Locally inspired: Cadwell's Grille chef focuses on eclectic American menu

Nestled in the grand atrium at the Deerfield Embassy Suites sits Cadwell's Grille. And inside Cadwell's Grille, chef Moises Ibarra strives to make the American-style menu locally inspired and contemporary, while embracing the handmade quality of many sauces and eclectic dishes. The restaurant has a historical aspect as well — it's named after Jacob Cadwell and his family, who in 1835 settled in what is now the city center of Deerfield. They named the town Cadwell's Corners.

The restaurant offers a full menu of soups, salads, sandwiches, steaks, seafood, flatbread pizzas and comfort food. For alcohol, diners can choose between small-batch bourbon and scotch, a large wine and craft beer list, and a few custom cocktails. Overall the restaurant was a bit pricey, which was not all together unexpected given its hotel address, but the food is good enough and unique enough to attract its share of locals and guests. Service was slow, but our waiter made up for it with a charming friendliness that's hard to find these days.

We started with seared sea scallops and the Wak'n Bacon Slider Trio. A word of warning — only three of each come on the plate and they were on the small side. We had six in our party, so we each only just a small taste; but what large flavor it packed. The scallops came with a golden raisin purée and bacon-braised brussels sprouts. I was surprised how well the flavors meshed; I didn't expect raisins to go well with the scallops, which were very fresh and melt-in-your-mouth tender. The sliders were a table favorite with bacon-infused beef, a sunny-side-up quail egg atop each burger, giardiniera and fried shallots on pretzel buns. The order comes with french fries that match the sliders' stature. Everything had a peppery kick that paired well with the smokiness of the meat.

We also ordered the roasted beet salad, which was sadly more greens than beets. Red and yellow beets were meant to be served on a bed of greens with green apples, goat cheese, toasted walnuts and a walnut oil vinaigrette. The beets, while cooked well, were far from roasted and were in very short supply. The toasted walnuts were missing altogether. A little bit more of the key ingredients and this could have been a home run, but it fell flat for our visit.

For dinner, we tried Parmesan-crusted walleye (pan-seared in brown butter and served with garlic green beans and wild mushroom risotto), the Rita flatbread (pizza style with buffalo mozzarella, basil, roasted tomatoes and aged balsamic), the seared ahi tuna salad (on a bed of arugula with avocado, mango, pickled ginger and a lemon miso vinaigrette), the prawns and grits (gulf prawns, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, bacon and a white wine broth over stone-ground grits), the pork belly (served with a pineapple-jicama-cilantro slaw, guava purée, orange pieces and a balsamic drizzle), and the short ribs (in a reduced gravy with parsnip purée and root vegetables).

The walleye stole the show for me. It was delightfully crispy from the packed-on Parmesan crust, and the fish beneath was flaky and mild. The beans and risotto were a bit overdone, but with the power of that walleye, it made no difference at all. The Rita was heavy on the cheese with extra-large tomato chunks and just enough balsamic for a tart sweetness that wasn't overwhelming. The dressing seemed more like an orange-flavored mayonnaise than anything, but it accented the arugula's spiciness well and served to make the salad a cohesive dish. Tender and flavorful short ribs were another contender for the top dish — they fell apart with the slightest brush of a fork and had a comfortable homeyness that brought the meal to an emotional high.

The table was on the fence about the prawns and grits. Although the grits were cooked well, the prawns tasted too fishy for the majority of our group. The pork belly met mixed reviews as well: a few of us thought it was overdone, but we enjoyed the dish all the same.

As sides, we ordered bacon brussels sprouts and braised kale, both of which had a nice al dente crisp and seasoning that allowed the foods' flavor to shine through.

Dessert was a testament to the chef's culinary creativity and local inspiration. The salted caramel sundae pairs Mitchell's caramel ice cream (the company is based in Homewood) with chocolate ganache, sea salt, bacon bits and Garrett's Chicago Mix popcorn. It truly did taste like a gourmet salted caramel, with an added crunch from the popcorn and bacon that brought the whole sundae together and rounded out our meal perfectly.

• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.

Cadwell's Grille

1445 Lake-Cook Road, Deerfield, (847) 597-2762, <a href="http://www.embassysuitesdeerfield.com/cadwellsgrille/">embassysuitesdeerfield.com/cadwellsgrille/</a>

<b>Cuisine:</b> Contemporary American

<b>Setting:</b> Intimate lounge in the atrium at Embassy Suites

<b>Entrees:</b> $13 to $32

<b>Hours:</b> 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. daily