Mike and I had the opportunity to escape for a few hours sans children on a Saturday afternoon. I had Abby scheduled to sit so we could attend the Illinois Vintage Wine festival with friends — but our friends bailed leaving us with an afternoon to ourselves with a sitter. We debated going to the wine festival but decided we’d have more fun just going to dinner.
Our first stop was August Hill Winery in Utica where we enjoyed a glass of wine. I highly recommend the warm spiced caramel apple wine. After enjoying our wine we stopped into the chocolate shop and popcorn shop in Utica. Both great spots!
We headed over to Ottawa to try Corner 230. I’d heard good things about Corner 230 from friends for several years and was excited to try the tapas restaurant. I’m not sure what I expected, but Corner 230 is basically an upscale bar with really good food.
Mike ordered a glass of Cabernet and I had a Diet Coke to accompany our appetizer of blue cheese guacamole. The bleu cheese guac is topped with bacon and served with pita chips. We both agreed the guac was delicious. Five wooden spoons for sure. Mike and I are both ridiculous guac lovers and this one had great flavor.
We ordered two entrees — the fish tacos and scallops — to share. The fish tacos are served with lettuce, pico, cheese, and a secret sauce — and fries. These were good, but Mike and I have both had a lot of fish tacos, so they didn’t seem all that special. I’d give the tacos three wooden spoons. The scallops however, we loved. They were in a lemon butter sauce with sautéed spinach and roasted red peppers. The scallops were perfectly cooked — and if you’ve ever watched Top Chef, you know what a feat this is! Five wooden spoons for the scallop dish – and definitely an entree I’d order again!
For dessert, we ordered the flan brûlée. In case you can’t tell from the photo, we enjoyed it. I’m a dessert perfectionist, so this one I’d give four wooden spoons.
Our total bill, including the wine, was $40.66. Very reasonable for very good food — especially considering we had an appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert. Our experience was very good and our waitress was friendly. It isn’t a place I’d take our young children — I’m not sure they would eat any of it — and the bar area isn’t really kid-friendly — however, it’s definitely a spot Mike and I will be frequenting in the future. Overall, Corner 230 earns 4 1/2 wooden spoons.
