LF_032317

28 | March 23, 2017 | The lake forest leader DINING OUT
LakeForestLeader.com
Quick Bites
Lighter jackets, lighter fare
Editorial selections
for exclusivelyspring
eats
STAFF REPORT
Chicagoland may have
gotten hit last week with
last-minute winter weather
following an unseasonable
snow drought, but
believe it or not, this past
Monday was the official
first day of spring.
As the mercury will
slowly begin creeping its
way up, creating more
comfortable outdoor temperatures
for long neighborhood
walks and sunnier
days, spring also comes
with many other positive
benefits, including holidays
and fresh, seasonal
food specialties.
Whether celebrating
Easter or Passover, savoring
the tastes of peak season
fruits and vegetables
or just trying to “spring
clean” your diet, there are
plenty of restaurants in
the North Shore ready to
welcome you with open
arms and delicious menu
items to put a healthy and
happy spring in your step.
Salmon with garlic spinach
— R & V Italian Market
and Deli, Lake Forest
Looking for food that is
quick, light and refreshing
to help you get into
the mood for the warmer
spring weather that is
upon us? Look no further
than R & V Italian Market
and Deli, which offers a
variety of foods perfect
for spring diets, busy lifestyles
and families.
R & V Italian Market
and Deli offers salmon
with garlic spinach paired
with pasta or a side salad
for $9.95.
The salmon is marinated
in shalabee garlic and
herbs and then baked with
fresh spinach, garlic and
oil. Guests can pair it with
their choice of any pasta
prepared that day or a side
salad.
The salmon is tender,
light and refreshing and
filled with flavors of lemon
and garlic.
Laurie Bianchi, the deli
manager, said this is the
perfect spring dish.
“It is light and very flavorful,”
Bianchi said. “Its
really good, cheap and
quick.”
Among the salmon with
garlic spinach at R & V
Italian Deli they also offer
specials for those participating
in Lent or Passover.
There are a variety of specials
served daily and fish
and chips and New England
clam chowder served
on Fridays.
R&V Italian Market
and Deli, 13801 Laurel
Drive, is open 9 a.m.-5
p.m. Monday-Friday.
For more information,
call (847) 816-6468 or
visit www.randvdeli.com.
Story by Alyssa Groh, Editor
Grilled Organic Salmon —
House 406, Northbrook
House 406 is doing
some spring cleaning with
its new menu.
The restaurant that
prides itself on spicing
it up each new season is
leaving the heavy, winter
dishes behind and introducing
a wealth of fresh
and organic spring-thriving
dishes.
One of their new dishes
that highlights both the
produce of the season, as
well as serving as a acceptable
dish for the Lenten
period, is the grilled
organic salmon ($28) The
grilled salmon is served
over a heap of the springgrown
vegetables, including
grilled artichokes,
leeks and fennel, as well
as cherry tomatoes, all
covered with a healthy
balance of red wine vinaigrette
and lemon-cream
sauce and topped with a
lemon. The vinaigrette
aids the bright and fresh
taste of the vegetables
that is substantial enough
to be filling without being
too heavy.
The shop also sells a
grilled white fish ($21)
with watercress, asparagus,
blood oranges, jicama,
cilantro, lime-vinaigrette
and a lemon-cream
sauce, as well as a burrata
cheese salad ($12) with
shaved sugar snap peas,
blood oranges, bread
crumbs, pistachios and
pistachio vinaigrette.
House 406, 1143 ½
Church St., is open 11
a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesday-
Saturday, 5-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday
and 5-10
p.m. Friday-Saturday.
For more information,
call (847) 719-0200 or
visit www.house406restaurant.com.
Story by Sarah Haider, Assistant
Editor
The salmon with garlic spinach ($9.95) is a light and refreshing item served at R & V
Italian Market and Deli in Lake Forest. Alyssa Groh/22nd Century Media
THE WILMETTE BEACON
Risotto allo Champagne e
Fragole — Convito Cafe
& Market, Wilmette
It was a trip to Italy that
inspired a popular spring
dish at Wilmette’s Convito
Cafe & Market.
“We found it at a restaurant
in Sardinia that featured
seasonal ingredients
cooked in an imaginative
way,” said Candace Warner,
owner of Convito, of
Risotto allo Champagne e
Fragole. “My partner and
mother (Nancy Brussat)
has a blog (https://nancybrussat.wordpress.com)
on her Italian journeys
and this was in it.”
Risotto allo Champagne
e Fragole ($14) is a rich,
creamy dish which not
only includes the classic
risotto ingredients but
strawberries, champagne,
basil, cream and Parmesan.
“It’s somewhat of a
nouvelle cuisine type
dish,” Warner said. “It’s
somewhat sweet, but the
addition of Parmesan neutralizes
the sugar of the
fruit and adds a savory
component.
Warner adds that what
makes a spring-themed
dish stand out is freshness.
“When new products
arrive like strawberries
and asparagus in the
spring they bring with
them the anticipation of
all the wonderful products
to come,” Warner said.
Convito will be busy in
April with Easter brunch
and dinner served on April
16 and a spring wine tasting
on April 27. For more
information, visit www.
convitocafeandmarket.
com.
Convito Cafe & Market,
1515 Sheridan Road,
is open 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Monday-Thursday, Sunday,
and 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday.
Story by Eric DeGrechie,
Managing Editor
Chipotle black bean burger
— The Curragh Irish Pub,
Glenview
Spring is in the air. And
spring vegetables are in
the ground.
While The Curragh
offers plenty of hearty
winter dishes — from
Irish stews to Guinness
cheese soup — its menu
also boasts several light
options for the warmer
months.
But let’s skip the soups
and salads. If you order
anything other than the
chipotle black bean burger
($11), you’re doing it
wrong.
The homemade sandwich
comes with quinoa,
black beans, corn, peppers,
spices, roasted red
pepper, aioli, Chihuahua
cheese, tomato and lettuce
on an onion bun.
Before I took my first
bite, Assistant Editor
Sarah Haider said it’s her
favorite “veggie” burger
in town. And I couldn’t
agree more.
The blend of spices
make this an ideal Friday
dish for anyone observing
Lent, but I’d suggest the
dish Saturday-Thursday
as well. Add a plate of
French fries, which come
at no additional cost, and
you’ve got yourself a
meal.
The Curragh, located
at 1800 Tower Drive, is
open 11-1 a.m. on Monday-Friday,
11-2 a.m. on
Saturday, and 10-1 a.m.
on Sunday.
Story by Chris Pullam, Contributing
Editor