Acquaviva Ristorante Batavia now open on Water Street

The official grand opening is a few months away, but Acquaviva Ristorante Batavia has been serving customers for a month and a half at its 35 N. Water St. location.

Folks who spend a fair amount of time in the Houston and Water streets area of Batavia - and that would mean a lot of people, because the Riverwalk, Depot Museum, Depot Pond and the popcorn stand all converge right there - may have wondered if the new eatery was open yet.

It's in the spot just across the street from Depot Museum, and it's been home to a few other restaurants through the years.

"Things are going well for us, but the first couple of weeks were really quiet because we are planning for a grand opening in October to go along with our whole wine theme, harvest and wine crush," said Joe Brandonisio, who along with his father Vito, operates the Batavia restaurant and the popular Acquaviva Winery in Maple Park.

From that standpoint, Brandonisio plans to "take it one step at a time" in terms of how the Batavia site will evolve - possibly with an upgraded outdoor dining area as an extension of the current dining patio on the site in the coming years.

"There are a lot of great ideas about what more we could do here, but we're just now getting set up and being comfortable with our staff," Brandonisio said.

Offering a menu similar to the Acquaviva Winery, the Batavia site may have different specials, but its focus on steaks, seafood and wine will be apparent to any guest. It also is not difficult to assess the roots of Acquaviva because the restaurant showcases beautiful photos of Italy on its walls.

As far as the Brandonisio family is concerned, its new operation in downtown Batavia was all about location.

"That's a great corner with the view of the Depot and the river right there," Brandonisio said. "People can have dinner and just walk down the path along the river a little bit, and there's often so much to do in the area."

And Brandonisio has a key objective in mind when the restaurant makes its official launch in the fall.

"There is a lot of fun and potential in this area," he said. "We want to get more people coming to Batavia."

Those outdoor spots:

Readers were quick to point out their favorite outdoor dining spots in the area after my column a couple of weeks ago in which I crowned Fiora's in Geneva as having the best al fresco setup in the area.

A few other Geneva spots came up, specifically Villa Verone with its plants, lighting and music, as well as Ristorante Chianti, Livia's, and Barrel and Rye along Third Street.

A few readers noted that, even though it's not designed to serve a specific restaurant, the First Street Plaza in St. Charles is excellent for eating food or desserts while listening to live music a couple nights a week. Also, McNally's has its outdoor dining spot right next to the plaza.

Right around the corner from the plaza, of course, there are a few tables outside for Za Za Trattoria.

Reader Nancy Polivka sent along a note encouraging me to broaden the area in which I mention certain restaurants. Not being an actual food critic, I'll likely keep most of my comments close to the Tri-Cities vest. But she did bring up Meson Sabika in Naperville; a place she says recently was ranked by a food magazine as one of the top 100 in the country for al fresco dining.

Another local that has been a favorite for years, Salerno's on the Fox in St. Charles, sent a note out to patrons that its outdoor patio would not be open this year.

Bad weather in June and a lack of staff were cited as the reasons for the patio to take off a summer. My preference has always been to dine inside at Salerno's anyway. It still provides a nice view of the river.

Doughnuts debate:

When a Geneva City Council committee approved a plan to provide Dunkin' Donuts with some incentives to take over an abandoned gas station spot at 2016 E. State St., some residents wondered why a major franchise would get such attention, while some small shops in town never get that sort of treatment.

Well, it's a question that needs to be reversed. Would a small entrepreneur of any type of business offer to take over that spot and rebuild on it? Not likely.

It's a significant commitment, one that a startup couldn't back up - even with incentives to do something on a corner that a gas station left years ago and Geneva has been wondering if it would ever have a retail business there again.

The Fresh Donuts shop at 1188 E. State St. has expressed concern about Dunkin' Donuts possibly opening nearby.

I'm thinking those folks likely don't have to worry too much. If people like their coffee and doughnuts, they will continue to stop there.

Dunkin' Donuts and Dimples Donuts have coexisted in both St. Charles and Batavia just fine, it seems.

Watch the bats:

They are fascinating creatures, but don't bats give most of us the creeps?

Still, with some folks who know what to watch for and why, a "Bat Watch" at the Creek Bend Nature Center in LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles could be interesting and educational.

Those interested in this free event can meet at the center around 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 7 for the hour of bat watching.

The idea is that these critters leave their daytime resting spots around dusk and head into the woods for the night.

The Kane County Forest Preserve asks for advanced registration for this event by calling (630) 444-3190 or by sending an email to programs@kaneforest.com.

dheun@sbcglobal.net