City Park Grill, Highland Park

The concept of comfort food typically conjures up images of a family sitting at a kitchen table, passing around steaming casserole dishes filled with something cheesy, creamy, or meaty. But that's not the case at City Park Grill. Though chefs sling feel-good edibles such as meatloaf, roast chicken, and warm apple crisp, the food is plated on modern, rectangular wares and served in a dining room where black-and-white photographs stud an exposed brick wall. An old-fashioned ethos wins out in the kitchen, however, as chefs insist on preparing all soups, sauces, and desserts from scratch daily. Drinks from the full-service bar make the perfect complement to a day of game-watching on one of five big-screen TVs.