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.
It was a beautiful fall afternoon. The leaves on the trees were changing colors and the air was fresh and crisp. We just finished taking down our Halloween decorations and our stomachs started to grumble. Our friends told us about a restaurant in Sycamore. We sped off to Nat’s on Maple to have lunch and check out the fall colors.
Nat’s on Maple
112 S. Maple Street
Sycamore 60178
(815) 895-4243
natsonmaple.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 South to Route 64 West to Maple Street, South to restaurant
Estimated Travel Time: 33 minutes
When we approached the restaurant, we noticed a throwback from days gone by. All the street parking was dotted with coin operated parking meters. Not having any change, we cruised around and found a spot two blocks away and leisurely strolled hand in hand to the restaurant.
The décor of this restaurant is not what you would expect in a small town. The modern influences are something you would expect to see in downtown Chicago.
We were seated and handed the menus and were told our waitress would be right with us. We decided on an appetizer and patiently waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually our waitress did materialize and took our appetizer order. We decided on the Calamari ($19). She scampered away and we sat there again waiting, and waiting, and waiting. The calamari did show up and it was lightly floured, crispy with parmesan on top, and served with cocktail sauce and garlic aioli which was delicious. We were starving and cleaned up every crumb while waiting again for the waitress to come back and take our entrée order.
As a side note, we noticed other tables around us receiving baskets of bread from their waitress but ours must have been too busy to give us one.
On to our well-deserved meal. Nancy wanted the Pot Roast ($23) and this was served with mashed potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, topped with brown gravy and onion strings.
Jim wanted to try a cup of their Chicken Poblano Soup ($7), and for his entrée he decided on the Four Cheese Pasta ($13.50). This was penne pasta with asiago, mozzarella, parmesan and Romano cream and he added grilled chicken ($6.50 upcharge).
And now the waiting continues and still no sign of the dinner rolls. Now that it’s getting closer to dinner time, we were getting hangry. Jim’s soup did show up and it was thick and creamy with a garnish of tortilla strips on top. It was really delicious, but for $7, it ought to be. Hope springs eternal for the dinner rolls…
Wonder of wonders, we saw our waitress walking over with our entrees. Nancy’s pot roast was creatively served in a cast iron skillet. It was not only beautifully presented, but also delicious.
Jim’s pasta was a full-bodied treat and the sliced chicken on top was
grilled and seasoned to perfection.
We decided against having dessert this afternoon. After a two-hour lunch, little Rosie is probably sitting in her crate with her legs crossed waiting to go out.
More waiting ensued to get our bill. We asked the other waitress in our room to put out an “all points bulletin” for our waitress. She eventually showed up and we received our bill. After waiting another 20 minutes for her to pick up the tab, we decided to take matters in our own hands. I calmly, NOT, went out on a scouting expedition and finally found her. We paid and when we were walking out, our waitress was engaged in a lively conversation with the hostess.
To sum up our two-and-one-half hour lunch, it’s a shame when the restaurant has very good food, albeit a bit pricey, but your whole experience is ruined by the bad service.
FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.
The price for our lengthy lunch and waiting was $82.50. Finding our waitress, priceless…
Jim’s take: It’s a shame the service didn’t match the quality of the food.
Nancy’s take: Would we go back? Absolutely not, since the waitress ruined our experience.
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