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McCarthy, Wahlberg apparently staying in area

Entertainers Jenny McCarthy and Donnie Wahlberg have reportedly bought a house in St. Charles. For McCarthy, it's a shift from Geneva but carries the same message: She's from these parts originally, so she understands how nice it is in the Tri-Cities region. Plus, she's comfortable with the schooling her son is getting here.

St. Charles has drawn its share of celebrities over the years, and they tend to feel pretty comfortable around here. Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys fame lived in St. Charles for about four years, working on an album in his basement studio and performing a concert at Norris Cultural Arts Center.

There's also the Arcada Theatre, which exposes all types of stars to our fine cities.

Those who constantly endure the glare of Hollywood surely find some peace and quiet around here. Of course, we don't need visitors from La-La land or New York going nuts until the wee hours of the morning. Some of McCarthy's friends did just that without her at Even Flow in downtown Geneva after a gala fundraiser she hosted at the Hotel Baker in the summer of 2013.

But, hey, maybe they were so impressed with our lovely cities and having so much fun, they just lost track of time, right? And the help at Even Flow had a temporary brain freeze from being star-struck?

Say what you will, but I have to give Jenny and Donnie this: They were wise enough to get married at the Hotel Baker in St. Charles last summer when they could have chosen just about any place in the world to do it.

That makes them OK in my book.

Basketball family or families?

At first glance, you would think the Geneva High School boys basketball program had a major influx of Navigato boys from one family coming down the pike to follow in the footsteps of senior Nate Navigato, the school's all-time career scoring leader.

The Navigato "scene" in Geneva is more complicated than that.

This is not to say this new line of Navigato boys will or won't produce good basketball results, but there are three different families at work here - with only two being related.

Cole, Devin and Dominic Navigato on the sophomore team are indeed Nate's triplet brothers. But Blake Navigato, also on the team, is a cousin.

As for Mike Navigato, a member of the freshmen team, he's not even closely related to any of the aforementioned Navigato clan. But he is the son of Sherry Navigato, who is the secretary in the school's athletic office.

There is a Navigato girl, Nate's sister, playing some decent basketball in middle school. But let's just try to keep the boys straight for now.

Menu eye-catchers

My restaurant menu choices follow a formula. If I am not likely to ever get the dish at home, I should get it at the restaurant.

Scallops fall into this category. I recently had a delicious scallops dish at Houlihan's at Geneva Commons.

What other choices might catch my eye that fall into the "not-at-home" category? They would be dishes such as veal Parmesan, chicken Marsala, fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp, and filet mignon wrapped in bacon.

I have to stop now. That just made me hungry.

Nick's does it right

It had been a long time since I was able to eat peanuts at my table in a restaurant and throw the shells on the floor. Maybe 1972 or so at Shakey's Pizza? Remember when that chain had locations around the suburbs?

The peanut shells went flying again last weekend at Nick's Pizza & Pub in Elgin.

After reading or writing about Nick's and the various fundraisers it has hosted for several years, we joined some friends to make our first visit to this popular spot on Randall Road.

The meatball sandwich covered in mozzarella cheese did not disappoint, and I tried a piece of what the place is really famous for - thin crust pizza.

There's a reason Nick's is packed on the weekends. It's good and affordable. And peanut shells cover the floor.

Some staying power

It's been three years since Loui Niforos opened DeGeo's Burgers and Gyros on the east side of St. Charles in the Foxfield Commons retail strip probably best known for housing the Butera grocery store for years.

Butera is closed, but DeGeo's is plugging away at a nice clip. It doesn't hurt that a good gyros sandwich is getting harder to find these days for people who prefer that Greek favorite. Plus, as I discovered last week, this place has an excellent cheeseburger and fries.

I spoke to Niforos when he first opened his restaurant in the wake of Slider Franks closing after a short run. He was coming in at a time when the recession was still leaving its mark, and Main Street construction was ready to go full-bore.

"I made it through that construction period OK," Niforos said last week. "It did hurt business a little, but I did have construction workers coming in here."

That type of customer is always good for a place dishing out hot dogs, burgers and gyros. "Those guys really eat," Niforos said. "One of them is like having two customers come in."

Time for doughnuts

Readers may think I eat anything put in front of me, but it is rare for me to eat a doughnut. I do it, but not often. Maybe a couple of times a year. So, Homer Simpson I am not.

Still, it is important to alert area doughnut lovers that the city of Geneva is anticipating an application from Dunkin' Donuts to set up shop in the Pepper Valley Pantry in Geneva.

By moving into the former bank location on the far west side of that retail strip, Dunkin' Donuts will help a retail area that has had its share of businesses coming and going the past decade or more.

dheun@sbcglobal.net

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