Shaw Local

News   •   Sports   •   eNewspapers   •   The Scene
Restaurants

Mystery Diner in Geneva: Italian getaway as close as romantic Villa Verone

A mild evening gave us the opportunity for an al fresco visit to an old favorite in Geneva, Villa Verone Ristorante Italiano, a noted destination for southern Italian cuisine.

The setting is gorgeous in an 1849 stone house, which has been home to the restaurant for almost 25 years. It has one of the prettiest patios in town behind a wrought iron fence with greenery, pergola, flowers and statuary for added eye appeal. For this unusual year, it extended its outdoor seating with a line of covered tenting along the side of the property, strings of Edison bulbs adding a romantic touch. Because the Upper Club, normally an upstairs hot spot for live music, has been closed because of the pandemic, its area has been added to the second-floor dining space. (Shaw Media)

By MYSTERY DINER

The setting is gorgeous in an 1849 stone house, which has been home to the restaurant for almost 25 years. It has one of the prettiest patios in town behind a wrought iron fence with greenery, pergola, flowers and statuary for added eye appeal. For this unusual year, it extended its outdoor seating with a line of covered tenting along the side of the property, strings of Edison bulbs adding a romantic touch. Because the Upper Club, normally an upstairs hot spot for live music, has been closed because of the pandemic, its area has been added to the second-floor dining space. (Shaw Media)

We began our meal with crusty bread we dipped in olive oil from Geneva's own Galena Garlic Company, sprinkling Parmesan on it for good measure. For the first time, we tried the fixed price meal for two, which includes an appetizer, two entrees, a dessert, and a bottle of wine from a select group of labels.

We began with something new to us, an eggplant appetizer that featured delicately rolled eggplant slices stuffed with ricotta cheese and smothered in a rich tomato Parmigiana sauce. If you enjoy eggplant like we do, it's a terrific starter.

For an entree, I picked the salmon Vesuvio. The filet was sauteed in olive oil and garlic with fragrant rosemary that amped up the flavor, and was paired with nicely roasted potatoes and delicious spinach.

My dining companion tried a special offered that evening, which combined sausage, meatballs and chicken over pasta. Our wonderful server was happy to substitute the requested angel hair. The dish was appealingly colorful from the red sauce to the rainbow of large and tasty strips of roasted red, yellow and green pepper.

For dessert, we again picked something new to us, cheesecake with a top layer of creme brulee. As you might imagine given the two stellar ingredients, it turned out to be one of the best cheesecake slices we've ever had, the perfect texture and not too sweet. It was drizzled with a caramel sauce flourish.

We added an excellent cappuccino that arrived with a hint of cinnamon aroma. The fixed price meal turned out to be a good value, and we had ample leftovers to look forward to the next day, including the wine. True to form, owner Pietro Verone could be heard singing a snippet of song as he strolled in the garden to check on patrons. He mentioned the patio would remain open as long as people like. As Villa Verone approaches a silver anniversary next year, it's easy to understand its longtime appeal.

• The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at the Kane County Chronicle. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff before or during the meal. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review. IF YOU GO WHAT: Villa Verone Ristorante Italiano WHERE: 416 Hamilton St., Geneva HOURS: 3:30 to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday INFO: www.villaverone.com, 630-232-2201