“The Tropics of Libertyville”

Highly Recommended ***** January is a great time to think of tropical breezes, walking along the beach and of course great seafood. If one is in Florida ( as many are this time of year) that is simple. If you are unable to get away, how about taking a trip to Libertyville, Illinois. Yes, in Lake County Illinois, at the far north border of Libertyville ( also known as Route 137) right off route 21 ( also known as Milwaukee Avenue) in a strip shopping center, behind a Walgreens, you will find a hidden treasure called Harbor Kitchen and Tap. I must tell you this charming new venue will make you feel that you have left the everyday hum drum life in brisk Chicagoland, and make you feel that you have entered a luxurious resort, and yet, their prices are perfect for the area.

Harbor Kitchen and Tap is new to the area and is kind of hidden. Once you find it (1762 N. Milwaukee Avenue, just north of the “downtown” area of Libertyville) and enter the door, you will feel the warmth of the tropics. It is bright and airy with a large dining room, spacious bar area ( with loads of TV sets for the sports fanatics) and they have a beautiful second dining room that can be used for private parties as well. We were greeted and escorted to our table where we met our server, Kevin and the manager, Adam. Both of them were knowledgeable about the menu and what the regulars have been raving about. With just about a month under their belts and many customers returning several times, they are pretty much aware of the true “hits” on their vast menu.

The cocktail menu is filled with wines ( bottle or glass), hand crafted beers, specialty drinks galore and of course tropical beverages. Many of their special drinks are rum related ( of course) and so Jane and I both had the “painkiller” ( myer’s dark rum, Rumhaven Coconut rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, orange juice, topped with fresh nutmeg and a piece of pineapple served in a special TikiRob Glass ( no you do not take the glass home). Frank opted for the Mr. Sunshine Killer Bee, again rum based with Rumhaven Caribbean rum, passion fruit juice, honey and club soda. This was also served in their special TikiRob glass.. I truly enjoyed my cocktail ( having two) and did not miss my vodka martini at all.

We selected two of the appetizers, one from the “standards”- Roasted Avocado stuffed with crab- wow! Two roasted avocado halves stuffed with crab meat and roasted tomatoes topped with cilantro and balsamic glaze. Very tasty! and the other from their “scoop , dip and dive ‘ selections: Cheesy Gruyere Lobster Dip- served in a sourdough bread bowl with homemade wonton chips and veggies. They make their own chips, breads and shells- all delicious and oh so fresh.

They have a great variety of choices and we asked Adam to offer us the most popular so that we could bring you the flavors that have been savored since the opening. By the way, they have a great selection of sandwiches and for you meat lovers ( and those who adore chicken) plenty of choices as well. Let’s face it, seafood is more “tropical” and so we did almost all, leaving one entree that is more for the meat eaters.

For our main course Wonderful crab cakes served with mango aioli, parmesan truffle scoop fries ( again, home-made), grilled asparagus and a very tangy tarter sauce. We also enjoyed the seafood risotto- a creamy risotto tossed with shrimp, lobster meat, asparagus, roasted tomatoes and fresh dill- a fish lovers paradise with a wonderful flavor.

The meat dish selected was the Lilikoi BBQ Braised Short Ribs- slow boiled boneless beef short ribs glazed with their signature Lilikoi BBQ sauce served over rice with delicious corn bread and pineapple slaw ( about as tropical as one can get with meat). Meat-lovers: they also have a skirt steak that looked divine and “The Harbor Filet ( topped with lobster and crab gruyere that I will try next visit). FYI- Lobster rolls are on the menu and they have another offering that looks very special ( and tempting) in their sandwiches- Grilled Cheese and Short Rib- sounds perfect for a Sunday afternoon!

For our dessert we selected the Pineapple Rum Cake, a moist sweet taste of the Islands, drizzled with rum caramel sauce and topped with bruleed pineapple. It is even better tasting then it sounds.

Harbor Kitchen Tap is located at 1762 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville and they are open 7 days a week-

Monday-Thursday  11 am- 10 p.m.

Friday  11 am -11 p.m.

Saturday  10 am- 11 p.m.

Sunday 10 am – 10 p.m.

The phone number is 847-549-3817 and you can view the menu and specials at www.harborkitchentap.com

Plenty of parking and a good time. Leave the winter at the door and enter your Island Paradise in Libertyville.

I know they are having some extra super specials for “The Big Game” in February /for dine-in and carry-out