Restaurants in Des Plaines

The aroma of curry mingles with that of traditional Nepali spices inside Mt. Everest Restaurant's dining area, whose walls are shod with oil paintings of scenic mountains brushed by Nepali artists. Inside the kitchen, the head chef prepares Nepali entrees—including khasi ko masu (goat meat cooked on the bone) and aloo tama bodi (a popular dish of russet potatoes, bamboo shoots, and black-eye beans)—alongside Indian favorites such as chicken tikka masala garnished with ginger and cilantro and king-size prawns roasted in a clay oven. Each entree is prepared to order, whether diners prefer mild, spicy, or business-casual seasonings, and served with drinks ranging from imported and domestic beers and wines to mango lassis and Himalayan teas.

There is a huge gap between what parents want to eat and what their kids do. Between picky eating habits and the lure of shiny plastic toys, it can seem impossible to get kids to eat out without having to scarf chicken nuggets yourself. Two Wilmette fathers grew tired of this cycle and the poor quality of food their kids were craving, so they decided to create a restaurant where they, their wives, and their kids could all get an enjoyable meal. 

The result was Gilson’s, an American bistro that uses sustainably caught and locally grown ingredients that adults value, and couches it in a friendly atmosphere complete with a children’s menu that accommodates picky eaters without plying them with processed junk food. The bistro reflects its two identities with an outdoor patio and exposed-brick dining room, with a more upscale wine bar that caters to guests wanting to sip international vintages in a more intimate space. 

For the adults, chefs specialize in seafood. They accent shrimp and ahi tuna with layers of mango salsa and wasabi mayo to create complex flavor profiles without boiling up a rubik's-cube reduction. House specialties such as the fish tacos and Wyoming bison burgers get pared down to create smaller lunch portions, alongside a selection of organic sandwiches and salads.

In 1946, two Hagen brothers staked a claim using money their father, himself a fisherman, got from taking out a mortgage on the family home. Now, a pair of the founders' granddaughters and their husbands preside happily over an ever-expanding selection of fresh fish, shellfish, and shucked oysters flown in from around the world. Smoke from hardwood flames saturates the tender meat of salmon and trout, delighting nostrils and drawing feral firefighters to scratch at the door. Patrons wander in past the shop's colorful Viking ship mural to deposit personal catches in the smoker or peruse fried shrimp, chicken, and trays for parties. Brimming shelves push forward Scandinavian specialty items such as lutefisk, pickled herring, and lingonberries, which beg for inclusion in recipes or inaccurate dioramas of the first Thanksgiving.

Like a carousel made of beautiful meals instead of parade horses, Dream Dinners sports a monthly rotating menu of up to 17 dinner selections designed to be healthy and savory for you and your loved ones. For March, the chefs have prepared a series of delicious feasts, including citrus-marinated fish tacos, sage-crusted pork chops, bruschetta chicken skewers, chicken mirabella, and build-your-own calzones. Hungry chessmasters can plan five suppers ahead with meals that serve six ($30 average price) or three ($15 average price). Dream Dinners usually requires a minimum order of 36 servings, but this is waived with your Groupon.

Chef and owner Joseph (ZouZou) Abraham concocts an authentic Lebanese menu of award-winning small plates fit for pairing with a liberal BYOB policy. Voted Best Falafel by Chicago magazine, Semiramis's famed falafel ($4 for four pieces; $6 for a sandwich) delights diners with a subtle fusion of light, refreshing ingredients. Similarly, the vegetarian plate unites hummus, baba gannouj, tabbouleh, falafel, and dolma in a meatless parade ($12+), and lentil soup ($3.50) charms palates with a subtle kick. And like a pop supergroup, the chef's lamb, beef, and chicken shawarma are lean, spicy, and impossibly catchy ($6+ for a sandwich; $12+ for an entree).

Chef Kasra Medhat's refined culinary techniques draw from his diverse gastronomic history, from his childhood filled with Turkish- and Iranian-style family meals to his college internship at a Chicago gourmet restaurant, as well as his catering work. Today, Kasra captains Magnolia Cafe, where he infuses all that passion and experience into his innovative French-American recipes.

In the kitchen, Kasra and staff cobble together ingredients plucked during their peak growing season in a variety of meat and seafood dishes. Upon white tablecloths, plates of appetizers and entrees meet with the house's specialty martinis and boutique wines in crystalline glasses, which are great for clinking or playing pieces from Mozart's glass-harmonica phase. Soft jazz music pulses amid the exposed brick and beams that ring the dining room, which is speckled with hanging photos of the flowers from which the establishment takes its name.