Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Onesti Dinner Club, St. Charles

Recently, I attended a holiday party at the Onesti Dinner Club in St. Charles. I've only visited St. Charles a handful of times but I love the charm of the city. 

Onesti is located downtown at 18 N. 4th St. I was told that it is a renovated old church and it is absolutely beautiful on the inside. (The weather was too rotten to take a good look at the exterior.) We began with cocktails in the basement lounge/bar which was furnished with big, comfortable couches and a few booths and end tables. The candlelit ambience was cozy and sultry at the same time. They served my date's Blue Moon just right, in a tall glass with orange and my riesling was cold and delicious.  After cocktails, we headed upstairs for dinner. After a salad and dinner rolls, I enjoyed tilapia with steamed asparagus and mashed potatoes. The tilapia was a bit on the fishy side, but the rest was great. Because it was a large catered party, our choices were limited to tilapia, chicken, or steak. Though I am not a big fan of red meat, the steak looked really good and received rave reviews. After dinner, we were treated to a small dessert spread with bite sized cheesecakes (the raspberry was a hit!), brownies, cookies, and coffee. I would have liked to have seen a little more variety on the dessert table, but what I had I enjoyed.  Later we headed back down to the lounge/bar for more drinks and a Frank Sinatra impersonator.  I was told they host live music in the basement lounge regularly. I would love to check out a good jazz band there when it might be a little less crowded!

If you're looking for a place to host a holiday party or event, Onesti Dinner Club is definitely something to consider. If you're headed out to a nice dinner, Onesti Dinner Club will treat you to it.  If you want to dine in a beautiful old church, bedecked with trees, candles, and fabulous architecture, try Onesti Dinner Club!

1 comment:

The Editor said...

Oh, I know where that is -- it used to be 18 North. The Onestis also own the Arcada in downtown St. Charles. Sounds like a neat place to have a fancy dinner.