Local food the focus at Glen Prairie
Surely, no one was more pleased than Lombard and Glen Ellyn residents that the eyesore formerly known as the Holiday Inn at the corner of Finley and Roosevelt got a much-needed makeover. The spot is now home to the Crowne Plaza Hotel and the adjacent Glen Prairie restaurant, open since mid-August and headed by Daniel Ovanin as executive chef.
Glen Prairie serves contemporary American cuisine with a Midwestern twist and an organic, local-farm sourced backdrop.
Bare comes to mind when one looks at the interior. Minimalist as well. Dressed in a mostly neutral palette, the focus here is obvious - the food. However, fun little accents, such as a see-through glass fireplace that can be enjoyed from either side, attest to the fact that minimalist does not mean minimal effort.
Glen Prairie's large dining room is broken up into several seating arrangements. Some are half-booths, with padded benches on one side and upholstered wide beige chairs on the other. The bar lines the west wall, which is made of glass (half the kind you look through, and half the kind you drink from).
Since the restaurant is very proud of its "green wines," we stopped on a glass of Parducci Pinot Noir, a potent mix of wild cherry and raspberry flavors with subtle hints of spice.
A handful of appetizers grace the menu, among them the Dietzler beef tenderloin with pearl couscous and crumbled feta topped with truffled vinaigrette and an appetizer salad of roasted heirloom beets, herbed goat cheese, sunflower seeds, organic greens and Champagne vinaigrette.
These all looked tempting, but we chose the free-range Colorado lamb chops appetizer - two delicately tender medium-rare cutlets laid over sweet caramelized onions and a flat crispy potato pancake, and surrounded by a drizzle of port glaze.
For the salad, we went with the Waldorf - red and green apples, celery, raisins, spiced walnuts and Champagne vinaigrette.
There are only about a dozen entrees on Glen Prairie's menu. We opted for the Lake Superior white fish filet and the prime burger. The meaty fish came lightly breaded on one side, served with warm toasted barley salad and Meyer lemon nage. For extra presentation oomph, our server brought out a glass percolator with the special broth, the herbs firmly pressed at the bottom, and poured it out at the table.
The prime burger was simple, yet delicious. Served on a brioche bun and topped with Laack Brothers two-year aged Cheddar, the burger came with crispy rustic potato fries and horseradish coleslaw. The Cheddar topping we discovered was all that was needed to complement this juicy burger. Anything else would have been a distraction.
At the end of the meal we fell for the fallen chocolate soufflé with cappuccino gelato, as well as the vanilla bean crème brûlée. They won us over not only because they came in perfect $2 "mini" variations of themselves, but also because they were truly excellent - a fitting end to a fine meal.
Glen Prairie
Location: 1250 Roosevelt Road, Glen Ellyn, (630) 613-1250
Cuisine: Contemporary American
Setting: Neutral colors and elegant decor
Hours: 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Price range: Appetizers: $5 to $12; entrees: $11 to $34; dessert: $2 to $6