The Cellar: Small Plates Come to Evanston

Last Friday, I trudged through the snow with a few girlfriends to check out one of Evanston's new additions to the gourmet dining scene: The Cellar.

The more casual sister of the elegant Stained Glass (which I have yet to visit), The Cellar did not disappoint. Iterating on the small plates trend with great success, the diverse American and European menu was perfect for sharing and grazing with a few friends and glasses of wine. Each of us ordered 2-3 dishes, and left completely satiated - wishing only that we'd left room for dessert. I'm sure that before the snow melts we'll be back to sample some of the sweets.

Star dishes of the night included:

• The French Onion Soup (the classic - perfect for a snowy night)
• Acorn Squash Ravioli (candy-stripe beets, caramelized walnuts, brown sage butter)
• Butter & Salt Flight (Parmigiano Reggiano butter with fleur de sel/Goats milk butter with Himalayan pink salt/Truffle butter with truffle sea salt)
• Baked Truffle Mac & Cheese (Gruyere, cheddar, orecchiette pasta, yum, yum, yum)

Can you taste the cheesy goodness? It's every bit as good as it looks... (via Clover Eats)