477 South Third Street

We made the trek to the Suburbs because part of our moderately-regular-getting-together-dinning-group chose many years ago to plant roots in Iowa St Charles and we as a group had promised them that we non-IowaSt Charles residents would make the trek one day.  This was the day.  And for the record, it's not a miserable drive out there, just not one I want to make too often after spending a couple of years commuting daily via 290...

Turns out the Main Street(?) of Geneva is pretty slow on a Saturday night and the restaurant (like most of the stores around from what I could tell with the 'mood' lighting of the street) has a fairly low key outside.  Inside, not so low key.  We entered through the bar (is there another door?) and it was medium busy and set up for some sort of live music - we later discovered it was a one man band who seemed to attract people as it was more busy as we left and he was playing than when we arrived and he wasn't.  The restaurant is well segregated from the bar but we periodically heard him doing his thing (I can only assume it was the same guy each time) and I don't think there was any other music playing.

We all arrived on time (which I accept becomes a bigger challenge the bigger group) but that's because we had a staging area in anticipation of dining somewhere else this evening.  Straight in and straight to our table about as close to the middle of the place as you could get considering the layout.  The place was closer to packed than not but the vast majority of tables were winding down as evidenced by the mostly empty place by the time we had to start thinking about desert and the totally empty place once we had finished it.

It's a white table cloth sort of place apart from our table (which I think was one big table and not a couple pushed together? and I also think we got slightly fancier chairs than everyone else?) which was fine because it was in great shape and looked kinda cool (or should that be kewl?).  There are lots of deep dark wood things (including the furniture) making up the majority of the decor with some exposed brick and quite a lot of mirrors along at least one wall.  They do have a nice glassed in wine cellar as a feature which I'm pretty certain does not hold the whole collection.

Our Server knows his job and not just because he knows the menu and winelist.  He was bossy in the way a table of 8 often needs to be bossed around but polite and chatty and sensible the whole time - although I didn't notice him in action elsewhere I think I'd be very surprised if he was the same amount of bossy around a 2 top.  I don't subscribe to this logic on big tables but he insisted on taking care of the girls first every time he had to do something which meant him doing a few laps of the table as he did what had to be done.  On a date with my wife or even a group of four it's fine, because he can stand still and talk to us all equally as well.  Not a deal breaker by any stretch, just something I noticed.  What I really liked is that when I ordered a second bottle of our red (I don't mind ordering, it's fun, but my friends have somehow managed to bequeath me the title of wine expert and while I would happily describe myself as being comfortable with a list, I'm far from an expert and quite certain they could also make great picks) he gave me a new glass for the tasting.  Oh, and he can understand (and get right) the instructions for splitting up the payment over multiple cards (and cash) - thanks!

It's a good size menu.  Easy enough to navigate, split into sensible sections and comes in nice big fonts.  Plenty to choose from, and it must be close to impossible to not be able to find something you're in the mood for.  We did have one doubling up for Main Course but we could go back as a group a couple more times and still not get everything to our table - so if you are a local that's a great thing.  They were quite happy for us to share a handful of Appetizers and Desserts and made sure we had the right eating implements to do so.

Our meal went a little like this:

• New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - light on the acid, heavy on the color, smooth on the palette.  Perhaps a bit too gentle for those of us who had big hunks of meat, but a good match with everything else.
• Yalumba Shiraz - We had a mixed bag of appetizers and mains but the consensus was for a bigger red.  This one was at the smaller end of the big red end.
• Chopin Martini
• Twin Crab Cakes - Just what you'd hope for, but not the best dish for splitting 8 ways...
• Jumbo Medjool Dates - a bit of a kick in the sauce and not a great sharing dish, but tasty.  Great crunch bread(like) for dipping.
• Tempura Frog Legs - Crunchy and tastes like frog.  I admit, sometimes my brain doesn't work as even I expect.  The legs came on skewers and I have no idea why, but as I took my first bite of frog leg meat bones I was thinking that was nice of them to remove the bones and put them on a skewer so they still look like legs.  DOH!  Once over this hurdle all was well.
• Baby Octopus - perhaps closer to teenage octopus than baby?  I was a little bit bummed I only got a sampling as it was probably the groups favorite and no chance for seconds (I know, I could have ordered another...)
• An Assortment of House Salads - which all Mains come with a choice of.
• Spinach & Eggplant Cannelloni - this must have been the best of our Mains as it was gone the quickest...
• Salmon Baked in Parchment - looked like a bit of work to get into from across the table, but all gone ultimately.
• Cedar Planked Barramundi, Macadamia Nut Crust - tradition (of sorts) dictates Cedar and Salmon, so kudos for mixing it up and double kudos for mixing it up with my wife's favorite Australian fish (and mother's favorite nut - for anything). Not a lot of Cedar, the Nuts worked well together.  
• Monkfish - hidden amongst clams and mussels it looked like I made a mistake going with the Veal.  I should have at least asked for a taste of the sauce.
• Veal Rollatini, veal broth, sauteed mushrooms - the sauce probably outshone the Rolls, but they were good - the sauce made it's way to someone else's side of mashed potatoes.  I was expecting thin slices of Veal as part of the roll but got a sausage type deal which turns out to be the right thing to do.  Turns out I didn't make a mistake...
• Roast Prime Rib of Beef (wildwood cut) - if you like a big piece of meat that is barely cooked to Medium Rare and you don't mind being the last one (by a long way) eating you can't go wrong.  It looked like a great cut.
• Roast Prime Rib of Beef (petite cut) - not my definition of petite, but clearly smaller than the other...
• Skirt Steak - not as spectacular as the other steaks on the table but cooked just right it didn't last long.
• Chocolate Gateau - rich in just the right richness sort of way.
• Butter Pecan Bread Pudding - tasted better than it looked.
• Dark Chocolate Mousse - the most popular.
• Trio of Profiteroles - the most spectacular looking and easily enough for 2 to share and be happy
• Various Coffees
• Chocolate Martini

An excellent Plan B!  Our friends tried really really hard to deal with a similar enigma A Previous Date Night Article to what we've dealt with before and we applaud their efforts to get our name on a list that is apparently more often than not full for the night barely minutes after they open the door.  Oh well, they didn't quite make it (from anecdotal evidence you get in line around 4:30 to get your name down and hopefully they call you (which is a nice feature) before your bed time), but everything worked out equally as well as we could have expected of Plan A (We really do want to give it a try and if they ever decide to take real reservations we'll start working on our calendar and saving for gas...) ending up having a fun dinner with great friends over a bunch of great food and wine. 

Stay JOLLY!
DPete & Kris, Kate, Janet & Dave, Joe

952 S Arthur

It may not look like much on the outside but we think they make great homemade Italian food. That was part of the note from our friends when they invited us to join in.  We would have to use the same line if we were inviting others to join us at Joe & Giuseppe's!

It's not a drive by and get attracted by the bright shiny lights out front type place, located in a very small strip mall not even on a main road.  But there's no doubt that the word has gotten out.  The place was busy the whole time and there was a steady stream of people coming in to collect to-go orders. 

Inside it's simply decorated.  Can I call it homely?  Warm colors, simple pictures (I think all Italian places / things) and plants around the place, tables close together but not cramped (probably 50 seats?).  If there was music playing I don't recall it at all but either way it doesn't matter as this was a planned very social and chatty get together with no time to be (or interest in) rock'n out.

I'm not quite sure the family dynamic but it would not be a surprise to learn it's husband in the kitchen and wife running the floor.  Both checked in on us a couple of times and the chef it seems, tries very hard to at least say hello to everyone who had come in.  As you would expect of a chef who visits the floor, he sits down and chats with his friends / favorites later in the evening.  Maybe that's part of why I got the homely vibe?

Our Server was attentive and good with the 2 youngsters in doing what she could to get their meals / drinks / desert orders taken and processed well ahead of everyone elses.  She didn't push us to get our order in and was not far away when we were ready.  She was as chatty as we wanted her to be and offered her thoughts on the menu as we went through our turn at ordering if asked.

It takes a bit to work through the menu, but it's not complicated.  There's the 'menu' and the 'specials' but there were just as many specials as not.  Perhaps it would be better labeled as 'favorites' as nearly everything we ordered came off that list?  It's not listed, but every table gets a plate of 'cookies' to finish up.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Chocolate Milk
• Chicken Fingers - had we been in possession of 6 youngsters there probably still would have been too much, the kids seemed happy and Ma probably has a lunch snack or two for herself.
• Pizza Bread - tasty and a little bit moorish, but ultimately something we could have skipped - our littlest diners might have seen it a bit differently.
• Italian Pinot Noir - strong vote for red and a lighter style seemed the best way to go.  Worked out well with our appetizer and no-one felt the urge to change.  At the richer color, but lighter and smooth end of the scale.
• Grigliata, Grilled Calamari, Octopus, Shrimp, Eggplant, Zucchini, Balsamic Vinegar - the menu says best in town.  It just might be - wonderful sauce, everything cooked just right.  This one platter was enough for all of us to share and get a good sampling of.
• Soup or Salad - comes with your Main.  Simple Salad (very strong garlic sauce), Minestrone looked good.
• Risotto Tutto Mare, Clams, Mussels, Shrimp, Crab, Fish of the Day - a very busy dish but hard to dispute it wasn't great.  The risotto and it's 'broth' clearly the stand out.
• Eggplant Alla Parmigiana - 3 thin pieces rather than one thick.  Someone who loves their Eggplant Parmigiana had no problems with this one.
• Salmon Vesuvio - Wonderful sauce, you might be able to argue the Salmon a little overcooked but not enough to complain.  No-one of our group had seen the 'Vesuvio' tag on anything other than chicken before - seems like it's a great match with Salmon too.
• Mini Braciolli, Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Sausage - more Sausage than Tenderloin but nothing was left behind.
• Linguine and Meatballs - talked out of the 'hot' sauce the Bolognese didn't cause any complaints.
• Chicken Ortolana, Artichoke, Asparagus, Sun-dried Tomato - great looking from a distance.
• Cookies - not cookie looking, but cookie tasting.  From a distance they look more like a funnel cake.  And there's no sneaking a piece - the sugar coating can't be avoided...
• Gelato, Chocolate, Pistachio, Hazelnut - not sure which was our ultimate favorite but all 3 were all gone.

It's definitely outside our pop over for a bite range, but if our friends suggest it as a get together again the only reason we could have for declining would be that we were already booked up.

Stay JOLLY!
DRon, Diane, Allison, Natalie, Louise, Chris

ps.  Thanks to the Grandparents who stopped by to collect the kids (and a to-go bag of goodies) when they started to lose interest in the whole being in a Restaurant thing!