New Orleans type “supper club” in Highwood

Highly Recommended ***** Right between Lake Forest and Highland Park is the town of Highwood. Back in the day, this was known as “THE PLACE” for fine dining along the North Shore. Places such as The Nightengale and Alex’s Washington Gardens and the famous “Froggy’s” we destinations for visitors. During the summer months, many Ravinia audiences dined in Highwood before or went for a late night drink and dessert. Name a type of cuisine and you will find it in this little town known for quality food and great drinks.

My readers and listeners love to hear about spots in and around Chicago and recently, I was asked to look into a place called Marco’s Northside Grill. It has been awhile since we took the hop, skip and jump along Route 22 to Green Bar Road and visited Highwood, so Jane and I , along with our friends Alan and Vickie went for dinner this evening. Turning onto Sheridan Road ( this is the street that runs parallel to Green Ba on the east side of the tracks. Yes, you can get to Highwood by train and even with no reservation find a restaurant to dine at- guaranteed ( on a week night). The street was busy with diners, mostly eating in the outdoor patio seating are that every restaurant has added. Remember, this is The Covid 19 period, so dining is uniquely different.

Marco’s Northside Grill has a menu that is very “Supper Club” with a great deal of fine meat dishes and also has the feel of Louisiana and Mardi Gras menu items. Our host, Marco Santi loves what he does and it shows. Our server, Marsin was quite knowledgeable on the menu and helped us get through the wide selection. As usual, we select several dishes, share and discuss our favorites for future visits.

Jane and I began the evening with a typical “supper club” beverage, an old fashion ( truly the right amount of sweetness and fruity flavor. Vicky just had water and the other Alan, a golfer, enjoyed his Arnold Palmer as we had a few starters. The first were the Jumbo Gulf Shrimp, served either chilled or grilled with a special home made sauce ( delightful zing) served 4 or 8 pcs. We then shared the Chef Peter’s New Orleans Crab Cake ( delicious blue crab cake on spring greens with Cajun remodulate ). Alan and I also had a cup of their Louisiana Chicken Gumbo ( delish!). They also have the best Cheese Curds I have ever tasted and my fellow diners agreed.

The salad choices are a delight and varied enough for any taste. Since we were sharing, we agreed that the Chef’s Lobster Salad would be just perfect for the evening. It was, and enough to share, but if one was just having a salad, more than enough to be a dinner.

The menu is made up of many sandwiches ( by the way, gluten free buns are available). We selected the Black Angus Burger ( 1/2 pound) which is their “signature” sandwich. Truly perfect! Since we were on this New Orleans Fish night, we also did the Lobster Roll and the Crab Cake Sandwich along with the New Orleans Grilled Chicken Sandwich (( Cajun spiced with a sweet  bourbon sauce on a fresh potato bun) . They are served with a choice of potatoes or slaw and we were able to share each and every one with each of us getting a true sample.

In addition to these selections they also have a salmon sandwich, BLT ( and a BLT with avocado), Highwood’s Italian Sandwich, Shrimp Po Boy and many others including a Chicago Style hot dog. For non meat eaters, a black bean burger is available and their Caprese Sandwich is a cheese lovers delight.

The menu has two dinners- Crab Cakes ( as you can see, this is one of their specialties and the Grilled Faroe Island Salmon ( this is on our next trip for sure).

For dessert we shared a homemade ice cream sandwich with chocolate sauce and whipped cream, The other option is the Beignets, but they were out. FYI- They offer a special Sunday morning menu for Beignets, so when we are off from bowling, we will return!  DUE TO THE COVID SITUATION- NO BOWLING, so we returned last Sunday for their Beignets. They are ***** and worth the trip. Four of us consumed 2 dozen, with ease and delight!

We dined on the patio where they have several tables so following the social distancing was easy. Inside seating is available and when they have live music it adds more of the “supper cub” atmosphere. They also now have a tent in the parking lot, with heaters, making for a comfy and very safe visit.

Marco’s Northside Grill is located at 329 Waukegan Road in Highwood. their phone is 847-748-8557 and their website http://www.marcosnorthsidegrill.com

The hours at Marcos Northside Grill:

Sunday thru Thursday  11 a.m.- 9 p.m.

Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

MONDAY- CLOSED