Bookends and beginnings1/31/2024 Patrons can also order classic sides like mac n’ cheese, spaghetti, and warm buttermilk buns. It’s also where students fight over whether gizzards and livers are appropriate for a midnight snack.īut fear not - if meat and chicken entrails makes you squeamish, there are plenty of alternatives. It’s where students find out that it’s normal to eat spaghetti and garlic bread with fried chicken and fried catfish. I pointed at the marquee board menu, plucked a paper clip-art brochure from the counter and told them that this is what soul food really is. The first time I visited Evanston Chicken Shack was with soul food virgins. Customers can peek inside the kitchen to see authentic fried chicken that is freshly floured and deeply fried upon ordering. For others, it’s an introduction to how soul food should be done: hot, messy and stuffed into a paper takeaway box. The homely restaurant, located at 1925 Ridge Avenue, is just a few minutes west from campus and boasts an extensive spread of fried catfish, chicken and vegetables, all available past midnight 6 days a week.įor students from the South, the chicken is a pleasant return to crunchy, crispy, oil-drenched and floured-up goodness. Livers, gizzards, fries, oh my! Evanston Chicken Shack is perfect for anybody looking for deep-fried mains with a heavy-handed side of crinkle cut fries. But every time I walk to the counter to pick up my weighted bag of burritos, tacos and chips and say the order is for “Mah-ree-sa,” I feel that much more enveloped by the warmth Mexican American food always brings me. In Evanston, I don’t use the Spanish pronunciation of my name very often. As we saw in the cold, dark weeks before the restaurant’s March re-opening, Tomate’s menu is a gift that we cannot take for granted. Treat yourself to an horchata or a Jarritos to wash down your food. You would think that first taste is the best, but true fans know that every bite contains a bit of heaven, down to the last ends of the tortilla.įor those who haven’t had the chance to be floored by a great plate of food in a while, I highly recommend the asada, chiles relleno or fried tofu burritos, although you really can’t go wrong with any of the available options. But after just the first bite I took into the pillowy soft tortilla, sharply salted carne asada, fluffy rice, thick beans and mild red salsa, I was hooked. I had long heard about the delicious burritos and tacos, but never challenged myself to actually try it. I am ashamed to admit I came to know Tomate only after moving from deep South Campus to an apartment near Foster-Walker during my senior year. The Noyes joint, famous in Evanston for its well-portioned burritos, has a unique hold on undergrads and community members compared to the area’s other Latin restaurants. There are few news events that have spread across Northwestern Twitter quite like the time Tomate Fresh Kitchen announced it was closing, then re-opening, then delaying re-opening, then officially opening once again. Once you visit them, find other small businesses to venture to next - because they’re an integral part of what keeps Evanston so amazing. We still have five categories you voted on, and I’d encourage you to take a trip to visit the winners to learn more about what makes them so impactful. More than just remembering, I also hope you take this chance to celebrate the amazing businesses that have survived the pandemic so far. In reading them, I hope you remember the impact local businesses have had on your life. This year, we’ve collected a handful of the stories our staff has about some of the locations we’ve lost. As I’ve watched their numbers dwindle over the last 13 months, I’ve remembered the stories I’ve been told about each of them. In my time at The Daily, I’ve had the chance to cover all sorts of Evanston retailers, and I’ve seen firsthand the impact they’ve had on the community. In recognition of that, we wanted to commemorate just a few of the dozens of local businesses that have shuttered their doors since the beginning of the pandemic. Since our last Best of Evanston, the city’s landscape has changed dramatically as a result of COVID-19. But this year, we couldn’t proceed as if things were business as usual.Īs we prepared to launch our surveys, we realized some longtime BOE winners weren’t going to be options anymore. Each year, we celebrate the vibrant economy in our city - we’re always so appreciative of the business owners and employees that help make Evanston unique.
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