Metering is ON

dining

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Hidden Highland Park gem

The 100-person restaurant may be a bit off the beaten path inside a strip mall, but the quality of the cuisine does speak for itself, helped along not only by Skaff’s gift for self-promotion but the man himself. An immigrant out of Lebanon, the gregarious Skaff says he speaks, “A little Greek, a little Italian, Lebanese, Hebrew, French, Armenian and Spanish. Not fluent but I get by.”

Highland Park launches first Restaurant Week

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Not to be outdone by other nosh-centric happenings elsewhere, Highland Park, with its long, proud tradition of culinary delights, has launched its own week in celebration of all the “dishes that make Highland Park a destination for foodies from near and far.” Starting early in …

Francesco’s Hole-some Italian

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“Lot’s of love,” is how Frank Gallo, owner of Francesco’s Hole in the Wall in Northbrook, explains  his staying power on the North Shore for the past three decades. “I do it with love and it’s a gift that I am able to do it …

Baker Boys’ sweet gig

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Going on its two-year anniversary at the corner of St. Johns and Roger Williams in Highland Park, the Baker Boys bakery is firing on all cylinders — or burners, as the case may be. Co-owners and friends since childhood Peter Rauser and Jordan Rappaport always …

Eat out al fresco dining spots

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Bannockburn San Gabriel Mexican Café and Il Postino Wine Bar – 48 seats 2535 Waukegan Road (847) 940-0200 www.sangabcafe.com Deerfield Rosebud of Deerfield – set to open in July/August 2011 with 400 seats 560 Waukegan Road www.rosebudrestaurants.com Trax Tavern & Grill – 250 seats 833 …

Lake Forest’s Grille on Laurel offers elegance, comfort

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When James “Dimitry” Govas, owner of The Grille on Laurel in Lake Forest, came to this country from Athens, Greece, as a strapping young lad in the late 1960s, he had every intention of going to college. Having two uncles who were also executive chefs …