4 solid stars.
Took a small side trip to geneva this weekend and was surprised of the cute food selections available and preservation was one of them!!
It was a chilly Thurs evening, so 3rd street was kind of empty but preservation was hoppin'. Â We got there at 7pm and snagged the last 2 top, the bar was full. Â The space is small, so get there early for a spot.
The wines: we ordered by the glass.. they are pricy glasses for the quality of wine but there is a big selection if you're looking for a good bottle.
The food: Â was fantastic! Â we really enjoyed all the food we ordered but here's a breakdown.
Loved:
- Beef cheek salad: they said it is a new item on their menu and I think it's a hit. Â The salad itself was a bit overdressed, but the meat was under seasoned so together they flavored well. Â Great salad option!
- Charcuterie plate: we went for the non-spanish one, which included speck ham (italy), elk sausage (my fav, from US) and duck proscuitto (can't go wrong with duck proscuitto)
- Wild mushroom tart: smeared with just a big of goat cheese, you can't go wrong here, great dish!
Service was good and personable.
Overall a great experience, would def return if we were ever in this neck of the woods again!
Have heard many, many good things, so we had high expectations going in. Â Food was good, but not exceptional. Â Menu is eclectic and it was fun trying different things. Â Dining area is very small and tables are tight, but staff are very friendly. Â I would go back, but this is not our favorite restaurant on 3rd Street.
Review Source:Have been here at least 6-8 times ands never disappointed. Â Really high quality foods and very unique wines as well. Â Cozy place and patio. Â Lawrence, the owner, is great. Â I have to say that the servers can be a bit uneven, though - experiences here have not always been warm and fuzzy.
Review Source:It's a good idea to make a reservation for dinner at this tiny place. Even on a week night it filled up quickly.
The atmosphere is cozy and dim; huddle up with your wine for a chat with your dining companion.
Our waitress was efficient and very knowledgeable about the wines (I had questions about a couple of the reds, i.e. which would have a "smoother" finish -- she recommended one, but brought samples of two for me to try. The recommendation was the one I preferred.)
Preservation serves dishes tapas-style, so lots of little plates.
We started with the European cheese plate (generous for two people); perhaps even more enjoyable than the cheeses were the watermelon rind pickles and beet-ginger chutney that offset them.
Their special that night was flatbread pizzas; when I first came in and was waiting for my companion, I'd started talking with the people beside me, who'd ordered the duck flatbread pizza and were raving about it. I must admit it would never occur to me to get this...but then my companion suggested we get it. The duck added a rich counterpoint to sweet caramelized onions and the crisp bread. An unusual dish.
We also ordered the dish of macaroni and cheese, but this was a sort of strange excecution: large shells (say an inch), with the cheese sauce sort of underneath them, so the mass had to be mixed...it just didn't do it for me, though my companion (who had dined here before) had recommended it specially.
The mounting tapas plates were a bit challenging to arrange on our itty-bitty table, but our waitress swung by at convenient times to help relieve us.
Overall, there were some adventurous dishes, but I can't say it was the best tapas I have ever had. Still, good service, adventurous food and many more items on the menu. You can preserve this one in your memory as a possibility.
We are regular customers, at least once a month so we know the menu and the servers. Â We were very embarrassed this past weekend when we treated friends to dinner and our server Alex was rude and indifferent. Â He has been chatty and personable in the past and recommended good wine selections, I asked him if he had the same wine he recommended a few weeks prior and he said "no" - I asked for another recommendation and he turned my menu over... needless to say it went downhill from here. Â His moods changes often... Our orders were wrong, the food is good, but this is a huge turn off for us. Â Geneva and St. Charles have lots of great places to choose from, good food is essential but treating your loyal customers with respect and courtesy is number one. Â It will be a long time before we go back, and will remove this from our places we tell our friends to visit...
Review Source:Great staff and even better food! Â Geneva has a few gems and this is one of the Diamonds! Â I have been several times and had most everything on the menu. Â Everything is fantastic and great old fashion drinks for those who don't drink wine. Â DO NOT SKIP DESSERT Chocolate espresso Tart and share a glass of the dessert wine(can't for the life of me remember what it is called but Alex can help with that)
They are doing such a great job at this place it's a must visit
Have gone about 4 times. Love the wine, the food and the service. I am a moderately experienced home chef and recognize quality ingredients. i.e. real butter, not shortening etc. Very tasty and a kind of tapas style that makes it fun to dine with someone else.
Once, they were smoking their own fish in the little smoker out back and it was a little stinky when the wind would blow towards us, but, hey, part of the process.
I've been here quite a few  times and I have never been disappointed. Sandwiches are great.  I never have had anything disappointing to eat.  Drink menu is great. Small quaint atmosphere really is warm and inviting.  Service is laid back and not in your face.  I only wish their patio was out front to people watch, but that is no fault of Preservation.
Review Source:6 of us went in for apps and wine. Lawrence was great as we only had an hour before it was time to move on. Started with European and American cheese platters, both were fantastic! Very extensive wine list, which we were not familiar with. They were kind enough to assist us and we ended up with a Hedges Meritage from Washington. It was great, in fact so good we had 2 bottles. Will be back soon. "make reservations"
Rob
My husband and I have been here twice now and the food was excellent both times. The second time (just a week ago) we had what I would call the perfect dining experience. The owner greeted us, took our coats, and seated us right away (we had a reservation). Our server was awesome (funny and sweet) and made great suggestions. We were a little sad our favorite thing from the time before was no longer on the menu (Chicken Tomatillo Biscuit), but we found new favorites! The Duck Confit Salad was amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed the European Cheese Plate and Charcuterie. I honestly can't think of one thing I would change about our meal or experience. Note: It's a small place, so expect to be seated very close to other diners.
Review Source:yeah, I get it: Â BREAD is in the name of the place and I'm strictly gluten free. Â But my friend and I wanted to check it out considering that we live in the cultural wasteland of Batavia. Â I REALLY wanted to like this place but there was absolutely nothing on the menu for the gluten free foodie. Â C'mon.... Â SO MANY people are gluten free now, why can't restaurants in the Fox Valley accomodate us? Â I just came back from California where ordering gluten free is not a problem. Â
We each ended up ordering a salad plus a cheese platter. Â The salad (butter lettuce and citrus) was adequate but I've had better. Â The cheese platter came with bread but I brought my own gluten free chips to eat with the cheese. Â My friend and I both thought they were a bit skimpy on the cheese. Â Chez Moi in Geneva has better portions of cheese in their platters PLUS extras on the side like olives, figs, nuts, etc. Â Not so with the cheese platter at PB&W.
I am also vegetarian and there weren't a lot of veggie dishes -- really wanted to try the tomato soup but it had bacon in it. Â
We ordered a bottle of Malbec that was good, but over all the wine is pricey. Â
Won't be going back.
((clap... clap.... clap, clap, clap, clap....))
That's right, Preservation Bread & Wine, you get a slow clap for being so awesome. What rich foods and defined wines you have?!? Â My lamb meatloaf sandwich, coupled with a lovely medium bodied red wine, which by the way was randomly picked by our waiter- shout out to Alex, were delectable! Â Equally important, the entire staff was courteous, prompt, and easy going! Seriously, you can't beat that!
As for the ambiance and atmosphere?  LOVE IT!  It's alright for small groups but  truly ideal for intimate dates or one-on-one get togethers with good friends!  This place does get crowded, but it has this charm that's makes it okay.
Anyway, you PB&W, Â you got yourself a new patron! See you in the near future!
i have to go back here to get a better assessment. Â my husband and i were so excited to go here and try the handcrafted foods... and they were excellent. Â we went for lunch on a rainy day and had soup (tomato bacon which was amazing)-and sandwich...which i think is a special they have for lunch. Â i had a glass of wine, and it was good. Â
the problem? Â our server. Â he was rude and aloof. Â and i have to say as a person who tends bar for a living, i know this is a hard job, but geez. Â one word answers seemed to be his thing. Â i asked him if they have a different menu for dinner, he just said "no" and walked away. Â he seemed fine and chatty with everyone else so maybe we just rubbed him the wrong way--so there is nothing we could do, but it totally ruined the experience. Â he was gruff, barely acknowledged us, didn't check back to see if we were pleased with our food and didn't offer dessert. Â then a girl brought our check over and we paid it and left. Â my friends who recommended this place said they had awesome service, but it was from the owner. Â maybe we should request him. Â cause we really liked the food...
anyway, we'll see how it goes when/if we go back. Â maybe i'll just get carryout.
Fantastic. That one words sums up this place really well. The sandwiches (I've had 2 hot and one cold) are great, the flatbread pizzas are amazing, the salads are unique. The flavors on everything combine really nicely with each nuance coming through. Aside from the food, the waitstaff is very friendly and knowledgeable and the owner is incredibly knowledgeable about wine and always willing to talk. If I had to pick something to complain about it would be that the tables are closer than I would prefer, but the food is amazing and makes the table placement easy to overlook. Overall, this place is a must try (and try again). Price + Quality + Staff = Great little place in Geneva.
Review Source:I absolutely LOVE this place! The first time we walked by and checked out the menu the owner actually came out and talked to us and gave us a menu. The next time we came by for dinner and it was amazing! The food was absolutely fantastic! It's a little on the pricier side because this portions make it almost like a Tapas bar, however it is worth EVERY cent! The wines were also very good, the service was good, and the waitress we had was able to give several good suggestions for wine pairings. All in all this is one of my new favorite restaurants and I cannot wait to go back!
Review Source:Stopped by for a quick bite en route to a wedding. The food is decent, but it's not good enough to warrant the long drive to geneva from oak brook.
We ordered the euro cheese plate, and the spanish meats. It's interesting that they make all their own cheeses, but I care more that it tastes extraordinary. The spicy sausage (?) on the spanish meat was my least favorite, the other 2 were good, but nothing extraordinary.
As someone else mentioned, it really is a cute and friendly little place, and prices weren't too outrageous. Good place to have a nice relaxing time.
We were very lucky to have a beautiful night outside for a perfect backdrop for a wonderful meal. Our first time here and we were treated like regular customers. we did come late but were told as long as you are in the door by 9:59 we will feed you. We ordered our food right away, then lingered on to the wine list, we had a bottle of a excellent California blend a cheese platter, polenta pie and a a warm sandwich all to share. This was a perfect little bite to go along with our wine.
Now be prepared this is not a full meal by any means.... i did get hungry later on at home and poached a egg but a great place for little bites, excellent wines and great service.
Amazingly tasty, chic food. Â I ordered for pick up but when I walked in it is such a welcoming environment!! It is a bit small but that doesnt stop me from wanting to go back to dine in and I live an hour away!!! Â Magnificent mushroom torte and french onion soup, and don't forget the asparagus salad and grilled cheese!!! I mean, I honestly want to write to food network about this place, honestly..Keep up what you are doing guys and gals!
Review Source:I hate posting  only 4 stars. I wanted to like this place, it  was just ok for my taste. I know the quality was there, it is very evident. My appetite is larger than what the menu has to offer. If you are wanting to try something very different with great wines you will love this place. The service is great and very helpful with selection.
Review Source:Excellent time! We got there at 8 PM on a Friday night, with reservations. Totally excellent experience! Did the whole tapas mode - two charcuterie plates two cheese plates two crostini plates. Olives of course! Â Absolutely fabulous food. After reading Yelp reviews we ordered everything at once and it came out with perfect timing. Servers were awesome - water when we needed it, napkins, etc. Â The Malbec we ordered went well with all the food and we finished the meal up with the incredible bread pudding and pine nut tart. Definitely goes on our repeat list!
Review Source:Great place for intimate dinner or wine night. Be prepared to wait if you arrive after 7.
One of Geneva's best - I've never been disappointed when dining here. Â The food is fresh, made in house, and always delicious. Â The grilled cheese and mac and cheese are two of my favorites. Â The grilled cheese is served on an amazing brioche, truly a must-try. Â You can also get any of their breads to go - though the brioche is usually gone by the time I ask for it! Â The mac and cheese is equally as wonderful, made with shell pasta and a creamy and flavorful cheese sauce. YUM.
The staff also give great recommendations on the wines available and food pairings. Â This place has a great wine list!!
My only complaint is that due to the small size of the restaurant, there is usually a long wait (especially if you have more than 2 people in your party.) Â Even with a reservation, we waited 35 minutes before being seated during our last visit, and there is not much of a waiting area. Â The owner and staff were very accommodating, though, and offered us wine while we waited. Â In the end it was well worth it!!
Stopped in while visiting from Milwaukee. Our waiter Alex steered us in many good directions. The European cheese plate had a nice mix of triple cream, medium soft and hard cheeses, with pickled beets and watermelon rinds. Moved on to a wild mushroom tart, and a spicy andouille potato salad. The pastry crust on the tart was perfectly flaky. And this is not your mother's potato salad. We finished with a pine nut tart with strawberries and basil whipped cream. It was an inspired dish. Trust me and let Alex guide your choices. You won't be disappointed.
Review Source:We gave this a try based on Yelp reviews even though a bit of a drive just for dinner. Â First observations were great intimate atmosphere, sized for comfort, and just the right level of music and nearby table conversation. Â Everything started right with a warm welcome, lucky seat by the window and fast start with service, so we had a bottle of Bordeaux Cab-blend within minutes. Since the bakery items get much of the buzz in the reviews, we tried a sampler of breads with an incredible tomato-oil dipping sauce.
We decided on sharing eggplant/goat cheese flat bread and a warm sourdough/smoked turkey sandwich with apples/walnuts. Â Both were presented simply, letting the freshness and subtle complexities shout out for themselves. Â Every bite was enjoyable. Â We usually pass on deserts, but were in a mood to continue dining by sharing an espresso tart and an over-the-top bread pudding. Â The level of quality and amount for food was perfect for a light/later dinner and accentuated by great service. Unfortunately all the bakery items to-go were sold out, so we'll plan to return for lunch next time to get a selection.
Preservation Bread & Wine is a terrific cozy spot for a glass of wine and some delicious share-able plates.Everything here is made from scratch so be prepared to wait for your food, but you won't be disappointed when it arrives.
The Chicken Tomatillo Biscuit is a very clever and creative play on chicken and biscuits. The mac and cheese is pretty tasty version made with large pasta shells.
The service is friendly, but things can take a while when the restaurant is full.
I definitely want to go back again.
This place was great! It has a very cozy and semi-urban feel, but not without keeping a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The food is delicious and prepared fresh every day (as our kind waiter let us know), and you can definitely tell.
I had a soup/lunch special for a meager $10, which was far less than i would have happily paid for it. The pumpkin ginger soup was as good as it can be--this coming form a person with little taste for ginger. The grilled cheese on brioche was just perfect, and the portion size was excellent.
As for the service, our waiter was probably the friendliest I've had in years. He didn't cross the line to an annoying friendly either, but tread that line to help keep up the welcoming, engaging atmosphere that a place like this needs to have.
This is aneat place in Geneva. Â It serves small plate tapas style food and have a pretty good wine list. Â My wife and i met another couple here and we really enjoyed ourselves. Â The service was good - attentive but not smothering. Â The place is a biit small and tables packed tightly so you need to watch yourself when moving around. Â We had a hard cheese plate and our friends had the mushroom tart, a mediterranean cheese plate and i think a shepherds pie. Â it all looked and smelled wonderful. Â We share a bottle of Malbec after doing some individual glasses. Â Wine was good. Â The place can get busy and you may have to wait for a table. Â Overall a vool place to go hang and share some food and wine in a relaxed and unhurried atmosphere.
Review Source:The few vegetarian dishes are awesome.  My husband and I are both strict vegetarians, live in the city and are used to good veg food, so we are usually skeptical when we leave Chicago.  This place has  a great atmosphere and local beers. Â
My only complaint is that a lot of the vegetarian dishes are made with chicken stock or meat. Â For example, the asparagus risotto is made with chicken stock and the mac and cheese is made with pork drippings. Â If they are vegetarian otherwise, then why alienate your vegetarian clients so much by adding hidden animal products? Â When we asked about the ingredients the last time we went in May of 2012, the waitress laughed when she told us that she had told vegetarians that the mac and cheese was vegetarian before she knew it wasn't, which we obviously did not find so funny.
Was there today for lunch with my husband and thought it was great. Â As we were shopping, we stopped to look inside and at the menu and one of the gals came and told us about it. Â We went back a bit later for lunch. Â
The place is cute inside with low and high tables. We sat out back under a big umbrella. Â I had the turkey on sourdough with blue cheese, tomato,and spinach. Â My husband had lamb meat loaf on another bread. All their bread is homemade. We both loved our sandwiches. Â They cut them in slices and serve it on a slate type plate. Â Very nice presentation. Â
P B and W also has soups and desserts. Â Can't wait to go back!!!
Updating  my review to 5 stars. Gave it another try, and at first was skeptical about how it was going to go. The owner's (or employee's) small kids were there sitting at a table playing. This is a small restaurant, and even though they were not being too loud (although they had their moments) there were times you could not hear yourself talk over the children. Whenever the kids got too loud, they told them to quiet down so they were aware of this and eventually they took the kids in the back. I understand daycare is expensive, and family-run businesses have their right to being their children to work, but it was a little weird to go to a charming, intimate wine place and have children playing with toys right next to you. Not a deal breaker for me, but may be for some, especially if you are trying to have a nice adult date.
The service was also slow because it got busy quick and they appeared to have only one waitress waiting tables but she remained friendly and balanced best she could.
The food though was awesome! The spring vegetable soup (seasonal special) was sooooo good. We left feeling very satisfied and talked about how we would love to go back.
If you want good HOMEMADE & FRESH soups, sandwiches, hot bites, cheese & wine, this is the place to go. Yum.
love this place. charming and delicious.
I've been in twice and have been impressed both times. The prices are fair, the food is great and the owner is more than personable.
try the mushroom tart, the bread pudding and the french onion soup.
stay late and you might get a complimentary piece of foccocia to take home.
i hope this place stays for awhile!
Let's see...words to describe Bread and Wine. Inviting, cozy, yummy, adventurous, real. We met the owner, Lawrence, right away. On weeknights he is the server. After talking to him about the Tuesday wine flights, we quickly put our trust in him. He paired each wine with a little "snack." It was like a symphony!
I think the most enjoyable thing about B &W is that you can turn your brain off and let Lawrence guide you! Just like the artwork on the walls, he is making an art of flavors and combinations.
Jump in and enjoy!
Post-dinner, my friend & I stopped in for a glass of wine and ended up closing the place down. Â She'd been here before so the owner recognized her and spent the night recommending delicious wines and being completely charming. Â We went with reds - super tuscan, bordeaux, pinot noir, and we also tasted something heavenly that one of the waiters had brought in for the owner to try. Â Every wine we had was wonderful and we learned something about each of them - the owner is so knowledgable and clearly puts a lot of care into creating the list. Â
There were a few groups finishing up their meals when we arrived and another group arrived after we were well into our second glass, and everyone seemed to be delighted with their meals. Â The atmosphere is inviting and intimate at the same time, sophisticated, and their playlist provides the perfect soundtrack to your night. Â Everything about this place purrs "leisurely dining experience." Â Great for a date or a group, anyone who wants to relax, enjoy themselves, and savor deliciousness.
If I ever find myself out in the western suburbs again, I'll definitely be back for more.
Two years since I wrote the review below, and its still our favorite place for good food and wine in a laid-back but upscale environment. Â Preservation has proven itself to be a true establishment of downtown Geneva.
What a fabulous space in the heart of downtown Geneva!! Â The locally owned and operated feel makes this place feel cozy, yet it has a somewhat urban vibe. Â The patio out back is a lovely surprise and is a nice contrast to the interior's incredible view of 3rd Street - best of both worlds.
As one would expect at a wine bar, the selection is quite comprehensive. Â That being said, don't expect the same stuff you find everywhere - this is akin more to a boutique wine spot, which is what I like most about Preservation. Â I also appreciate their openness to questions, because while I enjoy a glass of wine, I am admittedly quite the novice. Â
And the food? Â Not to be missed!! Â From bread baked fresh onsite every day to cheese and charcuterie plates to sandwiches to salads to hot bites - there is something for absolutely everyone. Â In fact, we've taken a variety of friends and family here, and each person has always left raving about the food and wine. Â My father raves about the crostinis (as does my husband who has a standing order for extra every time we visit!). Â Enjoy!
I popped into this place earlier this after hearing some buzzz. I think they are in the old Chef James place across the alley from Kernal Fayban's. I was promptly greeted by the owner & offered a menu. Small plates, cheese & meat platters, & yummy sandwiches on artisan bread. I had the pulled pork which was outstanding. I not much of a wine connoisseur but I did enjoy listening to owner chat about wines with others. At one point a man stopped in to by a loaf of bread for dinner. I joined their FB page & learned about their holiday bread orders. I later ended up ordering my Thankgiving dinners rolls here. Buttermilk rolls hot out of the oven. Dinner was a hit. Thanks again
Review Source:I went to this cafe a few weeks ago and now am writing a quick review. Â Overall my experience here for dinner was satisfactory. Â It did not awe me. Â
The environment at the restaurant was appealing and interesting. Â I liked how it was slightly darker and it gave it a more rustic appeal, in my opinion.
Most of the food was great. Â I started off with one of the cheese platters and then got an assorted meat platter. Â (Real tasty). Â What I did not like was the corn and tomato dish, it was not anything tasty, just normal corn mostly. Â
My favorite part of the meal was the grilled cheese sandwich. I do have to say it was one of the best I've ever had. Â (Highly suggested).
Overall I would go back to this restaurant and maybe try some new dishes.
It takes time to write about this as so much detail goes into such a place. Fresh, simple food is always best, but not so easy to pull off. And here they pull it off.
Preservation, by definition (Webster) is maintenance, conservation or protection of a thing. In this case the owner/artist seeks to preserve standards of excellence in food prep, wine, atmosphere and succeeds.
A true artist is creating every waking moment and as you scan his paintings on the wall, taste his suggestions (and watch him adjust the placement/service of dishes, oh! and lighting according to the sunset) you realize you are in the presence of talent.
After only being open for days, upon entering, we encountered regulars who assured us we would be back.
Hot as it was, we ordered the owner's suggested- cool, light 2008 Bastianich Friulano. Refreshing and relaxing. We ordered the mushroom tarte, a light flaky buttery pie pastry which gave way to delicious aromatic mushrooms in a light sauce. Perfect. Then, the American cheese plate of Vermont, which was a three tiered experience-one more outstanding than the next served with gingered beets and pickled watermelon rind (which I had not had since I was a child vacationing in the south and took a jar home) to contrast bites-or compliment. This was first class quality on a slate plate. The cucumber salad was served with pink pickled onions and was the gastronomical epitome of summer-'the here and now' as our new friend-the regulars- described the cucumber soup. Lovely. The sandwiches are all on fresh bread and what with such fresh ingredients-hot or cold-it is difficult to decide. They all look spectacular, cheese melting from toasty corners as they passed us. We went to stay cool and so chose cold. The vegetarian fresh mozzarella, tomato on focaccia was superb. Delicate yet hearty and tasty. We capped off with a Scarbolo Pinot Grigio --again an enjoyable recommendation. I would try this soon, as they are new. As word gets out, you will have to wait to get in. Although when that time comes, you may leave your cell # and wander about Geneva until your table is available.
If you would like a bottle of good wine, you may spend some money here. However, if you want one satisfying glass and a delectable sandwich or soup/salad you may stop in and keep yourself around $20. Both are worth it. Commuters are loving this 'port in the storm'.
Must try desserts next, pastry chef has a great reputation and they look gorgeous.
We cannot wait to go back and try breakfast/lunch. More then...
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