North Shore Views

Archive for the 'Local gems' Category

Fuel Restaurant

If you’re looking for a change of pace from the usual fare at Panera and Corner Bakery, then you should try Fuel Restaurant at 1222 Washington Court in Wilmette (right next to the Metra parking lot). They have some unique and creative breakfast and lunch options made from locally grown ingredients. And they are quite tasty.

Ed and I stopped in for breakfast the other day and both of us ordered the Savory Strata. I got the vegetarian version with spinach and mushrooms and he ordered the one with Italian Sausage. I had never had a strata before but it was a yummy concoction made with Heavenly Hearth French bread, peppers, Crimini mushrooms, onions, low fat yogurt, Gruyere and Parmesan cheese, all topped by a garlic mushroom sauce and sun dried tomatoes. It was de-lish!

Fuel opened almost a year ago. Its owner, Tim Lenon, is an ex-trader and Wilmette resident, who is passionate about supporting local farmers and local businesses. His concept is “farm to table”, meaning that everything he serves is fresh off the farm and comes from within a 100 mile radius. The eggs are from cage-free chickens and the produce is grown using organic farming techniques. Fuel also claims to be the only green restaurant in town, as the space was built using recycled materials.

You can eat outside or in. The interior of the space has kind of an urban feel, not surprising given that its inspiration was some of the places Tim used to frequent in Bucktown and Wicker Park. It has cool colors and clean lines. I overheard one patron describe it as “small and concise.” And it is.

If you’re trying to make a train, or are otherwise in a rush, you can get “Fast Fuel” to grab and go: smoothies, pastries and muffins and breakfast burritos.

Fuel is open Monday – Friday from 6:00 am to 2:00 pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 to 2:00. Breakfast entrees cost $9.00-10.00 while lunch runs $8.50-10.00. Kids’ breakfasts are $5.50-7.50.

Tags: Fuel Restaurant

Wilmette’s French Market

On Saturday mornings throughout the summer, a trip to Wilmette’s Metra parking lot will transport you to old world France, where you can stroll through a  Parisian-style open air market and shop for fresh produce, bread and other good stuff.

I always wondered why it’s called a French Market instead of a farmer’s market.  That’s the great thing about writing a blog. You learn a lot of stuff you may not have known about before.  The big difference  is that the French Market has breads & baked goods, meats, cheeses, potted plants, kettle-corn,  pickles, jewelry, scarves, bags and handicrafts, in addition to the fruits and vegetables you would find at an ordinary farmer’s market. Also, instead of separate booths, all of the vendors are under one long red, white and blue awning. Our market  even features live music in the form of a New Trier student who plays the violin for shoppers’ listening pleasure and, of course, tips.

The concept is borrowed from the open air markets in Europe, where people shop for their daily consumables. It was brought to this country by Bensidoun, a French company that manages open air markets in and around Paris and now in several towns and cities in the U.S.

The market is open every Saturday from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm from May 1st through the end of October. Most of the produce and other food items are grown or produced locally (or regionally).

Tags: French Market

Best Gas in Town

I know what you’re thinking. Gas is gas, right?

But this gas is different. Well, maybe not the gas, but the gas station. I’ve never been much of a loyalist when it comes to gas. It’s a convenience thing for me. I get gas wherever I happen to be when my car is on empty.

But a while back I came out of my house one cold morning and my battery was dead. Triple A gave me a jump but told me the battery was basically shot and I should get a new one ASAP. I was already running late that day so I went down the hill to Forrest’s Marathon Station (now owned by Duxler Complete Auto Care) at 1201 Green Bay Road in Wilmette to see if they could help me.

I had no sooner settled in with my newspaper and complimentary cup of coffee when they told me I was all set. The new battery was already installed. I don’t think it took five minutes. After I paid for the battery I realized I needed gas so I pulled up to the pump and started to get out to pump my gas when Ed came bounding up and said, “I’ll take care of that”. I thought he was just being nice because I had just had my car serviced there. But no. Turns out that they actually pump everyone’s gas.  I’ve always been a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to gas, but I have to say that, when it’s 20 degrees out and sleeting, it sure is nice to sit in my warm car and have someone else do it for me.

Today I needed gas again, so I headed down to my new favorite gas station. This time I brought my camera, snapped some pix and talked to the owner, Glenn Moak. Duxler has three other locations (Evanston, Northbrook and Skokie) but this one is the only one that has gas. Glenn says their goal is to put the service back into service stations. They pump the gas and, no, it’s not more expensive than self-serve places; in fact, it’s a bit cheaper. They have a full-service garage and tire replacement operation. They also have the cleanest bathrooms in town. They’ll even top off the windshield wiper fluid in your car and give you a lollipop when they’re all done. You can’t beat that.

ATTENTION LADIES: Thursdays are Ladies’ Day at all Duxler locations. For every oil change, Duxler will donate $2.00 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and you’ll also be entered in a drawing to win a day spa certificate.

So, if you’re sightseeing on the North Shore or touring homes for sale or just driving your kids’ carpools and need to make a pit stop, Duxler’s Marathon Gas is the place to go.

Tags: best gas station, Wilmette

Wedding Crasher No More

What’s the most elegant wedding venue on the North Shore?

Vince Vaughn would tell you it’s the Armour House at Lake Forest Academy. At least that’s where the star of “Wedding Crashers” chose to tie the knot this past weekend. The Armour House was built between 1904 and 1908 at a cost of $10 million by J. Ogden Armour (heir to the Armour Meat Packing fortune). It was purchased by Lake Forest Academy in 1947 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
You can read more about Vaughn’s wedding here and here.

Tags: Armour House, Lake Forest, Vince Vaughn, Wedding Crasher

Got Stocking Stuffers?

I am WAY behind on my Christmas shopping. But today I made some headway,with just one visit to Beat Street on Green Bay Road in Hubbard Woods. This store is packed to the gills with literally thousands of items for sale, most of which are for kids and most of which are small and inexpensive. In other words, perfect stocking stuffers.

I bought my daughter a psychedelic fleece throw with multicolored peace signs, a spy case, a voice changer, a Bronx Cheer noisemaker, a little sparkly jewelry box,  a tarantula that expands about 1000% when immersed in water and miscellaneous other items.  I was tempted to buy the remote control giant scorpion but I decided enough is enough.

One hour and $97 later, I finally dragged myself out of there.

So, if you’re still shopping for stocking stuffers or other unusual gifts, beat it over to Beat Street.

Tags: Beat Street, holiday gifts, stores in Hubbard Woods, Winnetka