GL_050318

glenviewlantern.com dining out
the glenview lantern | May 3, 2018 | 37
Froggy’s French Cafe keeps diners hopping with innovative fare
Highwood eatery
celebrates four
decades of success
Eric DeGrechie
Managing Editor
When Thierry Lefeuvre
opened Froggy’s French
Cafe in the summer of
1980, he was fulfilling a
dream that began in the
northwest of France.
Born in Brittany, France,
Lefeuvre grew up interested
in cooking. He used
experiences gained in various
kitchens to create Froggy’s,
306 Green Bay Road,
Highwood, which has been
wowing locals for four decades.
“You have to be stubborn
and stay on top of everything
that needs to be taken
care of,” Lefeuvre said of
Froggy’s sustained success.
“The menu is filled with
things that people have
been loving for years.”
While co-founder Gregg
Mason is no longer involved
in the operation,
newer owners Bill and
Sheri Cartwright are. Area
sports fans may remember
Bill Cartwright from
his days playing, and later
coaching, the Chicago
Bulls.
Walk through the doors of
Froggy’s and you may feel
like you’ve entered a neighborhood
bistro in France.
The owners pride themselves
on providing an inviting
and intimate ambiance,
and the restaurant reflects
that. The ceiling of the dining
room is decorated with
dozens of colorful upsidedown
umbrellas and the
walls are filled with original
artwork by Jacqueline Lefeuvre,
Thierry’s wife.
Like his wife, Thierry
Lefeuvre also considers
himself an artist and his
palettes are the beautiful
dishes he creates. Seafood,
The grilled whitefish Provençal ($25 on the dinner menu) at Froggy’s French Cafe in
Highwood features locally bought seafood with shallots, tomato and garlic. Photos by
Michael Wojtychiw/22nd Century Media
bought locally and directly
from Hawaii, is prominently
featured throughout the
menu.
“I would say seafood
makes up about 50 percent
of the menu, but beef, especially
rib eyes and tenderloins,
are also popular,”
Lefeuvere said. “The third
thing people come here for
is exotic items they can’t
get anywhere else, like
wild game.”
While Lefeuvre realizes
the importance of keeping
items on the menu that
have been ordered frequently
over the years, he’s
also quick to mix things up
depending on the season
and remain innovative with
ever-changing daily specials.
Not a fan of using a fryer
at Froggy’s, Lefeuvre
keeps his menu healthy,
though he admits portions
are larger to appease the
tastes of Americans versus
diners in Europe.
Lefeuvre touts his chef’s
creations, which include a
choice of an appetizer, sorbet,
entree and dessert, and
range in price from $35-
47 for dinner, and less for
lunch.
Cold appetizers ($11)
include marinated Gulf
shrimp (orange, coconut,
oak leaf lettuce, cayenne
pepper vinaigrette) and
salmon trio (smoked, oak
leaves, rillette, which is
meat served similar to
pate, and sausage). Hot
appetizers include escargot
casserole ($11,
braised in a creamy garlic
sauce) and foie gras ($16,
sauteed with blackcurrant
and onion cassis sauce).
Among the popular seafood
entrees is the grilled
whitefish Provençal ($25
on the dinner menu), featuring
shallots, tomato and
garlic, and served with
mashed potatoes, grilled
zucchini, peapods, tomatoes
and baby carrots.
While frequenting Froggy’s
recently with several
other 22nd Century Media
employees, this is what I
ordered for lunch.
Everything at Froggy’s is
super fresh and the sauce on
this dish really kicked the
whole entree up a notch. I
made a point to tell Lefeuvre
that I would be returning
soon with my wife.
Before I had the whitefish,
I tried a bowl of cold
Froggy’s French Cafe
306 Green Bay Road,
Highwood
(847) 433-7080
froggysrestaurant.com.
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and
5-10 p.m. Tuesday-
Thursday
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and
5-11 p.m. Friday
5-11 p.m. Saturday
Closed Sunday
The sautéed shrimp with linguini ($29) is lightly
breaded and served with lobster sauce.
The pasta primavera ($23) can include vegetables,
chicken or seafood, with Provençal or lobster cream
sauce.
Desserts at Froggy’s include meringue with espresso
cappuccino, flourless chocolate cake, dark chocolate
praline and ice cream.
gazpacho. I’ve always been
of the opinion that there
is no better soup for the
warm months ahead than
gazpacho. Froggy’s version
doesn’t disappoint with just
the right amount of spice
for a refreshing and cooling
treat.
One of my colleagues
ordered the pasta primavera
($23) with chicken (also
available with vegetable
and seafood) and served in
a lobster cream sauce. The
other dined on the sauteed
shrimp with linguini ($29),
which is lightly breaded
and was also served in the
lobster cream sauce. Let’s
just say neither spoke
much during the meal between
bites and all three
of our dishes were spotless
when we finished our
exquisite meals of French
flavors.
I can could go on and on
about the menu at Froggy’s
as it is vast and filled with
culinary treats. Lobster,
duck, sea scallops, scrod,
veal and sweetbread are all
included. Desserts include
French bread pudding,
creme brulee, mousse cake
and artisan cheese.
While Lefeuvre tweaks
the menu for spring, reservations
are being accepted
for Mother’s Day on Sunday,
May 13. Private parties
are also very popular at
Froggy’s. The restaurant’s
Instagram account features
Lefeuvre’s colorful plates.