We've been in Evanston for 3 months now, and we had become convinced that there were no truly fine dining experiences in town. Sure, there were some very good ones that we've enjoyed (Koi and Chef's Station come to mind) but nothing upscale with a real sense of food adventure to it. Or so we thought.
Then, we went to Quince the other night. Quince is a small, very quiet little restaurant located in the Homstead Inn. It has maybe a dozen tables at most, with a very relaxed feel to it. We were glad we went.
The food was simply outstanding. Katy started with a spicy lamb ravioli that mixed in a little Serrano ham as well. Paul had a fascinating scallop dish that included yogurt, chorizo, and, of all things, kimchi. You wouldn't have thought either combination worked, but they both did.
For entrees, Katy had a venison that was perfectly cooked and garnished with a tasty eggplant and raisin mixture. Paul had the pork with some coconut sticky rice, papaya and chilies. Yum.
And it got better -- for desert, Katy had the Rhubarb Ravioli (honest -- rhubarb in a ravioli pastry) and Paul had a simple Jelly Roll (simple? Not -- brioche and apricot with coffee ice cream).
But what made the evening most of all was the quiet, competent, thoughtful service. We wanted a glass of prosecco to start. When it turns out that the last bottle had just been bought, we got a nice glass of Gruet Brut from New Mexico (of all places) on the house. We had two nice glasses of red wine as well -- a Portal del Montsant "Brunus" from Spain and an Endiku Cabernet from California.
So ... what's not to like? Very nice food, good portions (large enough to have a good taste but not overwhelming), good service and fine wine. We'll be going back before we leave Evanston.
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