MINI “review”- Main Street Social

[rating=5] Tonight was not a planned restaurant review, so in fairness, since we did not truly do a sampling of the menu, this is what I must call a “mini review”. We had heard about a newer place up in Libertyville, kind of far from the theater scene, but an area that we had visited on several occasions before. Prior to this trip, we had been to more “sports bar” venues, but this one, Main Street Social , is far from being that, although the bar area did have a few giant screens and of course there was a playoff game on them. Understandable.

We entered thru the parking are instead of the main entrance at 608 N. Milwaukee Avenue ( the heart of “downtown” Libertyville). The back entrance is also where they have an outside seating area with heaters and a beautiful fire pit that might add a great deal of romance to the evening. The bar area was a private party and thus a bit loud and while the dining area ( smallish and intimate) was not as loud, it was filled with younger people who tend to let off steam after a rough day of work. “Nuff said!

Again, this was not a planned evening of dining, but the friendly staff and the food we did have, is worthy of mentioning and I will return to do the entire menu in the very near future. The three of us skipped appetizers of which they have plenty. In fact, as my entrée, I had the Berkshire Meatball made with house pomeodoro, bellweather ricotta, basil and grilled ciabatta. The meatball was the size of a large baseball and one of the most flavorful I have ever tasted.

The  Brick Roasted Chicken with charred broccolini, smashed fingerlings potatoes in a special juice was divine and theChar-grilled salmon served on a pineapple-avocado salad with eggplant puree divine. Make sure that you order it on the less than medium side so it is as juicy as possible. We also had the Crispy Brussels Sprouts as a side dish and I will not tell you about our surprise dessert. I will tell you that it will make you think of New Orleans.

The menu is huge and varied and they have a burger that looks too good to eat, but I watched many of the patrons dig in and each had a smile on their face after each bite. You can see their wide menu at www.MainStreetSoc.com and the phone number is 847-549-3490.

They have a great wine list ( from what I understand, they are partners in a winery and have their own label ,( cannot wait until next time) so the list is very long. Plenty of beers and a full assortment of cocktails. An intimate space in downtown Libertyville awaits your dining pleasure. They also have a Sunday brunch menu that looks great