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| - If its TL;DR: Great food, great drinks, great service.
I've gone to Desthil a few times, and I'm consistently impressed by their food and attention to detail.
Once, I sat at the bar with my dad, just there for drinks; bartender was great, amiable and had suggestions when we knew what we liked and wanted recommendations. Their heffeweissen is really excellent. The apricot brew actually tastes like apricot; I tend to like fruity beers, and this one stood out to me. Their cocktails are also really, really good. I had the sake lemon drop and was not disappointed.
Appetizers: Hands down, no contest, their beer-battered asparagus takes the gold. Its a lighter batter, more like a very gentle tempura than a "fried chicken" type fry. The honey-whatever sauce they serve with it is incredible, and they serve a grilled lemon with it that you probably aren't supposed to eat but tastes like candy so do it anyways. The shrimp ceviche is nothing to write home about.
The shrimp skewers entree was tasty and well seasoned, but if you came with a big appetite, it might not be the choice for you. Their portions (one of the things I like most about Desthil) are reasonable and not out of this world for most of the main dishes. My boyfriend wasn't totally full when he left, but comfortable. The thai steak salad is incredible! I like a little spice, and this definitely had that! It's not big, but its delicious. Their pizzas are also fabulous, if a little salty. You can't complain that they underseason like some places in downtown Champaign. The seabass dish (I think it was a special) was definitely worth it. They do their cubans right; their mustard is homemade I think and really rounds it out.
Overall, loved it. Decently priced for what you get, and you get a great night out!
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