My Deerfield Restaurant Wish List

restaurant is opening this fall in the former Townhouse/Red Star location. While I am excited the owners of Cafe Lucci in Glenview thought Deerfield was a good place to open a new restaurant, I am not overly enthused about their concept.

Within a two minute walk, we will now have , , Bobby’s, , and . Shall we just start calling Deerfield “Little Highwood” with all the Italian restaurants? There are so many other types of restaurants I would love to see in our town.

The first thing out of many friends mouths when I asked what type of restaurant they wished was in Deerfield, without hesitation, they all said yogurt.

Highland Park has Love’s, Menchie’s, and Frost--offering multiple flavors of Italian sorbet plus gelato— as well as a DQ. Highland Park is just kicking Deerfield’s rear end in this food group. We do have Baskin Robbins in multiple spots across town, but a low fat yogurt, gelato; sorbet store would have lots of happy customers without a doubt.

I also have Highland Park envy when it comes to Mexican restaurants. Deerfield has Chipotle-which I’m not really sure can be officially referred to as Mexican, but it is as close as we get. Highland Park has Tamales, Casa de Isaac and Moishe, Las Palmas and Taqueria Los Mogotes-without even driving into Highwood.  I would have loved to see an affordable delicious Mexican restaurant in town.

I have also become a very big fan of late of a couple local chains, California Pizza Kitchen in Northbrook Court and The Cheesecake Factory in Lincolnshire. With their large menu options, care in catering to allergy and gluten free diets and wide range of prices, my family happily dines there often.

Due to the size of their companies, they have taken great strides in accommodations for allergies and we are always so happy eating there. While I know due to their proximity to Deerfield, the likelihood of their opening in our town is slim; I would love it if they moved closer.

Another concept that I think has real possibilities is more in-store made-to-order options at Whole Foods. At lunchtime, they get a huge crowd already purchasing sandwiches, salads and pizza, items from the hot bar. There is even sushi. At the Whole Foods in Northbrook, and even more so in the city, they offer made-to-order noodle dishes, a deli, BBQ shack, burger joint and more within the store. 

Finally, I would really love to have a healthy, interesting, delicious restaurant option that is reasonably priced that the entire family could enjoy. Salads, soups, sandwiches, main courses, vegetables, vegetarian and gluten free options would be plentiful. A menu that changed with the seasons and was all homemade would be a mainstay for me. Too bad it will remain only a thought in my head.

Bobby’s has stated the vegetables will be organic, the fish sustainable and they will try to cater to local tastes. Word is that Cafe Lucci offers superior service and delicious food. Let’s hope Bobby’s can stand out in our town. Maybe offer a yogurt bar?

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