On walking to oysters on the half shell, staying married for 10 years and the vacation you live in

If I had to count on my fingers and toes all the places I can walk to in Evanston, I would need an extra toe or finger or several of each. I can walk to more than 20 locations (in under 20 minutes) that fall into one of the following categories; thrift store, pharmacy, gas station, auto dealership, bagel shop, wine shop, gym, doctor, obgyn, bank, pet store, salon, farmer’s market, stationary store, photocopies and on and on and on.

Recently my husband Dave Ford and I wanted to celebrate a special occasion (still being married after 10 years – Woot! Woot!) and we wanted to celebrate in style over a fancy dinner of sorts. I suggested oysters on the half shell and a martini but also mentioned that I had NO desire to drive. The challenge: could we find a place in Evanston that served oysters and martinis without driving? Without using the World Wide Web to do any research (such as Googling “Evanston Oysters”) we thought we’d head to the restaurant with the black awnings on Sherman, surely they would have oysters.

Discovering a new city is like being on vacation and the more dynamic the city, the longer the vacation lasts. With great luck my husband and I discovered that Pete Miller Steakhouse (the restaurant with the black awnings on Sherman) did indeed serve oysters on the half shell (they were delicious) and strong, dirty, martinis (just like I love them). Additionally, the wait staff totally rocked and was professional and fast, never meddling. The only regret of the evening was ordering the dessert sampler obviously designed for 8 adults and 4 children – there were 2 of us and I almost lost my oysters I ate so much.

Pete Miller Steakhouse
1557 Sherman Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 328-0399
www.petemillers.com

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Thank you for reading my blog "Evanston Newbie", a project that I am using to chronicle my new life in Evanston. Do you have favorite Evanston bakeries, bike shops, events, summer camps that you can recommend? Send me an email at thelisadshow@gmail.com and I will post my review on this blog. -Lisa Degliantoni