Noyes Street Cafe: a neighborhood gem

The Noyes Street cafe sits tucked next to the El tracks in a part of Evanston that I think of as student-y, dating back to my own student days there. So it’s always surprises me how sophisticated the menu can be. I also was pleasantly surprised on a recent visit about how easily they were able to accommodate my low-salt/no-salt requests.

I asked about a butterflied trout special. The menu described it as seasoned, and that usually means lots of salt. The waiter said he would check and returned quickly to tell me they could make it without the salt in the seasoning, so I said let’s try it. I also opted for carrots and roasted potatoes as side, passing on the likely high fat mashed potato options; I also asked for a salad with oil and vinegar. As it turned out, the waiter brought the salad with a vinaigrette dressing but I had my oil and vinegar packets with me, so compensated with those.

The trout was wonderful, not over-peppered as some places will often do when omitting salt. A nice lemon juice added to the trout’s natural flavor. The carrots were cut in a unique way that made them more meaty to the taste, I loved them. Asparagus was mixed in as well, a great treat.

I’ve had some nice salads at Noyes Street as well. Prices there are reasonable given the creativity that goes into the dishes. We’ll be going back I’m sure.
John