The Country Squire Restaurant is a fine dining restaurant and banquet facility situated in a gracious mansion that was originally a mansion. The mansion built as a country retreat for a scion of the Sears family, of the Sears Mail Order Catalog Company, based in Chicago, Illinois.
The gracious white 17 room mansion, built in 1938, is surrounded by 13 wooded acres, flowering gardens and fountains. As the country home of the Sears family, the Sear family used the mansion to entertain, offering hospitality to the cream of Chicago society.
We enjoyed an early dinner at The Country Squire this spring. We pulled into the parking lot and could see that the spring daffodils and tulips in the garden surrounding the mansion were just starting to bloom. According to information on their website, there are 10,000 spring bulbs planted in the gardens. The springtime flower show is just the beginning of an ever changing season of colorful flowers.
The foyer of the mansion displays artifacts of the mansion’s history. A curved staircase winds up to the second floor of the building, where banquet function rooms are located.
There is a comfortable looking bar in the former library, called the Library Bar.
We were escorted into the spacious dining room. The dining room has large windows, which reveal views of the surrounding gardens. The dining room was about half full during the early dinner hour. We were seated at table with a view of a large fountain behind the building. The padded chairs were comfortable.
The comfortable dining room overlooks the landscaped lawn and gardens. On a previous visit I got to witness the set up of a wedding to be held at the garden gazebo. Unfortunately, on that occasion, a sudden rain ruined the bridal plans for a garden wedding and the party was moved indoors.
The Country Squire is a traditional fine dining restaurant. The ambiance is pleasant, comfortable and on the sedate side. In the center of the dining room, a ebony grand piano is showcased. On weekend evenings, a pianist plays live piano music.
The host handed us our menus. The server greeted us with a cheerful smile and asked if we wanted to order a drink. There were flavored martinis on the specials menu. We each ordered a flavored martini, which were $6 each. My martini was pear flavored, which turned out to be a refreshing drink.
While we perused our menus, the server delivered a bread basket and a complimentary starter. The starter included three scoops of spread, including hummus, chicken liver and cheese; along with a basket of crackers.
The dinner menu offers a varied selection of entrees, including Veal Piccata, Kalamata Lamb Rack,Chicken Romano, Pecan Chicken, Maryland Crab Cake, Deep Sea Scallops, Broiled Lobster Tail, Filet Mignon, Steak Au Poivre and more. The specialties of the house include Shrimp DeJonge and Chicken DeJonge. There are also evening specials. On this particular evening, one of the specials was Prime Rib.
I have eaten the Chicken DeJonge there previously, and loved it. However, I was in the mood to try sometime else this visit, so I ordered the Prime Rib, which was $23. My companion ordered the Shrimp DeJonge which was priced at $19. . We each ordered the spinach salad with hot bacon dressing, which was included with the entree. We both ordered twice baked potato as our side dish.
Spinach salad with hot bacon dressing is one of my favorite salads, which I find at very few restaurants. I enjoyed the flavors of the spinach of the sweet tangy warm dressing.
The entrees were served promptly after the salads were cleared from the table. My Prime Rib was a generous portion. I had ordered the meat medium, but this had no pink it. The Prime Rib tasted good, so I did no complain to the server. My companion’s Shrimp DeJonge was served in a hot, shallow dish. The pink shrimp were covered with a buttery garlic crumb topping. The twice baked potatoes were a flavorful seasoned potato with a pleasantly crunchy top.
Unfortunately, we did not save room for dessert. The dessert selection includes treats, such as Flaming Bananas Foster, Strawberry Cheesecake, Tiramisu and Key Lime Pie.
I would recommend The Country Squire for a fine dining experience in gracious surroundings. The mansion provides a rare glimpse into another era along with fine food and ambiance.
The Country Squire Restaurant Information
The Country Squire serves lunch, brunch and dinner. Dinner entrees range from $12 to $25. Lunch entrees, sandwiches and salads range from $8 to $15.The restaurants is open Wednesday through Sunday. The restaurant is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
The Country Squire is located at 19133 West Illinois Route 120, Grayslake, Illinois 60030. 1-847-223-0121. The restaurant is across the street from the campus of the College of Lake County, at Route 120 and Route 45. Grayslake is in Lake County, about 30 miles northwest of the City of Chicago.
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