A very long time ago, I had the pleasure of dining at what I considered to be one of the most impressive and exclusive feeling restaurants I had been to. I have not had the pleasure of coming even remotely close to it ever since...  It was the Twin Door Supper Club in Geneva.  I could go on for a long time about the place, but suffice it to say that the Twin Door became the epitome of what I thought a truly swanky restaurant should be.  It was always very dark (only open for dinner as I remember), the bar occupied the entire south wall of the place, the tables had white linens with real silver and nice glassware, and the food (great steaks and chops) was outstanding.  All the patrons were always dressed to the nines - no baseball caps would have ever been allowed - and were waited upon by servers in some sort of uniform... ditto for the bus boys.  Conversations were hushed and it had the feeling of a true club.  The experience was simply unforgettable.

I mention the foregoing because Lauren and I had dinner this past week at a venue that reminded me a bit of the Twin Door. The commuter train makes many stops on its way from Geneva to Chicago; one of them is in Elmhurst, and it was here that I first saw the restaurant about which I became curious.  The occasion was Lauren's birthday, and I remembered that she had mentioned wanting to give the place a try.  It was Thursday and I wasn't expecting a large crowd. As we walked through the front door at 7:00, I noticed that the place was almost empty - something that did not seem to change with the passing of the evening.  We asked for a non-smoking table and were led past the bar to a room in the back and seated at a very nice four-top.  There were about 15 to twenty tables in the room - a row of tables for four down the middle and a row of booths along one wall.  The table tops were austere with clean, white cloths, appetizer plates topped with white, napkin-wrapped silverware and a small oil candle in the middle of the table.  As water was poured and a white paper bag with a loaf of warm and crusty bread was delivered to the table, a tall and youthful waiter introduced himself as Justin and politely asked if we would like something from the bar to start the evening.  He returned shortly with a hefty Grey Goose on the rocks for me and a split of Champagne for Lauren... a fine start to what would be a fine evening.

There were only two other tables occupied and, except for the fact that their conversations were not hushed, I enjoyed the dim lighting, the ambience and our own quiet conversation on this special night - as if we were the only ones there.  The huge menu contained myriad selections from every section: 22 different appetizers (including the "100 South V.I.P. Platter" with ribs, shrimp, crab cakes, bruschetta and fried calamari), 8 seafood dishes, 11 steaks, 5 pasta dishes, 9 selections from the "Burgers and Sandwiches" section, and 6 "Chop House Favorites" - not to mention the choices to top your favorite cut of meat and the 14 side dishes!  We had decided to try the Blue Crab fingers: "six ounces of blue crab claws, served chilled with cocktail and Dijonnaise dipping sauces."  The waiter apologetically and gently steered us away from them, saying that they had not been the best lately.  We appreciated the honesty and decided instead on the Prime Sirloin Carpaccio: "Prime raw sirloin, thinly sliced with mushrooms, tomatoes, capers, olive oil and lemon."  It came to the table on a giant platter, topped with more of the crusty bread - this time grilled - and could easily have served four people.  I was glad that I was hungry, but knew that I would not be for long if this kept up!

For her entrée, Lauren chose the Mini Lobster Tail Dinner: "A 6-ounce lobster tail with broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes" and I decided to get an 8-ounce New York Sirloin for mine.  We also ordered a Spinach Salad (for two - it came as a choice with the entrees) and I elected to order a side of Green Beans with my dinner.  The salad could have easily been ample enough for four and we could not even think of finishing it if we were to be able to eat any of our dinner, especially after the Carpaccio appetizer!

The timing for the delivery of the entrees was perfect and we did our best on them.  Lauren actually finished hers, but I could not.  The mound of mashed potatoes on Lauren's plate was gigantic and, even after I sampled a sizable portion of them, there were still leftovers.  The side order of beans was enough for four diners as well, and even though I tried mightily, I could not come even close to finishing them.  The remainder of the mashed potatoes, beans and part of my steak were boxed and taken home with us.

Over all, I would have to say that I was very impressed by 100 South Chophouse and Grill.  The drink prices were reasonable ($8.50 for Grey Goose), service was just about perfect, the food was excellent and done well, plating was eye-appealing, and the atmosphere was comfortable and relaxing (make certain that you are hungry when you go, because the portions are very large).  The only ding I could deliver was for the green beans, which were just a tad too al dente for my liking... and I do normally like them crisp and green.  But I can hardly complain about such a small thing.  I can easily put up a flag with a solid Four Zins.  I plan on going back with a couple of friends when we can sit outside and share a bottle of wine and some of that wonderful Carpaccio!