Tucked away in a pocket of South Evanston, surrounded by small resale shops, is a cozy little restaurant called The Lucky Platter.
As you walk into this cute eatery you’re transported into a collection of vintage knick-knacks. Hanging from the patterned ceiling are hand-crafted metal animals and colander light fixtures.
The walls are covered with old posters and quirky paintings, with “The Lobster Boy” being a fan favorite.
Each table has a different design, ranging from smiley faces to old drawings. All of the decor gives off a very eclectic feel. Despite the restaurants small size, it has big flavor.
Instead of the traditional basket of bland bread rolls, The Lucky Platter serves warm baskets of corn bread with butter and honey. Needless to say, this fresh twist on the traditional starter was delicious and kept my friends and me reaching for the basket again and again (we ended up eating two whole baskets). When we received the menus we had no idea what to order. Warm, delicious sounding comfort food filled the menu. It would be hard to make a wrong choice. Sandwiches, many varieties of chicken (including fried and pot pie), and the house specialties all looked appetizing.
After only a short wait, all of our food came out looking tasty. An obvious pick for dinner was the fried chicken, partially because it was advertised in the biggest font on the menu. This chicken was especially delicious. It was placed on top of the mashed potatoes to ensure that neither the chicken nor the potatoes lost heat.
It was also served with a side of coleslaw. For someone who doesn’t usually like coleslaw, this one was good. The chicken was tender, easy to eat, and well seasoned.
Another dinner selection was the pulled pork sandwich. When it came out, it had small strands of fried onions on top that looked like tiny crunchy French fries.
When paired with the barbecue sauce, this sandwich was exquisite. The pork was cooked to perfection. It wasn’t too tough and it also wasn’t too soft.
However, the side of macaroni and cheese was subpar. Before visiting The Lucky Platter we had heard rave reviews about the mac and cheese, but it definitely didn’t meet the hype. Although the noodles were cooked well enough, the cheese was too watery and lacked cheesiness.
We couldn’t go to a comfort food restaurant without ordering a hamburger, so we chose the Texas burger topped with bacon and fried onion strands. The burger was cooked just enough so it wasn’t still red, but still had the perfect amount of pink.
This giant meat mound was no easy feat to conquer, so I don’t recommend ordering it if you’re looking for a smaller meal. The barbecue sauce complimented the burger very well.
For our last entree we decided to go out on a limb and try one of the more obscure house specialties. We ordered the Mexican Polenta. Polenta is a corn dough that tastes like a less sweet and less firm cornbread. It was topped with black beans, melted mozzarella cheese, and avocado.
We had no idea what to expect out of this dish, but it was fantastic. There was just enough cheese to cover the polenta without being obnoxiously cheesy, and the other toppings gave it some extra flavor. It certainly was a new experience, but one that I highly recommend. We also ordered a side of acorn squash that was soft and tasty.
The service was quick throughout the meal and was always met enthusiastic The food was also reasonably priced. Overall, The Lucky Platter is a great place to dine with friends for a fun, casual evening. And if dinner doesn’t work for you, they’re open for breakfast and lunch.