My wife and I spent our anniversary weekend in Chicago, and Saturday night we had dinner at Tre Dita, the Tuscan restaurant inside the St. Regis. It was amazing. I'll go back.

But by the time we were back in Lake County, I'd started doing what I always do. Comparing. Not the city against the suburbs. That's not a fair fight in either direction. I was asking a simpler question: if we'd stayed home, where would we have gone?

I had an answer. Five of them, actually.

I'm Michael Steber, a REALTOR® and Designated Managing Broker with Keller Williams North Shore West, and a Libertyville native. This isn't a ranked list, and nobody paid to be on it. These are the Lake County restaurants I actually go to, in no particular order and with no favoritism to towns or styles of food. There's one rule: every one of them has to have good vegetarian options.

If you grew up in Libertyville, you know the building: two stories of stucco at the north end of downtown on Milwaukee Avenue. Bottaio opened in 1997, which in restaurant years is basically forever, and it's still where a lot of people go when the night matters.

The kitchen cooks from the Abruzzo region of Italy, with fresh vegetables, fish, and meats done as modern takes on traditional dishes. There's a wood-burning oven and a long list of Italian wines. "Bottaio" means barrel maker, which fits a place that takes its wine this seriously. Now you know.

It also has private dining for groups from 10 to 200, which comes in handy when the whole family is coming.

Good to know: 946 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. Lunch on weekdays, dinner every night. Best for date night, family celebrations, and lingering over a bottle of wine.

Francesca's Intimo sits right next to the Deer Path Inn on Illinois Road, in the middle of downtown Lake Forest. It opened in early 2001 as part of the Francesca's family of restaurants and has been a downtown fixture ever since.

The menu is Rome and the regions around it: Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. Rustic, earthy cooking. The room has warm woods, colorful slate, and black-and-white photos of rural Italian life by photographer Paul Elledge. It's the kind of place where the room is loud because everyone's having a good time.

Portions are generous, so plenty of tables split the pasta and salads. Save room for the tiramisu. When the weather cooperates, there's seating outside, and there's a parking garage across the street.

Good to know: 293 E. Illinois Rd., Lake Forest. Lunch and dinner daily. Best for groups who like to share, patio nights, and lunch downtown.

Owner and executive chef Gabriel Viti opened Miramar on Waukegan Avenue in 2005 with an unusual idea: a classic French bistro crossed with the cooking of old Havana. It works better than it sounds.

You can get steak frites, bouillabaisse, and escargot at one table and a Cuban sandwich at the next. There's a raw bar for oysters, and the French onion soup gets a lot of love.

The room is part of the draw: reclaimed subway tile, mosaic floors, and antique mirrors. When the weather cooperates, the French doors open onto a sidewalk patio. There's Sunday brunch, and a banquet space that handles parties of up to 300.

Good to know: 301 Waukegan Ave., Highwood. Lunch daily, dinner nightly, brunch on Sundays. Best for date night, Sunday brunch, and oysters with a glass of wine.

There's no shortage of Mexican food in Lake County, and a lot of it is good. Milwalky Taco is a step above that, and it's worth what you pay. It opened in downtown Libertyville in 2016 with a simple focus: tacos, tequila, and whiskey, with handmade tortillas and salsas made from scratch.

Order the fried avocado tacos. I'll say it: they might be the best in the world. I haven't tried every taco in the world, but I've tried enough. The short rib and brisket tacos are the other house favorites, and the frozen margaritas have a following of their own.

Then get the tequila old fashioned. It pairs well with the tacos and chips, and if you have two, you'll be funnier to the people around you. (Or so I've been told.)

Taco Tuesday draws a crowd, the patio fills up in warm weather, and there's a speakeasy-style private dining room for groups of up to 30.

Good to know: 605 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. Closed Mondays. Best for Taco Tuesday, a casual night out with friends, and birthday dinners in the back room.

Hayashi is a small, family-owned Japanese spot in a Grand Avenue strip mall. You'd drive past it if nobody told you. Consider yourself told.

The menu covers sushi and maki, teriyaki, noodles, tempura, and bento boxes, so it works whether you're a sushi person or you're bringing someone who isn't. The tempura has its own fans. The dining room is small, with a sushi bar, and carry-out is available if you'd rather eat at home.

The sushi is the reason to go, but the service and attention to detail are the reason you'll keep going back.

Good to know: 6641 Grand Ave., Suite C, Gurnee. Takes reservations. Best for sushi night, a weeknight carry-out order, and a bento box at lunch.

When people tell me what they want in a new town, food almost never makes the list. Bedrooms, schools, commute. Fair enough. But a year after they move, it's what they talk about. The Italian place where the server knows their order. The taco spot they drag every out-of-town guest to. The little sushi place they'd never have found if a neighbor hadn't told them.

That's what makes a place feel like home. Not the house. The routine around it. Where you go when there's something to celebrate, and where you go when nobody wants to cook. Whether it's white tablecloths or a taco and a margarita on a Tuesday, it's all right here.

And those places only stay open if we keep showing up. Every dinner out keeps a local owner in business, a local staff employed, and a downtown worth walking through. That's how a community stays strong.

I'm not sure if it's for you, but if you know someone who's been thinking about a move, whether it's across town or to Lake County for the first time, I'd love an introduction. Most people assume the year is done by October. It isn't. There's still time to sell this year and be settled somewhere new before spring.

And if I missed one of your favorite restaurants, tell me. I'm always looking for the next great spot.

The house matters. So does what's around it. If you're weighing a move, I'm happy to talk through which towns fit the way you actually live, from walkable downtowns to quieter streets, before you start touring.

I grew up in Libertyville and work exclusively with buyers and sellers across Lake County, so I know these towns from the dinner table, not just the listing sheet.

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This article covers communities including Grayslake, Libertyville, Gurnee, Winthrop Harbor, Wadsworth, Round Lake, Vernon Hills, Mundelein, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Highwood, North Chicago, Waukegan, Zion, and surrounding Lake County communities. Sources: each restaurant's official website, OpenTable restaurant listings, Visit Lake County (the Lake County, Illinois Convention & Visitors Bureau), MainStreet Libertyville, and the author's own visits. Restaurant picks are the author's personal opinion; no restaurant paid to be included. Hours, menus, and policies change, so check with each restaurant before you go.