Barrington Country Bistro is simply pure rapture
Pale peach liqueur danced with the bubbles in my Champagne glass as I contemplated the menu at Barrington Country Bistro.
The late evening sun cast its glow in the warm muraled room and made it easy to get lost in the moment. I watched as a server delivered plates of halibut with mussels and asparagus and guinea hen with Swiss chard and cherry marmalade to a nearby table, as if daring me to order something else. I took a sip, smiled at my husband and thought "if only every meal could be like this."
We had recently returned from a 10-day vacation in which we drove to the Colorado Rockies with our 5- and 8-year-old sons. After too many fast food lunches and dinners at joints with plastic cups and coloring placemats, it was joy enough just to dine by ourselves. To indulge in Barrington Country Bistro's impeccable French cuisine and exquisite wines was pure rapture.
A new chef cooks in the kitchen since we last dined there in 2002. About four years ago, Luis Quiroz moved up from sous chef after Nadia Tilkian left to open her own restaurant (Maijean in Clarendon Hills).
Jean Pierre LeRoux and his wife continue to operate the restaurant and the style of cuisine, dining room decor and service remain pretty much unchanged. The kitchen still produces tradition French fare, such as osso buco (braised veal shank) and coq a vin (chicken and wine casserole), which remain popular all-year long, along with offering fresh interpretations that change every few weeks as ingredients come in and out of season.
Appetizers range from an array of pates and garlicky escargot to foie gras with candied leeks and pear vinaigrette and micro-thin sliced salmon with carrot salad.
Chef Quiroz's special ravioli and risottos are among the specialties that keep diners (like the table of four behind me) coming back. During our visit smoke salmon, cauliflower purée and soft cheese filled the handmade pouches that floated in a puddle of lobster-infused buerre Blanc. Caramelized celery root and fork-tender braised pork shoulder mingled in a creamy risotto that nearly had my husband and I wrestling over the last few grains.
Lemon grass brightened what could have been a bland chilled carrot soup; the consistency was on the thin side, but certainly fitting of the season. Baked French Union Soup is a menu staple.
Seasonal plates of greens and vegetables dressed with house-made vinaigrettes fill the menu but it was the Ceasar salad with its toasty Parmesan cracker (a tuille, if you will) that caught my husband's fancy and didn't disappoint.
The peppered hangar steak (traditionally the flavorful cut of beef the butcher kept for himself) that came next kept with the indulgent theme of the evening. Green peppercorn sauce and a mélange of exotic mushrooms lent earthy lightness to the plate and the buttery whipped potatoes were ethereal.
Lemon and capers added a bright accent to the generous portions of perfectly sauted tilapia; delicious pearls of couscous and seasonal vegetables rounded out the plate nicely.
My husband selected a glass of Les Hauts de Naudon, a Cabernet-Merlot blend from Bordeaux, that hit the all the right notes with his steak; I let our waitress recommend Dashwood sauvignon blanc from New Zealand with my fish and it paired quite well. Leroux has a collection of well-priced wines (several available by the glass) and is on hand to help diners pick the perfect glass complement Quiroz's fine food.
The desserts at Barrington Country Bistro should not be overlooked. Weekday diners have the option of Grand Marnier Souffle (the extra time and preparation makes it difficult for busy weekends), yet weekend crowds have plenty to look forward to. Crème brûlée, carrot cake with warm huckleberry sauce, soft-centered bittersweet chocolate cake with a rainbow of sauce certainly tempted, but the rhubarb and strawberry gratin won me over. As my husband savored his selection of fine cheeses with the last of his wine (a handful of dessert wines also is available), I delighted in the sublimely tart filling and crisp graham cracker crust before me. With our palates still singing and our bellies happy, the waitress delivered a plate of luscious complementary petits fours. They certainly don't do that at Red Robin.
Barrington Country Bistro