Wine Knot - Kenosha, WI

First, let me start by saying we really do like this restaurant, just for the fact that they try to stay a little creative, but they are just not consistent enough with the quality of their food. Not just that, but many times what you actually get doesn't necessarily match what's on the menu. I don't mind a change, but the server should let you know about the change when you order.

We ate here over the summer and sat outside. It was a very nice experience and we had no complaints that day, but this particular day was terrible.

I ordered the Half Portion Caesar Salad. I forgot that I've ordered this before and really do not like it. The dressing is very bland and doesn't remind me of any type of caesar I've ever tasted before.

My husband got the crab cake, which we have had many times before. It was a little over-cooked, but no where near as bad as the rest of the meal.

For entrees my husband got the Cajun Monkfish Oscar, which is served with crawfish tails and hollandaise sauce, dirty rice and asparagus. I got the Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut served with roasted red potatoes, asparagus, lemon infused beurre blanc topped with crispy capers.

First we were quite surprised when our server put down the two plates in front of us. Mine was a good-sized portion of halibut and you could barely see the monkfish on my husband's plate. We both looked at each other in disbelief. In both entrees, the fish was ok. In other words, it was not fishy. That's always a first step for me, because I'm very choosy where I order fish from. There are some places I would never dream of ordering fish from. I've always trusted Wine Knot for fish and I've never been disappointed. The problem was not the fish, but all the sides. My roasted potatoes tasted as if they were days old and were reheated in the microwave. They were actually disgusting. The asparagus were basically raw. My husband's dirty rice also tasted as if it were reheated. It was so dry, it was barely edible. And this was a Friday night! You would expect the turnover would be such that fresh ingredients would be used - no need to reheat. Not that there is ever an excuse for reheating.

So, this tells me that the quality has really gone down. I think that's the beginning of the end.
Eventually people catch on. Will we give it another chance? Not sure. Too bad.

www.wine-knot.com

Wildfire - Lincolnshire, IL

We have been to this Lettuce Entertain You restaurant many times over the year. 99% of our visits have been positive, so that's pretty good. This visit was no exception.

We made reservations through Open Table, which is just about the greatest way to make, modify and cancel reservations. I just wish every restaurant used this system.

We were three people and got seated in one of the u-shaped booths, which are my favorite. The restaurant is always so busy that I hate sitting out in the middle of the room in a regular table. It's better to be off in a corner.

We started by sharing their Spinach Salad, which I always have to have whether I'm here for dinner or lunch. It's a combination of spinach, bacon, mushrooms, radishes, eggs and a warm mustard dressing, which they toss right at the table.

I had the halibut special, which was served with a buerre blanc sauce. The fish was a good-sized portion and prepared perfectly. I chose wild rice for my side and it went well with the fish.

My husband had the Trio of Beef special, which I believe they have had everytime we've been there the last several years. I normally get this, but I was trying to make a healthier choice. This is three filets (3 oz each I believe) and you can get your choice of topping, such as a horseradish crust, mushroom, blue cheese, bernaise sauce and a few others.

One thing you can't pass up when you dine here is dessert. They all look so good when they bring you the platter and they are HUGE. My favorite is a big chocolate cookie pie served warm with ice cream on top. It's unbelievable.

Other than Lincolnshire, there are locations in Chicago, Oak Brook, Glenview, Schaumburg and one in Minnesota, Georgia and Virginia. When is Kenosha going to get a restaurant like this????

http://www.wildfirerestaurant.com/lincolnshire/menus

David's Bistro - Antioch, IL

One day I was driving through downtown Antioch and noticed this restaurant, which I had never noticed before. Maybe it was the tables set up for outdoor dining that caught my eye. Either way, I was excited! A new restaurant to try. I immediately got on their website, which is very nice, and saw what they had for dinner. It seems that David owned this restaurant for a while, but I'm a little unclear as to what the name was.

The food looked very interesting, a little more creative than normal, so we decided to go there for dinner the following Sunday night.

There are two sides to the restaurant -one side is very bright and the other side has more subdued lighting and just has a more romantic atmosphere. We were disappointed that we were put on the "bright" side. Next time we will insist on the other side.

There are many choices for appetizers, which are very reasonably priced. For example a Crab Cake is $5.99 and a Ahi Tuna Martini is $6.99. We started with a Bacon Scallop Puff Martini, also only $6.99 and it was very good.

For my entree I had the Shrimp and Lobster Newburg (served over sticky rice with a madeira wine cream sauce). This was priced at $19.99, which I think is a reasonable price. The servings are not huge, but it was satisfying.

My husband had Lamb Chops (crusted with pine nuts and pecans with a tarragon cream sauce) also priced at $19.99. He's not a huge fan of nuts, but did enjoy this dish.

For a Sunday night, they were surprisingly busy. And because of this I thought the service suffered a little.

All in all it was a good experience and we will definitely be going back soon.

http://www.davidsbistro.com/

Whistling Swan - Door County - Fish Creek, WI

This inn & restaurant is located in the heart of Fish Creek. We have dined here many times before, but we have never stayed at the inn. It's a charming building.

The menu is not huge, but is is very creative.

We started with Angus Beef Potstickers serviced with a sweet chili dipping sauce. They were pretty good, but did not really exhibit the creativity we've come to expect.

For entrees, we both chose fish. There are two fish items on the regular menu. My husband had the Andouille Encrusted Escolar and I had the Grilled Sturgeon.

You don't find sturgeon very often and the two or three times I have had it, I really liked the taste and texture of the fish. I just did not like it this time. Maybe it was the cut, but it seemed darker in color than I remember. It was served with a sweet potato blini, heirloom tomato, purple broccoli, dill creme fraiche and osetra caviar. The blini was the best part of the dish! The sauce was pretty good, there was not enough to help mask the taste of the fish.

I tasted the Escolar and it was outstanding. The andouille crust was not spicy at all. It was served with a corn, pepper and yukon potato succotash, chive aioli and a red hot butter sauce. My husband really liked a lot.

When we visit Door County I always say that I'm going to have dessert at least one time during our week-long trip. Bread pudding is my favorite dessert and as it always happens, it's not on the menu at many places, so I end up choosing a dessert at the last restaurant we visit before we go home.

So, here we are again, at dinner the last evening and what do you know? They have bread pudding! Unfortunately, it was Huckleberry Bread Pudding with peaches, nectarines and ice wine sabayon. The bread pudding itself was okay, but the peaches and nectarines were too big and not soft enough for my taste. Oh well, there is always next year.




www.whistlingswan.com