It was mid-week and the time I like best to go out to dinner. As we pulled into the parking lot, we both remarked about the emptiness of the lot. It was just after 7:00 pm. It was strange walking up to the front door; for some reason I had not visited this building since 1979-ish when it was called The Galleon. Now it is called St. Charles Place. The bar area was still the same, although a large door to a patio and some large windows had been added. These were nice touches – I had always thought the place to be too dark.
Time to Relax
Lauren and I decided to have a martini in the bar area since the place was virtually empty and we were in no real rush. To their credit, they did have bleu cheese olives and the stresses of the day began to melt away. We were soon escorted and seated at a 4-top by Casey, who was to also be our waiter. It was immediately evident that Casey was an old pro as wait-staff and his smile was welcome. He handed us our menus and asked if we needed another cocktail. We asked where all the people were. He mentioned that tonight was mysteriously slow and that on weekends the waiting times often approached an hour and a half! I was glad that the place was so empty tonight – it gave us time to relax.
Appetizer Perfection
There was a white tablecloth on the table as well as silver and crystal. Casey brought some fresh, warm rolls and a large square of butter. We both decided to have an appetizer; I counted 17 of them from which to choose. Lauren selected the Crab Cake with Lobster Sauce ($8) and I selected the Blue Point Oysters ($8 for ½ dozen). My last experience with oysters was not a good one, but I guess I was curious to see if these were as good as when the Galleon had them.
They were not artfully prepared but they were absolutely exquisite: fresh, juicy and extremely tasty. I would give them a 10 out of a possible 10. All six of them were champs! The crab cake was excellent as well as being very large. The cake was actually deep fried, which I found to be a little unusual, but it was crisp only on the outside and it was loaded with real crab. The sauce was rather plain but accompanied the crab well.
Surf and Turf
For an entrée, Lauren chose the special: Diver Sea Scallops with plum tomatoes and spinach server over linguini ($24). There were 6 giant scallops that almost looked to be over-cooked… but were not. They were perfectly done and very tender. The portion size was also huge and impossible for Lauren to even put a significant dent in.
I decided to honor my New Year’s Resolution and ordered a New York Strip Steak ($25). The steak was massive. The menu did not say the size, but it had to be 12-14 oz. I managed to eat about half of it. It was done exactly as I had ordered it – medium rare – and had excellent flavor. Both dinners came with two sides from an extensive list. My horseradish-mashed potatoes were dynamite; my Caesar salad was a little heavy on the dressing. Lauren’s asparagus was tasty as was her mixed-greens salad with Bleu cheese dressing.
Eclectic to be Sure
As we debated the virtues of being hauled out with a crane if we ordered a dessert, I looked around and could only come up with a single word to describe St. Charles Place: eclectic… what with its nautical-feeling bar area, the Chinese umbrellas behind the bar, the giant European-style clock, Andy Warhol print of Marylyn Monroe, etc, etc, etc. But it was actually eclectic in a positive way and the mix was not bothersome nor was it distractive to me. It was very dark and almost cavernous but at the same time very cozy.
The menu did seem a bit pricey and the plate presentations were certainly not very imaginative. I would go back for lunch (the prices seemed more reasonable) or return for the appetizers and order several. Our total bill was pushing $100 that night without the tip and I would think that to be a little much for your average night out to dinner. Many of the steaks were much higher-priced than mine.
They do have some pretty substantial banquet facilities in case you might be interested. On the whole, it was a pleasant experience and Casey is a definite asset to the place. Both Lauren and I agreed: St. Charles Place was definitely worth a Four Zin Rating and we suggest that you give it a try.
Ralph
St. Charles Place is located at 2550 E Main, St Charles, IL
