Looking at the cityscape changes that have been effected in downtown St. Charles over the last few years, I am often amazed that there are any businesses left standing.  A city that was once filled with life and vigor is now more of a place that one would pass thorough rather than a place where one can stop and smell the roses (so to speak).  A beautiful four-lane highway allows cars and trucks to zip through without stopping to notice that there are still a few small shops and many restaurants that offer respite from the everyday buzz.  One such restaurant is Pub 222.

Many years ago, I used to occasionally stop in to meet friends for an adult beverage  -- usually on a Thursday or Friday night... the place was always very busy.  My only real complaint and reason that I stopped going was the smoke.  Not being a smoker made it extremely difficult for me to stay very long.  In defense of Pub 222, It was -- and still is -- primarily a bar.  And bars are generally places where smoking will always take place.  Illinois however, no longer allows the smoking part. 

Always keeping an eye out for coupons and deals that make dining out more affordable, Lauren had procured a ten dollar coupon from Restaurant.com for Pub 222 and said; "let's go try this restaurant."  I had never tried their food and I was certainly interested in finding out what I might have been missing.

The inside was much as I had remembered it.  Two separate rooms with a connecting opening define the layout.  There is a very long bar (it runs the length of the place from front to back) on the west side; there are also several tables there, positioned to enable the viewing of one's favorite sports team on huge flat-screen televisions.  A large arch opens into the other half on the east side that is obviously laid out more as a dining room where most of the tables are of the tall variety.  There is a large flat screen TV here as well, a few electronic games and a gas fireplace.  A "smoke-eater" still hangs from the ceiling -- a remnant reminder of days gone by, and the smell of stale smoke smell is all but gone after a year of the no-smoking law.

The bar atmosphere still exists to some extent and I'm sure that there are nights when the place fills to the max and the noise level far exceeds my tolerance (yet another sign of getting older?).  There is even a courtyard out back for the warmer months of the year...  But on the night we visited, the crowd -- at least from what I could tell -- was smaller and a bit more demure, and dinner could be an event where we didn't have to yell in order to hear each other.  Their own website describes the venue as an "American Irish Pub" (I had forgotten that part), but more importantly it says that: "PUB 222's food is delicious our beer is cold and our staff is always friendly!!"  I was anxious to see if those statements were correct.

Fairly hungry after a long day, I was not enticed by any of the appetizers.  Too many were of the deep-fried variety: probably great for an evening where all one wants is cocktails and something to accompany them.  The  Spinach & Artichoke Dip did tempt me, but I was more interested in a hearty sandwich and a salad on this occasion; Lauren seemed to be of the same mind.  We ordered a beer and a glass of wine while we browsed the rest of the menu. It was unusual to see Pabst Blue Ribbon draught beer on a menu (actually an old favorite), but one part of the abovementioned trio was true: the beer was quite cold -- a pleasant surprise - and a steal at $2.78 for a pair of them.  Lauren's house chardonnay was average in flavor, but at $4 a glass, it was hard to beat the price. 

The sandwich portion of the menu held many tempting choices (The Best Reuben In Town, Piled High Italian Beef, Spinach Artichoke Chicken, Pulled Pork Sandwich and the Pub Club are representative of the savory selections).  Lauren wanted fish and settled on the Jumbo Haddock Sandwich: North Atlantic haddock fillet coated with our unique Irish ale batter, fried and served with lettuce, tomato and onion on a French roll 8.99; I decided to get the Prime Ribeye Steak Sandwich: Our most popular sandwich is our USDA Certified Prime 7 oz. ribeye steak topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions on a French roll. 9.99.

The piece of haddock was perhaps the biggest I have ever seen, easily dwarfing the French roll on which it rested.  The fish was crispy, hot and tasty; Lauren unable to finish even half of it.  My steak was cooked exactly as ordered and smothered with mushrooms and onions.  It too, was a giant meal and finishing it was a task that was beyond my abilities.  The flavor was excellent and the sandwich easily lived up to its reputation as "Our most popular".

When the bill arrived, I almost fell off my chair...  Including our two beers and glass of wine, the total was a mere 34.47 -- including tax.  This could easily be one of the most affordable meals around, and this was before the Restaurant.com coupon was applied!

And so, the third portion of the trio of statements from the web site had also proven to be correct: the food was excellent.  Add to that some very good service and a nice ambience and the result is a place that has me wanting to return.  Pub 222 is a solid three-and-a-half Zins.        

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Ralph Pancetta
reviews@ralphpancetta.com