Bacaro is a restaurant that I would reserve for a special occasion....or just to treat yourself to something a little different. My favorite is the Market Monday prix fixe menu with ingredients selected from the saturday farmers market. to go from fresh local ingredients on saturday morning to a full 5 course meal and wine pairings by monday night is pretty spectacular. The last couple market night meals that i have been to have been around 40 dollars, and for an additional 25, you can get some awesome wines (highly recommended). The courses are so elegantly prepared with amazing presentation and you won't go home hungry. I've noticed the dishes are a little too salty for my taste... actually, they're consistently salty to me (but then again this is coming from someone who barely ever salts their food) but i think you can get around it by indulging less in the amazing sauces. and the desserts-- so delicious. the desserts truly capture the seasons and the feel of the weather so perfectly. I honestly don't know a better way to start the week! if you have a bad case of the mondays, treat yourself to some bacaro. and your spirits will be lifted.
I have gone several times and enjoyed several of the menu items, and a few market nights (i hear they're introducing an occasional VEGETARIAN!!!! market menu!!) and i have never been disappointed. The service is great, and they are very attentive. Some servers are more knowledgeable about the wines and others know a little more about the food and preparation, but overall, they are a pleasant and fun to talk to group. If you ask them a question and they don't know the answer, they are probably equally curious to know the answer as well-- meaning they will find you an answer even if it means hounding the chef :-)
I think you definitely get what you pay for. and for a city like champaign, bacaro is definitely a lovely gem.