For as long as I can remember, the only place my family ever went out to eat was Dave’s Italian Kitchen in Evanston, near the corner of Church and Davis. This was the one place where my picky and divisive family of 8 could always agree.

We had the menu memorized, so much that we could tell when they changed the font or added a new side dish. The atmosphere was always relaxed no matter how many people were there, and the vibe made you feel cool without being all hipster and pretentious about it.

It may have been the only place my unbelievably loud and frequently misbehaving family was welcome, and the one place that we all actually wanted to go to.

This is not an ode to my favorite restaurant of all time, however, because last year, suddenly and tragically, Dave’s Italian kitchen closed its doors. This is advice on how to move on.

I heard the news of Dave’s closing through a Facebook post by my aunt from New York, because even hundreds of miles away, this was shocking news. I received no explanation besides the banner on the official website reading, “We’re closed forever! Thank you!” I was heart broken.

As with any instance of grief, my first reaction was denial. I refused to believe that Dave’s had closed its doors forever, so, naturally, I ignored the Facebook post.

However, soon my family group chat erupted with the news of the shutdown, as we were all taken aback. This was where my parents went on dates before they got married, where I celebrated most of my birthdays. I even went to Dave’s before my first real high school dance sophomore year.

I then moved on to the “anger” stage of grief and stayed there. I skipped the bargaining and depression stages, and now I’m well on my way to acceptance, almost.

Here is what I have learned on this tumultuous journey.

Never try to remember the last meal you had at your favorite restaurant, this will leave you craving their food, and this craving is nearly impossible to fulfill. You may end up eating plate fulls of food you didn’t even want.

When going to a new restaurant, never compare it to your old go-to, it will never live up to the standards in your head, and you will end up hating every new restaurant.

Don’t immediately go looking for a new go-to restaurant, as painful as this situation may be, it is also an opportunity to try new things. Our favorite was huge-serving-sized, casual Italian, and since the closing we have ventured out to try other foods.

Mount Everest is an amazing Indian and Nepalese restaurant a few doors down from the now-abandoned Dave’s storefront.

Prairie Moon, only a few blocks away, provides a similar casual, chill vibe that Dave’s so eloquently mastered, and yet serves a completely different type of menu.

When we’re up for a hike our family will trek down to Lincoln Park to The Pasta Bowl, who’s serving sizes rival those of Dave’s.

Finally, have patience. A few months after the closing of my safe haven, I got news from that same Aunt that Dave’s New Kitchen would be opening on Noyes.

New Dave’s, as my family now calls it, is small and much less welcoming to my 8 person family, but I no longer have to pine for a Big Ravioli, or Lasagna con Amore.

Losing our go-to dinner place has been a source of stress within our family, because change is always difficult, but it hasn’t all been tragic. We’ve been given the opportunity to try new things and go to new places.

However, without a designated restaurant, we are still culinary vagrants.