Enjoy elevated pub food at Lake Villa's new Timothy O'Toole's

Taking over the old Blackthorn Grille space in Lake Villa is the newest of the Timothy O'Toole's franchises. The owners completely revamped the space, turning it into a fun pub and dining atmosphere with Chicago ephemera all over the walls.

O'Toole's serves elevated American pub food - sandwiches, burgers, wings, tacos and classier entrees - and boasts a full bar with a huge list of seasonal beers, cocktails, wine and liquor. But one holdover from the old space that we wish would change is the parking lot. It's mostly across the street with very limited parking next to the building.

For our appetizers, we ordered the reuben egg rolls; kale, spinach and artichoke dip; garlic parmesan truffle fries; and the small order of deviled eggs. The egg rolls, though a tad bit greasy, were delicious. They tasted just like a reuben should, compressed into a crispy egg roll package with tender meat inside. We also loved the artichoke dip. It had a great mix of all the ingredients and came served with crispy corn chips.

For the fries, we would have preferred a bit more of every flavor, though as someone who doesn't like truffles, I appreciated that it wasn't overpowering. The small order of deviled eggs came with four, garnished with caviar and chives. They were made with boursin cheese, but for some reason it tasted like there was a hint of wasabi (and just a tad too much mayonnaise).

Our entrees were the chicken cordon bleu sandwich, blackened salmon tacos, French dip, Chicago Fire burger and Jail Island salmon. We had one alteration for the Chicago Fire burger (topped with bacon, a fried egg, avocado, cheddar and ghost wing sauce on a pretzel bun), and that was to swap the ghost sauce for mild sauce, which still ended up being a bit spicier than expected. Otherwise the burger was flavorful and cooked well.

The blackened salmon tacos were delicious, with chunks of impeccably seasoned salmon served with tangy baja slaw and garlic aioli on corn tortillas. Pico de gallo came on the side, along with rice and beans. I did expect three tacos, but only received two. It's the typical order size, but for $16, I was left wanting more. The rice was fairly bland, as well. The salmon in the Jail Island salmon entree was equally well-seasoned; we loved it. It came with lightly seasoned vegetables, and delightfully creamy mashed potatoes with the skins mixed in.

The chicken cordon bleu sandwich and the French dip unfortunately disappointed us. Overall they tasted good, but both were dry and needed more seasoning and cheese.

The kid's meal for my nephew was particularly cool. All the kids' meals are served in bento boxes, and there's even a selection of kids' cocktails. He ordered the mac and cheese, which came with applesauce, fries, an orange slice and a Dum-Dums sucker. And in true 5-year-old fashion, he announced to the table "you can tell it's good because I'm eating it."

For dessert, we had the pretzel bread pudding and the warm chocolate brownie. The pretzel bread pudding is exactly as it sounds: bread pudding made with big soft pretzels instead of bread. It came served with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and whipped cream. It wasn't bad (I was the only one at the table who didn't care for it), but to me it tasted like soggy pretzels.

I did adore the chocolate brownie, though. The brownie itself was huge, served with vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauces and whipped cream. It was thick and warm and incredibly rich. I would go back for that dessert alone.

We were impressed with service and with the restaurant's manager, too. At the end of the meal, he came by to ask what we thought and how things could be done better. And he really meant it. He listened to all our suggestions and immediately went to talk to the staff. It was nice to know that as a restaurant, customers and their opinions are completely supported.

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Timothy O'Toole's Lake Villa

10 W. Grand Ave., Lake Villa, (847) 979-0600, timothyotooles.com/lake-villa

Cuisine: American pub

Setting: Casual

Entrees: $9-$29

Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday and Monday

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