Ivy Restaurant - Wheaton, IL [Groupon]

Haven't found much on this restaurant. Has anyone eaten there recently? It's today's groupon and since it's close to me, I'm considering buying one.

Ivy Restaurant
120 N Hale St
Wheaton, IL 60187
630-665-2489

I saw the Groupon as well. Judging by the restaurant's website, I take it that it is in the old church / funeral home that formerly housed the Italian place and then Johnny's. The menu looks good and, for what it's worth, there are some pretty good reviews (with a few negative ones mixed in) on Opentable.com.

It was one Ocean place formerly. Its in the old funeral home. I went there some time ago and its really nice inside. Interesting. Food is supposed to be good.

My wife and I at at Ivy last night with another couple from Wheaton. The room was only about a third full, however they did have a lot of people eating outside, since it was such a great night. I would call the food good, but not special or memorable. Here's the rundown. Sorry, no photos.

Appetizers:

1. Chorizo stuffed dates: Is this the new pork belly, where everyone thinks they have to have this on their menu to be "happening"? Anyway, I didn't have any because Chorizo sets off the GERD, but the others at the table liked them.

2. Mussels: Very good and a large portion very easy to share amongst four people. They are garlicky with plenty of thyme, and the crunchy bread served with them was garlicky as well. The menu said they would be in a white wine broth but these came out without any in the bowl. Not as good as the mussels at HB Home Bistro, which is the best I've had, but very good.

Main Courses:

1. Gongonzola crusted New York Strip: A nice sized steak cooked perfectly with a good crust, but the gorgonzola was very muted in taste. I would have liked it stronger. The asparagus was cooked well but was really salty. The "Ivy House Potatoes" were small new potatoes that had been cut in half after roasting. They looked like they would have a nice char on them, but were actually kind of mushy. They weren't worth eating.

2. Shrimp and Lobster Pappardelle: My wife had this and it looked great. I didn't order it or try hers because it's served in a "spicy lobster butter sauce" (the GERD again). The dish looked great and she liked it a lot. She said the sauce was definitely spicy.

3. Gorgonzola lamb chops: Strange to have two gorgonzola crusted items on a menu, but whatever. These were served with a huge portion of mashed potatoes and some asparagus. My friend liked them quite a bit, but I didn't get detail from her.

4. Maryland crab cakes: Damn, I meant to bum a taste from my friend but forgot. He nailed them pretty quickly and said they were good. Sorry I can't say more than that.

Dessert:

Many of their desserts are tiny "sampler" sizes and $3, which is great when all you want is a little something sweet.

1. Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie: Served with a scoop of burnt caramel gelato and Kahlua chocolate sauce. Definitely not a sampler size. Holy cow, this was good! The brownie was perfectly baked, a nice crust but soft and gooey underneath. The caramel gelato melted pretty quickly, which allowed the flavor to infuse throughout the brownie. A killer!

2. Key lime pie: served in a sampler size. It was excellent as well, with a nice crust.

Overall, the place has good food. The menu isn't memorable, basically being seafood and steaks. If you're someone who enjoys going to a steak place like Sullivan's or Wildfire, I think you would find this a good alternative.