Village Squire North the

A virtual institution in Crystal Lake.  The story I got was that the place was so popular when it burned to the ground, that they rebuilt it bigger on the same spot.  That is cool.  We came her for a late lunch and a party with the family, so we did not technically eat off the menu, but shared the big room in the back.  There had to be some 60 people in our group.  Coming into the restaurant, we were greeted warmly by the hostess, who led us back to the reception hall.  The architecture is somewhat gothic, what with heavy stone walls and fireplace in the entrance, coupled with wrought iron bars in the window openings, and heavy timbers in the hall.  It had a warm and inviting, historic feel.

For a banquet experience, this was not bad.  Not overwhelmingly good, but not bad.  The service was pretty darn good for the two ladies that waited on all of us.  We started with a cheese tray, an assortment of fresh cheeses, and a veggie tray - guess what - yep, an assortment of fresh veggies.  There was Blue Cheese dip on the side for this.  We also had hot wings, which I guess for midwesterners were super-hot, there were many comments about how hot they were.  Me, I could not taste any heat at all, but they were meaty and tasty.

There were several options offered for dinner, a broiled salmon steak, a brochette of Filet, something chicken and something vegetarian.  We had a choice of French Onion soup or salad with choice of dressing.  I chose the Filet, of course and a salad with Blue Cheese dressing.  The filet was cooked a perfect medrare and came skewered with onion, pepper and mushrooms.  It was delicious.  The wife had the Salmon, a large, tasty portion, broiled to perfection.  The daughter tried the French Onion soup and I got a taste of hers, served traditionally, with a crouton and melted cheese over the top.  Yum.

I think my favorite part was the drinks.   There is a house special, called a "Rum Barrel", which is a large plastic cup, emblazoned with the Village Squire trademarks and filled with a very rummy tasting punch.  More than two of these and you better have a DD.  The iced tea was fresh and we had a great time.

I've been there twice. First time, the mushroom burger was great. One year later, I came back and tried chicken fajitas. The meat was dry, probably reheated numerous times, and the vegetables were greasy. The worst part was the smell in the booth where we were originally seated, as if someone puked under the table. The seats were dirty, table too so we requested to seat somewhere else. I regret not walking out right then and there.  Will never return, the place will probably go under soon anyways, noone there seems to give a damn.

I don't hate Village Squire but I don't love it.  Food quality is constant, not bad but not amazing, and the drinks are pretty good.  The wait staff is always decent but seem to be under staffed.  I will keep going back but its not always my first choice.