| Wow!
Adelle's achieves its goal of 'upscale
comfort food'
BY DAVID SHAROS
Daily Herald Correspondent
Posted Thursday, January 05, 2006
People enjoy going to restaurants for a variety of reasons.
Sometimes, it's to get a break from your own kitchen, where you just
let go and let someone else prepare the meal and serve it to you.
Other times, it's a chance to reconnect with friends, celebrate a
special occasion, or merely try out a new venue in hopes of finding
another go-to spot.
Regardless of your agenda, it's hard to imagine Adelle's in
Wheaton not fulfilling your needs. To be frank, we were wowed from
the moment we walked in and, thinking back over our experience,
nothing has diminished that first impression.
Owners Todd and Debbie Williams launched their adventure in
American cuisine in February 2004 with the goal of offering "upscale
comfort food" to guests, Debbie said. Although they had a combined
40 years of experience in the restaurant business, Adelle's is the
first place the couple has owned.
"I had an idea of what I wanted to do here, and I've worked with
our chef John Anderson to develop a certain concept," Debbie said.
"I gave him a few ideas and he has sort of developed his own recipes
from there. We offer a seasonal menu that changes maybe five or six
times a year."
One of the beauties of Adelle's is its execution of the "less is
more" philosophy. A single-page menu offers fewer than two dozen
appetizers, salads and entrees combined, yet one senses that the
more minimalist approach yields greater care and attention to
detail.
We visited on a Thursday night when temperatures were well below
freezing, and a roaring fire placed at the far end of the dining
room was a welcome sight. Guests are immediately struck by the
length of the narrow dining room. Light-colored chairs are placed
around generous-sized tables, and a small bar with copper accents
literally lights up the room. A guitar duo was playing on this
particular night, adding a subtle, understated charm to the dining
area.
We ordered some wine from that day's special by-the-glass list -
all priced between $6 and $8 - and munched on a basket of savory
flat bread that seemed almost cracker-like in its thinness. We made
two selections from the list of appetizers, which included a risotto
of the day and bacon-wrapped sea scallops.
I thought it odd for a risotto to be served other than as a main
course, and this evening's version certainly could have been a meal
in itself. It consisted of creamy rice, enhanced with that killer of
all Italian meats - prosciutto - plus sweet peas, seared sea
scallops and crispy fried shallots.
By now it should be clear this is not your everyday menu fare.
The risotto was a bit on the wet side, but given the flavors that
were married here, it was a spectacular dish that paired well with
the glass of Domaine de Tariquet sauvignon blanc we drank with it.
Some foods just sound good even before you taste them, and once
we saw the bacon-wrapped sea scallops on the menu, there was no
turning back. They were served with squash puree and brown
sugar-nutmeg brown butter. For me, scallops are more about texture
than flavor, so the pairing of the sweet smoky bacon, enhanced by
the sugar and the nutty taste of the browned butter was inspired.
Here's hoping this item remains a regular on the menu.
Entrees at Adelle's are essentially limited to a single choice
per food category - which is to say, one beef item, one pasta, one
veal, one chicken, etc. We chose the herb-crusted Lake Superior
whitefish, a seared duck breast, and another special of the day - a
rigatoni pasta. All of these dishes are served without accompanying
soups or salads, which are available a la carte.
The rigatoni came with chunks of Italian sausage, roasted red
peppers, mushrooms and fresh mozzarella, all in a vodka-tomato cream
sauce. One of our dining companions noted the sauce seemed blander
than he would have liked, but that aside, the pasta was perfectly
cooked and the accompanying condiments were wonderful.
We were impressed by the medium-grilled duck breast's rich flavor
and its presentation, which included a cherry reduction sauce, a
mascarpone polenta cake and applewood-smoked bacon braised greens.
This is a dish well-worth trying.
But it was the whitefish that absolutely blew me away. I had
noticed a couple of other diners diving into their plates of food,
and when I learned what they were eating, I stopped reading the
menu. Served atop a bed of fresh spinach leaves sautéed with
shallots and laid along a savory pool of lemon butter sauce, this
was far and away one of the best fish dishes I have had. And for
someone who has eaten fish plenty of times in Door County, Wis.,
that's saying something. For me, it will be hard to try anything
else from Adelle's from now on.
We wrapped things up from the dessert menu by sharing two
selections from the daily specials menu, which included a chocolate
truffle brownie with raspberry sauce and a wonderful peppermint
crunch gelato served with chocolate sauce and sugar cookies. The
rich brownie and accompanying sauce were more than satisfying, but
the gelato was an absolute show-stopper. I love anything in the
peppermint genre anyway, and if your tastes are even remotely
similar, you must try this if Adelle's has it. You'll never believe
it isn't ice cream. An outstanding dessert.
We all came away from a great evening and a great meal more
impressed by our surroundings, food and service than any of us could
remember in a long time.
Visit Adelle's Web site at www.adelles.com to check out daily
specials, desserts, wine lists and special events, which include
monthly wine dinners.
• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. Our aim is
to describe the overall dining experience while guiding the reader
toward the menu's strengths. The Daily Herald does not publish
reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.
Adelle's
1060 College Ave., Wheaton, (630) 784-8015
Cuisine: American
Setting: Semiformal/contemporary
Price range: Appetizers $7 to $9; salads $6 to $8; entrees
$16 to $27; desserts $5 to $6
Hours: 4:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 4:30 to 10
p.m. Friday and Saturday; 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday
Accepts: All major credit cards
Also: Limited street parking; full bar; no smoking
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