Sophisticated but unstuffy Scotty's on 21 in Vernon Hills serves American with a twist
Walking into Scotty's on 21 in Vernon Hills is like heading into a swank lounge. Muted gray colors cover the walls, comfortable easy chairs help people relax by the bar, white tablecloths and candlelight grace the dining tables. And the centerpiece, a fully stocked backlit bar, pulls the entire atmosphere together.
The menu reflects the upscale nature of the space, too, offering a mix of meat and seafood appetizers, salad, soup, burgers and pizzas, and meat-focused entrees including steak and pork. The bar serves red and white wine, house cocktails, and a varied selection of beer and cider.
We had a drink at the bar waiting for our table to be ready, and then our hilarious and incredibly nice waitress Michelle sat us and promptly provided warm rolls, giardiniera and butter.
For appetizers, our orders included the French onion soup, beef carpaccio, calamari, shrimp de jonghe, and feta and tomato crostini.
We particularly enjoyed the feta on the crostini - it was whipped so it wasn't as harsh as most fetas. And it didn't take over the dish, which also included tomatoes, garlic, basil, pine nuts and a balsamic glaze. Other favorites were the calamari, which had a light breading and wasn't the slightest bit rubbery. It came served with a sweet chili sauce, a nice departure from the typical marinara.
My French onion soup had very little bread so the cheese sank down to the bottom of the bowl before it arrived, which was a bonus for me because it was melted throughout. Plus, I didn't make a mess trying to break through the cheese layer.
For the beef carpaccio, we found that the meat wasn't the star of the dish; rather, the combination of the other ingredients (tomatoes, capers and Parmesan) took over. The nicely cooked shrimp de jonghe was baked with garlic herb butter and bread crumbs. While it was good, we had hoped for a bit more of a buttery texture to the sauce.
For dinner, our entrees included the spaghetti and meatballs, chicken torta, chicken Milanese, filet mignon and salmon.
The spaghetti was a real comfort food dish, with tender, well-seasoned meat and a standard robust marinara sauce. We enjoyed the texture and quality of the shredded chicken on the torta sandwich; it came covered in chipotle sour cream, which just approached spicy and had the slightest kick.
The chicken Milanese had a nice thin breading, with a mass of arugula salad piled on top that made it feel even healthier. It had perhaps a bit too much arugula, however.
The filet mignon was incredibly tender and juicy, cooked to perfection, and served with a whiskey cream sauce that the table loved. As for the salmon, it was obviously fresh, quite tender and flaky, with a good crisp on the skin.
Our desserts were the flourless chocolate lava cake, chocolate chip bread pudding and creme brulee. The lava cake was incredibly rich, served with vanilla gelato and a raspberry sauce, but to our disappointment it was overcooked and didn't have the molten center we hoped for.
I adored the chocolate chip bread pudding, which was full of flavor and came topped with banana gelato, a perfect flavor combination. The crème brûlée was pretty standard, but we felt it could have used a bit more vanilla.
Overall, we would definitely return to Scotty's - not just because of the service, varied selection of well-made entrees and cleverly crafted bar menu, but also for the music. The house soundtrack played hits from every generation at the table. And by the end of the night, we found ourselves singing along to almost everything.
Scotty's on 21
70 N. Milwaukee #132, Vernon Hills, (847) 549-3261, scottyson21.com
<b>Cuisine:</b> American
<b>Setting:</b> Upscale casual
<b>Entrees:</b> $12-$35
<b>Hours:</b> 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday; 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday; 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Happy hour: 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday
Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.