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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/
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
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/
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/
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
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
Link to our last review: http://foodwarriors.blogspot.com/2007/10/red-geranium-lake-geneva-wi.html
Sunday, November 4, 2007
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-
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.
Friday, November 2, 2007
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
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
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