REVIEWS

"The Metropolitan Cafe is going to town.

The atmosphere at the comfortable new Highland Park restaurant is welcoming, the menu is crafted to appeal to a wide range of tastes, and the kitchen hums without a hitch. No wonder business has been brisk almost since it opened in late December.

Proprietors Kathy and Jim Govas. are new to Highland Park, but they are seasoned veterans of the restaurant business. They owned the justly popular Noyes Street Cafe in Evanston until they sold it in 1998, to take a break.

Their new menu is much the same as at Noyes Street, where options also stretch from salads and sandwiches to entrées, but dishes are a bit more upscale here and so are the presentations.

Prices remain moderate. . . . .

Kathy Govas has warmed up the space that was, most recently, the short-lived St. John's Bistro (and most durably, Kip's Deli). Vintage black-and-white photos and colorful posters vie for space on the mustard colored walls, candles flicker on the white cloth-covered tables, and cobalt-blue water glasses add splashes of bright color. Music plays softly on the sound system.

The menu is continental, but Jim Govas reveals his heritage with such offerings as the Greek Burger and Greek-style lamb chops. After a recent weeknight dinner, I would say it is pretty hard to go wrong whatever the point of origin.

The Metropolitan Cafe serves a choice of soup or excellent house salad with all entrées, so appetizers are probably not necessary. But it would be a shame to pass up the grilled calamari, as fine a version of the dish as you are likely to find. The weeknight of our recent visit, the squid was tender and so flavorful, there was no need for the tomato salsa and olive oil dipping sauce served with it.

A simple dish of sautéed fresh spinach with feta cheese and tomatoes also was terrific, and even better when sprinkled with a bit of lemon juice.

The plump, tender Greek Style lamb chops called for nothing at all. They arrived pink as ordered, accompanied by fresh vegetables and a choice of potato.

Baked white fish was laudably moist and tasted very fresh, and there was enough beef and chicken in the barbecued chicken and back ribs combo to feed a hungry field hand - and feed him very well at that.

The Metropolitan Burger did its namesake proud. The plump, hand-formed ground sirloin patty was topped with cheddar cheese and grilled onions and served on a first-rate whole wheat bun. The burger was all the better thanks to a fresh-made red cabbage cole slaw that came with it.

Desserts maintained the standard set by all that had come before. Apple cobbler, served warm in a ramekin, consisted of fresh sliced apples with a crumb crust and was just sweet enough to be hard to resist. Bread pudding, also served warm, was even better, topped with a praline sauce spiked with Jack Daniels.

Old Jack himself would have loved it. "
                                  - Virginia Gerst, Pioneer Press

" offers a modestly priced menu, eager service and often tasty, though simple, dining. A descendant of the popular Noyes Café in Evanston, Metropolitan has a decidedly Greek influence in its splendid lamb chops, grilled chicken sandwich and "Untraditional Greek Salad." Dinner salad options include a more traditional salmon Caesar, a bountiful chopped salad with crab, and the best of the lot, the cobb.

There's also a nice selection of sandwiches, from big meaty burgers, to a lighter collection of grilled vegetables on the restaurant's delicious multi-grain bread. For larger appetites there are pastas, meats and seafood entrées . . . . Our server, who could not have been more welcoming and pleasant, told us the lamb chops were a must. She was right. The chops are sliced thin, with the charcoal-grilled taste that suggests summer barbecues. Among other entrées, the choices run from a full slab of ribs, to grilled salmon, to thick pork chops and a standard at virtually any bistro or café: grilled chicken. In this case, the chicken is honey glazed with a touch of basil.

For dessert, try the bourbon-glazed bread pudding; with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream, it's the best bread pudding this side of Chicago."
                                  - Sherman Kaplan, NorthShore Magazine

1783 - 1791 St. Johns Avenue
Highland Park, IL 60035

Hours: Dining:
             Tuesday through Thursday     11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
              Friday and Saturday              11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
              Sunday                               11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Brunch
                                                      3:00 -9:30 for dinner
           

             Bar open until 1 a.m.

Cuisine: American Comtemporary

Credit cards: All major credit cards are accepted

Outdoor Seating: Yes

Parking: Street parking possible , Free lot

Private Dining: St. John's room seats up to 55
                            Metropolitan room seats up to 70

Link to : The Grille on Laurel