A for Adelle’s
by Jen and Jeff Banowetz
Although it’s nestled near Wheaton College, Adelle’s is hardly a hangout for starving students. Instead you’ll find a haven for grownups who prefer a good artisan cheese plate paired with the right vintage over cheap pizza and twenty-five-cent pitchers of beer.
The scene
The earth-toned modern décor is warmed up both
figuratively and literally by a brick fireplace at the end of the dining room.
Nothing like a little firelight to instantly bump up the coziness quotient.
There’s also an interesting view of the Chicago and Northwestern railway out the
back window beyond the patio, though the trains won’t interrupt your dinner
conversation thanks to well-insulated windows. In fact, we couldn’t hear them at
all.
If you’re in need of more entertainment than passing Metras, you can enjoy live jazz most Thursday evenings. And for those who appreciate well-crafted victual and vino pairings, be sure to check out the restaurant’s periodic wine dinners, which run about $70 per person.
The food
While the general buzz about Adelle’s pegs it as
“upscale comfort food,” perusing Chef John Anderson’s menu (and daily specials),
you’ll find it more creative than that. Sure, there’s the fancy meatloaf ($16)
and the veal schnitzel ($23), but there’s also pistachio crusted salmon with
coconut-curry cream sauce, butternut squash purée and sautéed Swiss chard ($22).
Or the coriander dusted grilled flat iron steak with red mole sauce, chipotle
mashed potatoes and garlicky green beans ($25). You get the idea.
You’ll also find an impressive attention to detail and a fresh flair for presenting dishes beautifully without being pretentious. Everything looks pretty, but it’s still easy to dig into. It may not be traditional comfort food, but it sure ends up inviting.
For starters, we began with the risotto of the day, which on our visit featured roasted sweet corn, scallions, blackened salmon and a delicious red pepper cream sauce. The meal couldn’t have started better, with the velvety rice cooked perfectly.
The crispy oysters ($7) were fried little nuggets, quickly gobbled with the tasty remoulade sauce and accompanying small arugula-buttermilk sherry salad. Next time we’ll try the Portobello fries with smoked sea salt and white truffle aioli ($7). Or maybe the bacon-wrapped sea scallops with cauliflower-almond purée, crispy beets and toasted brown sugar ($9). You’d be hard pressed to find such creations on another menu.
The salad of field greens ($7) was dressed with a flavorful balsamic vinaigrette and featured artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pine nuts. A creamy goat cheese crouton topped it very nicely. Meanwhile, a smooth maple French dressing was served with the house salad ($7) of mixed greens, cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes. We were very happy with both.
We followed our waiter’s advice and ordered the pan-seared duck breast and leg confit ($24) with an amazing orange reduction sauce, mascarpone polenta cake and baby carrots. Their version of steak au poivre ($34) featured a superb hunk of beef tenderloin served with a green peppercorn cream sauce, over-roasted fingerling potatoes and Portobello mushrooms. If you’re a fan of meat and potatoes, it doesn’t get much better.
For dessert, we tried the chocolate-chipotle crème brulée, which we admired more than loved. You definitely got the heat from the chipotle. And while it wasn’t overwhelming, it did add a different dimension to the chocolate then what we’re used to. I’m not sure we would order it again, but we finished the whole thing and appreciated the experience. For a more traditional sugar rush, the warm chocolate grasshopper brioche bread pudding à la mode with mint chocolate sauce doesn’t disappoint.
If you’re daring: Adelle’s meatloaf ($16) boasts roasted garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and spicy chipotle ketchup—you’ll risk ruining your love of mom’s plain ol’ meatloaf forever.
Safe bet: The risotto of the day. Whatever it is, it’s bound to be delish.
Word of mouth: Impressive innovation without a hint of showiness.
