The Black Bear Bistro — Restaurant in Algonquin

My wife and I went to Black Bear Bistro for an early Valentine's dinner. We had been meaning to go for some time due to the positive reviews, but are very surprised at how highly this restaurant is rated after our experience.

We arrived 5 minutes early for our reservation and were the only people in the restaurant which consists of only 6 or 8 tables. It took a few minutes for someone to greet us at the door but this was understandable since we were early. Our waitress was friendly and the meal was spaced out appropriately.

The drinks ordered first were fine, I had a kombucha old fashioned which was unique but sweeter than I would expect an old fashioned to be, even with the kombucha twist. My wife had their cosmo special which she enjoyed. We ordered one of their special appetizers, fried shrimp with corn fritters. This, along with the poblano soup from the soup trio, were the most redeeming qualities of the meal. The soups in the trio were not all filled the same level, with only one being a full portion.

For our entrees we ordered the trout and crab cakes. The crab cakes had decent flavor but contained more filling than crab. About 25% of the trout still had bones in and, while I understand it is sometimes difficult to debone small bones from white fish, I would have at least appreciated a warning before almost swallowing several bones. On top of that, the trout and the risotto underneath it were almost entirely flavorless. It didn't seem like the chef put any salt or additional seasonings on. To make matters worse, the veggies (brussel sprouts and green beans) were extremely undercooked and, again, had no seasoning. As a side we ordered the coco malanga fries per the recommendation of our waitress, but these were dry and were not served with any sort of dipping sauce which would have improved them.

Our second drinks were the Rum Reishi which tasted like a glorified rum and coke with mushroom bitters that were not needed, and the Paloma which tasted like it was missing the Jarrito float and juice. The Paloma had no flavor until my wife squeezed the lime in to it.

Overall we are very disappointed and wanted to like this restaurant, but there are much better options...

I was looking for a small, intimate place to take my wife after our marriage ceremony. I couldn't find any place in the Crystal Lake/McHenry/Algonquin area that was excited to have us and perhaps make a few special arrangements for us. Until I talked to Estella. She was thrilled we wanted to end our day with her at her and her husband/chef Santiago's restaurant. She made sure we had the best table (great view of Main Street and tucked into a corner), offered to me I could decorate the table any way I wanted to, and agreed to create a memorable dessert.

Despite being 6pm on a Thursday night, parking was not available on the street in front of the restaurant or nearby. That actually added to the fun of the night as the walk from a parking lot behind the downtown area made it feel like being in Chicago and walking to tucked away gem.

When we arrived, Estella greeted us with a smile and such warmth, it was like going to a family member's home. She thanked us for choosing her restaurant and said we were lucky for her because many weekday nights they are not busy and they had a nice crowd this Thursday evening. I quickly noted she had placed a vase of small roses on just our table. The young servers were excellent, the diversity of the menu made it exciting to choose...my new wife for the first time had quail and I had rainbow trout with crabmeat. Simply delicious and I knew it must have been as my wife rarely finishes a meal! I also saw there was a Wednesday night special of Beef Wellington which we definitely will return to enjoy.

Perhaps the highlight of our night was the special chocolate cake Chef Santiago prepared for us with heartfelt well-wishes written out on the plate. There was so much we got to take some home so we can have that one year anniversary cake tradition. We ended our night posing for pictures, getting hugs, and being thrilled at such hospitality.

It's now like an old-school "our place" that will forever be in our hearts. I hope others can experience what we did there so this cute couple and...

Located on Main street in the heart of Algonquin's Old Town this Bistro is a Treasure! My wife and I celebrated a Wedding Anniversary there last night. It was a Great Choice. Quite intimate and cozy (I'm guessing 10 tables maybe) we were greeted by the Owner who was lovely and personable; made us feel right at home. We both started with the Black Bear Bistro Mushroom soup, for which they are famous and rightly so. So flavorful and rich it was the perfect appetizer. For our entrees my wife selected the Roasted Lamb Chops with Duck Leg Confit. It was incredible from the vessel it was served in to the wonderful things included within. This included a black cherry demi-glace with portobello mushroom and Risotto. and a very generous portion! I chose the Roasted Texas Quail with prosciutto, Manchego cheese, garlic risotto, and honey balsamic and Chutney. WOW! Simply incredible. I wasn't prepared for this. Every forkful was a revelation. So flavorful, with a perfect balance of delights. I might add at this point that both dishes were magnificently presented. The Chef went the extra mile and his flourishes and extra attention to visual detail was duly noted. Bravo. We never expected to find meals of this quality and "sophistication" in our little town. But there it was. Michelin worthy. We couldn't even manage dessert; we were so full and satisfied. It was an amazing culinary adventure. Our only criticism, mild though it is, has to do with the atmosphere. We felt it was a tad too bright in the room and that dimmer lights would be preferable and, being a small square room, the sound seemed to bounce off the walls and make conversation difficult at times. So perhaps some sound absorbing material or fabric wall hangings might help with that. But these are just minor complaints. Our experience there still merits 5 stars. And we...