Oceanique
505 Main Street
Evanston, Illinois
847 864 3435
4.5/5 stars
by Kenny Yeo
Your parents are in town this weekend, and all you have eaten around Evanston are cheap Chinese takeout and ginormous burritos. Unless your parents take some sort of sadistic comfort in the fact that you might be developing premature atherosclerosis, take them to Oceanique, an “eclectic seafood restaurant in the French-American style.” Yes, I may or may not have just taken that verbatim from its website, but that is not the point here – Oceanique is mighty fine.
Ranked by Zagat as the Number 1 Seafood Restaurant in the Chicago metropolitan area, Oceanique is truly an epicurean adventure. Just two blocks away from the Main St. Metra Station, its ambience is cozy, but not too stifling, offering ample breathing space for hearty banter with your fellow diners. I had the Chef’s 7-Course Tasting Menu with my mother when she visited. It was by far the best meal I’ve had in Evanston. Each course piqued the appetite in an exceptional way. For example, the wild Nantucket Bay scallops were cooked to firm perfection – crispy on the outside and soft in the inside, perched atop a serving of kimchi. This fusion might appear unorthodox at first, yet everything blended remarkably well together with a lobster-soy broth that married and balanced the sweetness and sourness of the course impeccably.
Each portion promises to be generous enough for one to taste the prowess of the chef’s creativity. Do not worry about leaving here still hungry – Oceanique will definitely fill a college student’s stomach up with ease. If you are a desert person, rejoice, for the chef offers your table a different dessert each so everyone could make merry and swap plates and feel good about themselves. I had the Napolean, three crusts of puff pastry injected with vanilla mousse and Valrhona chocolate sauce in a circle (or square) that would leave you smacking your lips. My mom was very pleased with her Day Night Cake, a ribbon of white and dark Belgian chocolate.
Now friends, be warned. This place comes with a hefty price tag. The Chef’s 7-Course Tasting Menu is priced at the higher end of $105 pre-tax, and gets up to $165 with wine pairing. Ouch, but this is exactly why you come with your parents so it is their gold you’d be dropping, not yours. Also fret not, as there have been 2 Groupon deals at $40 for $80 worth of the Chef’s 5-Course Tasting Menu so far. I think they take out two courses here and there, whatever, just eat a lot from their bread basket, or drink copious amounts of wine; you will not regret it.
I would commit heinous deeds just to taste all of this again, to relive this unique Oceanique experience again. I would betray the secrets of mankind to Martians for this, although frankly, I expect I would have bigger problems if I somehow find myself zapped up into a UFO one day (How am I going to find my way home? How am I going to watch the next season of Game of Thrones?). Oceanique delivers an unexpected “oh wow didn’t think that could work” dining experience, refreshing and revitalizing against the backdrop of midterms and snow, and I would highly recommend you coming here at least once. I give this place 4.5/5 stars, taking out 0.5 for its higher-end cost. Other than that, everything else is perfect.