I have finally given in and posted Barrel and Rye. We have been here for drinks multiple times and I was waiting to post until we actually ordered food, but we still haven’t! We always end up here for after dinner drinks though. They make some nice signature 
cocktails. They also used to have really great homemade pie- sadly, the last few times though it wasn’t as great. The word on the street is they have a new pie supplier. The yummy looking cocktail in the picture is the Johnny Apple Cider. Their signature cocktail menu switches up every so often. Obviously it is whiskey focused bar and they have many, many different kinds available. We first came here for Dave’s after dinner birthday drinks and have been back multiple times since. I will update when we ever order food!
We went to The Finery to celebrate Dave’s birthday. It is, hands down, the best place I’ve been to along the Fox River to date. We workout above The Finery at a great group training gym called Sweat. Every time we come and go, the good smells are wafting out of The Finery’s kitchen. FYI-You should definitely get a reservation 
for a Saturday night! It’s a busy little place, and not a whole ton of tables. You can see in the headline image, they write the specials on the wall by the kitchen along with what is on the charcuterie plate that evening. We started with the daily baked bread with two homemade butters- one sweet and one savory. My favorite was the cinnamon pumpkin butter. We also ordered the Sweet Grilled Peach- buffalo mozzarella, red oak lettuce, candied pecans, pesto, and sherry vinaigrette. It was a delicious twist on a caprese salad. Dave had the pheasant which he loved- black truffle risotto, confit purse, and pesto.
I had the flat iron steak- chimichurri, calabrese potatoes, watercress, pickled onion, parmesan fondue. Every part of it was delicious! I’ve had filet mignons that were no where near as tender as this flat iron steak. Throw in perfect potatoes and parmesan fondue and you know I was in heaven. I had the Blacksmith Mule to drink- standard ingredients but with fresh seasonal berries muddled in- very tasty. Dave had the Whiskey Sour which had 1843 Whiskey, lemon juice, egg white, angostura bitters, and spices. The spices really added a kick almost like a spiced apple cider. Chef Juliette even came around to make sure everyone was enjoying their meals. Such a nice evening!
I had been wanting to go to The Office for a long time but we were waiting for a nice 
weekend to be out on the patio. They always have awesome little fires going throughout the summer. We started with the jerk chicken skewers with rosemary bbq. They were good but there was not much to them for $9. The tortilla soup was great! I would definitely order that again but it isn’t listed on their daily menu; it must have been a special. I had a great little chopped salad that also isn’t on their online menu. I don’t know if they are in transition or if one is behind the other. I am a bit late on getting caught up on 
my posts and I looked at their menu because I was going to take a friend there a few weeks later and the chopped salad was gone 😦 Of course I had it with chicken added and buffalo sauce instead of dressing. Their buffalo sauce was tasty- very nontraditional, not much of a bite but had a good flavor. Dave had the burger he enjoyed. I was a little disappointed in my margarita- it was described as being made with OJ and was definitely pineapple juice, it also wasn’t shaken. I’m n
ot a fan of unmixed ingredients at different temperatures when you sip from the rim or use the straw. I probably wouldn’t have ordered it if I knew they were going to sub in pineapple juice- just a little too sugary sweet for dinner. I prefer citrus. However, the patio made up for the beverage. Love the ambiance out there.
We have been here a couple different times but I finally got a chance to add it to t
he blog. They probably have the best Thai food in the area. It’s a very tiny place that can have a long wait on the weekends but they do take reservations. They only have about 15 or 20 tables and is a BYOB place. It’s a family run business and nothing fancy, just good food. We like to start with Tom Yum and Tom Kar soup; both very good. I’ve gotten their egg rolls before and they are good but if I have the choice I would pick the soup every time for a starter. I really love their be
ef and broccoli because it has all the attributes I value- fresh broccoli, nice cuts of beef and a thin peppery sauce ( I hate thick ones). Of course I always get it a little spicy. Dave varies what he gets each time. He really enjoys their curries but this trip out, since we were celebrating Dave’
s pre-birthday dinner, he decided to try the Basil Duck and it did not dissapoint! We also got a little crazy and ordered dessert (we rarely do). We tried the Mango sticky rice which is very simple but might be a new obsession of mine. It has a condensed/sweetened milk poured over the top and is awe
somely not too sweet but really delicious. We will definitely be back here again, I’ll update if I branch out and try something new….but if it’s not broke….
I drive by Thai Express every time I head down to South Randall to go shopping but I finally had a chance to pick up some carryout a few weeks ago (they don’t have any seating). I got 
the pad broccoli and egg rolls. The pad broccoli had good flavor but I asked for it spicy like always and it only had a sprinkling of red pepper. I am also not sure how it was any different from a Pad See Eiw except for not having eggs maybe? It sure tasted the same. The egg rolls were ok, not particularly spectacular. A little
bland and squishy in the middle. I will have to try a few different items before I can pass full judgement on this place. Maybe some TomYum next time, and I’ll have to get Dave to try the curry. Also a little sticky rice with mango and see how it compares to Tusk Thai’s.
We had a Groupon for A’ Saluté and decided to try it one Friday night. It was a little bit of a ghost town. T
here were a few regulars at the bar that were chatting up the bartender. We definitely felt like outsiders walking in. I had a mixed drink called the Creamy Sunset- whipped vodka, pineapple juice, sweet and sour, and grenadine- it was good but a little too sweet. They have a pretty limited but oddly assorted menu- mainly Italian but also sliders, egg rolls, onion rings…….We started with the homemade egg rolls. They were just ok, kinda squishy in the middle. I probably wouldn’t order them again. I had the Margarita Flatbread which was really really g
ood and Dave had the Mr.D’s Special. It was loaded with several meats, artichokes and olives- an odd combination but had good flavor. The bartender reports their pasta dishes are really good and homemade so maybe one day we’ll return to try them. The Flatbreads were tasty but not really filling as an entree. We were heading to a buddies house immediately after and we busted out snacks as soon as we got there.
We stopped over at Geneva Diner one Saturday morning, truthfully, when the line at Buttermilk was too long and we needed a quick breakfast. They have a cute little diner counter down the front of 
the restaurant and booths in back. If you are tall, watch your head, Dave hit his on the low hanging lights. They got us in pretty quick after about a ten minute wait. They have your standard diner food and diner prices. Dave had cornbeef hash and I had a meat skillet with some sausage gravy on top. Both our dishes were good but not a lot of seasoning or flavors. We definitely needed the hot sauce and pepper. Service was fast though, we were in and out pretty quick.
I picked up some carryout from here for lunch one afternoon. Everything
is made to order so you might want to call ahead if you are in a rush. They have a 
really good horchata but I pretty much finished it by the time my food was ready to go. The grilled cheese was good, I wish it was a little more buttery but I would order it again. One big negative was the $2 they charged me to get two pickles to eat with the grilled cheese! I could buy a whole jar for $2. I could have added bacon to a sandwich for $1.50… last time I checked pickles 
are cheaper than bacon. That being said, their fresh cut fries were really good and the hot sauces were great poured over the cheese fries. I will try some of the Mexican dishes one of these days and will update.
I actually went to this restaurant twice in the course of a week. Once with family for lunch and again for a Sunday Funday with some friends. They brew their 
own beer including a pretty good rootbeer- both alcoholic and 
nonalcholic. The first go around I had a half sandwich and soup- reuben and french onion. Both were pretty good. It’s nice that they have heartier food options on their half and half menu. The second trip I had the chicken tortilla soup which I also liked but it didn’t have a whole lot of spice and it was more like what you would expect from a chili. I also had the California Club that had a really great multigrain bread and lots of veggie layers. Everyone I was with enjoyed their meals but the two that were liked the best included this 
blackened shrimp sandwich and my uncle had a bratwurst burger that was unique. They have a pretty cute little patio out back but it has all high fences which give it a bit of a cramped feeling. Their building is on the tinier side; shotgun style with a bar running down one side. Our next trip here will be for their new Sunday brunch I want to try.
NIBBLES and BITS 
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