Atwater's has its A-game going with Tsoris on team

It was hard to go back to hamburgers and tater tots or leftover spaghetti after being treated like a head of state - without having to crash a presidential party - at the Atwater's restaurant last week in Geneva's Herrington Inn.

Based on the food that entered my mouth, Jason Tsoris sure has his game "going on" as the new executive chef at Atwater's.

Herrington Inn general manager Paul Ruby was a gracious host for friends, city and chamber of commerce officials, and local media representatives at a dinner to showcase Tsoris' considerable talent at the restaurant.

It was an event in which Tsoris, who has more than 30 years experience in high-end culinary management, prepared a five-course meal. But it was also a showcase night for the Duckhorn Wine Company of Napa Valley, which has been supplying Herrington for years.

Judith Britt of Duckhorn has probably forgotten more about wine than most of us will ever know, and her expertise was evident in explaining the fine Duckhorn wines that complemented each course. This was a treat, considering Duckhorn was the 38th winery in Napa Valley back in 1976, and Napa now boasts more than 400.

When all was said and done, Tsoris surely earned his accolades. "After so many years in the city, I am really enjoying being out here at this location in Geneva," said Tsoris, who has worked at some of Chicago's top hotels. "This is a perfect event, with the perfect number of people (about 30) for us to show what the restaurant can offer."

After some citrus-cured salmon, duck confit strudel with chanterelle mushrooms, Colorado lamb loin and juniper-dusted venison chop, among other delights, it was easy to see that diners at Atwater's are going to be quite happy with Tsoris on board.

The dessert was called Triple Entente Confection, but let me just say this: It was a chocolate lover's dream.

"Business has been difficult, but we are doing well," Ruby said before the dinner event. "You just work twice as hard to accomplish your goals, and we are very pleased to have Jason on our team."

Anyone who has not been to Atwater's, or visited the Herrington Inn, can get more information at (630) 208-7433.

Was it Wiffle fame?: After learning he was to be inducted into the St. Charles East Hall of Fame for his prowess as a soccer player during his prep days, Clint Hull got some ribbing from friends.

Some readers may remember that Hull, an associate judge in the 16th Judicial Circuit, and I go back quite a few years. About 30 years ago, Hull and his friends built a tremendous backyard Wiffle ball stadium and challenged the newspaper's sports editor and staff to a game. I was that editor and it triggered an ongoing series of Wiffle Ball Classics that are still fresh in the minds of those who played in or watched the popular games.

"More than one of my friends has commented that just because I played a mean game of Wiffle ball in the late 1970s doesn't mean that I should be in the STC Hall of Fame," Hull joked. "I told them that I completely disagree, that no one knows how stressful those ball games were, and that my record against the newspaper team was 4-0, which by itself, in my estimation, makes me a Hall of Famer."

I would have to agree with that assessment. That young lad played Wiffle ball like Pete Rose played baseball.

More importantly, Hull again reminded me of what those fun times meant.

"I thought I would share it with you and laugh with you as the Wiffle ball stories continue to come up year after year," Hull said. "I can't believe how lucky we were to have had the opportunity to have that experience."

A yarn with a cause: A yarn store in downtown Geneva is certainly knitting for its causes.

Wool and Company, at 23 S. Third St., had a busy two weeks in terms of pushing important causes.

First, the store announced its involvement in a program to knit helmet liners for soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, with the goal of knitting 100 of the liners that provide some warmth for soldiers on cold nights by the end of this month.

This past week, Wool and Company also became involved in Haitian relief efforts by participating in a program in which any dollars donated to the Doctors without Borders through the store's Web site at woolandcompany.com would be matched by the Knitting Fever initiative, as well as one of the store's vendors.

"We have about 55 helmet liners done and hope to get to our goal of 100," said Lesley Edmondson of Wool and Company. "But I am overwhelmed with the Haiti relief effort.

"I thought we'd come up with about $500 and we now have $9,000, with one of our vendors saying they will match the donation - so we hope to see that at $18,000."

A helping hand: Another one of the music industry's major stars was on stage at the Arcada Theater last night as owner Ron Onesti continues to bring top-name acts into the historic downtown St. Charles theater.

And it was also a nice touch that a portion of the proceeds from the Dionne Warwick concert was to be set aside for UNICEF and the children devastated by the earthquake.

Another helping hand: The 19 Francesca restaurants throughout the Chicago area, including ours in St. Charles, will donate 100 percent of their proceeds from lunches and dinners served Monday to the Red Cross Haitian Relief Fund.

If you want to enjoy a nice meal and help the relief efforts, Francesca's is a pretty good choice.

The crowded lots: Other than winning all sorts of Hollywood awards, what does it mean when a blockbuster film such as "Avatar" bursts on the scene?

It means the parking lots at the Randall 15 in Batavia the Charlestowne 18 in St. Charles were even crowded at noon on some weekdays after the holidays.

dheun@sbcglobal.net