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Villa Verone!
May 9th, 2008
Villa Verone is a new(ish) Italian restaurant at 13 Douglas Avenue (847-742-0263). I recently took a special someone there for his birthday. The food was tasty! I remembered my camera, but only remembered to take photos during the appetizer and drinks part of the meal.
I am a vegetarian, but took an unusual break in order to eat some calamari. Very good!
We ordered the mango and orange cream martinis. Once again, delicious. Oh, and strong.
The menu is fantastic for vegetarians–many many options. Most of them contain lots of cheese or are in a heavier sauce, but there are a few lighter dishes in oil.
For two entrees and the items mentioned above (plus tip) the cost was nearly $70. I will probably only come here occasionally for very special occasions.
My only semi-complaint is we were pretty sure our server’s Italian accent was fake. Also, the front of the menu has a fake “I came from Italy to open this restaurant” story written in broken English that isn’t exactly culturally sensitive.
One awesome thing about Villa Verone is they have live jazz on Thursday nights! We did not get to see that, so I plan on going again to check it out. If you cannot afford the food, maybe just drop in for a drink and to catch some tunes.
Tags: calamari, dinner, Elgin, food, Illinois, Italian, jazz, martini, music, restaurant, Villa Verone
Filed under Elgin, food |
8 Responses to “Villa Verone!”
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Great review. I haven’t had the chance to try it yet. Maybe the next special occasion…
Your special someone was tasty?
(…sorry….)
Oops! Don’t usually make that mistake.
We must have had the same waiter. The accent devolved into a more Midwestern variant as the meal progressed. We had dinner and 2 drinks there recently, and it ran a bit over $75. I hope the place makes it, and I expect to be back - though not in a hurry. My Manhattan cocktail was a weird cherry-flavored concoction, and our minestrone was rather thin and oily. There was an interesting selection of pastas and entrees, but many seemed to be rather heavy versions sauteed or in cream sauces.
Aside from fake accents and cultural sensitivity, there may be other service issues. As we were leaving our table we overheard one waiter explaining to another table a dinner package with a bottle of wine that was never offered to us. Perhaps just as well since I don’t recall that the wine list even listed the producers, let alone the vintages. The quality/price ratio will also be an issue. We had dined the night before at Lettuce Entertain You’s Maggiano’s chain whose comparably priced experience beat Villa Verone in every category. On the other hand, VV is more ambitious than Olive Garden and doesn’t have a lot of area competition in its category unless you want to drive to Francesca’s in Dundee or St. Charles - both way better, too. If I don’t feel like driving, I suspect I’ll still find Jimmy’s Charhouse better local value.
I did forget to write about the drink menu–it not indicate that they have a full bar! We thought wine by the bottle and martinis were the only options, but they also sell wine by the glass, beer, and other mixed drinks.
Jessica and Rick,
Rest assured your server’s accent was not fake, but it wasn’t Italian (or midwesstern) either. From the sound of it I am pretty sure it was the owner’s son-in-law, Willy, who waited on you and he is French, but married to an Italian (go figure). We initially had our own suspicions about the accent also, but learned differently since we have become “semi-regulars”.
My wife and I moved to downtown Elgin from out of state a couple of years ago and as far as we are concerned Villa Verone is the best thing to happen to Elgin in terms of restaurants since we have been here. Although we have not been to the other locations, I understand there are also restaurants in Geneva and Sycamore, which from the internet are also highly rated.
Pietro is the owner, and if become a “frequent flier” there you will understand the cover of the menu. Pietro is very entertaining and has q great sense of humor! When not at the other two restaurants he owns, he will go from table to table to meet all who dine there! Try a Thursday night, the place is rocking until it closes. So if you really want authentic Italian dining this is the place to go!
You need to go to Villa Verone when their live jazz band is there on Thursday nights. My husband and I have been there the last 3 Thursday nights and have had a fantastic time. We both are Italian and thoroughly enjoy our meals. I understand what you meant about the accent, but instead of wondering I asked and he was french, married to an Italian, working for her father in the Italian restaurant.