Comfy, Fancy and Friendly at Palm Court in Arlington Heights

Comfy, Fancy and Friendly -- Dinner at Palm Court in Arlington Heights

**Disclosure: I did receive a complimentary food experience and gift certificate to bring you this review of Palm Court. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

Recently, I enjoyed a true foodie adventure exploring the flavors of  Palm Court in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Palm Court has been woven into the fabric of Arlington Heights for 40 years, so it was quite a pleasure to explore a restaurant that has been so meaningful to the community over the years and still is today. In fact, immediately when I shared some pictures from the evening so many of you shared stories of your memories at Palm Court! Palm Court is truly a special part of the Arlington Heights fabric and will remain so for years to come!

Dinner Begins!

A peek inside at one of rooms inside Palm Court. This one features a fire place!

Overall, I found the ambiance perfect for a special occasion or a date night while being comfortable at the same time. A number of local bloggers and I sat down to enjoy a night of conversation and exploration. When you are out for a night of sharing and relaxing, appetizers are a perfect place to start. So, we explored some fantastic appetizer options. One of my favorites happened to be the Baked Goat Cheese featuring a house made marinara:

Don't you just want to dip a toast point into the goat cheese and house made marinara? YUM!

During my visit, I focused on trying items that are new to me. So, I immediately went for the Escargot en Champignon which is a classic French dish synonymous with fine dining. We were on a night out, so why not get a little fancy? I thought that the Escargot en Champignon was dynamite!

Getting a little fancy with Escargot en Champignon

We also sampled the scrumptious Jumbo Cocktail Shrimp and Oysters Rockefeller. Truly, you cannot go wrong with these appetizers and I found them to be a great way to start the meal.

Jumbo Cocktail Shrimp and Oysters Rockefeller -- just WOW!

Vibrant, Beautiful and Delicious Salads!

After enjoying a tantalizing opening course, we moved on to sampling salads. The Walnut and Poached Pear Salad was not only a vibrant piece of art but also refreshing and delicious. Sweet and savory were adeptly mixed in the dish through the addition of greens, poached pears, walnuts, blue cheese crumbles and raspberry vinaigrette. You can also add salmon, chicken, shrimp or steak to the salad as well.

Beautiful and delicious Walnut Poached Pear Salad

Next, we sampled the Chopped Salad full of chopped iceberg lettuce, turkey, swiss cheese, avocado, red onion and bacon with ranch dressing and topped with brilliant red pepper rings. The Chopped Salad was absolutely numptious and I would possibly order it as an entree in the future.

Brilliant Chopped Salad!

Butcher's Block

All of Palm Court's steaks are USDA prime grade, wet-aged for 21-28 days and handtrimmed in house. We sampled both the Porterhouse and Slow Roasted Prime Rib. For a little surf-and-turf, we also enjoyed a African cold-water lobster tail. Pretty impressive! There were definitely a lot of wows in the room when the Butcher's Block came out! Great options for a nice night out!

Butcher's Block featuring Porterhouse, Slow Roasted Prime Rib and African Cold-water Lobster Tail.

Dinner entrees include choice of house salad or a cup of soup and are served with a vegetable medley and choice of starch including rice pilaf, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, baked potato or handcut French fries. With the Butcher's Block, we savored a sampling from the sea in addition to the lobster:

From the Sea: Dover Sole, Alaskan Halibut and Fried Gulf Shrimp!

The Dover Sole, the first in the collage, is customer favorite and deboned at the table. The Alaskan Halibut is wild caught, breaded with crushed macadamia nuts and covered with a meuniere sauce. Here, you can see the Alaskan Halibut plated with mashed sweet potatoes and a vegetable medley. Another great choice! Also, you will see another popular dish -- the Fried Gulf Shrimp!

Wait There's More:

We also sampled Berkshire Pork Chops which I somehow missed. But, they look incredible!

Gorgeous plating of Berkshire Pork Chops!

Another quick favorite for me -- New Zealand Rack of Lamb with an addictive dijon crust. Truly amazing!

Yummy, yummy New Zealand Rack of Lamb.

I also loved the Chicken Piccata -- which was a bit of a surprise to me. I usually think of Chicken Piccata has a ho-hum safe dish. But, this Chicken Piccata was dynamite and I will be ordering it again!

Chicken Piccata with vibrant vegetable medley.

The Desserts Have It!

Well, we did need to finish up with something sweet so we spoiled ourselves with a bit of dessert! For dessert, we explored the Apple Cinnamon Crisp which looks delicate and quite beautiful! I like the deconstructed concept which is both intriguing and allows you to eat the portions you enjoy. Next, we sampled the classic Cheesecake with lovely fresh berries.

We also savored Lia's Key Lime Pie which has a particularly special meaning. For Palm Court, supporting the community is very important. For the month of April, a portion of sales from Palm Court's famous Key Lime Pie will benefit Autism Hero Project. During the month of April $1 from each slice and $5 from each whole Key Lime Pie will be donated to Autism Hero Project. This month's charity initiative was inspired by 10-year-old Lia and her family. Lia was thrilled that Palm Court would be supporting a charity that has helped her.

A sweet sampling of desserts!

We capped off the visit with Brandy Ice which is an incredible hand mixed ice cream doused with brandy and presented to guests with a blazing sugar cube on top. Sparkling!

Brandy Ice is on Fire!

Wait a Minute, Wasn't There Wine?

Oh, yes! Yes, there was wine! We sipped on three wines during our adventure. We opened with a Chandon Brut Imperial for our sparkling wine reception. Our salad course was paired with a Tinto Rey Rosa by Matchbook Wines. For the main course, we chose either Cuvaison Chardonnay, the Arsonist Red Blend by Matchbook Wines or Meiomi Pinot Noir. I have to say that we were all entranced by Matchbook Wines with labels complete with unique burned notches. How fun! I did enjoy the wine and you can tell that wine is a focus at Palm Court.

Impressive wine line up!

Comfy and Fancy, Friendly and Warm:

Overall, I found Palm Court to be comfy while also fancy and both friendly and warm. Palm Court is a dining establishment where you can delight in a nice and refined night out but also be relaxed. While recently welcoming new owner George Theodossopoulos, Palm Court still commits itself to those incredible flavors that have found a home in Arlington Heights for 40 years. As an important part of Palm Court history, Chef Michael has been crafting spectacular dishes for 40 years and will continue to wow patrons! I am looking forward to future visits and celebrations at Palm Court enjoying both old and new. I also am excited to see future collaborations between Palm Court and the community. What a dedicated, amazing and tasty part of Arlington Heights!

Fabulous group of local bloggers with George from Palm Court.

Special Offer for My Readers!

Are you ready to explore Palm Court for yourselves or excited to revisit an old favorite? Take a peek a the special offer and how you can participate below. Thank you so much to Palm Court for welcoming my readers! Please note that offer expires June 10, 2019!