Wine Knot - Kenosha, WI

Last night was the first time we ate here in a while. We had kind of written them off our list. I loved the idea of this restaurant when it first opened. For anyone who does not know, they have a menu that has what they call "Small Plates" and "Big Plates". When they first opened, the small plates were actually small. But based on most people I know from Kenosha, they want to feel like they get their money's worth, so their plate has to be overflowing with food. So, after a few months of being open, it seemed like their small plates got really big! Sometimes their dishes didn't quite match the description. One of our favorite appetizers used to be the "Fried Shrimp and Grilled Scallops". The fried shrimp is supposed to be tempura battered and they used to be. The last time we ordered this appetizer, the shrimp was not tempura battered, but they were just like the fried shrimp you can buy at the store. That's when we decided we were done.

But yesterday I looked at their menu online and there seemed to be some new items, such as lamb, so we decided to go.

We ordered a bottle of wine, which was very reasonably priced (their pours are small, so we always order a bottle here). We started with something we've never had before - the Portobello, Carmelized Onion and Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta. My husband is not big on bruschetta, but I convinced him to try it because nothing else really interested us. It was pretty darn good, he was pleasantly surprised. There were 4 pieces, so it really was a small plate! Just enough to share.

My husband ordered the lamb and I ordered the Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut. I am leary of fish that is a constant on the menu, but nothing else really sounded good, so I thought I'd take the chance. Let me restate that, many things are good on the menu, I was just looking for something more on the heathy side. Otherwise I would have ordered the Lobster ravioli - that sounded really good.

Several minutes after we ordered, the server came out and said they were out of lamb and she apologized for not telling us from the beginning. He settled for the halibut, but was disappointed. Just goes to show, phone first. The lamb was the main reason we decided to give it another chance. We both enjoyed the halibut, not fishy at all. The sauce was really good. My only complaint is that it was served next to a HUGE pile of mashed potatoes. I'm not a big fan of mashed, I'd rather have something a little more creative, but they did taste good.

This restaurant is always worth trying at least once or twice.

http://www.wine-knot.com/

Tramonto's Steak & Seafood - Wheeling, IL

This is Rick Tramonto's restaurant in the Westin Hotel in Wheeling. For anyone who does not know, he is better known as the chef of Tru http://www.trurestaurant.com/ in Chicago. Great restaurant! One of our favorites.

It used to be very difficult to get reservations here at the last minute, but this past Friday, we had no trouble. Maybe it's because it was the day after Thanksgiving.

Our nephew accompanied us. This was our third visit here and his first. We were anxious to see what he thought of it, because we had taken him to Tru a couple years ago and he loved it.

For appetizers - he had the Beef Tartare, which we all tasted. It was unbelievable and the presentation was really nice. I had the Tempura Rock Shrimp, which I've had every time. It's a little spicy, but so good. The portion size is huge and I always consider getting it as an entree, but everything else looks so good, I have to do both. My husband got the Crab Cake, which was good, but nothing spectacular.

We skipped salads this time, but I have had the Chopped Salad before, which again, the portion size is big.

This being a steak house, it works pretty much the same way as others. You have choices of meats, toppers for your steak and sauces. My nephew had the Bone-in Ribeye with Sliced Bone Marrow on top. It was his first experience with bone marrow, but he really liked it. I got the Filet with a Horseradish crust and the red wine sauce. The crust was excellent. My husband also got the bone-in ribeye, but with a truffled egg on top. He really enjoyed that preparation. For sides, we shared the truffled mac & cheese and the sauteed mushrooms. Both were unbelievably good. The mushrooms included some croutons, which just soaked up the butter that the mushrooms were sauteed in. They were so good and the portion was huge, that I was still eating them today for lunch!

My only complaint is the wine selection by the glass, there was only one chardonnay. They have a good bottle selection, but not many medium priced. They do have a good-size pour, though.


http://www.cenitare.com/

Grandview Restaurant at the Geneva Inn - Lake Geneva, WI

This is another restaurant we go to regularly. The view of the lake and the sunset during the summer is just breathtaking. We've had good service here and sometimes very bad service. In fact, there is a waiter who wants to argue your choices with you. Very annoying.

This outing was because of a birthday, so we were 8 people. We were with most of the same people we went to Gilberts with (see 2006), so we were worried we would disappoint them again. The time my husband and I ate here last, we had a great server - female - I don't know here name, but she was unbelievably good. Well, we got this server again and she even topped herself. It's very hard to take care of a large group, but she did a great job. We never wanted for anything.

The table shared some appetizers, all were very good. There is one appetizer that's been on their menu for a while now, the Hong Kong Style Salt and Pepper Fried Calamari and I understand why they don't remove it. I typically don't like calamari, so initially I was skeptical, but it's really one of the best. It doesn't really seem deep-fried, if it is, the batter if very light. It is served with sauteed onions in a sweet chili sauce. I think it's the sauce that really makes the dish. We also shared the Hot Crab and Artichoke Fondue. It was good, but nothing special.

Moving to the entrees - I got the Yuppie Hill Farms Chicken "Coq au Vin". I was not impressed at all. In fact, I could not even finish it. First, it wasn't a traditional Coq au Vin, but it could have been good nonetheless. The problem was with the chicken breast. It was stringy, almost impossible to cut. It's a problem I notice with organic chicken sometimes. I'm just not a fan and will probably avoid anything made with organic chicken again. The root vegetables were excellent though. Don't let this deter you from the restaurant - it's rare to be dissatisfied.

Most everyone else got the fish special and everyone was extremely happy. One got the beef tenderloin and he was very happy too.

This place is worth checking out, if only just for the view.

http://genevainn.com/Pages/Dining.html

"8" Hyatt Regency, Incheon, Korea

This is where I spent my Thanksgiving.

I have been to this hotel several times and I always really liked this restaurant, that is until this trip.

The restaurant is unique because it is what they are calling a "Theater Experience" with multiple open kitchens where you can observe the chefs cooking while you eat.

It is a fun place to eat, but to be truthful the huge menu, which covers Italian, Korean, Japanese a cafe and the list goes on, is very confusing. I ordered a caesar salad from the Italian restaurant, expensive Korean steak from the Korean restaurant and vegetables from the grill. I was disappointed in most of it. The caesar salad was bland and the bacon that was put on it seemed fake. My special steak was very tough, I think I got the end of a tenderloin.

If you go here, sit and watch the chefs for awhile and see what looks good. I was in front of the Italian kitchen and the Gnocchi looked really good. I was sorry I bought the steak.

http://incheon.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/restaurants/index.jsp

Japan Airlines, somewhere over Canada

Using the miles we collect with all our dining out I was able to fly first class on JAL on my way to Korea.

I have got to tell you, if you get the opportunity to do this it is quite the experience. The service is impeccable.

What I am most impressed about was the food. First you are served with real silverware and glass plates that are custom designed for JAL. The fist course was a Chawanmushi with a black truffle. The flavors were remarkable and if there had been a chef on board I would have sent him my compliments.

The second course was a crab stuffed tomato which was served with a lemon olive oil. I am not a big fan of lemon, but I figured it was what the chef wanted me to do, so I tried it. Just so you know, I am going to run out and buy some just as soon as I get back home.

Next I was served a watercress soup which was very light and flavorful. I do not think there was any cream, but it was hard to tell and I didn't feel like asking.

My main course was a Fillet of Beef Forestiere. This was a disappointment, I should have ordered the Guinea hen. The meat was very tough, even though it was perfectly cooked.

Overall, it was worth all the miles I used up.

Jack's Cafe at Andrea's - Kenosha, WI

If you want a great, simple lunch, this is a good place to try. They usually have a few choices of soups (my prerequisite) and they are always really good. Their sandwiches are good - in fact, with the soup and sandwich, it's like eating at home. Even their hamburgers remind me of the ones I used to eat when I was a kid.


The cafe is in Andrea's, which is an interesting gift shop. Lunch is usually very crowded, and you often have to wait for a table, so it's a good time to browse through the store. We always find something interesting in the store. They used to have a big Dept. 56 section, but we didn't see much and it's November. Disappointing. Still, there is a lot there for Christmas now, so it's worth a visit.


http://www.andreasgifts.com/

Sebastian's, Caledonia, WI

We come to this restaurant probably once every two months. It is a little out of the way for us, but the atmosphere and food is worth the trip. Today was no exception.

We started with the Tataki combination appetizer. Basically it is raw tuna and beef. The tuna is so so, but the beef is phenomenal. We would highly recommend just getting the beef, it has a smokey taste that is out of this world.

We skipped the salads this time, but if you do get one, get the Walnut, Pear, Gorgonzola salad, it is excellent.

I had the Grouper, which has a champagne beurre blanc sauce and is covered in shredded potatoes with a roasted red pepper coulis. Very good...

My wife had the Amish Chicken -Airline Breast, which is grilled with a wild mushrooms ala crème and cheddar mashed potatoes. It is one of my wife's favorites.

Regardless, if you are in the area give this great restaurant a try.


http://www.sebastiansfinefood.com/

Applie Holler - Sturtevant, WI

We've had some really good lunches here, but they are now officially off our list. My partner keeps saying if we keep boycotting restaurants, we'll have no where left to go!


I love some of their lunch items, such as the rueben that's made with turkey and cole slaw, rather than corned beef and cabbage. It's so good.

Unfortunately, we are done! One time we went for lunch over the weekend and we're told before we get seated that they are still serving breakfast, lunch will be a 10-15 minutes wait. I think they said they don't start serving lunch until noon. So months later we go for lunch again keeping this in mind. We're told that lunch won't start until 12:15. We ask why not 12:00 as we've been told before and we're told that it's up to the kitchen and they really don't have a specific time. That time we waiting over a half hour for our lunch order to be taken. I say you have to be consistant if you want customers to come back.

Dinner is the worth though. One time we went with friends. I ordered a salad, which was about $2.50 extra. Our main course got served before my salad, so I mentioned to the server that he forgot my salad and I no longer wanted it. He said he'd bring it anyway because it was already made. I said I really didn't want it! He brought it anyway and guess what?! I got charged for it! I did not want to make a scene in front of our friends, so I let it go, but I could not believe it!

It's too bad the service is soooooooooo bad. They have some interesting and different things to try.

The Cactus Club Lake Geneva, WI

Yuck!

Seriously, lunch here was terrible. We went there on Saturday, choosing it because it was not packed like all the other restaurants in town. That should have been our first clue.

Medusa Grill & Bistro - Lake Geneva, WI

One benefit to starting this blog is hearing from other people with restaurant recommendations. So, last night we went to one of those recommendations - Medusa Grill and Bistro. We thought we knew every restaurant in the area, but apparently not! We regularly get the Lake Geneva area newspapers and magazines and we've never seen this restaurant mentioned! It's so nice to try a new restaurant and be very pleasantly surprised.

The first thing we noticed when we walked in was the ambience. The low level lighting really set a nice tone. There was one thing that made me uncomforable, though. There was no obvious host station, so we were not sure what we were supposed to do. For a minute I thought maybe we were supposed to seat ourselves. But then someone grabbed menus from a station near the bar and we were seated.

We arrived there around 6 or so and there were a few people sitting at the bar and a few tables were occupied. Half way through our meal, the place was packed. Every table and every seat at the bar was occupied. It looks like most people at the bar were eating.

Based on the menu, it looks like most of the food is Greek inspired. If you look at their website, it says they servce Greek, French, Spanish, Moroccan, Lebanese, Turkish, Italian, Croatian and Armenian! I'm not sure I would recognize the last few, but whatever it was, it was excellent!

We started with the Saganaki, which was really good. I then had a tomato & mozzarella salad that included artichokes, hearts of palm, bell peppers. It was supposed to be drizzeled with a balsamic vinegar and white truffle oil. I really didn't taste the truffle oil, though. The salad was very good and very unusual. You can get the salads in full or half portions, but I think the prices are kind of high for the half portion.

My husband had the special soup which was a butternut squash bisque. It was made with coconut milk, rather than heavy cream. It was topped with carmelized onions and had a curry taste to it. I tasted it - wow! So creative.

We both had for our main course the wood grilled grouper topped with shrimp butter. I'm always leary ordering fish from a place I've never been before, but I thought I'd take the chance. This was one of the best pieces of fish I've ever had at somewhere that's not Bob Chinn's! Not one bite was fishy and it had a grilled flavor to it that was outstanding. With the fish came way too many other things. I can't even remember them all. There was some mashed potatoes (white) topped with what I thought was mashed sweet potato. That was very interesting - the two flavors together. There was also a beet and some other vegetables. The taste of everything by themselves was good, it was just too many different things together.

I've decided to start talking about the size of wine pours, because after a while you realize that sometimes it makes sense to order a bottle and sometimes the pours are big, it makes more sense to order by the glass. I'm talking strictly from a financial standpoint.

The pours here are generous. I believe the price was $6.50 for a glass of chardonnay. It was well worth the price.

There is a selection on their menu called "Chef's Choice", which is where you let the chef prepare what he wants for you. It says you have to be adventurous, so this is what we will try next time. Can't wait.

http://www.medusagrillandbistro.com/

Red Geranium Update - Lake Geneva, WI

Visited the Red Geranium again last night and I want to add that they have a new server, Shane, and that was the best service we've ever had. So, if you go, ask for Shane.

Link to our last review: http://foodwarriors.blogspot.com/2007/10/red-geranium-lake-geneva-wi.html

Bob Chinn's Crabhouse: Wheeling, IL

Bob Chinn's has been around a long time and is well-known throughout the Chicago area. Bob's buying power has allowed him to buy the most fresh fish available and it is flown in everyday.

We started to frequent Bob Chinn's around 1987. We have been there so many times it would be impossible to count.

Bob Chinn's is noisy and large, capable of feeding over 600 people at one time, so I guess you should expect that. If you are looking for an intimate dining experience, this is not the place to go. If you are looking for the freshest seafood around, then your search has ended.

We have taken people from Japan, England, Korea, Taiwan, Seattle, Los Angeles and Baltimore. They have all said they have never had fish as fresh. We actually have several friends that insist on going to Bob's every time that are in town (last night we took one of these people) and of course, we never refuse.

Here are some of our favorite menu items:

Appetizer-

• Florida Stone Crab Claws
• Blue Crabe Claws (garlic)
• Ex-Crab-Aganza
• Oysters Rockefeller - You've never had one like this
• Sashimi Combo
• Peppercorn Seared Ahi Tuna

Main Course-

• 20 oz Alaskan "Red" King Crab Legs (Steamed with melted butter)
  Bob wants you to use his special sauce, but just use the melted butter. Bob does not always know what is best. Also we recommend their parsley buttered potatoes and coleslaw.
  
• Onaga - Cook it anyway you want, Bob's version is good, but we prefer chargrilled.
  
• Ahi Tuna - Get it chargrilled with grilled onions on a sizzling platter
  
• Scallops Au Gratin- Very heavy meal, but delicious
  
• Steak- Neither of us have had a steak here, but a few of our friends have and they say it's the best steak they've ever had. Then again, they are eating steak at a seafood resturant, so who knows. One of our guests highly recommends the strip steak.

There are so many choices that are good it is hard to just pick a few, but we can only write so much.

Bob's is to open their first franchise in Kenosha, WI. The restaurant has been under construction for over a year and it looks pretty dead there. I hope it opens and is a great success, but I guess we will have to just wait and see.

If you go just be prepared to wait if they are busy. If you go enough, you can get a VIP card that gets you in much more quickly.

www.bobchinns.com

Elliot Hunt @ Frank's Diner: Kenosha, WI

This was our second visit and wow is the best we can say about Elliot Hunt and his fine menu. This is by far the best dining experience in Kenosha and possibly in all of Southeast Wisconsin.

Elliot has been taking over Frank's Diner on Fridays and we're told hopes to add Saturdays by the end of year.

The menu is usually a six-course prix fixe, so you don't need to make any decisions except what wine you would like and they will even help you out with that. The menu changes every week. Last night we had:

“Deconstructed Escargot” with Braised Escargots, Roasted Garlic Beurre Fondue and Parsley Oil (This maybe the best version of Escargot we have ever had, very unique)

Hawaiian Ono with Ragout of Edamame, Citrus Sauce and “Bleeding Heart” Radish Salad

Filet Mignon of New Zealand Lamb with Flagolets, Lamb Reduction Sauce and Thyme-Infused Olive Oil

A Dessert Flight that included Creme Brule followed by Milk and Cookies - a glass of ICE COLD milk with a chocolate chip cookie. But the little glass the milk came in didn't allow for dunking!

As we said, the menu changes every week, so if you are in the area, or even if you're not, take advantage of this great meal at a great price. Dinner was $50 each, not including wine. Our only criticism is the wine section is small.

You should have a reservation, so don't just show up!

We are planing on going here as often as we can, so we'll update this blog soon.

http://www.franksdinerkenosha.com/index.html
http://www.elliothunt.com/index2.html

Honada Sushi - Kenosha, WI

We've been regular diners here ever since this Japanese restaurant opened in Kenosha. After we moved up here from Illinois, we were dying for a Japanese restaurant to open. Before Honada opened, there was Soon's Sushi. We went there a couple times, but the ambience was not good at all. Although the food was good, the eating area was very uncomfortable. So, we were very happy when Honada opened. The place is beautiful inside. You can either sit at a table, a booth, or teppenyaki, or Hibachi style. This is when they cook your meal on a grill right at your table. You have to sit with other diners, so we don't choose that option very often.

You can still have the Hibachi menu at a regular table, you just don't get the show.

Our favorite roll is the King Lobster Roll, ingredients are Lobster tempura, avocado, lettuce & mayonnaise inside w. scallion & tobiko outside. The spider roll is also very good too, which is made with soft-shell crab. Their lunch menu is very reasonably priced, with many good selections.

We've never had a bad meal there. The service is usually pretty good.

You can see the menu at http://www.kenoshacity.com/menulist.asp?rm=62