could easily make a meal. Desserts are also fruit-filled: kolacky, strudel, tart. —David Hammond
El Chimbombo6725 Cermak, Berwyn | 708-484-9420
The Zabar’s of Cicero, Freddy’s Pizza offers dry goods such as olive oil and pasta, but the real attraction is a display case of antipasti and hot dishes you can take away or eat on the crowded porch. Primi include a very fine chickpea salad, heart-challenging slices of salami in oil, and buffalo mozzarella with basil and tomato—the last, if you ask me, one of the clearest expressions of Italian culinary genius. I’ve sometimes thought I’d rather eat my toe than another plate of pasta Alfredo, but the rigatoni here is dressed with light cream, just a little cheese, and a few peas—I’d order it again, especially with some sauteed rapini on the side. The lasagna is quite delicate, house-made noodles layered over fluffy ricotta and discreetly covered with a chunky, conservatively seasoned tomato sauce. Rather than being cracker crisp, the pizza crust is like a good slice of puffy Italian loaf smeared with cheese and sausage (or any of seven or eight other options). The folks at Freddy’s bake their breads in a range of shapes and sizes, and there’s an array of Italian ices and gelati, ethereally creamy and, like most offerings here, made in the back. —David Hammond
$$Asian, Korean | Lunch, dinner: Sunday, Tuesday-Saturday | Closed Monday
