Went for Mother's Day brunch. Yummy food with a lot of choices. Wonderful service with happy…read moreatmosphere. Lots of guests must have been as pleased as us!

Every time we have a chance and we are in Dekalb to visit family, we love going to Faranda's for…read moretheir breakfast or lunch. The food is always great, the service is always kind and helpful, and the restaurant is clean and homey. It's a real treat. The cinnamon rolls are UHmazing, but I've been trying to be good lately. Try the avocado toast. Their multi-grain bread is exceptional.

Lord, where to start…read more... The reviews were mixed at best, but we haven't been here in a while so we figured we'd give it another chance. Walking in and seeing new trim around the windows - okay, good sign. Also seeing a paint can on a table....? Okay, not a good sign. We decided to try this place again because we saw a sizzling steak on their roadside reader board as we drove back into town from the south. The last few times we went here, it was sandwiches only, so maybe the new owners were moving to the next level? Inside, you see a sign Salt 7. The bill reads C.C.S. Golf LLC. The menu - Salt 251. Confused yet? We ordered their Lobster Dip Appetizer. The photo only shows half of it. My wife said "I couldn't find any Lobster in it." Neither could I. It was tasty, but if you say Lobster Dip, shouldn't you find some Lobster in it? From there, we waited. And waited. And waited. And finally, the waitress / bartender who was working the restaurant by herself (while the two owners were doing something else) stopped by and took our drink and entrée orders. For drinks, I ordered a Manhattan, and my wife ordered a Gin Martini. The combination waitress / bartender admitted she had to look that one up. Both drinks were okay, I've had better Manhattans. For entrees, my wife ordered their Grilled Shrimp Scampi and I had their 8 ounce Garlic Sirloin. This took a fair amount of time, around 20 minutes to plate. Both dishes came with a nice, fresh salad, with dressing in a small cup on the side. Given the size of the salad, they needed to provide more dressing. I was scraping the rest of it out of the small plastic serving cup. On to the entrees: Shrimp Scampi That's a pretty regular dish - grilled shrimp sautéed in butter, garlic and white wine and served in that sauce. The grilled shrimp was there with some seasoning, but the rest which makes it Scampi wasn't there. Plus, the fresh vegetables were in a teriyaki sauce, which was sweet and of course didn't blend well with the Shrimp and it's seasoning. It came with a baked potato that my wife said "It must have had a bad spot - a chunk was missing. Whaaaaatttt? Never had that in all the baked potatoes we have had. Not a good first. I was there for the steak, so I ordered their 8 ounce garlic sirloin, medium rare. That should be a warm, red center. I could see the garlic on the sirloin - but the steak was well-done. Gray, hot, chewy (chewy chewy), and I had to use steak sauce to make it palatable. Now two people who we think were the owners come by (they didn't introduce themselves) and ask is everything okay, of course we do what everyone does, we fib - yes, everything's fine. They apparently don't watch Bar Rescue - their combination bartender / waitress could have used some help serving or covering the bar, but nope, she didn't get any help. She didn't complain, she just did her best. I did order their Tuxedo Bomb Dessert, which was actually pretty good. A slice of chocolate cake, covered with chocolate mousse, covered with vanilla mousse, with a chocolate coating drizzled in vanilla icing with some whipped cream. It was the best part of the dinner. Of course, I failed to get a picture of that. Argh.

My fiancé and I came to Salt 251 to try out the food for our potential rehearsal dinner. We…read morecorresponded with Megan via email in the weeks leading up to dinner, and she was so helpful! When we got there, we were surprised at how big the place was! We sat in a private room with drinks as we spoke about the rehearsal, went over menu ideas, etc. Then, it was time to eat! Unfortunately they were out of the Pretzel Bites, but they offered to put a side of the beer cheese with the White Fish Bites. We also ordered the Truffle Fries (which were some of the BEST we've ever had!!) We both ordered burgers, which were pretty good. I ordered the Pit Master, which was actually a little too spicy for me. However, we traded (my fiancé got the Roadhouse) and it was delish. They've been super accommodating and we can't wait to have our rehearsal dinner here in a few weeks!

My wife and I went to Acquqviva Winery in Maple Park for our Valentine's Day Dinner. They offered a…read more5-course Pre-fixe Dinner - baked artichoke crostini appetizer, mixed greens salad with fennel, candied almonds with goat cheese, trofie pasta in pesto cream sauce, choice of entree & strawberry tiramisu for dessert. I had the grilled lamb chops with mashed potatoes & grilled asparagus & my wife had lobster tail stuffed with shrimp & crabmeat in lemon butter sauce on a bed of asparagus risotto. Pricing was dependent on entree choice and a wine pairing option for an extra $20. I guess this place is a popular wedding venue and the place is so grand and classy. Everything was excellent from the service to the food! We were so glad to have gone there and now plan to visit again in the summertime for wine tasting & tour.

Love this place! It is beautiful inside and out! We did a guided golf cart tour with wine maker,…read moreSergio. It was exclusive and informative. We even enjoyed a wine tasting in the vineyard. We completed our tasting in the restaurant where Vito took excellent care of us. He was also our server for lunch! There was an issue with our rental car and Vito and Sergio jumped in to assist! The issue was operator error. The wine was that good!

This was one of the finest places to host a statewide meeting for higher education institutions…read more The rooms were ideal for a large group to move around in, and the food was outstanding.

Altgeld is absolutely beautiful! I had a ton of compliments on the building and the auditorium…read morewhere our wedding reception was held. The food was absolutely phenomenal. It doesn't taste one bit like "banquet food" and our guests were very impressed. My only complaint is that the event staff does not communicate well with each other. I was left to communicate messages between the building staff and the catering staff and that really wasn't my place. Their pricing is also inconsistent. While I picked up a brochure with pricing at Altgeld, I was told by catering that the price had increased years ago. I ended up paying the price in my brochure. I then attended another bridal event at the college and that same brochure was still being handed out with the supposed incorrect price.

Checked out this food hall in Elgin. Dream Hall At 51 is a pretty cool concept and a great place to…read moreget together. It has a few quite interesting vendors. A bad thing is some of these have unreliable hours. The prices are moderate to high mostly. Basic concept as far as food halls go. It's got a main seating area in the middle. This is surrounded by vendors. Currently there's a few to choose from. Pretty much the food is at a counter that has several vendors in one. This makes it kind of confusing to place an order. Around The Bowl is where we ordered from. This has Indian, Mediterranean, and Mexican options. Viator Coffee is probably the busiest place though. Has all kinds of hipster coffee. There's also a few pastries. Got to know a lot of turnover here so it's always a lot of new businesses opening in here. It's advised not to get too attached to anything inside. They're closed Sundays.

The food is good but a bit pricey. The service is excellent, given the venue. The ambiance…read morerelaxing.

Beautiful location that I had on my places to try for awhile. (That I discovered from other…read moreYelpers!) The place is absolutely gorgeous. Not at all what I was expecting in small town Rochelle! Service was friendly and the cocktails that I tried were tasty. They also sell bottles of their spirits to go. The only downside is their limited hours. Be sure to check their website and Facebook page for updates. I would definitely return if I was driving through the area.

A family owned and operated distillery in Rochelle . They have limited hours so check their web…read moresite as they do many private events. We stopped in on a Saturday since we had a Groupon tasting coupon. We did a tasting of their Vodka,Gin,Agave and Whiskey. The Vodka was very smooth as well was the Gin. The botanicals used in their Gin made it delicious. I'm not a fan of Gin but I liked this one so much I purchased a bottle to go. I didn't try their Agave but my wife loved it with a lime wedge. I have had their Whiskey before and it is very good..95 proof. They will release their first Bourbon in November.I can't wait to try it. They offer a nice selection of crafted cocktails but not food options. Their is a nice Bistro tho across the street. From a local farm,this family has turned their corn and wheat into fantastic spirits. Definitely a place to visit.

We recently hosted our daughter's nursing school graduation party at Geneva Winery in Batavia, and…read moreit was truly a wonderful experience from start to finish. Erin, who handled all the planning and coordination, was absolutely fantastic--she made the entire process smooth, organized, and completely stress-free. The venue itself is beautiful and added such a special touch to the celebration. The space is tastefully designed with a warm, inviting atmosphere that feels both elegant and comfortable. There is plenty of room for guests to gather, mingle, and celebrate, and the layout made it easy for everyone to enjoy the event without ever feeling crowded. The décor is charming and rustic with a modern feel, creating the perfect backdrop for photos and making the entire event feel polished and memorable. Everything was clean, well-maintained, and thoughtfully arranged. The winery setting gave the party a unique and relaxed vibe while still feeling special enough for such an important milestone. Our guests commented on how much they loved the ambiance and how perfect the space was for a celebration like this. Erin paid attention to every detail and ensured everything ran seamlessly throughout the day. We were able to truly relax and enjoy time with family and friends without worrying about logistics. Our family and guests had an amazing time, and we couldn't have asked for a better place to celebrate. I highly recommend Geneva Winery for any special occasion--they truly go above and beyond to make your event memorable.

Visited for the first time for a private event. While their own website said it offered food, their…read moredefinition of food was "dips". And when I asked if they had a food menu I was rather bluntly told they were not a restaurant. But I could grab food from any of the places in the area and bring it in. And since I don't drink alcohol, my contribution to their till was two cans of coke. Plus my fee for the event. They have a room in the back overlooking the river. Ticket sales were limited to 50 so assume that's capacity. High power lines kind of disrupt the view, but welcome to Batavia. It is what it is. The rustic doors which separate that space, while attractive, were a bit ineffective at blocking out sound from a rather small group in the front bar.

It was sad to see Graham's 318 close their doors but The Kate brings a new generation of life to…read morethe beloved downtown Geneva spot. The main floor is a combination of a bar, bakery and full service restaurant and the top floor is an event and networking space. We stopped by for an early dinner this week and absolutely LOVED it! The menu is very diverse and had so many good things to try! I ended up with the steak and brie baguette which did not disappoint. Very excited for this new spot and to come back and try more!

We threw a surprise 60th birthday party for my husband at The Kate at 318 with catering by Bread…read moreand Vine. It was absolutely perfect. The space is large but still cosy. The staff exceeded my expectations with every interaction from my many email questions to set up support to attentive servers the night of the event. The food and drinks were delicious. Our friends and family complimented the beautiful space and everyone loved the food. A highlight of this venue is the room where we set up the little kids table. A huge thank you to Amy, Michelle and Scott. We couldn't be happier.