Friendly service, delicious fare elevate brunch at McHenry's Cafe 31 North
Visitors to Cafe 31 North in McHenry may recognize the spot from past events - like weddings, private parties and showers. The location has been a highly rated banquet hall for a number of years, and it recently opened a restaurant during non-banquet hours showcasing its homemade fare.
Because the cafe shares the same space, expect banquet hall-style chandeliers and decor but with standard restaurant seating. We enjoyed that it wasn't too loud; the space may be large, but the atmosphere is relaxing.
The breakfast menu includes all-American staples like pancakes, waffles, omelets and skillets, and lunch offers sandwiches, salads and burgers. There's a full bar for brunch cocktails and other lunch drinks.
One of the cool things they offer is a daily international special. We were there on Polish day, but other specials include Mexican and Italian food.
We went around noon on a Saturday. I ordered the lunch special, which was Polish sausages with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, pierogies and loaded baked potato soup.
Our waitress told us everything they serve is homemade. And you can tell with the pierogies - they had the perfect dough-to-filling ratio. I got two with sauerkraut and mushroom inside and two with a sweet cheese filling. They were delicious. I also enjoyed the baked potato soup quite a bit; it came with a good handful of bacon on top, and the cup wasn't too small for it to be overpowering. The ingredients had a great balance.
Everything else was pretty standard, though I will say the sauerkraut had a bit too many carrots and caraway seeds in it for my taste.
My husband ordered the Mexican skillet, a combination of chorizo, jalapeño, cilantro, onions and pepper jack cheese, with scrambled eggs on top. It came with sides of sour cream and salsa. The skillet was delicious. All the flavors mixed together really well, and although it had a lot of chorizo, it didn't overwhelm the dish. The flavor of it came through nicely and added a decidedly Mexican flair to the skillet.
He also ordered a biscuit on the side. We will definitely go back for the biscuit alone, though. In my eyes, it was the star of the meal - a big buttermilk biscuit sliced in half and fried on each side. It was the best combination of flaky, soft and crispy all at the same time.
My husband also noted the coffee was quite good, much better than you would find at a typical breakfast diner.
My only concern was that all of the food was lukewarm. My husband's food was heated through, so we assumed they just plated mine first and forgot to put it under the warmer, but it was a little disappointing.
On the way out of the restaurant, they were selling loaves of bread and kolachkies to take home. I grabbed a box of kolachkies, silently wishing they had those biscuits for sale also.
We really enjoyed our visit to Cafe 31 North, in part because the staff was so friendly. The owners came around to visit each table. And every person, even down to the woman taking our plates away, was unfailingly polite. It's a great testament to the business, and should attract even more people for the banquet services.
<i>Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.</i>
Cafe 31 North
217 Front St., Suite A., McHenry, (815) 679-6630,
Cuisine: Brunch
Setting: Casual
Entrees: $6-$12
Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily