Gourmet & Healthy in Evanston

This bi-flavored Groupon busts out of a kernel and puffs up happy-heated. For $11, you get a two-pack popcorn canister (normally $19.95) from Wells Street Popcorn, the snacky specialist with four flavors of old-fashioned popped corn. Choose caramel, cheese, traditional, or Chicago mix popcorn to fill each 2/3 gallon canister, which weigh about 1.5 pounds when filled with caramel popcorn and has about as much popcorn as would fit inside 5.8 grapefruits, 1.8 cantaloupes, or 2.7 cantafruits.

Providing Chicago’s South Side with fine meats and produce since 1958, Dunning’s Gourmet Market is stocked to the brim with fresh eats. Shoppers can peruse a wide range of daily-made salads, artisan cheeses, and butcher shop meats that can be hand-trimmed into a custom cut. Like tennis shoes, Dunning’s catering menu items are cooked to order using fresh ingredients and can be tailored to fit dietary restrictions. From the lunch menu, sample a delectable jerk-chicken burger ($5.50), a grilled-steak sandwich ($8), or smoked-salmon pasta salad ($9 per pound). Additionally, shoppers will enjoy helpful service from a knowledgeable staff while soaking in the rustic and charming atmosphere.

Between the years of 1904 and 1944, the Greek Revival–style mansion that now holds Eric's Porter - Haus was home to former Waukesha mayor Isaac Lain. Today, it's a bustling supper club where servers make the rounds to multiple dining rooms, one of which is equipped with a fireplace lined with fresh cookies for Santa. Chef Chris prepares Old World specialties such as black forest schnitzel made with natural range-fed veal. Another specialty is steak; tender filet mignon sizzles alongside 24-ounce porterhouse cuts. Bottles imported from Germany, Australia, Italy, Spain, and California also make appearances on the wine list.

With four locations speckled across Chicagoland, The Goddess and Grocer pairs the menu of a gourmet deli with the packed shelves of a specialty grocery store. Muffins, scones, and croissants are baked in-house, wafting the scents of melting butter and sugar over a sandwich counter reminiscent of a giant artist’s palette. There, custom sandwiches take shape from 11 breads and wraps, 7 deli meats, 9 cheeses, 12 vegetables, and an assortment of condiments that covers everything from cranberry-tinged mayonnaise to horseradish sauce. A few fixed staples are on hand to simplify decisions, however, including an egg-salad sandwich that Chicago magazine placed on its list of the 50 Best Sandwiches in Chicago, praising it as "a testament to the sheer power of simplicity."

The Goddess and Grocer also assembles bag lunches as well as picnic hampers for patrons looking to enjoy a bite by the lake or to bait a Yogi Bear. To round out these meals, the staff can include high-end, specialty items from the grocery section, including handmade chocolates, artisanal cheeses, mustards and dressings, and wine and beer. Alternatively, they can cater gourmet breakfast, lunch, or dinner for large gatherings and celebrations.

The Olive Gallery is more than a boutique store. It is a tasting room set up in the style of a Tuscan kitchen, a place to immerse oneself in flavor and explore the unexpected possibilities of artisan olive oils and vinegars. The room is filled with stainless-steel kegs called fustis, each filled with traditional, first-cold-pressed olive oils from locales such as Italy, California, Greece, or Chile. Some are filled with flavored oils, great for marinating meats or daubing onto pulse points, whereas others carry aged, flavored, or white balsamic vinegars.

The helpful staff members dole out storage tips and recipe advice for making the most of their wares, which include specialty foods and kitchen tools. They also tout the health benefits of incorporating olive oil into your diet, citing lowered blood pressure, improved glycemic control, and possible anti-aging effects.

Nestled in Little Italy, Conte Di Savoia has dispensed a curated selection of imported Italian foods since 1948. Crisp checkerboard floors lead to wooden racks that proudly cradle vintage Italian wines, and an aisle devoted to olive-oil varietals, fresh pastas, and canned tomatoes inspires last-minute decisions about dinner and sending lippy cans of Chef Boyardee to boarding school. Fresh Italian sausage and house-made mozzarella peers over a cozy deli counter, which slings sandwiches and salads for patrons to consume at a small cluster of tables situated by the shop's front window. Summertime's amiable weather ushers in the arrival of sidewalk tables and seating, freshly potted herbs, and solar-powered cashiers.