Rosemary and Jeans Public House — Restaurant in Lombard

On a particularly pleasant day, I decided to treat myself to a meal at Rosemary Jean's. The restaurant, nestled in a beautifully restored historic home, immediately caught my eye with its charming exterior and inviting ambiance. Opting to enjoy the weather, I chose to dine outside on the patio, a decision that promised a peaceful and enjoyable meal.

From the moment I walked in, the staff were exceptionally welcoming. Their warm smiles and friendly demeanor set a positive tone for the evening. After being seated on the lovely patio, I placed my order and settled in to soak up the tranquil atmosphere. The patio, surrounded by lush greenery and the subtle charm of the historic building, was a perfect setting for a relaxing dinner.

In no time, the attentive staff brought my food to the table. The presentation was impeccable, and the aroma was enticing. As I took my first bite, I was delighted by the quality and flavor of the meal. The food were cooked to perfection, tender and juicy, complemented by a side of expertly seasoned vegetables. It was clear that a lot of care and skill had gone into the preparation of the dish.

The serenity of the evening was interrupted by an unexpected incident that added an unusual twist to my dining experience. As I was savoring my meal, two teenagers on bikes approached the patio. One was tall with red hair, and the other one was short and had brown, puffy hair. They looked to be around eighth grade or freshman in high school. Without warning, they walked up onto the patio and, to my utter shock, spilled a cold Oreo milkshake all over me. Laughing hysterically, they fled the scene on their bikes before I could react.

Although I was initially furious and taken aback by the sudden chaos, the restaurant staff quickly came to my aid. They were incredibly apologetic, even though the incident was clearly not their fault. With swift efficiency, they provided me with an abundance of napkins and helped me clean up the mess. Their genuine concern and prompt assistance helped alleviate some of the frustration I felt from the teenagers' prank.

Once I was cleaned up, I continued my meal. Despite the disruption, the rest of my dining experience was nothing short of excellent. The peaceful environment, the delicious food, and the attentive service made for a memorable evening. The restaurant's commitment to customer satisfaction was evident in how the staff handled the situation with grace and professionalism.

Reflecting on the evening, I can confidently say that Rosemary Jean's Steakhouse is a wonderful place to dine. The serene atmosphere, high-quality food, and historic charm make it a standout dining destination. While the unexpected encounter with the mischievous teenagers was unfortunate, it was an isolated incident that shouldn't detract from the restaurant's overall excellence. I highly recommend this place for anyone looking to enjoy a delightful meal in a beautiful setting. Just keep an eye out for...

The restaurant is in an old mansion in downtown Lombard and is really charming.

We had two appetizers: arancini and burrata. The arancini was delicious (maybe just a little too much sauce, but since the sauce was good I let it slide). The burrata was underwhelming. It was served on top of crispy fried onions which was different. I’ll straight up tell you nothing will ever compare to McWethy’s burrata for so I don’t know why we bother ordering it anywhere else.

Next, we shared the pear and goat cheese salad, and that was great. It had fresh pears, caramelized walnuts, dried cranberries, and a light sherry vinaigrette over mixed greens with a fried goat cheese medallion on top. The flavors were absolutely perfect together.

One of the entree specials was lobster ravioli so we had to try that, and then also ordered orecchiette with sausage and rapini in a parmesan cream sauce. It was obvious the pasta was freshly made, which is always a plus. The ravioli was a huge miss for me though. The vodka-sherry sauce was far too strong and salty and completely overwhelmed any lobster flavor the ravioli might have had. And there were no visible pieces of lobster in the filling. The orecchiette was pretty good, although I found the sauce a little soupy.

We always get tiramisu when we go to a new Italian restaurant. This one was very clearly made from scratch and looked amazing. Unfortunately it did not taste amazing. The ladyfingers didn’t appear to have been soaked in espresso at all, and the mascarpone tasted like sour cream. It had a really odd flavor.

The service was excellent and you get a vibe from everyone working there that they genuinely enjoy it.

Like other reviewers have mentioned, there was an odd sewer-like smell. We were seated in the room where the door to the kitchen is.

I really wanted to love this place because it’s so cute and the people are great, but I probably wouldn’t go back except maybe to get that salad for lunch if I’m...

Love taking the lady out to new places and saw the ratings here. I would like to preface this with the incredible service we had. Our waitress was funny, accommodating, and on point. That being said, first impression:

As soon as we stepped inside it smelled extremely weird and unclean (bathroom and old people smell). Immediately asked for outdoor seating. Chairs were way too low to the ground. Plastic cups. Small table. Cute setting.

Let’s get into the food.

The bread was extremely dry, and wasn’t warm at all. Really disappointing to start with bad bread at an Italian place… We started with the arancini which was delicious, the only problem was that it was barely warm. It would’ve been a HIT if it came out hot.

We then ordered 3 pasta dishes:

The Butternut Squash Ravioli. Our favorite dish of the night. Absolutely incredible deep nuttiness from the brown butter and so creamy. Just slightly sweet. It was swimming in a pool of butter and took away from what was otherwise a killer dish.

Cavatelli w Vodka Sauce (Added meatball). This was super rich, great pasta and solid sauce. We added the meatball due to recommendation from our waitress (DO NOT GET THE MEATBALL). The meatball was DESERT dry with an awful corned beef taste. It legitimately tasted like the smell of dog food and completely ruined the dish. Go for the sausage instead.

Orrechiette with Rapini and Sausage. Solid white parmesan sauce. Pasta was cooked perfectly. The sausage was incredible with this dish. It was a little too salty for me. The addition of the crispy prosciutto on top was really nice.

All in all, the only memorable thing here was the butternut squash ravioli. I believe the general praise here is due to the extreme amounts of fat and salt that are present in the dishes. Sadly not much better than Olive Garden and we...