Tom's Local Business Holiday Picks
Two of these are restaurants because I like gluten
This is off-topic from my normal writing but I wanted to spend a quick minute on a Sunday to promote some local (newish?) businesses in Evanston. These promotions are not paid - they come from the bottom of my heart as a local spender-of-money.
If you have a recommendation, throw it in the comments and I will pin it.
Animal Records (624 Grove St - Downtown Evanston)
If you’re a vinyl person (I’m a millennial vinyl guy), this place is amazing. I managed to find an album I’d been searching for years. I asked the staff and he was like “yeah of course we have this” and the dude pulled it right out of some bin. It’s not as curated or organized of a record shop as Squeezebox or Vintage Vinyl, but it has way more interesting deep track stuff. Plus the staff seems like they have encyclopedic knowledge of music.
It is probably hard to shop for someone else here, but if you have a vinyl collector in your life, get them a gift card - they’ll appreciate it when they go in. $40 is probably the sweet spot gift card size.
Mensch's Deli (1608 Chicago Ave - Downtown Evanston)
The last time I was in here, the Mayor was having lunch. This is as close as Evanston can get to a version of Manny’s Deli - a breakfast and lunch place for the local movers and shakers.
The food is A+ and it’s competitive with some of the great delis of the US, with a more modern menu. I’m a big fan of the Nitkosher - which is bacon, tomato, and cream cheese on a bagel.
It can get really busy at lunchtime, so I recommend going in for breakfast.
Heroines and Heroes (2026 Central St - Central Corridor)
I’m not normally a comic book / anime guy, but if you are in need of books for a child that doesn’t like to read, this is a great shop. Tons of board games, comics, and the most organized and complete collection of Dogman/Catkid/Captain Underpants books I’ve ever seen.
They also have a ton of collectible stuff that kids like, such as Pokemon cards and Funko Pops. If you have a 9-16 year old in your life that needs a present, just go in here and throw a dart and you’ll get something suitable that they may actually read.
Lefty's Righteous Bagels (827 Chicago Ave - Main & Chicago)
I’m literally eating a bagel from Lefty’s right now - I think the bagels are an improvement over the options at Bagel & Bialy and Bagel Art. They taste more “homemade” - which to my taste buds means slightly denser, slightly wetter, and yeastier (the way I like it). I recommend the sesame bagel with cream cheese but my kid likes the pink sea salt bagel.
It used to get too busy to go on the weekends, but the lines are reasonable now and there is usually street parking out front. It’s right across from the Main St. L station if you take public transit.
If you have other recommendations, throw them in the comments - I’m sure people want to know more good hot spots.
I'll put in a nod for Pinto Thai. Doesn't look like much on the outside but it's the best Thai food we've found around here.
Also, if you need your house painted I can highly recommend Dynamic Colors. They make your house look great and 100 percent stand behind their work.
While I'm at it, can I throw in one for Skokie? Val's Bakery on Crawford and Main is amazing. Don't buy their bread from the grocery store -- $3 cash (exact change only) from an extremely spartan storefront gets you a crunchy on the outside/soft on the inside loaf of heaven still warm from the oven.
School of Rock (Evanston) is the best business in town. The musicians who work with your kid are super talented. I have one kid who geeks out to video games and the teacher has worked on Legend of Zelda music with him as well as cool rock that kids would like. They have a summer camp on sale for thirty percent off right now (use the code FLASH30). I can’t say enough great things about this place. The summer camp is fantastic. The kids put on a show in the parking lot. So much fun.
As far as teacher gifts I love Stumble and Relish. Lots of great local stuff and Evanston stuff.
If your kids like sushi and you aren’t rich check out Sea Ranch. Great selection. It’s great even if you are rich (I would imagine). Admittedly the name made me nervous but it’s really fresh. And reasonably priced. I think I am getting a Sea Ranch shirt for Christmas this year!!