Devon Seafood Grill; Delightful Pastries

Devon Seafood Grill (39 E. Chicago Ave.; www.devonseafood.com) is one of those restaurants with a certain upscale feel but, thankfully, a laid-back personality.

Devon has a spacious bar area when you walk into the place. However, a roomy dining room awaits downstairs—complete with semi-private areas off to the side, which my friend and I decided to use.

Besides those smaller rooms, Devon has one other rare property: a menu that constantly changes. While the changes may happen so quickly the restaurant occasionally can’t keep up (I had at least one item on my menu that wasn’t on my friend’s, and the lobster spaghetti I had eyed online wasn’t on the printed menu), the alterations have a way of keeping things fresh—especially in terms of the quality of the seafood.

Things started promisingly with my drink: a Caribbean Hard Lemonade that was incredibly refreshing and tasty. Despite the bitter cold outside, the drink immediately made me think of summer.

My friend and I then ordered the roasted duck flatbread and the crab cakes, which had been renowned near and far. Our engaging server, David, also sang its praises—even after I warned him that, being from the Chesapeake Bay area, I’m a bit of a crab-cake snob. Unfortunately, I do have to say that these items were hit-and-miss, with the cakes being the miss. My guest and I both agreed that the cakes (which had remoulade and mango tartar sauce) were solid, although they were missing something—namely, more crab meat; however, we also concurred that the flatbread was incredible.

Everything else was a hit, and that included the lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, which is probably one of the best versions I’ve tried in Chicago. The sushi (tempura shrimp and spicy tuna) were savory, and the grilled salmon panzanella tastefully balances a juicy salmon with spinach, goat cheese, balsamic onions, tomatoes, basil oil and balsamic vinaigrette.

By the way, definitely make room for dessert: The carrot cake is undeniably sinful while the cookie box (filled with lemon-ricotta, chocolate and other cookie flavors) is cute and tasty.

The 1710 N. Wells St. location of Delightful Pastries (www.delightfulpastries.com) recently held a media event showcasing some new breakfast options—and, based on what the restaurant has to offer, people should run (not walk) to try these items.

Chef Robert Hawryszczuk, reflecting his time in Poland and South Africa, has whipped up several tasty (and reasonably priced) items such as Bacon Yum (two eggs scrambled with ham, two strips of bacon and a slice of extra thick cut Gypsy bacon) and British Mob Movie (pan-fried potato, tomato braised beans with mixed vegetables, sunny-side-up eggs, extra-thick-cut bacon and blood sausage). Those with a sweet tooth will undoubtedly gravitate toward the sumptuous carrot-cake pancakes.

Delightful Pastries is also at 5927 W. Lawrence Ave. and 131 N. Clinton St. (Chicago French Market), providing at least two other places where people can try these tasty additions. Note: The eatery is also accepting orders for the Paczki day (March 4)—even offering alcohol-filled versions of the desserts.