WHINE AND DINE

Voelker, an accomplished food writer and trial attorney, welcomes readers to the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, with a humorous guide to its restaurants.

After a few chapters of introductory material, including a useful, if brief, history of Evanston’s culinary scene, the author provides a list of the “Best of Evanston Restaurants, ‘For Real’” in a variety of categories, from Barbecue to Gastropub/Brewpub to Vegan/Vegetarian and encompassing a wide range of international cuisines. The rest of the book is dedicated to individual restaurant reviews, and Voelker engages in entertainingly witty descriptions of food and ambience, bonding with readers over the experience of eating out. Great quips abound; he describes one vegetarian cafe as having been “founded by dreamers mainly running on hope, idealism, and empty pockets,” and, describing a restaurant that serves “comfort food in collegiate sweats,” he says, “Management may have underestimated your mimosa-draining prowess, but hey, everyone loves an underdog story.” The reviews have a straightforward structure that more food critics should employ: the restaurant’s name, location, phone number, website, and Voelker’s rating; the review itself; and scores for food, service, and vibes, plus a pro tip. However, the overall scores at the beginnings and ends of reviews don’t always match, and the ways in which other scores are listed vary. The author also relies on jokes with similar flavors (“enough noise to drown out your existential mealtime dread”; “enough chipotle aioli to drown out any nutritional guilt”; “enough jazz to drown out your neighbor’s humblebrag about a Tuscan getaway”), perhaps because there are only so many ways to discuss the same concerns.

An often funny and informative guide to all kinds of dining, with a solid structure that should become a guidebook standard.