Chicago gets all the foodie headlines, but some of the most memorable meals I have had happened after leaving the city limits and driving into the suburbs.
Across northeastern Illinois, restaurants with serious kitchens are serving food that easily stands shoulder to shoulder with downtown dining, often in rooms that feel more relaxed and personal.
I have driven these routes myself more than once, sometimes just for a specific dish that kept lingering in memory days later. Refined seafood in Evanston and thin-crust pizza perfection in Cary are only the beginning of what is happening beyond the city skyline…