Get Away To Evanston, Ill. For The Homestead & Hearth!

By Maureen Martin | December 30, 2015 | Lifestyle, Travel

It’s #LifestyleWednesday! A few weeks ago we choose Evanston, Ill. for a weekend getaway. Evanston is a four minute walk from North Shore beaches and Northwestern University, as well as an eight minute walk to the nearest El train and Metra stations.

We chose to rest our heads at The Homestead, a cozy guest house with a lounge and new restaurant The Hearth. This┬áfamily-owned inn first opened in 1928, and it definitely has an old world feel.

Our suite was one bedroom with a mini-kitchen, perfect for us. It was peaceful, quiet and low key, an ideal destination to relax and exhale.

We absolutely loved the first floor lounge. It has a fireplace and intimate seating. A perfect place for conversation and sophisticated cocktails.

The highlight of our stay was dinner at The Hearth.┬áThe dining room has reopened after a recent renovation. The look is modern and rustic, with light wood paneled walls and a wide, gorgeous brick fireplace. The roaring fire added to the ambiance and the “comfort food” themed menu.

The dinner menu is described as┬á”favoring sustainability, classic pairings, and simple ingredients from around the world.”┬áJohn ΓÇ£WoodyΓÇ¥ Linton is the chef and the mastermind behind the rich new menu, which features savory foods from around the world. We started with signature cocktails: the”Chicago Hennessey Cognac” consisting of Cointreau, angostura bitters, sparkling wine and sugared lemon; and the “Southside-Few” made with barrel aged gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, mint leaves and soda water. The men in our party, both from the Chicago area, loved the cognac concoction.

We choose and shared┬áappetizers: crispy crab cakes, shaved asparagus and a delicious creamy garlic soup. Our crab cake was lightly seasoned with a nominal amount of breadcrumbs and nice pieces of crab.

For the main course we enjoyed the Macadamia mahi mahi, pork tenderloin and Svickova.

The men in our party raved about the Svickova. It’s a European dish consisting of┬ábeef tenderloin, garlic spaetzle, wild mushroom, and sour cream dill sauce.

Grilled Gem Lettuce, Veggie Ramen and Sweet Corn Agnolotti are some really hearty selections that will please vegetarians.

We completed our meal with dessert. So glad we saved room for the mouth watering┬áWarm Pecan Tart,┬áPeanut Butter Parfait and┬áChocolate Creme Brulee.