At the heart of the matter was a reunion of sorts. It had been years since three amigos from college days had taken the time to get together for a beer and yuks about things we used to do. I had not yet been to the suggested meeting place: a new St. Charles venue called The Office.
Still Too Early for the Hoards of Insects
And even though another spot was at the top of my list to review, I figured that “sometimes you just gotta say: what the… heck. I could certainly concentrate on two things at once. The meeting was set for 6:30 pm on a Thursday — I assumed that would be toward the end of the dinner hour and seating would not be a problem.
If I arrived first, I was instructed to secure a table on the patio. The weather was gorgeous (a real rarity for spring in this particular year), so it sounded like a great idea. This was especially true since it was still too early for the hoards of insects that usually make themselves major pests in the Fox Valley during the warm months.
A Hostess Questioned My Motives
As I entered the place, I tried hard to determine what changes had taken place here, as the location was once home to McNally’s Irish Pub, now located on the other side of the river. The fact that The Office bore only little resemblance to the former venue seemed a good sign for the building that was built in 1849 by Ira Minard, one of St. Charles’ founders, and served as the city’s first bank. I remember the location as being home to the St. Charles Office Supply, which is where the name of the new restaurant found its genesis.
Interestingly, as I was headed towards the patio/outdoor dining area I was brought to a screeching halt by a hostess who questioned my motives, adding that there were no tables available – unless I wanted to avail myself of the “communal seating.” Ignoring the terseness of the welcome (or lack thereof) to The Office , I asked her to please put my name on a waiting list for a table for three – my friends would be arriving shortly – and ordered a draught beer.
Not Your Ordinary Outdoor Patio Area
In approximately 1) the same amount of time it takes the Cubs to blow a ninth inning lead, and certainly less time than it took to finish the beer, my friends arrived and 2) there was a table ready for us. This I took as a good omen and start for the evening. It was a true double play to warm the cockles of my heart, not unlike the double play performed long ago and routinely by the famous trio of Tinkers, Evens and Chance…
The patio area was almost over-the-top. I mean, we’re talking granite counter tops, a wood-burning oven for pizzas, that “communal seating” surrounding table-height brick structures filled with crystalline rocks with gas pipes beneath them that spurt blue flames after dark… This is not your ordinary outdoor patio area – and it was packed. Maybe it’s the “place to see and be seen” on the local scene. In any case, it seemed a great addition for the St. Charles restaurant collection and, so far, so good. Well, at least for a few minutes.
Very Poor Excuse
There was one major problem that surfaced almost immediately. After a short wait (the shortest of the evening) a waiter arrived, handed out three menus and procured a drink order. He quickly disappeared into the crowd and, unfortunately, it took him not less than twelve minutes to return. We paid little attention the first time, concentrating instead on catching up on recent events in our lives. But the wait for another round, and for our dinners, was akin to the torture of water-boarding. The number of patrons on the patio began to slowly diminish over time, but even then, wait times bordered on egregious. There was very little apology accompanying the arrival of our food, other than a brief statement about the kitchen being “swamped”. This was a very poor excuse…
It had taken – and I am not exaggerating here – approximately 40-50 minutes between the time of ordering (at about 7:00) and the arrival of three sandwiches. One Reuben and two Grilled Chicken. My friend said the Reuben was “pretty good” but could have used more corned beef. My Grilled Chicken was served on a bun. Period. Not even any lettuce. There was a tiny bit of some sort of mayo evident on a small portion of one-half of the sandwich, but the chicken was overcooked and about as dry as a dead twig in the high Sierra. I can’t imagine the other chicken sandwich was any better. At least the French Fries were decent…
No Need for any Additional Disappointment
Although the patio area was very nicely designed and a great place to enjoy dinner and/or drinks, it seemed as if every single Harley running straight pipes in the tri-county area had been invited to rev up their engines just as they passed the office that evening. Enjoyment was not possible. The resulting and continuous cacophony was deafening, and made normal conversation painfully difficult. Doesn’t St. Charles have an ordinance for noise levels?
Had I felt a need for any additional disappointment that evening, all I would have needed to do was watch the sports section of the news to see that the Cubs had blown another lead to lose yet another game. I didn’t, so I didn’t.
Truly Unique Experience – I was not Impressed
I also tried to locate a website for The Office so I could share some menu items. They have a website… but it is still – in mid-June of 2011 – unfinished (the restaurant opened in early 2011). Lateness is obviously a signature dish at The Office. The home page though, is there and states: “We are a Gastropub – a British term for a public house that specializes in serving high-quality food and delivering a unique experience.” Yes, in fact the experience was truly unique… But if things are this bad on a Thursday, I can only imagine the reining chaos on a Saturday night. So take some too-pricy, very mediocre fare and add crawlingly slow service (by the way, the waiter even delivered two of the meals to the wrong person…). Then, combine it with an intolerable noise level and you get a Two-and-a-Half-Zin experience. I was not impressed.
Your table is waiting…
Ralph Pancetta
The Office Dining & Sprits is located at 201 E Main St in St Charles, IL.
