REVIEWS
PENNY POLLACK
Evanston, that most urban of suburbs, finally has a cool place
for a bite and brew after the movie. A deep storefront decked
with raw wood beams and pinpoint lighting, The Cellar-brought
to you by the folks behind The Stained Glass Bistro-skillfully blends
slick and hip with cozy and comfy. Maybe it’s the seating
(a cushy couch here, glossy high-tops there),
or the small plates (tender braised short ribs over marrow potatoes,
Maryland crab cake buried under crispy frites),
or the global beers
(Goose Island Matilda, Orval Trappist Ale from Belgium).
We like the casual-affordable approach to global dining so well,
we might skip the movie altogether.
There are people out there who love Evanston, who couldn’t
imagine living anywhere else, who think it is the Great Compromise
between city and suburb. And then there are the rest of us,
who believe the only thing to do in the land of Northwestern students
is go to a movie and eat large quantities of Red Mango. It’s for us
that the partners behind the Stained Glass Bistro
have opened the Cellar, a beer-and-wine bar with a
global selection of small plates from bacon-wrapped dates
to a bucket of fried chicken to sake-steamed mussels.
If the scope of the menu makes it seem as if they’re appealing
to a diverse crowd, that’s because this is Evanston. They have to.
