Restaurants in Elkhorn

Once inside Oceanique's unassuming storefront, chandeliers and white-cloaked café tables give the restaurant the feel of an art deco Parisian lounge. The setting is no accident: Chef Mark Grosz peppers his menu with the evidence of a culinary education acquired in France and under Jean Banchet at Le Francais. The eclectic dishes, which change daily, might pair butternut squash with salmon or drizzle rhubarb-mango chutney on foie gras. Beyond the signature seasonal fish dishes, they can devote full plate space to organic, ultrafresh produce, such as butternut squash and fiddleheads.

Even with its complex array of ingredients and tastes, the menu strives to remain approachable. Time Out Chicago writes that "while the multi-ingredient preparations border on overwhelming, Grosz somehow manages to balance flavors while completely flipping off subtlety." What results is a laid-back dining atmosphere lubricated by a choice of more than 800 wines and several vintage seawaters.

With live jazz music, USDA Prime steaks aged at least 21 days, and the freshest of seafood, Pete Miller's Seafood & Prime Steak is a living tribute to the colorful life of Harold “Pete” Miller. Miller grew up an avid hunter, studied History in college, and earned a Purple Heart as a marine in WWII. He even spent time slinging hats, before eventually settling on becoming a music salesman—a profession that would ignite his love of jazz and lead him to the rhythm-rich city of Chicago. Once settled, he discovered the Davis Street Fishmarket in Evanston where he became a regular, albeit outspoken, patron. He incessantly offered recommendations and recipe suggestions, eventually inciting the chef to hand him an apron and shout, “Do it yourself if you think you know so much!” Miller accepted the challenge and kicked off his culinary career with his usual flair and spontaneity.

Today, the pair of restaurants proudly carrying his name keep his legacy alive, hosting live jazz almost every night of the week, just like he would have wanted. In addition to the regular dinner menu, which features the likes of whole steamed lobsters and bone-in fillets, there’s also a bar menu that boasts more casual eats, such as burgers and sandwiches dressed in khaki slacks. The Wheeling location’s 250-seat patio features a granite bar with room for 50 people, as well as three huge fireplaces.

Va Pensiero owner Jeff Muldrow has served as executive chef at a number of top-notch Chicago Italian restaurants. Using the best ingredients from local, predominantly organic farms (plus a few indispensably Italian ingredients imported from the motherland), he's assembled a creative menu of sumptuous dishes. Start off with a creamy risotto with roasted pumpkin and meaty, pan-seared scallops ($14) or a bright carpaccio of grass-fed beef tenderloin with sun-dried tomato compote and shaved parmesan ($10). Entrees are varied and impressive, including a variety of textures and flavors in the herbed-crusted sea scallops ($31) and grilled lamb chops with gorgonzola polenta and swiss chard ($28). Wash it all down with a wine pairing from Va Pensiero's rich wine list.

In the hungry face of hunger, it is widely agreed that sushi is an acceptable cure for growling digestive tracts. With today's Groupon, you can satisfy the most demanding of cravings for sliced, rod-shaped foods at Kamehachi. Twenty dollars gets you $50 worth of sushi, sake, noodles, and more.

Yelpers and Citysearchers alike give Pizza Shuttle a 3.5-star average. Seventy-eight percent of over 100 Urbanspooners recommend it:

Milwaukee ChopHouse's menu of succulent fare begins with ahi tuna tartare with avocado, wasabi, and sriracha ($12) and wagyu beef carpaccio in a white truffle oil with parmigiano reggiano and capers ($13)—both of which sharpen the palate for the main event: the ChopHouse's signature boneless 16-ounce strip steaks prepared au poivre ($35), crab Oscar-style ($42), blue-cheese crusted ($39), or with truffle butter ($39). The kitchen also turns out hot non-bovine entrees such as sautéed sea bass with sundried tomato and basil pesto ($32) and lobster tail ($51), a.k.a. mermaid steak.