Gary V. Powell, Author

A few years ago, Mary and I were in Chicago visiting her family.

We'd experienced a challenging few months. In addition to raising our then two-year old son, we were also engaged in helping my sometimes-errant daughter Ashley get through high school. But this was only backdrop for a huge project we'd been hired to do for Wachovia--design and develop retirement products and concepts training on paper and the web for 22,000 bankers. we were up against tight deadlines and a paranoid compliance department.

By the time summer rolled around and things settled down, we needed a respite.

Dinner at Carlos' and an evening away from work and kids at the Deerpath Inn in Lake Forest was just the ticket.

Carlos' is located in Highland Park. It's not as expensive or as well known as The French Laundry or Charlie Trotter's, but the excellent food and the inviting ambience make it one of our favorite places to dine.

Chef Ramiro Velasquez’s imaginative, seasonally astute cuisine shows off every ingredient to great advantage, pairing poached baby pears with assertive cheeses, in one case, and pine nut-dusted turbot with creamy sea urchin emulsion in another.  Starters may include anything from succulent grilled squab breast with a blackberry reduction to a morel soup that’s an earthy wonderment.  Tender rabbit loin wrapped in prosciutto and buttery pan-seared Atlantic halibut with a light, bright carrot-ginger emulsion are typical of the ever-changing, artful entrees. 

For the last several years, Wine Spectator magazine has awarded Carlos' top honors for having "one of the greatest wine lists in the world."

Even with competition like Tru and Charlie Trotter's, Carlos' was ranked #1 in the Chicago area by Chicago Magazine and received four stars from Zagat's.

The evening we were there, a weeknight, there was business, but not a crowd. I don't remember what we ate or drank--just that it was delicious and beautiful. What I do remember was that Carlo Nieto, the owner, stopped by our table. After I said I enjoyed cooking as well, the chef stepped by to chat. I got a one-on-one lesson on how the herbed salmon roulades were prepared.

SInce then, I've attended a cooking class put on by Carlo and the chef and have mastered many of the dishes in their cookbook. I use alot if the techniques, both cooking and presentation, in my own cooking for family and friends.

My recommendation--if you're ever on the Northshore, skip some of the glitzier spots and hit Carlos' modest-looking restuarant in Highland Park for some truly world-class cuisine.