10:
Harner's Bakery & Restaurant
- North Aurora
(original review 5-01)
Something old-fashioned in me appreciates a restaurant that offers home
cooking in a very down-to-earth setting, especially when we seem to be
surrounded by venues that choose to aim for the moon with fancy names
and high prices... and often fall way short. "Here is a
restaurant that is reminiscent of a few I have been to in rural
Wisconsin, where the salad on the salad bar is fresh and the soup is
homemade. Here is a restaurant that uniquely serves dinner, lunch
and breakfast anytime; the bakery is on-premise and always has the
freshest of pastries, pies and desserts. Here is a restaurant that
is always busy because the food is genuinely good and the prices are
insanely reasonable." (3.5 Zins)
9:
Walleye Grill
- Huntley
(original review 7-27)
A pleasant surprise awaits those who
venture north and a bit west to this fine restaurant with great views of
a meticulously-maintained golf course. But forget the views for
the moment and concentrate on the dining. "I was impressed on all
counts: excellent service, eye-appealing plating, great food, a relaxing
atmosphere and incredibly reasonable prices." Also forget
about the fact that the restaurant exists in a retirement community...
No mater what your age, it's definitely worth the trip. (4.0
Zins)
8:
Guide's Inn - Boulder
Junction, WI
(original review 9-5)
Fine dining and northern Wisconsin
seem almost as if the pair should be oxymoronic. I assure you that
in this case, they definitely are not. "Steaks are hand-cut,
veal is hand-cut and pounded just before cooking, base sauces are made
from scratch and veggies are fresh and bright. The kitchen was all
business..." The Guide's Inn offers well-plated and excellent
food, wonderful service and a cozy atmosphere in a not-so-typical
Wisconsin supper club makes the trip to Boulder Junction a must is you
are anywhere in the area (it is located about 15 miles north of
Minocqua). (4.0 Zins)
7:
Turf Room
- North Aurora
(original review 3-30)
Who would have thought that a
restaurant parked almost in the middle of a cornfield at the very edge
of town could serve up some imaginative and well-plated food, good
service and... also offer an opportunity to play the ponies? The
barn siding on the outside and the horse-themed interior -- complete
with wood-burning fireplace in a sunken lounge area for cocktails --and
you have the setting for a fine dining experience. Add an
impressive menu with great steaks, an excellent wine selection and
interesting ambience and you just might have the perfect place for
dinner. (4.0 Zins)
6:
Glen Prairie
Fine Food & Drink - Glen Ellyn
(original review 11-07)
The full name of the restaurant
pretty much says it all... And its rank isn't just from the fact
that I found northern pike on a menu for the very first time...
The ambience, as well as the food and drink are all very fine!
A seriously imaginative menu, austere but eye-appealing plating and an
excellent use of seasonal ingredients combine to make for an incredibly
fine experience. Executive Chef Daniel Ovanin has put together a
great menu, chock full of choices that will make you want to try them
all. "The plate presentations were simple but elegant and our
server was professional, attentive, smiling and helpful.
Considering the beautifully appointed and comfortable room, quality of
food and service and relaxing ambience... an incredibly great place to
have a Four Zin meal at extremely reasonable prices" (4.0
Zins)
5:
Sweet
Baby Rays Barbecue Restaurant - Elk Grove Village
(original review 6-29)
I am very impressed with a number of
aspects of SBR's, not the least of which is the likelihood that I could
-- if I so wished -- eat off the floor here; the restaurant is that
clean! The food and service are no less impressive in a venue that
offers excellent barbecued meats: "Sweet
Bay Ray’s focuses primarily on authentic wood-smoked Chicago-style
Barbecue. But they also feature a sampling of flavors from New
Orleans and other southern cities too." From
the succulent shrimp appetizers to the salads to the tangy and sweet
barbecue entrees to the scrumptious desserts,
"Sweet Baby
Ray’s is a pure, simple and excellent example of how a restaurant that
is not considered as “fine dining” can simply sweep one off one’s feet."
(4.0 Zins)
4:
D.O.C Wine Bar
- Lombard
(original review 2-13)
"The menu offers a wide array
of Italian influenced dishes and a large collection of delicious wines."
Slick and upscale, with plenty of attention paid to detail, D.O.C. is
definitely a place you'll want to visit -- and return to -- if you like
really good Italian fare; the food is excellent. "the
Wild Mushroom Risotto Fritters with Reggiano Crema were absolutely
outstanding... I like the chic, warm feel and easy ambience of the
place. Chef Derek Rettel has created a menu that is very
imaginative; his plating is austere, yet stylish and inviting."
D.O.C is a truly fine example of fine dining. (4.0
Zins)
3:
Shochu
- Chicago
(original review 6-01)
The traffic was awful and it took
forever to get there, but Shochu was the kind of experience that needs
to be available in more locations and also one that makes you want to
return. (My guess is that its concept was way ahead of its time...
it unfortunately closed early this fall after being open for less than a
year.) Shochu is actually a distilled spirit, but the restaurant
gave itself the same name and, "Although it features “Asian-edged
small plates”, there is nothing small about the flavors offered by
Executive Chef and partner Josh Hansen on an incredibly varied and
interesting menu." A menu that offered items as different as I
have ever seen anywhere, coupled with incredible plating design and
exquisite flavors offered a superb dining experience. The only
real negative was a decided lack of parking. Although dinner tabs
could easily reach triple digits (you want to try that many items),
Shochu was well worth it. I was sorry to see it go away.
(4.0 Zins)
2:
Wildwood - Geneva
(original review 3-01)
Several trips to Wildwood leave me
with a solid impression that this is a very solid restaurant serving up
a consistently great dining experience. A long copper-topped bar
and huge, comfortable leather chairs appoint the lounge. White
paper over white cloth on tabletops, polished silver and sparkling
glassware and easy-on-the-eye lighting define the large and inviting
dining area. Well-dressed and attentive servers
are the rule here. You'll
certainly want to sample the crab cakes or diver scallop
appetizers, accompanied perhaps by a glass of wine. But keep in
mind the oak-grilled steaks and chops. Enjoy lunch, dinner or
Sunday brunch at what might be one of the area's finest restaurants.
They also now have private dining available for large parties and
special events. "Congrats to Executive Chef Christopher Corby
for an impressive menu, fine plating and presentation."
(4.5 Zins)
1:
Bien Trucha
- Geneva
(original review 8-31)
Some say that great things come in
small packages. It must be true; this very small venue is just loaded
with great things to eat! At the bottom of the menu page, fine
print proudly proclaims:
"All items are prepared fresh to order, we use the highest quality
products and ancient techniques to prepare our salsas." An
apt description and perhaps even a motto; the pride in preparation and
quality of the finished product are proof that at Bien Trucha, they do
what they say they do. From the hand-shaken margaritas with plenty
of fresh lime juice to the fresh and crispy tortilla chips to the
Chorizo Cazuelita and way beyond (try the very spicy shrimp tacos --
they are outstanding), this is a restaurant with much to be proud of;
they pay attention to detail and it shows! I could eat here
weekly... There is very good reason that this one is at the top of
the list. (4.5 Zins)
~
The remaining eight
candidates are listed below. For the first time I have also
included a short paragraph about each, but as before, those eight are
listed only in alphabetical order and not in any order of preference.
America's Brewpub
- Aurora
(original review 10-22)
The architects and engineers are to
be congratulated on an incredible redevelopment of the old limestone
roundhouse (the only existing one in the country). Originally a rail car
building and repair shop owned by the Chicago Burlington and Quincy
Railroad, it had twenty-two stalls built to house and repair
locomotives. Now a restaurant, "the cavernous nature of the
place... (is) probably perfect for a Monday Night Football game or
brunch before a game." It definitely has a pub atmosphere and
a huge selection of tasty micro-brewed beers. Portions are big and
so are the prices. (3.0 Zins)
Billy's
Roadhouse - Wasco
(original review 11-14)
Billy's resides in a smallish storefront (about eight tables and a
half-dozen booths) in a small strip mall in Wasco. Glaringly
bright lights, lack of ambience and just-average service help to diminish the
experience; the food is actually pretty good. Look for a coupon to
use to make the price of admission more palatable. (3.0
Zins)
Bistro Thai
- Geneva
(original review 5-01)
"The ambience is warm and
friendly and the décor is simple and almost austere." This
little Thai eatery is a wonderful place to enjoy some really great Thai
cuisine. Ten different noodle dishes – among them Pad Thai and Pad
See Eiw – and four fried rice dishes, along with some traditional Thai
offerings, all prepared to order using very fresh ingredients make this
venue a slick coupling of French (the bistro part) and Thai. They
do offer take-out, but for dining in, "The plating and presentation
are both very nice, the food is incredibly good – and from what I
understand, dishes can be individually adjusted to arrive at the “heat”
level desired by the diner – and the prices are quite reasonable." (3.5
Zins)
Citizen Kane
- Geneva
(original review 6-01)
Except for an almost total lack of
acoustics (making it difficult to carry on a conversation when the place
is barely half full), I like Citizen Kane. It doesn't really
follow the theme of the movie by the same name, but that doesn't detract
from the up-scale and trendy, almost diner-like atmosphere and allure of
the place. "An imaginative chef creating freshly-prepared and
well-plated meals, good service and acceptable price points will always
go a long way toward attracting and maintaining a loyal and growing
group of patrons." (3.5 Zins)
A Tale
of Two Els:
EL Taco Grande
(west)/El
Zarape - Batavia/Wheaton
(original reviews 4-22)
Disappointing is the only word I can
find for this pair of Mexican restaurants that I visited within a week
or two of each other. Neither could seem to be able to serve food
that stood out in any way, and neither had service that could be listed
as rating above mediocre. (2.5 Zins/3.0 Zins)
Matsuri
- Geneva
(original review 10-22)
It's located about a block or less
from the Metra train station in Geneva, on Third Street, in part of what
is collectively referred to as Dodson Place. A smallish venue, the
inside is rather austere; a sushi bar is placed in a far corner and the
seating -- about a half-dozen booths and perhaps the same number of
tables -- is comfortably spaced. There are good things to be said about Matsuri. The prices seemed reasonable and the service was good.
The sushi was very good and plating was quite eye-appealing. (3.5
Zins)
Sergio's Cantina
- Geneva
(original review 1-31)
Generally good food and tasty
margaritas, served in a relaxed venue reminiscent of a Mexican pub.
There always seems to be a crowd; oftentimes the noise level is high.
This Mexican restaurant is far better than the previous iteration that
occupied the building; unfortunately, a trip back to Sergio's about a
month after my first experience showed that service and food had both
slipped a notch. (4.0 Zins)
Thai Zie -
St. Charles
(original review 7-01)
A smallish strip mall in the
downtown area is the location of this authentic Thai cuisine restaurant.
The hard-working owners seem to always be present and the food is very
good; the prices are reasonable. Nine house specialties, plenty of
curry and noodle dishes, salads and other traditional Thai choices round
out a nice menu; Thai Zie is now open for lunch too. The only ding
was for some not-so-attentive service on the night we visited. (3.5
Zins)
