One of the things that I decided to do when I made the decision to again review restaurants in the Fox Valley area was to revisit several of the places that I had previously reviewed and take another look. When/where appropriate, I’ll note improvements or if applicable, challenges that need attention. I also decided that since I can’t always afford to partake of an entire dining experience – especially if the dinner is for a re-review, I’ll do a short piece about the visit. Such is the case relative to a recent return visit to Atwater’s at The Herrington Inn and Spa.
Let’s go out for dinner
It was a very cold winter night and I was wrestling with a severe case of cabin fever. After one look at Lauren I saw what I determined to be a familiar gleam in those deep green eyes that seemed to say “Let’s go out for dinner!” I was an easy mark. Since I never let on that I had already made plans, I simply said: “Would you like to go out to Atwater’s this evening?” And so, the game was on!
Oblivious of Anything Else
It was mid-week and mid-winter, so it was no real surprise that the place was fairly deserted. We decided to pull up a chair near the roaring fire in the bar area, order a cocktail and warm up for a minute while we contemplated dinner. The short version of the story is that neither of us was extremely hungry, so we decided to remain in our very comfortable easy chairs instead of heading in to the dining room.
There we had long and soothing conversation, cocktails, wine and an appetizer, after which we split a salad and dinner… And all the while we remained almost the sole occupants of the place, oblivious of anyone or anything else.
Impressive & Imaginative
The appetizer by the way, was Brie Crab Cakes ($15 – New England crab with molten Brie and roasted shallots), the salad was a Caesar ($8 – with Classic Caesar dressing and sour dough croutons) and the entrée was a Seared Black Sesame Tuna ($28 – Served Medium Rare on Grilled Spring Vegetable, Jasmine Rice and Daikon Radish Seeds with Citrus Sesame Beurre Blanc). The wine was a Fess Parker Chardonnay and the cocktail (of course) was Grey Goose.
The Grey Goose was a decent-sized cocktail, the glass of Fess Parker was generous, the crab in the appetizer was quite plentiful and tasty, the plate presentation was very nice, the service – by the bartender – was well-paced and professional, and the flavors were exquisite. Although the final tab was a bit high, on this particular evening our bar tab was the culprit; the prices were actually very reasonable.
Fine and Relaxing Evening
We were both impressed – especially on a slow evening (when problems can often show up). I can only imagine the smile on my face had I entered the dining room and stayed for dinner. The menu had many items that I would like to go back and try. Even the Sunday brunch sounded great. In any case, it was a fine and relaxing evening and I can easily award Atwater’s Four Zins for a job very well done. I urge that you put it on your list of places to try… soon!
Your Table is Waiting…
Ralph Pancetta
Atwater’s Restaurant is located inside the Herrington Inn & Spa at 15 S River Lane in Geneva, IL.
Lauren’s Links
- Creating Guests for Life: Lessons Learned and Rules to Follow for Improving Service by Paul Ruby (Amazon) – Paul Ruby was the General Manager at the Herrington Inn for many years.
