Hungry in the Northern Burbs

At heart, I’m a city girl. Raised in a small upstate NY town, I moved to Brooklyn at 17 and then Chicago in the late 80s. My husband loves the city too, but he works in the north suburbs with an unbearable reverse commute. Five years ago we moved to the suburbs. I like a lot of things about living here – old trees, privacy, big, affordable master bedroom suites. But I miss the city’s restaurants – the local diners, little Italian restaurants and neighborhood gems. There are thousands of restaurants in the north suburbs but too many of them are parts of big chains. I prefer dishes served up by local cooks and chefs. I’ve found a few - Country Kitchen in Highland Park for breakfast, the Firkin in Libertyville for eclectic dinners and Louie’s in Waukegan for old school character. I’m sure there are more. Please tell me what I am missing! What are your favorite local restaurants and what makes them so special?