Kennedy's at Stone Creek: Lovely Spot in the Middle of Nowhere (Chicago-Area (sort of) Restaurant Review No. 91)

We needed to drive to Mount Vernon, Illinois, of all places, so we decided to break up the drive with dinner at the halfway point, which happened to be Urbana. Urbana is known for being the home of the University of Illinois but not much else. That's why we were surprised to find what appeared to be a fine dining restaurant in Urbana through Opentable.com.

Kennedy's is part of a complex which includes housing and a golf course on the far south end of Urbana. It would have been better to have gone here in the summer because the restaurant has a very nice view overlooking the golf course. Even in winter, however, the view was nice and Kennedy's even had an operational fireplace which we sat near. Unfortunately, probably partially because it was Superbowl Sunday, but maybe also because there is not a large fine dining market in this area, the restaurant, which has a fairly large space, was largely empty.

We started with wine by the glass. Lisa had a Rosenblum Zinfandel. She liked it because it was very fruity, even though it was a bit drier than she likes. Steve's Pavillion Pinot Noir was very dark and fruity. He liked it a lot. The first food brought to us was a soft roll for each of us. Steve thought the roll was absolutely awesome and had seconds, thirds, and a fourth. They all tasted very fresh. We shared as appetizers a shrimp cocktail and smoked salmon. The shrimp tasted slightly fishy, but were accompanied by an excellent tangy sauch we both liked. The salmon was a bit salty, but came with a sour cream horseradish sauce that made the fish taste better. Continuing on the bread theme, Steve also had special praise for the accompanying toast points, which were thick and tasty.

The salads were interesting. Steve had greens with goat cheese, strawberries, and grapes. That combination did not go together very well, but it tasted okay and is something you definitely don't see every day. Also, the goat cheese was excellent. Lisa had a walnut and pear salad with a light dressing and an unknown white substance. As with Steve's salad, this one did not quite go together, but Lisa found it quite interesting, liked the taffy apple-like flavor, and gave points for originality.

The main courses disappointed. Steve's short ribs were visually jarring because they looked more like a steak than short ribs. They also had a steak-like texture, which was not soft as good short ribs should be. The taste was not particularly good, and the potatos tasted mass-produced. Lisa did like her lobster ravioli except it had no lobster pieces that she could see and included far too many artichokes. The flavor was good, though, and lobster ravioli is a dish she likes and can't often find.

Dessert was okay but not exceptional. Steve had cherry pie with ice cream. The ice cream was good but the pie tasted store bought. Lisa's chocolate mousse torte was not dark enough for her, though it was very dense, which she would have liked if the chocolate were darker.

The bathrooms were pretty good. The Women's Room was very clean with nice tile and a pretty wood checkerboard side table. The Men's Room was clean, but waste was overflowing from the garbage can and the cleaning supplies were in a big heap on the floor.

If this restaurant were in Chicago, and charging Chicago prices, we probably would've been harder on it. However, for the location and price, and particularly given the overall pleasant surroundings and good service, we came away with an overall favorable impression and recommend Kennedy's if you live in the U of I area or have kids there and are visiting. (It did seem to us as if we were the only non-professors among the diners.)

Dinner for two, with wine by the glass, was a reasonable $115 (given that we had four courses).

Our ratings for Kennedy's at Stone Creek, Urbana, Illinois:

7 of 10 Steak Knives; 2 or 3 Bathroom Brushes