Prairie Grass Cafe

I very rarely give restaurant reviews on my blog.  I was contacted and asked if I would try the Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook.  It was fun for me to go out with a critical mind and palate.  My wife reminded me that we had been at this restaurant before but it had been years.  That is a good reason for us to check it out again.  I am glad we did.  From the craft cocktails, to the very creative dishes, to the exquisite desserts, this dinner was a WINNER.  I am not one who will just say that.

What I liked about this restaurant was a menu that had many dishes that you just can’t find at other restaurants.  The foodie in me always wants to try different dishes.  We began our meal with a baked feta with jalepenos.  This appetizer had the traditional flavor you expect from feta and a nice little kick from the jalapenos.

I guess I should back up a step.  I began my dinner with a craft cocktail – the 1845 Martini.  This was Ketel orange vodka with orange bitters.  Tasty but I am a bourbon man and should have tried one of their two bourbon creations.  I did get a taste later from the creator of these cocktails.

We followed our appetizer with an arugula salad.  This was a really cool salad.  My wife’s favorite lettuce is arugula and this dish was served with jicama and apples.  The dressing was a really tasty orange vinaigrette.

The two main courses we ordered was the fish and chips and the crispy duck.  I can’t believe it but my wife ordered the fish and chips.  She never eats fried food unless it is French fries.  The breading was a tempura made with soda.  The quality of the fish was superior because they used artic char. This fish was a little off for me mainly because of what my mind was expecting but my wife really liked it for that exact reason.  A real winner on this plate was the apple slaw – great TANG.  I had the crispy duck.  The duck was perfectly cooked.  I would have liked an even crispier skin but healthy me, only took a couple bites of the skin.  It was served with multi-colored sweet potato wedges that I really liked.

We were too full for any dessert but they insisted that we try a couple.  They came with a Sticky Toffee Date Cake topped with Vanilla Ice Cream and a Lemon Chiffon Pie.  The pie was delicate and lite.  The Sticky Toffee Date Cake – OMG.  It was served warm.  The toffee or caramel sauce was around the cake.  The consistency and the flavors were so unique.

Bottom line for our experience was that my wife and I were discussing when we would go back and which friends we want to take knowing how much they would enjoy the food.  A final comment, going back to the uniqueness of  the menu, is that the one negative of living in the suburbs is getting really interesting food.  Dishes that you have to go downtown for.  We have now found, or reawakened, to Prairie Grass Cafe and we are glad we did.