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| - A solid two stars, yes!
First of all, I'll say the taste of the food is pretty good. The quality of the food and drink was above average. The popcorn presented when we arrived was nicely flavored with spices, but came in a rather small tin. We began with two cocktails which were delicious, but for the area, were either too small, or overpriced. Thus began the battle of the perceptions in regards to overpriced versus tiny portions.
We did not have appetizers because in my mind, they were a little pricey. Deviled eggs for $1.00 each? Ok, I get it, these are local eggs. But half of an egg with a little mayo and some flavoring mixed into the yolk for $1.00? Nope, still expensive. Fries for $4.00? Nope, not for this guy. Besides, Illinois isn't know for their potato harvests. $9.00 for a mixed greens salad? How about make that salad plural and give us a couple of them for that price?
Moving on, I wanted to try the famous "Tavern Burger." However, at 7:45 p.m., in a restaurant which wasn't packed out, they were out for the evening. Really? Hmmm, how strange. You mean the cheapest choice for dinner, the one item which was mentioned in the newspaper and was considered your house specialty, and, worth mentioning again, your CHEAPEST dinner choice, was out so early? How very strange... I guess that meant I would have to choose a more expensive option. (And, incidentally, our server told us you made it fresh every day. So, why didn't you just whip up a little more of the mix? Or, does the bison truck come very morning?)
We chose the Trout and the Pork Loin. First, the portion sizes were tiny. For the price of the trout, we expected at least half of a small trout for $18.00. What we got was about 1/3 to 1/2 of a side of a small trout. As for the pork, we received what amounted to about a 3 oz. portion. Now, I understand it's local. But, and I'm saying this as a consumer and a cook, pork is not expensive. There is no grocery store in Champaign where you can go and find any cut of pork out pricing Beef. And, the accompaniments, the turnips, chicory and cornbread were nice, tasty and well presented, were cool and not substantial. The pork, for the price, should have been at least twice the size, and even this would have made the price extravagant.
We shared a bottle of white wine from the menu, the wine selection being very good by the way, and also had dessert. I had the Ice Cream Sandwich (which should have been slightly warmed so as to not have been served rock hard), and my guest had the Pot de Crème. Both were delicious!
Overall, I believe our bill totaled more than $140.00. Can you believe it? $140.00 for two cocktails, one bottle of white wine which retailed for about $13.00, two main dishes and two desserts. Fine for Haute Cuisine, not fine for a tavern.
We found the service to be just about perfect, as our server was attentive and respectful of both our needs and our privacy.
The atmosphere is great in this place. The food is good, but not great. With the expanding options in the area, especially the great options across the street, there is little to nothing to draw me back to this establishment.
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