Downtown Des Plaines has an Appetite - Dotombori, Pho Dung Gia, Via Roma, Sweet Remembrance, and the Sugar Bowl

Even though times are hard, it's seemingly a good time to be downtown and looking for a place to eat. Downtown's newest restaurants are bringing a lot to the table. Looking back over the last year, many positive changes have already taken place.

The latest addition is a restaurant that's been open for a while, Dung Gia, (now Pho Dung Gia) a vietnamese restaurant. The Tran family, formerly of Evanston's well-liked Annam Cafe, opened it in the Svoboda Building in late 2007. It has established a good reputation, with positive reviews all around. It has done well ever since, despite seating only 24. That changes now, as they've just taken over the adjacent store for more seating. As part of the expansion, they have replaced their back lit plastic sign with an attractive new awning. I took this picture yesterday, and looked inside; these improvements are so new, there weren't even tables in the new section yet. I also noticed that Class Hair Salon, formerly next to the Des Plaines Theatre, just opened up next door where "Cellular in Motion" was. Funny how these things pop up just after the city says it is no longer looking to demolish the building for a new police station....

Farther down Miner Street, Dotombori, a Japanese restaurant, just opened at the corner of Miner and Pearson in the C.W.M. Brown building, 1526 Miner Street, where Subway was previously located. The new owners have done a great job sprucing it up inside and out. The food is inexpensively priced and very good; I tried a variety of rolls and a noodle dish, and was surprised at its excellence. The interior is pleasant and very intimate with the windows all shaded with rice-paper, although it was a little too brightly-lit; but I was most impressed by the extremely attentive and friendly service. While I was there, the soundtrack was an unexpected but inspired selection of 1950s and 1960s American Pop music that made me think of the movie Kill Bill. This is very authentic Japanese food, and I strongly recommend trying it.

Dotombori is open for dinner 7 days a week from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Lunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Downtown's most buzzed-about new restaurant, Via Roma (opened in September) at 686 Lee, is also worth a visit; they have delicious pastas and entrees with all-fresh ingredients and their prices are a steal. Fun, friendly service too - it's a restaurant with a really comfortable, hometown feel.

Lunch Hours Monday - Saturday 10:30 am - 3:00 pm
Dinner Hours Friday & Saturday 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

And finally, Sweet Remembrance in the Masonic Temple building at Miner and Lee. This is a charming little coffeeshop, very comfortable and funky with good coffee, tea, and desserts. It's a little hard to spot, without any big signs, but it's worth finding. Sweet Remembrance has been quietly featuring a lot of events like musicians, book clubs, and the like. Another great addition to downtown.

Sugar Bowl

And of course, 2009 also saw the rebirth of an old standby, the Sugar Bowl. Now fully focused on breakfasts, the new Sugar Bowl does one thing and does it very well. The omelets are rich and fluffy, the crepes are flavorful, the portions are big, and the greasy feeling usually associated with breakfast places is absent. And the attached bar, the Miner Street Tavern, is also cozy and caters to a real cross section of people - maybe because it's the only dedicated bar downtown.

 
So at the beginning of 2010, Downtown Des Plaines is doing well with restaurants, and starting to shed its "culinary wasteland" reputation - what else does the new year hold?