Dinner and a show has a new home in downtown Evanston. As Northlight Theatre settles into its new $32 million facility, The Barn Steakhouse Evanston is rolling out a dining program to match.
Northlight's new 287-seat theatre marks a homecoming for the company, which spent nearly 30 years in Skokie before returning to the city where it began. Right next door, Amy Morton's decade-old restaurant, The Barn Steakhouse, has become a neighborhood institution in its own right. Now an official Northlight Theatre dining partner, it welcomes the theatre's audience with matinee lunch service, a new nightly happy hour, a three-course pre-theatre dinner menu and 10% off for guests who present their Northlight ticket.
From lunch before the curtain rises to a drink after the matinee or dinner ahead of an evening performance, The Barn’s new offerings invite audiences to make a day—or night—of their theatre visit.
An Opening Act for Matinee Days
The Barn Steakhouse will serve lunch Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., exclusively on days when Northlight has a matinee on the calendar, with last reservations at 1:30 p.m. ahead of the theatre's 2 p.m. curtain.
The à la carte menu carries the restaurant’s steakhouse character into the afternoon, with dishes such as the Heritage Sirloin Burger topped with Boursin cheese and grilled onion; Mushroom Pappardelle with seasonal mushrooms, porcini broth and herbs; and the guest-favorite Grand Central Caviar Sandwich, featuring bowfin caviar, egg, crème fraîche and fresh herbs on pain de mie.
Guests looking for the full pre-show experience can order the three-course prix fixe lunch for $31.95 per person, beginning with a shared appetizer and followed by individual entrée and dessert selections from a rotating menu.
Happy Hour After the Applause
The Barn Steakhouse’s new nightly Happy Hour from 4 to 5 p.m. offers an encore to the afternoon with $5 and $10 food and drink specials. Matinee audiences can gather for a post-performance drink and bite, while neighbors and other guests are equally welcome to make it an early-evening ritual.
Highlights include $10 half-dozen oysters on the half shell, butter-poached lobster rolls and tenderloin sliders with blue cheese fondue, alongside $5 bites such as deviled eggs and hummus crudité. At the bar, $10 pours include the bourbon-based Lost at Found with rooibos and orange bitters, a classic French 75, select wines and a nonalcoholic Elderflower Spritz with cucumber and soda. A selection of $5 local beers rounds out the menu.
Three Courses Before the Curtain
For guests making an evening of it, The Barn Steakhouse’s Theater Dinner Menu pairs a three-course steakhouse dinner with timing tailored to Northlight’s 7:30 p.m. performances. Available from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. for $59.95 per person, with last reservation at 6 p.m., the menu opens with a shared Little Gem Salad dressed in creamy Dijon with Parmigiano Reggiano, pickled Vidalia onions, chopped egg, pepitas, Spanish white anchovies and bacon.
Guests then choose a full-size entrée of Pan-Seared Salmon, Za’atar Roasted Half Chicken or an 8-ounce Center Strip Steak for a $5 supplement. A choice of carrot cake, ice cream or sorbet brings dinner to a sweet finale.
The entire table must participate, with salad to share and individual entrée and dessert selections. The Theatre Dinner Menu is available nightly regardless of Northlight’s performance schedule, and a theatre ticket is not required.
Before You Go
Dinner and a show has a new home in downtown Evanston. As Northlight Theatre settles into its new $32 million facility, The Barn Steakhouse Evanston is rolling out a dining program to match.
Northlight's new 287-seat theatre marks a homecoming for the company, which spent nearly 30 years in Skokie before returning to the city where it began. Right next door, Amy Morton's decade-old restaurant, The Barn Steakhouse, has become a neighborhood institution in its own right. Now an official Northlight Theatre dining partner, it welcomes the theatre's audience with matinee lunch service, a new nightly happy hour, a three-course pre-theatre dinner menu and 10% off for guests who present their Northlight ticket.
From lunch before the curtain rises to a drink after the matinee or dinner ahead of an evening performance, The Barn’s new offerings invite audiences to make a day—or night—of their theatre visit.
An Opening Act for Matinee Days
The Barn Steakhouse will serve lunch Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., exclusively on days when Northlight has a matinee on the calendar, with last reservations at 1:30 p.m. ahead of the theatre's 2 p.m. curtain.
The à la carte menu carries the restaurant’s steakhouse character into the afternoon, with dishes such as the Heritage Sirloin Burger topped with Boursin cheese and grilled onion; Mushroom Pappardelle with seasonal mushrooms, porcini broth and herbs; and the guest-favorite Grand Central Caviar Sandwich, featuring bowfin caviar, egg, crème fraîche and fresh herbs on pain de mie.
Guests looking for the full pre-show experience can order the three-course prix fixe lunch for $31.95 per person, beginning with a shared appetizer and followed by individual entrée and dessert selections from a rotating menu.
Happy Hour After the Applause
The Barn Steakhouse’s new nightly Happy Hour from 4 to 5 p.m. offers an encore to the afternoon with $5 and $10 food and drink specials. Matinee audiences can gather for a post-performance drink and bite, while neighbors and other guests are equally welcome to make it an early-evening ritual.
Highlights include $10 half-dozen oysters on the half shell, butter-poached lobster rolls and tenderloin sliders with blue cheese fondue, alongside $5 bites such as deviled eggs and hummus crudité. At the bar, $10 pours include the bourbon-based Lost at Found with rooibos and orange bitters, a classic French 75, select wines and a nonalcoholic Elderflower Spritz with cucumber and soda. A selection of $5 local beers rounds out the menu.
Three Courses Before the Curtain
For guests making an evening of it, The Barn Steakhouse’s Theater Dinner Menu pairs a three-course steakhouse dinner with timing tailored to Northlight’s 7:30 p.m. performances. Available from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. for $59.95 per person, with last reservation at 6 p.m., the menu opens with a shared Little Gem Salad dressed in creamy Dijon with Parmigiano Reggiano, pickled Vidalia onions, chopped egg, pepitas, Spanish white anchovies and bacon.
Guests then choose a full-size entrée of Pan-Seared Salmon, Za’atar Roasted Half Chicken or an 8-ounce Center Strip Steak for a $5 supplement. A choice of carrot cake, ice cream or sorbet brings dinner to a sweet finale.
The entire table must participate, with salad to share and individual entrée and dessert selections. The Theatre Dinner Menu is available nightly regardless of Northlight’s performance schedule, and a theatre ticket is not required.
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Location
1016 Church St Rear, Evanston, IL 60201
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