Something To “Wine” About

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

How time flies when you’re having fun. This is our second anniversary writing for the Sun Day News. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we decided to spruce ourselves up, splurge a little, and go to the Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant in South Barrington’s Arboretum shopping complex.

Nancy was so excited when she thought we were going to a “whine-ry”, until she found out it was spelled “w-i-n-e-r-y”. This became evident when we walked in and found ourselves surrounded by two wine bars with a wine themed gift shop in the center.

We made our way to the hostess stand to claim our reservation that was made weeks in advance. You must plan ahead if you want to dine here on a Saturday night.

This restaurant did not resemble the musty old wine cellars of days gone by; instead, it was a trendy, upscale, chic haunt for wine aficionados. This was evident by the amount of people who ordered wine. Making our way to the table, we were surrounded by huge glass wine decanters. These were hung like IV bottles on stands attached to the tables, but don’t expect this to be covered by Medicare.

Our waitress brought over the most delicious warm pretzel bread and butter that you have ever tasted. It took all of our will power not to devour the whole thing.

We went for something out of the ordinary for our appetizer. We decided to order the Crispy Chips and Dip for $5.99. When was the last time you had that? This was kettle-cooked chips served warm and seasoned with a slight barbeque taste. These were used to scoop up the creamy caramelized onion bacon dip.

To start off our meals, Jim ordered a cup of Tortilla Soup ($4.99). There was so much chicken in this soup it could be considered a meal in itself. I went for the Caesar Pesto Salad ($6.99), consisting of romaine, croutons, Caesar pesto dressing, shaved Asiago, and a Parmesan lavash (flat bread).

The Chef’s Special ($28.99) caught Jim’s eye. It was two 5 oz. grilled bone-in filet medallions served with a sweet corn, onion, green bean, zucchini, and heirloom tomato salsa. This also came with “Mary’s Potatoes” (whipped potatoes, butter and cream). He wanted to try “Betty’s Potatoes” instead, which were shredded potatoes, white cheddar and scallions.

Nancy was eyeing up the create-your-own Surf and Turf ($28.99). For the “Surf” she picked the Mexican Drunken Shrimp which was bacon-wrapped shrimp with Tequila lime butter sauce (hold the guacamole). For the “Turf” she chose the Maple, Mustard, and Pretzel Crusted Boneless Pork Chop. This was served with roasted vegetables and she changed her potatoes to “Betty’s Potatoes” also.

And now to top off our evenings celebration, we decided on Banoffee Pie ($6.99). It was a graham cracker crust tart filled with bananas and a toffee filling, topped with fresh whipped cream. Jim got caught up in the celebration and ordered a Cappuccino ($3.49) to go with his dessert. He really should learn to lift his little pinky and wipe off the foam mustache whenever he has this! You can dress him up, but you can’t take him anywhere…

What can we say. The food was awesome and the ambiance was class all the way. This is the way to celebrate a special occasion.

The total for our two-year anniversary with the paper was $103.21. Now Jim has something to “whine” about!!!

FYI: Handicap accessible.

Jim’s take: My steak was great, but Nancy definitely won tonight with that pork chop. I’m glad I went with “Betty’s Potatoes”. It was a casserole of cheesy goodness.

Nancy’s take: OMG! That little piggy who went to market for little ol’ me sure was tasty. I usually don’t order pork in a restaurant, but I made an exception tonight and I’m glad I did.

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com

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