Jilly’s Café

It’s definitely the food that puts this unassuming Evanston bistro high on the date-night list. Nothing’s more of a turn-on than superb French-American chow for cheap. Dinner starts with fantastic sourdough bread, impossibly creamy butter and silky pâté. Refreshing pinot noir sorbet follows the appetizers, leading to notable entrées such as New Zealand venison with Door County cherries, seared Alaskan halibut and delicate wild mushroom risotto. If your date is a day-sipper, this is the place for a posh Champagne brunch.