151 N. Oak Park Avenue

We've been before a Previous Date Night Article and with the same 'team'.   I don't think anything has changed and I don't expect it does very often.  If the menu wasn't the same it was very very close.  But, that's ok as we only get there when the 'team' rounds us up.  And, especially when they have what appears to be a very loyal following of people who know what they like and expect to see it each time they visit. 

The place was jamm'n.  I guess they do things differently in the close by suburb of Oak Park.  We arrived before 6 and there were a lot of tables finishing (or very close to) up their 'dinner', and not a lot of people came in after us.  No drama, just different.

There's an exceptionally strong possibility we had the same Server as last time.  She's definitely a bubbly sort and tries to be chatty given just the smallest opportunity.  The Specials are written down but she did point them out.  Had we been on a date and wanted to order and eat the way we really really really prefer to she probably would have coped, but I believe she would have been confused (and perhaps the kitchen would be too?) because everything appears to be done in a very specific way.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Soda
• Hess Select Chardonnay - perhaps benefited from being away from an ice bucket as it was definitely better towards the end.  A little bit of wood, perhaps a little more fruit.
• Shrimp Scampi - the only bad thing was 5 shrimps and 4 people...
• Pita Chips with Artichoke Dip - usually advertised the other way around...  Yummy, and we didn't run out of chips.
• Mediterranean Pasta, with Chicken - everything you'd expect to see as part of a dish with Mediterranean in the name
• Cedar Planked Salmon - looked great across the table...
• Grilled Pork Tenderloin - great mushroom risotto, interesting sauce.
• Mardi Gras Special, Andouille, BBQ Shrimp,  Salmon, Cheesy Grits - all good, but the grits surprisingly so.
• Something Chocolately - not really focused on it because this was comped due to a small glitch and we had Pie at home

Again, a more than adequate dinner.  Some might argue a bit slow on a busy night, but we could argue a little quick... It's not really a date place so we won't be back until we get rounded up again - which is not a bad thing, just the way it is...

Stay JOLLY!
DMom & Cindy

151 N. Oak Park Avenue

Vehemently is probably too strong, but I'm vehemently quite against dining out on community recognized celebration days (Easter, Mother's Day (the reason for this visit), Valentine's Day - actually I must use vehemently for this one, etc) because it's so hard for the Restaurant to get it right - they're probably dealing with more guests, larger parties, less staff, new menu items, longer hours and, well people like me.  I admit to it being a generalization and I'm sure a lot get it right, I'm just not particularly interested in trying to figure out which ones.

Now, having said that.  Our Lunch worked out just fine.  I'm not going to completely discount it being Winberie's good work, but I suspect it had a lot to do with us arriving at a time that I wasn't all that thrilled about - 3:30.  It was quite quiet (but certainly not empty so my group weren't the only ones out having Lunner) when we arrived and steadily filled but wasn't full when we left.  Our server must have not worked the Brunch (but I could be wrong) because she was just perky enough to not be annoying.  She was attentive but other than offering up the Specials didn't have much to say other than agreeing that we were picking the right items and a couple of her favorites - not the worst thing a Server could ever do, but the menu wouldn't have had to be much more complicated before we may have missed out on something.

A quite bright space (due to the floor to ceiling windows most of the way around) broken in to two areas.  There is a nice stained wooden (I am nowhere near clever enough to know what kind of wood) bar in the front section and although they call themselves 'Restaurant & Bar' I'm not sure many people (certainly not us) would make it their Bar of choice, but if you had to wait for a table you'd have nothing to complain about - other than waiting for a table...  Actually, lots of stained wood furniture through out.  But I'm not sure what the theme is.  If pleasant is a theme, they are right on the mark.

Being part of the Lunner crowd we received the Dinner Menu.  I guess on non-Brunch days we may have had the option to still partake of the Lunch menu, but no dramas on that count.  A nice uncomplicated menu with enough for the 4 of us to find what we were after, meeting our Dining Quirks of the day.

Our Meal went a little something like this:

• Lemonade
• Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc
• Flirtini
• Grand Peach Martini - sneakily Peach flavored, but not colored
• Rustic Bruschetta - tasty tomato 'spread' but maybe a little too much mozzarella
• Tuna Tacos - large pieces of nicely seared rare tuna worked well with the 'normal' taco accompaniments
• Mediterranean Pasta - everything you'd expect to see as part of a dish with Mediterranean in the name
• Cajun Macaroni & Cheese - the andouille played just nicely with the tomoato cream sauce
• Cedar Planked Salmon - looked great across the table...
• Nicoise Salad - perhaps a little more tangy in the dressing?

We were taken care of, everything tasted pretty much as expected and there were no delays that we noticed.  No reason to not go back, but I suspect it will only be as part of some sort of celebration as Winberie's is not located in a place we would put much effort into getting to for a Date - our issue, not theirs.

Stay JOLLY!
DMom & Cindy