Ed Wolowiec knows his subject.
His Port Edward restaurant has been a Fox Valley mainstay for 33 years, and he recently opened a nautical gift shop in the Ice House Mall in nearby Barrington.
His eatery, located on the banks of the Fox River, boasts a 25-foot sailboat in the middle of an indoor pond and enough decor looted from Davy Jones’ locker to outfit an Errol Flynn movie. It also harbors a staggering array of seafood dishes, some at prices not for the faint of heart. And while the kitchen staff probably strains at its oven oars as hard as the wait staff, you don’t need a copy of the captain’s charts to get the feeling you’re paying as much for atmosphere as appetite.
But the food is plentiful. Marbled pumpernickel rye is an unusual but savory — and quite filling — table bread. Butter isn’t even a necessity with the strength of the loaf’s flavor. Every table also gets a bucket of steamed mussels from Maine, a nice touch.
Diners in this region have a reason for choosing Port Edward: variety. And while it’s impossible to draw too many conclusions when the menu has more than 50 entrees ranging from Scallops n’ Nest (scallops and angel hair pasta, the menu bargain at $14.95) to a 12-ounce filet mignon served with a 16-ounce lobster tail ($61.95) — not to mention live lobsters ranging from 1 1/2 pounds to 15 pounds (the big ones require 72-hour notice, and will run you more than $100).
For appetizers, french-fried shrimp is a good starting place, a tender treat wrapped in a fine crust. But plenty of other seafood starters are available, from mushroom caps stuffed with crab and scallops to octopus seviche to any number of oyster offerings. The shrimp also is available in an entree size, but you can have shrimp in almost any combination you can think of.
Port Edward bills the walleye as “a Great Lakes favorite.” The pike is moist and tender with a surprisingly delicate flavor preserved by broiling. The way Port Edward prepares its pike makes a fairly ordinary fish a peak experience.
Not so, unfortunately, with the swordfish. Compared with the swordfish served at a top seafood eatery, the Port Edward brand was a bland disappointment. It’s not nearly as succulent or as tender as the pike, though it costs $3 more.
The Port does make provisions for those who enjoy some meat with their mackerel. Combination platters are plentiful on the menu, and there are seafood-free dishes as well.
Chicken tenders are available as an appetizer; poultry entrees include chicken breast and chicken marsala. Steaks are available too. The Cabin Boy (8-ounce size) and First Class Passenger (12-ounce) are filet mignon, but these are not Port Edward’s strength — one member of our party ordered a medium-cooked filet that was closer to rare. Because steaks are part of numerous combinations at the Port, this may be something to keep in mind.
Most desserts contain alcohol, but families needn’t be dissuaded — the restaurant prepares alcohol-free alternatives for children upon request.
Service is cordial and attentive. The wine list is as impressive as the array of entrees, and equally pricey. Even the in-house gift shop has some neat trinkets. But ambience isn’t everything, and the Port needs a slight upgrade in its cooking to make it a full-sail operation.
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Port Edward
(two forks)
20 W. Algonquin Rd., Algonquin
847-658-5441
Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun., lunch Mon.-Fri., brunch Sun.
Entree prices: $11.95-$61.95
Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V
Reservations: Required
Other: Wheelchair accessible
* Reviews are on based anonymous visits by Tribune staff members. The meals are paid by the Tribune.
RATINGS KEY: 4 forks: Don’t miss it 3 forks: One of the best 2 forks: Very good 1 fork: Good
