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![[Tender prime rib was part of the Geneva Restaurant Week menu at The Walrus Room.]
GENEVA – As unusual as its name is the romantic date night destination dubbed The Walrus Room, which is tucked away just off State Street in downtown Geneva.
Devoted to local sourcing for its supper club-inspired dinner fare, the restaurant pays whimsical visual homage to the oyster-eating Walrus from the "Alice in Wonderland" books.
Lighting is turned down to create a mellow ambience in the elegant room with interesting artistic focal points including scrimshaw walrus tusks.](c8292ff6-a7b9-4f12-a956-fd5d94f4d6da/image-pv_web.jpg)
[Tender prime rib was part of the Geneva Restaurant Week menu at The Walrus Room.]
GENEVA – As unusual as its name is the romantic date night destination dubbed The Walrus Room, which is tucked away just off State Street in downtown Geneva.
Devoted to local sourcing for its supper club-inspired dinner fare, the restaurant pays whimsical visual homage to the oyster-eating Walrus from the "Alice in Wonderland" books.
Lighting is turned down to create a mellow ambience in the elegant room with interesting artistic focal points including scrimshaw walrus tusks.
Candles flicker, and a light is trained on each table to showcase the starring attraction – the food. We had spotted the appealing menu highlighted during Geneva Restaurant Week and decided to pay our first visit.
Although it was a weeknight, the special prix-fixe, multicourse dinner for the promotion included prime rib as a choice, normally featured only on Saturdays.
But before the entrees, we couldn't resist the night's special starter: house-made, kettle chips served with drizzles of silky creme fraiche along with caviar from New York state. Definitely unusual, the dish was decadently delicious with generous dollops of caviar atop the crisp potatoes.
[Chicken pot pie in a flaky puff pastry is a comfort food treat.]
My dining companion couldn't resist ordering the regular menu's chicken pot pie, which arrived in a footed, mini tureen crowned with flaky puff pastry and garnished with microgreens. Calling it ideal comfort food on a wintry night, he enjoyed the shredded chicken and vegetables in a mildly savory veloute sauce. A vegetarian version also is available.
I opted for the Restaurant Week special and was torn between the prime rib and one of the restaurant's regular staples, the walleye. It's prepared as walleye meuniere, in a brown butter sauce, accented at The Walrus Room with lemon, caper and fennel salad. I opted for the beef.
My first course was a salad of deliciously fresh greens and radish in a luscious Asian dressing. Worthy of the White Rabbit was the greens-topped, long and slender carrot on top.
[The house salad at The Walrus Room pops with fresh flavors.]
The meal arrived with two sides, one being incredibly creamy whipped potatoes topped with a sprinkle of minced chive. The night's seasonal vegetables turned out to be a hearty melange of roasted Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and turnip in a duck confit dressing.
And the thick slice of prime rib covering my plate was a tender treat atop a flavorful sauce. A portion had to come home to leave room for the Chocolate Pot de Creme, a richly flavored custard reminiscent of a firm fudge.
Our server was attentive and knowledgeable. And when it came to selecting a wine and beer, she offered samples to insure we'd enjoy our picks.
[One of the specials offered as a starter features house-made kettle chips all dressed up with creme fraiche and caviar.]
Speaking of local, my dining companion found a great Penrose ale, brewed just a few blocks away.
The devotion to local sourcing is emphasized on the menu, which cites such purveyors as Renshaw Farm for out-of-this-world mushrooms from Batavia; Heritage Prairie Farm in Elburn; Osteria Bigolaro, FreshGround coffee roaster and Curds & Whey, a cheese and seafood shop, all in Geneva; and Blumen Gardens in Sycamore.
Graham's Fine Chocolates' ice cream is featured as a dessert option and in several dessert cocktails including The Mad Hatter, made with Creme de Menthe, Creme de Cacao, Fernet-Branca, Graham's Vanilla Ice Cream and Shaved Mint Chocolate.
Other desserts are caramel flan, lemon ricotta cake, creme brulee and bread pudding.
[A dessert of chocolate pot de creme lends a sweet finish.]
The eye-catching bar includes offerings from the Fox River Distilling Company in Geneva and a variety of elaborate, artisan cocktails.
On its website, The Walrus Room calls itself "a modern take on the classic Midwest supper club."
The menu tempts with items such as French Press French Onion featuring a 24-hour broth, local herbs, roasted onions; a relish tray with homemade relishes and spreads, cheeses and charcuterie; and Shrimp DeJonghe, a classic with garlic, sherry, butter and breadcrumbs.
In addition to a Prime French Dip Sandwich with blueberry horseradish sauce, onions, Swiss and fries, it offers scallops, lobster, a Friday Fish Fry and a Maple Leaf Farms duck with parsnip puree, cranberry gastrique, mushroom demi, roasted turnips and pearl onion confit.
[For sides, the seasonal vegetables featured roasted Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and turnip with duck confit dressing, accompanied by creamy whipped potatoes sprinkled with chives.]
Most Fridays offer live entertainment, often jazz. The restaurant opens at 4 p.m. for dinner from Tuesday through Saturday. It is tucked back from the north side of the road at 415 W. State St., between Fourth and Fifth streets. For more information, visit thewalrusgeneva.com or call 630-881-7557.
[The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at the Kane County Chronicle. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a different restaurant and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.]
The Walrus Room
WHERE: 415 W. State St., Geneva
HOURS: 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
INFO: thewalrusgeneva.com, 630-881-7557