Restaurant review: honey in Glen Ellyn

Some people might consider honey to be "a chick restaurant," because of its bright, modern decor and menu of pretty and health-conscious foods.

However, both male and female customers agree that one word describes this new downtown Glen Ellyn hot spot: Yum.

Elizabeth Janus, 45, the former owner of Good Works Gallery in Glen Ellyn, opened honey in November 2007. She has no previous restaurant experience.

"I just knew Glen Ellyn needed this," she said.

Apparently, she was right. Honey quickly gained notoriety for several of its menu items, including a plain-looking vanilla cupcake with to-die-for buttercream frosting (one of our tasters simply said "Holy cow!"), the Triple Chocolate French Toast Kabobs, and the gluten-free peanut butter cookies and French toast.

The menu emphasizes comfort food -- such as the rich chicken pot pie or the grilled cheese sandwich made with arugula, basil pesto and aged white cheddar.

A team of bakers comes to the restaurant at 5 a.m. every morning and bakes all of the breads and desserts fresh, making the small display case at the front of the restaurant almost irresistible.

Our trio of tasters recently enjoyed a lovely lunch there, complemented by a friendly staff and nice bathrooms (always a bonus).

While not every item our panel sampled earned a five-star rating, everyone said, "I'd definitely come back."

Name: Kate Kalthoff

Age: 38

Hometown: Naperville

What I ordered: Sweet potato fries with Harissa dipping sauce to share with the table ($3.95); grilled chicken sandwich ($9.95); chai tea ($2.75); vanilla bean cupcake ($2.45)

Taste and presentation: The feta cheese added something different. But I expected to taste the tzatziki sauce, and I didn't. If I ordered it again, I could have ordered the tzatziki sauce on the side. The sweet potato fries were seasoned just right, not overly salty. You could taste the sweet potato and not the seasoning. Plus, the sauce was the perfect compliment.

Atmosphere and service: The servers really knew what they were talking about, and they appear to like working here and like what they do. I didn't feel rushed at all.

Good if you want … a nice neighborhood lunch. It seems like more of a chick place to me, though.

Name: Terrence Wittman

Age: 42

Hometown: Roselle

What I ordered: Mushroom and goat cheese strudel appetizer ($4.95); Mini Burger Trio ($12.95); brownie ($2.45)

Taste and presentation: The strudel was flaky, and the mushrooms were perfect. I would have ordered four of them. The burgers were a little too small, and the buns were a little too big, but the flavor was excellent. I didn't care for the fries, because they were a little oily. I think shoestrings would have been a better choice.

Atmosphere and service: It's nice. Bright. It's not loud. And I think the service was very good. They refilled my iced tea three times.

Good if you want … a nice lunch date place. I could bring a client here, but probably a female client.

Name: Laura De Luca

Age: 47

Hometown: Wheaton

What I ordered: Creamy asparagus soup to share ($4.95); chopped salad ($11.95); gluten-free peanut butter cookie ($1.50)

Taste and presentation: The soup was really good, but not as an appetizer because it was so rich. I liked the salad, but I didn't like the big pieces of bacon. They seemed a little undercooked. It had big pieces of egg, though, and I liked that.

Atmosphere and service: It's really nice, open and airy. I liked it. The service was very good.

Good if you want … a nice healthy place. It's more for someone who's health conscious than weight conscious.

honey

499 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn (630) 469-0000 www.honeycafe.net

Cuisine: Modern comfort food and a small bakery. Menu includes many organic and gluten-free dishes.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays

Accepts: Reservations, major credit cards