White Chocolate Grill Launches ‘WCG Cooks’ Cooking Show with Pumpkin Cheesecake in Naperville

If you were at the White Chocolate Grill on October 21st, it may have looked a bit like Food Network was invading the kitchen.  Though it wasn’t Food Network, the White Chocolate Grill began production of a new online cooking show, WCG Cooks, filming during the dinner rush at its Naperville location.  What is the source of my inside information?  The answer is my new firm, Social Frequency Media Communications, produced the first two episodes.

The series, which features WCG Executive Chef, Robert Kabakoff, and Chef/Owner Bobby Fitzgerald, takes viewers behind-the-scenes into the WCG kitchen to celebrate great food, explore ingredients,  see how menu favorites are prepared and to learn great tasting recipes you can replicate at home.  Episode one focuses on a refreshing spin on a seasonal favorite, Pumpkin Cheesecake.  Hungry yet?  You can experience episode one below.

Another benefit of producing these first two episodes is being able to sample the finished product and let me say WCG’s Pumpkin Cheesecake is amazing.  But you don’t have to produce a cooking show to try this Pumpkin Cheesecake, just head on over to the White Chocolate Grill Naperville for a slice.  SM

The Tale of a Perfect Date Night in Naperville, Complete with a Little Joy Yee and Tutto Dolce

As any of you with a young family will attest, it is truly a rare occasion when the planets align with the stars and moon to offer an evening window for a simple old-fashioned date, free of chicken tenders, plastic kid’s cups, broken crayons and other unexpected outbursts of fatigue-induced pint-size drama.  Simply put, date nights for husbands and wives make us much better moms and dads. 

With the Labor Day Weekend in full “Fling”, one such opportunity presented itself last evening.  Now your first assumption would be that we headed into Downtown Naperville for Last Fling, right?…BZZZZZZ… wrong!  While it was a tempting thought to walk along hand-in-hand amidst the twinkling lights of carnival midway and smell of powder-smothered funnel cakes riding upon the gentle September breeze, we opted to go a different direction all together in branching out to try somewhere entirely new… well at least new to us.

As you may recall, we moved to South Naperville last year and its now easy to understand the geographic divide between North and South given the route and commute times.  Nonetheless, the movie we wanted to see, 500 Days of Summer, was at AMC Cantera so we decided to head somewhere on the Northeast side of Naperville.  The choice was easy as I’d been wanting to go to Joy Yee’s Noodles, well, for about 4 years now. 

Located in Iroquois Center just west of Naper Blvd, Joy Yee’s Noodles lives up to its authentic pan-asian experience which I first learned about from WTTTW’ Check Please program ( click here to see the WTTW Check, Please video on Joy Yee’s location in Chinatown).  We headed over about 6:30 PM thinking that it would be a quiet Sunday evening.  To the contrary, as we pulled up we saw a crowd out front carefully examining over-sized menus.  Had the kids been in tow, we may have kept driving… but hey, this was date night and the world was our oyster… if only for a couple of hours.

Speaking of “pearls”, I will confess that I love fresh fruit smoothie/freeze drinks loaded with those large black tapioca pearls and completed with one extra-wide straw.  At Joy Yee’s, these drinks are a main event as the first thing you see when you walk in is the the wall of fresh fruits and the drink assembly station.  Though the place was packed, we were warmly greeted by the host and a bit surprised when he said the wait would be around 10 minutes.  He was right and soon we were seated among the sea of tapioca fruit freeze slurping humanity. 

The place was crowded and tables were packed close together, but I really liked this fact as it added to the charm of walking into the door of a Naperville restaurant that truly transports you to Chinatown.  Even more, the closer you are seated to others, the easier it is to quickly eyeball the dishes being served up as the commitment-averse should beware, Joy Yee’s menu is a bit mind-boggling with its wide assortment Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese and a touch of Chineese culinary offerings.

We started with, of course, a couple of fruit freeze drinks.   Mine was Strawberry and Lychee with a nice gob of tapioca pearls and my wife’s a Mango and Lychee minus the gelatinous chewy wonders.  My wife spent a number of weeks in China when she was in high school, which is where she developed a fond affection for the exotic tree-fruit lychee.  Perhaps the best part is that Joy Yee not only offers  quality and selection when it comes to the ”bubble” fruit freezes, but their prices in the $3.50 – $4.o0 range is great.  This should be a lesson to the other Asian restaurants in town that offer the same tapioca fruit smoothie drinks for $5.00 and up… and you know who you are.   

As we emerged from our disoriented menu-scanning haze, we were actually more confused than when we first opened the epic volume.  Knowing that we wanted to try a dish that we had never eaten before, we went with our gut instinct which was telling us a relentless blast of hunger was closing in on us, which drove us back to the first thing that caught our eye.  For me, it was the Spicy Korean Pork served on a hot plate and for my wife… well, it was a pot full of rice, beef, cabbage, hot sauce, onions and fried egg on top.  Both dishes were absolutely delicious and only got better as the flavors continued to combine before our eyes once the food reached the table. 

One word of caution, the innocent benign-looking slivers of dark green peppers hanging out on the spicy pork hot plate like a peaceful Friday night at the “Gas-n-Sip” are, in fact, sleeping volcanic daggers of tongue-numbing, head-melting shock waves which burn slowly through your mouth up to the top of your head like a slow-burning explosives fuse.   Once the cute little pepper has you in its merciless clutches, your only choice is to ride out its fury and hope the table next to you doesn’t spot the shower of sweat cascading off your sizzling forehead.

Despite my lapse in judgment as the other peppers on the plate mocked my foolishness for eating their little green cousin, the meal was absolutely delightful leaving us in antipation of our next trip to Joy Yee’s.  The good news continued when we received our bill, which was under $30… including our towering fresh fruit freezes.  A great all-around culinary and cultural experience, which left me lamenting the fact it has taken so long to check out Joy Yee’s. 

Upon emerging from the bright and colorful strip mall space into the crisp moonlit breeze, our only thought was to make the walk to our car as long as possible to “burn” a few minutes as we were still early for our movie time.  Two doors down from Joy Yee’s, we discovered another unexpectedly delightful experience in Tutto Dolce Gelato.  I mentioned to my wife that it might be nice to have something to cleanse the pallet as she said, “what, the giant fruit freeze wasn’t enough?”.   A point well taken, but still we had time to kill and I love checking out new Naperville spots. 

Now I’ve had gelato locally and in Europe which leaves me a bit spoiled, but Tutto Dolce really impressed me in its quality and variety.  The other factor that really impressed me was the service as the owner was more than happy to patiently serve as our host in providing samples from one end of the freezer case to the other.  We talked about the gelato-making process and the fact his humble-yet-affordable strip mall location enables him to spend more money on quality ingredients.  You can see the passion and creativity in Tutto Dolce, which we were told has been around a for a while, but recently changed ownership. 

If you aren’t familiar with gelato, allow me to give you two great reasons to give it a try.  First, it’s less fattening than regular ice cream or custard and, second, it is smoother, creamier and more flavorful in my estimation.  While we were told that Blood Orange is their best-seller, my heart found its home with the Chocolate Orange.  It’s almost like eating the chilled center of a chocolate truffle with a touch of orange citrus.  Is there a better combination?  Tutto Dolce has one full case of fruit-based gelatos and another entirely consisting of new spins on familiar favorites, such as French Vanilla, Coffee, Chocolate and Banana.  For these reasons and more, I can only rave about Tutto Dolce and will be back very very soon.  This is a gem which is deserving of our local support and enjoyment. 

The evening would have been a wonderful success even if it had ended there, but we proceeded to Cantera and really enjoyed 500 Days of Summer… a great date movie which can be truly enjoyed by those of us who are much further down life’s path than the film’s characters, but at the same time remember the trials and tribulations of finding and falling in love.  In a way, a special date night like this one is almost like falling in love all over again as we pause to cherish and reminisce about the past and look toward the future.  All too soon, we were pulling our carriage back into the garage as it returned to the more familiar form the family car, complete with booster seats, matchbox cars and coloring books in the backseat.  SM    

Photos of White Chocolate Grill’s Bobby Fitzgerald on Regis and Kelly

Today was White Chocolate Grill Chef-Owner Bobby Fitzgerald’s big day in the national media spotlight as he appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly… uh, actually… Live with Regis and William Shatner as Kelly was apparently on vacation.

Based on his video submission (two posts below) of the White Chocolate Grill’s hardwood grilled Citrus Soy Glazed Salmon, he was selected as the winner of this week’s “Ultimate Hometown Grill Off”. 

 

 

I connected with Bobby briefly earlier this week and he was clearly very excited about this opportunity.  Of course, if you saw the segment it was easy to see that he felt right at home and handled it like a seasoned pro.

Congratulations again Bobby.  For the rest of my Naperville readers, if you are wondering what all the hype is about, why not head over to White Chocolate Grill in Freedom Commons (off Diehl Rd.) this weekend and find out for yourself.

It’s Official… Bobby Fitzgerald, Chef-Owner of White Chocolate Grill, to Appear on Regis and Kelly

A quick footnote to my posting below, it’s official… Bobby Fitzgerald, Chef Owner of White Chocolate Grill, will be featured on Live with Regis and Kelly tomorrow, Friday, June 26th.  Congrats Bobby, I can’t think of anyone more deserving.  If you would like to sample his winning hardwood grilled Citrus-Soy Salmon recipe, head on over to White Chocolate Grill.  SM

DOUBLE FEATURE – Bobby Fitzgerald of White Chocolate Grill Vying for Regis and Kelly Appearance AND Newest Chicagoland Apple Store to Open Doors in Dowtown Naperville

As summer has abruptly heated up over the last couple of days, so has the pipeline of World of Naperville postings.  There were two big pieces of news I wanted to get out and wasn’t sure which to post first, so I decided to post both as a first-ever World of Naperville Double Feature.

First, with fingers crossed, an overdue congratulations to White Chocolate Grill Chef-Owner Bobby Fitzgerald on being a finalist in a recipe contest which could land him a special appearance on Live with Regis & Kelly later on this week.  If you haven’t eaten at the Naperville White Chocolate Grill, what are you waiting for?  Get over to Freedom Commons now for one of the most unique culinary experiences Naperville has to offer. 

I’ve gotten to know Bobby over the past year and have to say that I think I’ve met my match in terms of energy, vision and goals for one lifetime.  At an age not far from my own, he’s really making his mark and is on the rise in the U.S. restaurant industry.  Below is a sneak peek at the video submission in which Bobby manages to get upstaged by his adorable “chef apprentice” daughter. 

My second post is regarding what I personally find as one of the most exciting new business announcements for Downtown Naperville.  First, allow me to premise what I’m about to say by reiterating that I’m generally not a big fan of national chain retailers taking up space in Downtown; however, this one is a big exception on a personal level. 

The final renovations are nearly complete as Apple will be giving Naperville it’s very own Apple Retail Store which will be located in the former Sharper Image space on Jefferson Ave. just west of Main Street. 

As you can see, in celebration I’ve proudly posted a photo of my own Mac G5 tower  to the right.  Perhaps it’s a “Mac thing” but the great value of Apple Retail Stores is not merely the fact you buy Apple products, such as Power Macs, iMacs, iPods, and of course iPhones, but most importantly the on-site training which is typically provided at each store.  Needless to say, I’m always looking to expand my knowledge of Apple and related products and software. 

I don’t have a firm date, but I believe I heard the Naperville Apple Store will open its doors sometime in August.  SM

Support Your Favorite Local Naperville Restaurant PLUS My Open Offer to Restauranteurs

Looking around town these days, it has become clear that if you have a favorite Naperville restaurant that you love, it’s important to support them in these tough economic times.  Our restaurant community is doing everything it can to help you stretch your dollars further and if we are to continue to enjoy such a vibrant dining scene, we need to reciprocate in helping them keep their doors open through these tough times.

There are plenty of good deals for the taking.  For instance, my family and I headed over to Gematos Wood Pit BBQ tonight for a quick impromptu dinner and discovered a special offer on their world class ribs on Monday and Tuesday nights… $9.99 for a half-slab dinner and $15.99 for a full-slab, both of which include choice of potato as well as cole slaw or beans.  Of course, those wonderful wood pit aromas are always free. 

Now, here’s an open challenge to all Naperville restauranteurs out there from the World of Naperville.  If you are looking for a way to extend special exclusive hunger stimulus offers to Naperville residents I will help you promote them via the World of Naperville for free.  Two catches:

1)  The special deal must be exclusive to World of Naperville readers and be offered for a limited time only. 

2) The restaurant owner or general manager must contact me directly at worldofnaperville@yahoo.com.  In other words, no PR firm representatives or agencies.  This is my offer to you as a restauranteur.

Now get out there everyone and help keep your favorite Naperville restaurants open.  SM    

“Check Please” Naperville – A Review of Pizza Fusion

I’m sitting here watching what has been one of my favorite shows dating back to my years living in Chicago… WTTW’s ”Check Please“.  As suburbanites, we are usually on the receiving end of the joke when it comes to foodie oratory about their favorite haute haunts.  However, I was very proud to see that one of our trademark “Downtown Naperville Welcomes You” signs has made it’s way into the opening sequence of the show.  We’ve officially arrived on the Chicagoland map as a dining destination!  Of course, we Napervillians have known this for a while now. 

Speaking of dining in Naperville, after finishing a late evening baseball practice the other night, we grabbed the family of one of my son’s teammates and headed over to the recently opened Pizza Fusion at the new Whole Foods shopping center at 75th Street near Rt. 59.  We were all feeling a little crazy with hunger and looked forward to some nice post-practice pizza.  Even more, I’m always on the hunt for new types of pizza.

One only needs to see the reserved parking spaces for energy efficient cars to get the hint that Pizza Fusion is all about organic earth friendly food.  Feeling very environmentally aware, our starving caravan streamed through the front door to discover a wonderful aroma amidst the combination of a no frills pizza shop matched by a bar and small dining room.  You can peer right back into the kitchen to see a rather interesting rounded spinning pizza oven.

There is definitely a commitment to organic ingredients ranging from the pizza to the organic brews.  Despite a host of appetizer and salad offerings, this place is about the main event… Pizza!

The thin-crust pies come in an indivdiual (4 oblong pieces) and a large torpedo shaped pizza.  Ingredients range from the usual suspects which will make the kids happy to a little more refined toppings, such as goat cheese and sun-dried tomatos.  Crusts include white, whole-wheat and gluten-free offerings.  Prices for pizzas range from $7 – $18 

I’ll have to say the prices are pushing the envelope just a little for what Pizza Fusion offers.  I was worried the pizzas would be thin and skimpy, thus leaving the natives wanting more.  However, the combination of rich flavors more than made up for their misleading appearance.  The sauce was fresh and sweet combined with a delicous blend of mozzarella and provolone cheeses. 

You are definitely paying for higher quality ingredients; however, if you are looking to fill lots of hungry bellys with pizza on a budget, perhaps you might want to steer your energy efficient vehicle to the always scorching hot-and-ready oven simmered lower grade pizza joints around town.  Of course, don’t forget to pick up some antacids on your way there.   

As for me, I was very satisfied that Naperville now has another excellent pizza option which transcends the standard Chicago thin and deep dish.  If you are craving delicious pizza with environmental purpose, head on over to Pizza Fusion for a new experience.  They are located on W. 75th St. and Beebe Dr. just 1 block east of Route 59.  SM

A Review of Morton’s Steakhouse in Naperville’s Freedom Commons – Great Food, Great Service and a Great Big Check

It’s taken a while, but I finally headed over to the new Morton’s Steakhouse in Naperville for dinner with an industry friend last night.  As we all know, Morton’s is a well-established company-owned chain steakhouse traded publicly on the NYSE; however, their business model is far-reaching in terms of the high-end quality you would expect to find in big city gem of a steakhouse. 

I’ll have to admit, this technically wasn’t my first visit to Morton’s Naperville.  I first walked through the non-descript door into Morton’s within the first week of their opening.  My wife and I had headed out to Freedom Common’s on date night for a meal at White Chocolate Grill and the wait was hefty.  I decided to walk over to Morton’s to see how they were looking in terms of wait time.  Upon arriving within the interior of the lightly crowded restaurant, I approached the host desk near the bar and inquired about the wait time.  The hostess asked me if I had a reservation and upon saying no she said in an almost arrogant tone that she might be able to get me a table at 9:30 PM, which was just over a three hour wait.  Needless to say, the one hour wait at White Chocolate Grill was no match for Morton’s whopping surprise.

Nonetheless, I chalked the experience up to the first week opening and vowed to wait a while before giving Morton’s a try.  Last night was the night.  This time around, I lined up a reservation through Open Table for 6:30 PM. 

I arrived once again in the interior of the restaurant from the tiny awkward hallway, yet this time was different.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, was extremely friendly.  My friend had already arrived and was finishing a drink at the bar.  Though I didn’t even sit down, the bartender was extremely friendly and obviously skilled in the art of respectful customer-centric small talk.  We headed over to the host desk, provided the name on the reservation and was immediately ushered over to the Maitre D. 

We were seated and our server, Cydni, gave us a few moments to settle in before heading over.  It’s clear Morton’s does not want to make you feel rushed, which always improves any dining experience.  Our drink order was taken and I decided on the split of Piper Heidsieck champgane, which was perfectly chilled and quickly transferred into a chilled champagne flute.  Despite my love for champagne, I’m not typically a huge fan of champagne splits for the abuse the little bottles often go through; however, at first taste this one had been taken good care of.  Storage temperature and handling can have a huge impact on any size bottle of champagne or sparkling wine.

Our server wheeled the standard cart of displayed meat and seafood to our table for a quick feast of the eyes.  Only prime-aged beef makes the cut at Morton’s and the portions range from a large 16 oz. Ribeye to a whopping 48 oz. Porterhouse.  A large dazed lobster moved slowly on a platter as well as the biggest tuna filet I had ever seen served in a restaurant.  Only after the eyeball feast and lengthy monologue from our server did we finally receive the menu.  There’s a good reason for this ceremonial chronology.  If you are among the masses who suffer from sticker shock at the gas stations these days, stay away from a Morton’s menu. 

The only thing higher than the obvious quality of the food at Morton’s is their menu prices.  I settled on the 16 oz. boneless ribeye at $39.50 versus the $48 bone-in ribeye which weighs in at 24 ounces.  Keeping in upscale steakhouse tradition, that was of course only for the hunk of beef.  I started with the tuna tartare ringing up at around $16.  Finally, as a side dish, I chose the $10.50 gourmet mac-n-cheese. 

Before you get the wrong impression, let me say that every last bite of everything I ordered was absolutely decadent.  As a matter of fact, I’d put the perfectly cooked and seasoned steak in my personal top 5 of all time, competing with steaks I’d enjoyed in cities ranging from Austin, TX to Paris, FR.  The mac-n-cheese was rich and comprised of a high quality cheese blend.  The only minor complaint I would have is the tuna tartare, while good, did not quite live up to what I had hoped.  The top round layer was symmetrical hunks of tuna, followed by a layer of avocado and then on to what I thought was another layer of tuna, but was actually a layer of tomato.  The plate was drizzled with a duet of what appeared to be a spicy mayo and a soy sauce variation.

There was no room for dessert and I would recommend if you want to take advantage of their baked-to-order desserts, then go to Morton’s for dessert only or perhaps appetizers and desserts. 

Again, the service was reminiscient of being at a Ritz-Carlton and our server paused on a number of occaisions for conversation which my friend had initiated.  There was even a moment where she had to grab something for another table, but calmly and quietly pivoted to another server and whispered what the table had needed for him to retrieve for her as she barely skipping a beat in the conversation.

One final constructive criticism.  The parking at Freedom Commons during the dinner hours is a nightmare when combining the rush at White Chocolate Grill, Maggianos and Mortons.  I slightly resent that the two rows of parking immediately in front of the restaurant are reserved for Morton’s valet parking which left me parking quite a distance from the restaurant entrance.  At the end of the day, Freedom Commons is essentially an upscale strip mall and I would argue whether you really need to provide valet parking.  As much as I’m sure they enjoyed leaving the Bentley coupe out front with cones around it, I simply believe valet parking isn’t necessary and actually looks a bit silly in the small narrow parking lot.  

So, the sum analysis?  Go to Morton’s with allot of money in pocket and expect to be treated and fed like royalty.  It’s amazing that a chain restaurant can maintain such a high-level of service and quality.  While you might feel a little guilty when the bill arrives, the overall experience will leave you feeling it was well worth it.   SM

Kosta’s Mediterranean Cafe Brings Greek Flavor and Homemade Gyros to South Naperville

Let me first of all say that my wife is passionate about Greek food.  Because of her love for the Mediterranean flavor, I have fallen head of heels in like with Greek food.  Tazaiki, humus, saganaki, spanakotiropita, ke-bobs and, of course, the gastronomic gut-buster staple… gyros.

As my readers may recall, we recently moved from North of 75th Street into South Naperville.  As a result, we have been discovering all sorts of new dining options which previously were a bit too far to drive for hunger satisfaction.  While I will confess that I generally don’t like strip malls, Naperville is full of surprising culinary gems which have taken advantage of more affordable rent options within the seemingly endless inventory of strip malls. 

One terrific example on the Greek side which we not only recently discovered, but has only been open for 11 months in South Naperville, is Kosta’s Mediterranean Cafe.  Though Kosta’s is new to Naperville, one look at the wall upon entering the strip mall space near 95th and Rt. 59 will serve as notice that Kosta’s Greek food is a Milwaukee legend dating back a few decades. 

The owner, I presume Mr. Kosta, can be found circulating around the restaurant and is certainly a match to the multiple brownish newspaper clipping pictures hanging on the wall documenting the history Kosta’s restaurant. 

I’ll have to say my only disappointment is the fact the owner never came over to say hello to me and wife despite the fact we were only one of two tables occupied for the weekday lunch hour last Monday.  As I’ve mentioned in the past to restaurant owners around Naperville… this is a big opportunity to secure loyal clientele.  Just drop by and say hello, tell us a little about your story and ask what we thought of the experience.  It’s so easy and powerful, yet for some reason it seems to most often be overlooked lately (see my reviews on Kiku and Macarena’s).

Nonetheless, Mr. Kosta has rightfully earned his reputation on the quality of his Greek food.  I’ve been to far more upscale Greek restaurants where the food was no match for what we received in this understated white table cloth strip mall space.  Simply put, the food at Kosta’s is unexpectedly great. 

First, the spanakotiropita was rich in flavor and melted in our mouth.  The appetizer portion was very generous leaving me wondering whether or not there would be room to appreciate the entree.  

Though I typically don’t opt for gyros at a proper sit-down Greek restaurant, for some reason they were calling out to me on this particular day.  I’m glad they did as I had the rare opportunity to experience something you can’t get at most of the sinful gyro joints in the Chicagoland area… homemade gyro meat.  First, it had a fresh mild flavor and thankfully lacked the sodium packed punch of the industry rods of gyro you find at most fast-food greek/gyro restaurants.  Though a milder departure at first, each bite gave me a newfound appreciation for the meat product.  The Tzaziki was second to none in freshness and flavor.

My wife went for the Chicken Shish Ke-bobs, which I’ve learned to avoid mainly because I’ve found they often look better than they tase.  In the case of Kosta’s, I’m not sure how their kitchen is equipped, but the chicken was richly seasoned and juicy with just the right punch of charbroil flavor.  The rice was perfectly seasoned and savory. 

If lunch is any indication, I look forward to returning to Kosta’s for dinner to take advantage of the many other dishes which were far too overwhelming for lunch.  Service was friendly enough, but again a slow lunch hour is such a great opportunity to win the hearts of new faces which wander into your restaurant.  One note I will make, a father and his toddler in a stroller walked in and asked if he might get some water in his son’s sippy cup and Mr. Kosta was more than happy to help out the father and his child despite the fact they had no intention of grabbing a bite to eat.   

I hope the Kosta’s tradition remains alive for a long time in Naperville.  I also look forward to meeting Mr. Kosta at some point as I’m sure he has some interesting stories to tell.  Regardless of which side of Naperville you live on, I encourage everyone to take advantage of this modest taste of the Mediterranean in South Naperville.  A footnote, they also sell their gyro meat by the pound.  SM 

Kosta’s is located at 3124 South Route 59 in Naperville.  Their phone number is 630-922-8760.    

A Review of White Chocolate Grill… Naperville’s Newest Restaurant Addition in Freedom Commons

 Freedom Commons has recently sprung to life near Diehl Rd. and Naperville Rd. and for any of you who don’t often venture up in that direction, it almost has a Brigadoon-esque quality in they way it just seemed to appear from nowhere.

Anyway, last night I had plans to meet an industry colleague for dinner and I suggested the White Chocolate Grill, which is located within the new Freedom Commons center.  First of all, as my readers may have observed, I like to try new restaurants right out of the box.  Secondly, as soon as I heard their culinary style revolves around oak wood-fire grilled foods, I couldn’t resist. 

The name “White Chocoloate Grill” is a bit misleading given the fact there are only a handful of desserts on the menu, though each incorporates white chocolate.  One thing I can appreciate right away is the fact the dessert menu is located in the immediate upper left-hand corner of the first page of the menu, typically where you would find starters and appetizers.   This serves as a cue to order carefully to preserve precious room for their signature white chocolate indulgences.

As you approach the front revolving door, two things you notice is an outdoor clear fireplace blazing alongside outdoor seating and then the glorious aroma of burning oak wood.  Of all the woods which are used in cooking, oak is by far my personal favorite.  I grew up on hickory smoked bbq and have dabbled in applewood, pecan wood and even peach wood, but oak has a particularly rich and indulgent earthy aroma which permeates foods with its flavor.  Anyone who has spent any amount of time at Disney World, particularly the EPCOT resort area, will find the aroma of oak-fired grilling quite familiar in restaurants ranging from the Flying Fish Cafe on the Disney Boardwalk to the Yachtsman Steakhouse over at the Disney Yacht Club.

To enter the restaurant, you pass through a revolving door which instantly transports you from the suburban/I-88 grind into a darkened world of casual sophistication which you most likely won’t be expecting.  I was in for an early dinner around 6:00 pm and given the fact it was still quite sunny out I was completely blind when I walked deeper into the blackened restaurant.  Since I was meeting a friend driving out from the city, I knew he would likely be running a few minutes late as city-dwellers tend to struggle in calculating the suburban I-88 corridor traffic times during rush hour.  Thus, I asked the hostess for the location of the restroom and she directed me around the immediate corner.  When I turned the corner it was so dark I stumbled completely blind feeling my way around in search of the correct door.  Don’t get me wrong, the space is absolutely glorious with the rich aroma of new leather booths to accompany the oak wood scents; however, if you come in from the direct sunlight, give your eyes a couple of minutes to adjust.  I finally found the proper door for the mens restaurant and burst into repressed laughter as I felt around trying to determine how to the open the door.  For those who might be wondering, there is a long slender handle near the right edge of the door and you pull rather than push.

Once I successfully navigated my way back out to the small waiting area, I took my place on the lone leather couch.  Once you get further into the restaurant, you realize why there is such a small waiting area with space for only three people to sit down.  The bar area is long and spacious with the visually alluring glow of perfectly arranged backlit liquor bottles selected for the color of the glass and contents.

My friend arrived and we were seated at a leather booth/table combo in the bar area.  When I initially walked into the restaurant I was reminded of the first time I hit the South Beach dining scene feeling grossly under-dressed.  White Chocolate Grill is a place where you want to arrive with a clothing ensemble that might just kick up the trendy notch a bit… especially if you are planning to join the weekend dinner crowd.  Nonetheless, as we were ushered to our table, I observed that I was not the only one who was looking as though he was just a bit out-of-place.  If you are planning a visit and wondering what to wear, you cannot go wrong dressing in black in this place.  If you become an adoring White Chocolate Grill regular, you just might be able to talk them into giving you one of their signature shiny WCG belt buckles.

You might be interested to know that Naperville is only White Chocolate Grill’s third location, joining their Las Vegas and Scottsdale, Arizona installments… which explains the interior design tones.  As a side note, I do get a kick out of reading airline magazines these days as there are a number of small upscale chain restaurants which proudly boast their locations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami Beach and Naperville…. yes Naperville. 

Anyway, on to the main event… the food.  The straight-forward menu again beings with desserts which are all priced at $7.50… more on the white chocolate banana creme pie to come.  Next are the starters consisting of an eclectic array of offerings ranging from chicken tortilla soup to seared ahi tuna.  Starter prices range from $6 – $12.  Salads, which seem to provide a middle ground between starters and entrees will cost you between $9 – $15.  Next, you can tell White Chocolate Grill Naperville is banking on the lunch crowds with a host of sandwiches and burgers which seem natural candidates for a nice sizzling belly-flop on a wood-fired grill.  The main event, WCG’s wood-fired specialties, provide a nice range of meat, chicken and unusual fish offerings which peaks your curiosity as to how these sorted suspects would taste all dressed up in their upscale oak wood grilled flavor.  The wood-fired specialties run from $16 – $30.

I started with the seared sesame ahi tuna which arrived in a wasabi, ginger and soy dressing atop a bed of chopped cabbage.  The tuna had a wondrously dark rich red color to it which speaks quality.  The combination of the continually blending flavor of the dressing with the cabbage kept me from putting my chop sticks down even after finishing the last pieces of fish. 

For dinner, I had the 12 oz. Balsamic infused Ribeye.  If you’ve read my previous restaurant reviews and food commentary, you know how I feel about Ribeye steak.  The cut of meat was ample with a nice balance of marbling and great flavor.  The steak was drizzled with what appeared to be a balsamic reduction.  The steak carried a nice hint of the wood-grilled flavor but I would have liked a big stronger presence.  Of course, my strong preference for rare steaks gives the meat very little “face-time” with those glorious blazing embers, thus it’s tough to infuse the oak flavor in such a short time.  Overall, it was still quite delicious and, in my mind, a great deal at $24 which includes a side order and a generous side of fresh cut tomatos drizzled in balsamic.  I look forward to future trips to sample their other offerings. 

For dessert, it was a no-brainer to go for the white chocolate banana cream pie, though our waitress recommended the white chocolate bread pudding and the apple pie.  I had high hopes, especially once the plate arrived at the table carrying a personal grahm-cracker crust shell, packed with the banana cream-filling and piled high with whip cream and large thin shavings of… you guessed it… white chocolate.  Despite the visual presentation and anticipation, the experience plummeted downhill faster than a bobsled on fresh ice upon the first taste.  To my astonishment, the pie literally had no flavor whatsoever.  At first, I thought it was just my taste buds and took a drink of water to cleanse my pallete.  The second bite was identical to the first and I couldn’t figure for the life of me how something that looked so indulgent could taste almost as bland as water.  My conclusion was that someone had to have missed an ingredient or botched the recipe.  Even the flavor of the banana slices were masked in the cream filling which had specks suggesting some attempt at incorporating the rich flavor of vanilla bean.  Nonetheless, the dessert won’t scare me away from another visit despite the irony given the fact the restaurant is called the White Chocolate Grill.

I found the service very friendly as everyone was really trying hard to make a good first impression almost to the point they seemed a little nervous… but that’s pretty typical with the opening week jitters while everyone is still learning the system and overall “choreography” of service.  The effort and desire was definitely there and I believe outstanding service experiences will soon be a buzzworthy standard for WCG.  

Two additional side notes worth mentioning, White Chocolate Grill throws an intersting curve in offering Israeli Couscous as a standard side along with the usual suspects of mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and french fries.  Additionally, I couldn’t help but notice that their limited wine list is rather inconsistent with boastful size and design of their bar.  

Despite a couple of very minor shortcomings, I strongly recommend getting out and giving the Naperville installment of the White Chocolate Grill a try for it’s unique oak wood-grilled aromas and flavors.  Don’t let the name “White Chocolate” throw you as the true draw of this restaurant, in my estimation, is the wood-grilled wonders which have little or nothing to do with confections.

White Chocolate Grill is located at 1803 Freedom Drive just off of Diehl Road near Naperville Road.  Their phone number is 630-505-8300.  To learn more, drop by their website at www.whitechocolategrill.com .  SM