PRAIRIE GRASS CAFE
www.prairiegrasscafe.com
601 Skokie Blvd, Northbrook
847.205.4433
ITLC’s Overall Rating: A
Cuisine: A Ambiance: A Service: A

Highly esteemed Chicago-area chefs George Bumbaris and Sarah Stegner (formerly of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago) have teamed with Rohit Nambiar (formerly Seasons restaurant manager at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago) to open this new North Shore location to bring fine family fare to the burbs. The room is spacious, casual-chic, inviting and family-friendly. Large flat-panel video monitors display brilliant photos of prairie scenes from investor Bill Curtis’ Kansas farm.

The kitchen aptly bills its fare as “contemporary American.” The menu changes monthly, in keeping with seasonal availability of product, which is sourced locally whenever possible. The same sensibilities that these fine chefs honed at the Ritz-Carlton, the same devotion to high-quality ingredients and the same masterful culinary skills are all brought to bear here. At the same time, the presentation is always approachable and familiar.

More than a dozen wines are available by the glass ($6-11). A very manageable list offers a range of international choices by the bottle, mostly in the $20-50 range, with some high-end choices, including a 2000 Chateau Margaux at $850.

The dinner menu is straightforward and irresistible: appetizers ($5-9.50), salads ($7-8.50), entrees ($5-32), sides ($3-5) and desserts ($7). A recent experience with four diners offered ample opportunity to explore the menu. The crab cake with corn relish and roasted sweet peppers was a favorite, across the table, as were the shrimp “spring roll style” and the pizza with thinly sliced eggplant, garlic and fresh mozzarella. The spicy chicken wings with homemade ranch dressing get high marks too.

While the salads were tempting, we limited ourselves to sharing a couple of orders of grilled vegetables topped with crumbled goat cheese, served on a bed of mixed greens. A winner.

With seventeen entrees to choose from, it’s a tough call. We settled on Alaskan halibut, moussaka, homemade lamb sausage and ahi tuna seared rare. They were all crowd-pleasers. The halibut was buttery-moist and done to perfection. The moussaka ain’t like no dish your little ol’ Greek grandma made; this moussaka has come to town, with layers of braised lamb, potato and eggplant, all topped with a sinful golden-crusted béchamel that could bring the vice squad to this otherwise decent family restaurant. The homemade lamb sausage was superb, but even so, it was nearly overshadowed by the savory lusciousness of the lentil ragout and goat cheese. And all due respect and skill presented perfect tuna with a titillating aioli of roasted tomato and olive.

For dessert, Mom’s Coconut Cream Pie and the warm chocolate “muk muk” cake with crème Anglaise were satisfying. For the next visit, the strawberry crepe with Grand Marnier sauce is calling. So is the baked pear in almond cake.

The lunch menu shares a number of items with the dinner menu, with additional salad and sandwich selections. The menu and the service keep in mind many customers’ wishes for a speedy but high-quality lunch.