The best of the 'burbs

Dan dan mien @ Katy’s Dumpling House
Open your mind to eating in a strip mall at a tiny slurp-shop where the  menus sport more Mandarin than English, and you retrieve your own water in a Styrofoam cup. You’ll be rewarded with some of the silkiest, fresh noodles in the area. We’re fans of the namesake dumplings, but the best dish in the house is the classic Chinese street food dan dan mien—a bowl of noodles swimming in fiery, pink-red broth, topped with a mound of chili paste–laden ground pork and a fistful of spinach.

Potato skins @ Prairie Grass Café
You can take the food writer out of Applebee’s, but you can’t remove cravings for classics like mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers and the mother of all munchies—potato skins. Chef Sarah Stegner turns back the clock by serving her skins for brunch and adding scrambled eggs to cheddar cheese, sour cream and bacon.

Laham ajeen @ Larsa’s
What happens when a Lebanese chef takes over a pizza joint? You get laham ajeen—a crispy, paper-thin, pizzalike starter topped with tomatoes, onions, peppers and finely ground beef, mashed to a spreadable consistency and brightened up with parsley.

Goat-cheese gnocchi @ Vie
Now that chef Paul Virant has snagged one of this year’s Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs awards, it’s become a bit harder to secure a table at his homage to the Midwest’s finest farm offerings. Once you get in, try his gnocchi, made from Prairie Fruits Farm’s chèvre and tossed with plump morels, green garlic threads, toasted pine nuts and a few shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano. That’s what all the fuss is about.

Veal Milanese @ Di Pescara
A mall setting could doom any restaurant looking to be taken seriously, but once we dug into this spot’s crispy, breaded, bone-in veal chop topped with lemon-kissed arugula, we had no choice but to sit up straight and take notice.

Sea scallop sashimi @ Oceanique
While a waft of truffle oil may tempt some diners, it’s a warning sign among chefs who view the stuff as a crutch. Chef Mark Grosz doesn’t need any help with this dish—the thin rounds of pristine sea scallops are cleverly balanced by fresh watercress and sweet, roasted golden beets.That final drizzle of white-truffle essence is the perfect finishing touch.

Inverted banana crème brûlée @ Niche Restaurant
In pastry chef Ann Marie Braun’s version of this classic dessert, the crispy caramelized sugar layer synonymous with crème brûlée is found at the bottom of the bowl. Atop is a ridiculously creamy banana custard, drizzled with maple-rum-caramel sauce and finished with a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream, bits of pecan brittle and a crispy banana chip.

Bhel puri dahi @ Chowpatti
Navigating the massive menu at this Indian-owned vegetarian restaurant is tougher than trying to unlock your front door in the dark while drunk. Skip the fumbling and head straight for the chaat, the family of addictive sweet-salty-crunchy snacks. Dozens of options abound, but our favorite combines bhel (think savory Rice Krispies) with sev (crunchy chickpea noodles) and bits of puri (whole-wheat chips), and then folds in diced potatoes, onions, cilantro, a trio of chutneys and whipped, housemade yogurt. Sounds strange, but trust us.

Apple pancake @ Walker Bros. Original Pancake House
Since the ’60s, this breakfast barn has been playing country grandma for those of us not lucky enough to have one. The signature dish is still the draw—flapjack batter, apple chunks, cinnamon and sugar baked in an iron skillet until the edges caramelize with crispy glaze. Plain ol’ pancakes will never taste as good again.

Sliced hamachi @ RT Lounge
No, it’s not authentic, per se—this is an Italian chef we’re dealing with, remember?—and it’s not going to fill you up, but this perfect slice of yellowtail dressed with miso-pineapple emulsion, chili oil and fried shiso at Rick Tramonto’s restaurant is an ideal accompaniment to mixologist Debbi Peek’s cocktails. 

Mesclun mix @ Henry’s Farm Stand at the Evanston Farmers’ Market
Sure, this $3 bag of Henry Brockman’s organically grown lettuces will provide you with a week’s worth of healthy, delicious salad lunches. But its real power is in its ability to make salad eaters out of candy fiends. It’s all due to the edible flowers in the bag, which are so alluring that even the most hard-core junk-foodist can’t resist.

Gnocchi with braised oxtail @ Courtright’s
Yeah, yeah, yeah, this place is gorgeous—magical, even—and if you’re lucky, maybe one day you’ll get married here. But if you think it’s nice in the summer, try it in the fall, when the leaves turn and the kitchen turns out hearty dishes like this.

Hot-fudge sundae @ Petersen’s
The lights are out and there’s a for sale sign in the window, but the dream isn’t over yet for this Oak Park stalwart. In its adjacent, bare-bones “sweet shop,” you can still get its rich, much-loved ice cream, and have it topped with an insane amount of luscious, so-thick-it’s-practically-chewable hot fudge.

Focaccina Rosmarino con crudo pizza @ Trattoria D.O.C.
Yes, you can get this pizzas like this one—topped with rosemary, olive oil and prosciutto—in the city, at the Pizza D.O.C. location. But come on—postdinner strolling in Evanston is just so much better.

Yesiga wot @ Addis Abeba
Under normal circumstances we’d say it’s a shame that a great ethnic restaurant couldn’t make it in pricey Wrigleyville and had to move up to the ’burbs. But in the months between this restaurant’s closing and reopening, we assumed it was gone for good—so when we discovered that it’s alive and well and still serving this fiery beef stew, we were too relieved to care.

Vanilla milk shake @ L. Woods Tap & Pine Lodge
Maybe this Lettuce Entertain You spot doesn’t get all the details of Midwestern lodge dining right (we’re talking about the flatbreads here, LEYE). But come dessert, it doesn’t matter—milk shakes are made with Kemp’s frozen custard, which comes straight from Minnesota. You can taste the heartland in every sip.

Lamb spare ribs @ Quince
Chef Mark Hannon doesn’t strike us as the kind of guy who keeps any entree on his menu for very long. But hopefully he’ll have mercy on us and bring back this hearty dish, which was just as notable for the luscious lamb as it was for the toothsome curried lentils and creamy eggplant mousse.

Relleno negro @ Xni Pec
Saying this is the best Yucatecan food around doesn’t do the place justice—it’s some of the best Mexican food in town, period. And if you don’t believe that, call ahead and ask if the restaurant is making this dish (it’s often a special on the weekends). One bite of this intricate combination of chicken, beef and pork, all immersed in a dark, peppery sauce, is all it takes to make you a believer.

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Addis Abeba1322 Chicago Ave, Evanston, 847-328-5411
Chowpatti1035 S Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, 847-640-9554
Courtright’s8989 S Archer Ave, Willow Springs, 708-839-8000
Di Pescara2124 Northbrook Ct, Northbrook, 847-498-4321
Evanston Farmers’ MarketUniversity and Oak Sts; Sat 7:30am–1pm
Katy’s Dumpling House665 N Cass Ave, Westmont, 630-323-9393
L. Woods Tap and Pine7110 N Lincoln Ave, Lincolnwood, 847-677-3350
Larsa’s 3724 W Dempster St, Skokie, 847-679-3663
Niche Restaurant14 S Third St, Geneva, 630-262-1000
Oceanique505 Main St, Evanston, 847-864-3435
Petersen’s1100 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, 708-386-6131
Prairie Grass Café601 Skokie Blvd, Northbrook, 847-205-4433
Quince1625 Hinman Ave, Evanston, 847-570-8400
RT Lounge601 N Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling, 847-777-6575
Trattoria D.O.C.706 Main St, Evanston, 847-475-1111
Vie4471 Lawn Ave, Western Springs, 708-246-2082
Walker Bros. Original Pancake House153 Green Bay Rd, Wilmette, 847-251-6000
Xni-Pec5135 W 25th St, Cicero, 708-652-8680