Scooby’s in St. Charles breaks trend

Never-never land? Would that be what you call it when a restaurant just can’t seem to get itself open?

It’s different when a place is closed, and you know it is closed. The most recent example is Table 38 in Geneva, closing its doors after a short run under a new name, when the original Enye wasn’t doing well either for owners Jeanette and Bob DiPasquantonio. Thankfully, their nearby Urban Grille restaurant seems to be doing OK.

Everyone also knows Bakers Square and Rex’s Cork ‘n Fork in St. Charles have been closed, and Batavia recently saw Ona’s and Fantastico’s close their doors.

But what about the restaurants that appeared ready to open, but continue to sit and sit some more? Exhibit A will forever be The Golden Corral building shell in Batavia. It appears that whatever idea franchise owner Sam Gibson of Plainfield had in mind to get the project financed blew up on him.

And how about the former Rib House site on the east side of Geneva? That was supposed to be a new restaurant called “Riganato” for an owner who two years ago didn’t want me to print his name until he had a definite opening date set. Guess whose name has never been in the paper?

Scooby’s Hot Dogs broke the pattern by finally opening last week in the former Main Street Tastee Freez, and before that, Pop’s Place, on the east side of St. Charles.

Sip with the master: Wine tastings. Two words that get the taste buds of a wine lover aroused. Not to mention the excitement of the hunt — for a great wine and the story behind it.Wine lovers are in store for what appears to be a can#146;t-miss session Oct. 1 at Acquaviva Winery in Maple Park and Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove.That#146;s when Alpana Singh of #147;Check Please#148; fame will be part of a wine tasting from 4 to 6 p.m. at the winery, and will conduct a 7 p.m. presentation at the WCC campus auditorium to talk about wine #8212; and what it is like to be the youngest woman to hold the title of Master Sommelier.It means she knows a lot about wine and food and how they should match up.Singh should be somewhat familiar with the Tri-Cities, as her #147;Check Please#148; show on WTTW has featured the former Isabella#146;s in Geneva, and Bien Trucha in Geneva.In one of her more famous episodes, she had President Barack Obama, while he was still a state senator, singing the praises of his favorite restaurant, Dixie Kitchen in Hyde Park.Not a car guy: I certainly don#146;t think about cars too often, other than when they are giving me trouble (and I have a story to share about that in an upcoming column). But when it comes to the Concours d#146;Elegance car show in downtown Geneva Sunday, count me in among those who find it an enjoyable way to stroll up and down the city streets.I have to read the descriptions of every car in the show, otherwise I would have no clue as to what I was looking at.A tasty trap: They call it the #147;Parent Trap#148; and it has nothing to do with the Hayley Mills or Lindsay Lohan versions of that family movie.It has everything to do with another nice pit stop on a summer night. This one was at Kimmer#146;s Ice Cream in St. Charles, where I devoured a #147;Parent Trap#148; ice cream cone. What#146;s that, you ask? Cookies and cream, with what they call a peanut butter #147;ribbon#148; through it. Yes, it#146;s as good as it sounds.Go to the library: It was a little sad to rifle through Borders in Geneva on Randall Road the past week looking for deals on books and DVDs, knowing the store will be closing its doors for good. Much of my Three Stooges DVD collection was accumulated at Borders, along with several books and CDs.I#146;ll miss hanging around Borders, but each bummer the recession has thrown our way has to have a silver lining. In this case, it is an opportunity for our public libraries to establish themselves as the place for browsing, having a cup of coffee or attending interesting presentations.And guess what? They do that. Batavia Public Library is likely the best example of tying in a coffee shop with reading, studying or browsing.It will be tough to duplicate the Borders atmosphere, but a library isn#146;t a bad place to start.On the walkway: They#146;re pitching it as a girls#146; night out, and it seems to fit that bill.The Friends of TriCity Family Services are staging a Fall Fashion Show Sept. 22 at Mill Creek.Cocktail hour starts at 6 p.m. So that#146;s where the girls#146; night out part comes in? It#146;s $35 per person, with a cash bar and those planning to attend should register online by Sept. 14 at tricityfamilyservices.org or call (630) 232-1070.dheun@sbcglobal.net