Niche in Geneva, Illinois: A Pleasant Suburban Experience (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 68)

On a recent Saturday we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and long days by driving out to Geneva, which is a quaint suburb well west of the city. We love this area, because of its proximity to the Fox River and all the interesting little shops. However, we have never really found a restaurant in Geneva that we love. Niche has garnered some very good reviews, so we wanted to give it a try. It sort of fits in with our prior dining experiences in Geneva, because it failed to live up to the hype.

The room is pleasant enough, with nicely spaced tables, open spaces and a relaxed feel. And the service was quite friendly. The food, however, was overall only average.

We started with a bottle of Sylvan Ridge Reserve Pinot Noir. We found it light and easy to drink, and both of us quite enjoyed it. For an appetizer we had the artisan cheese plate, consisting of 3 cheeses, two cheddar and one camembert, accompanied by cherries and nuts. We really liked only the beehive cheddar which had a smooth, smoky flavor. The other two cheeses were sort of non-descript. One of the two was a combination of cheddar and goat cheese which just didn't work (the flavors cancelled each other out). Steve really liked the brioche bread, however.

Steve had the field green salad. The entire salad was good, but particularly the watermelon, which gave it a summery feel. Lisa had chilled spring rolls, whcih she didn't care for because they were not crunchy as she would have liked in a dish of this kind.

After the salads, we had perhaps our favorite part of the meal, the palatte-cleansing sherry sorbet with basil oil. From the sound of it, we were dubious, but we both thought the dish was luscious, and even liked the mix of basil oil and sorbet.

Too bad, they couldn't make the sorbet an entree, becausee our entrees were uninspired. Steve's short ribs did not fall off the bone, like short ribs should, and lacked substantial flavor. Lisa's center cut organic ribeye was cooked properly, but was very fatty (even for a ribeye) and also lacked flavor.

For dessert Lisa had the chocolate cake with honey mousse. This was an interesting combination. The chocolate was a little too sweet for Lisa, who also found the honey flavor overpowering. Steve, a big honey fan, could have eaten 10 portions of the honey mousse, though. Steve had the strawberry rhubarb tartlet, which had too much rhubarb and not enough strawberry.

We both found the bathrooms very clean and well laid out. They were a bit small, however.

Dinner for 2, with a bottle of wine was $250, and would have been about $200 with wine by the glass. All in all, for Geneva, this place was okay, but it wasn't great by any means.

Our ratings for Niche, 14 S. 3rd St., Geneva, Illinois

6 of 10 Steak Knives 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

Topaz Cafe in Burr Ridge: Worth the Effort to Find (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 67)

Chicago Magazine recently listed Topaz Cafe as a hot new restaurant, so despite the fact that we sometimes strongly disagree with Chicago Magazine's assessments, we decided to give Topaz a try. If you are going to this restaurant, be prepared for a difficult time finding it. While it is convenient to the Stevenson expressway (I-55 for those not as enamored of the roads as Steve), the address does not even come up on the mapping sites and the restaurant is at the very end of a well-hidden strip mall (although the strip mall is actually quite nice).

We loved the decor, which was geometric, with an open feel and light hardwood floors. We started with a bottle of Hundred Year Old Vines Shiraz. For a reserve wine, we were expecting a bit more flavor than what we got, although the wine did grow on us as it breathed more. For an appetizer, we ordered the smoked sable. It tasted a lot like smoked salmon, but juicier and a little saltier. We also liked the accompaniments, which included creme fraiche (which we love). Steve's wedge salad was extremely good, with tasty bleu cheese crumbles and excellent cherry tomatoes. Lisa's field greens salad was little busy (lots of things), but she liked the greens and the tomatoes a lot.

We both had the bone-in filet, which was on special that night. We thought this was the weakest part of the meal. Both were cooked medium rare, as we like it, but the meat wasn't very flavorful except right at the bone. Steve loved his strawberry rhubarb crisp with vanilla ice cream dessert. The strawberries were sweet, as he likes them. Lisa tried the Crazy Crepes. These were crepes filled with chocolate pudding and accompanied by almond ice cream and chocolate sauce. Though the pudding was not dark chocolate, she really loved this dessert. It was fun, and the flavors combined well.

The bathrooms were very nice, both were quite clean and well kept. The only problem was the ugly tile, which made the floor look dirty though it was quite clean. The restaurant also has a very nice outside deck which the waiter showed us although it was not quite ready for use. It looks like a very nice area in which to eat outside or have a party, and we may come back and brave the insect world to try it.

Dinner for two with a bottle of (expensive) wine was $275 and would have been about $160 with wine by the glass. We thought this was well worth the price and the drive. We agree with Chicago Magazine that this is definitely an excellent new addition to the Chicago dining scene.

Our ratings for Topaz Cafe, 780 Village Center Drive, Burr Ridge, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 2.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes

McCormick and Schmick in Skokie: Fish on the Patio (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 66)

We have had mixed success with the McCormick and Schmick restaurant chain. We really like both downtown branches, but we were decidedly less than enthused by the Downers Grove outlet. But we do generally like the seafood at McCormick and Schmick and we felt like seafood on a recent evening, so we decided to try this location. It was a rare beautiful night in June for this miserable Chicago spring, so Steve once again broke his vow about never eating outside in the suburbs (more trees = more bugs) and we sat on the patio.

We each had a glass of Fourteen Hands Merlot. Lisa liked this wine more than Steve, who found it too dry. For an appetizer, we ordered the baked brie, which both of us really liked. Steve's wedge salad had just the right amount of bleu cheese dressing and was excellent. Lisa also liked her romaine salad, as the lettuce was fairly crisp for romaine and very fresh. We also very much liked the sourdough bread that accompanied the salads.

Unfortunately, the main couses were a bit disappointing. Steve had the best salmon he has ever tasted at the downtown McCormick and Schmick about a year ago during what the restaurant advertised as the salmon festival. Steve noticed that the same salmon was advertised here (Wild Sockeye) but it just wasn't anywhere near as good as the downtown location's salmon and was also a little tough. Lisa's scallop and shrimp fettucine alfredo was pretty good, except for the shrimp. The alfredo sauce tasted smooth and the scallops were fresh and flavorful, but the shrimp tasted slightly fishy. For dessert, Lisa had the flourless chocolate cake, which was very dense (as it should be) and dark chocolate. Steve had the trio (creme brulee, cobbler and bread pudding). The portions were large, so it was like three full desserts. Steve only had a taste of each, and he thought the cobbler and bread pudding were good, but the creme brulee was ordinary.

The bathrooms were the one respect where the restaurant was better than downtown, as they were clean, however, they are still nothing special and the Women's Room was a little short on paper supplies (not good).

Initially, we thought the minimal foliage and somewhat windy conditions had totally elminating our buggy friends, however, as the meal progressed, the savory treats did attract some of that species, but it was worth it to sit outside on a beautiful evening.

Dinner for two with wine by the glass was a decent value of $145.

Our ratings for McCormick and Schmick, Old Orchard Center, Skokie, Illinois:

7 of 10 Fish Hooks; 2 of 3 Bathroom Brushes; 1.5 of 5 Bug Zappers (5 meaning 5 Bug Zappers would be needed to control the bug population)

Chef's Station in Evanston: A Good Stop for Fine Dining (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 65)

Chef's Station has gotten a lot of positive reviews, so, since we were in the northern burbs, we decided to give it a try. The experience started rather inauspiciously, since the restaurant is literally in the basement of a rather grimy Metra station in Evanston. Moreover, even though the restaurant was half-empty, and since it was somewhat late on a Sunday night, it was pretty clear we'd be the last customers, we were made to wait ten minutes because the host said there were not enough servers on duty to handle the crowd. Nonetheless. once those minor problems were out of the way, we had a very good dinner.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Tempranillo Rioja, which she liked, as it had a dark slightly fruity taste. Steve tried a Bordeaux because you usually don't see Bordeaux by the glass. It was very dry, but had an interesting flavor. We were very impressed by the wine list in general, and we liked the way the bottles were displayed in the foyer.

Our first course was a goat cheese souffle appetizer. Steve thought it was great, Lisa was slightly less enthused, as she found it a bit too rich, but also liked it. The only salad choice that looked palatable was the lavendar mixed greens. Not surprisingly, the lavendar dressing overpowered the salad, so we would advise skipping salads here (unless you like the taste of lavendar) and going right from the appetizers to the entrees. Before the entree, we were severed an amuse bouche of honeydew melon sorbet, which was a good touch. (Lisa thought it was amazing, and she doesn't even like honeydew melon.)

Our entrees were quite good. Lisa ordered the filet with saffron risotto. The filet was perfectly cooked and tasted good, though the saffron from the risotto was a bit heavy and colored the filet's flavor as well. Steve had the meatloaf, which he initially questioned (asking whether it was food, as it looked rather like a big glob). But it definitely grew on him to the point where he highly recommends the dish. The accompanying onions and potatoes were also very good.

For dessert, Lisa had the dark chocolate cake, which she liked a lot because the chocolate was very dark. Steve had the raspberry souffle, which was good, but fairly devoid of raspberries, which sort of defeated the dish.

The bathrooms were kind of weak. In fact, they were the only part of the restaurant that really seemed to us to be reminiscent of a train station. They were industrial, rather ugly, and barely clean. Also, a wide strip of wood was hanging on the bottom of the Women's Room door, creating a possible tripping hazard. Otherwise, however, the decor of this restaurant is quite nice. The tables all have flowers, there are more flowers in vases in recessed areas of the walls, and it is overall a nice, cozy atmosphere.

Dinner for two, with wine by the glass, was a good value of $135. We highly recommend this place.

Our ratings for Chef's Station, 915 Davis St., Evanston, Illinois:

7.5 of 10 Steak Knives; 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes