LAKE VILLA – The Midwest, and the Chicago area especially, have a great tradition of Irish pubs that’ll serve you a little corned beef and a pint of draft beer. Visit enough of these spots, and you may find yourself thinking there’s nothing new in Irish cuisine.

Don’t mistake Blackthorn Grille for one such experience. More than just a pub, it’s a full-service Irish restaurant that doesn’t lay on the Emerald Isle trappings too thickly. You can get your shepherd’s pie, corned beef and a pint of draft beer, of course, but there’s a lot more than that, too.

I stopped by on a recent evening with a dining companion and a big appetite. We’d had an early lunch that day, and this was turning out to be a late dinner by the time we made it to the restaurant. Seated quickly and greeted by a server almost immediately, we both agreed on the Celtic knots appetizer right away.

The “knots” were good-sized piece of bread that had been tossed in olive oil, garlic and herbs, then topped with Parmesan cheese. Available for dipping were tasty marinara and Alfredo sauces. My companion favored the Alfredo, while I leaned toward the marinara, so we were both happy.

We’d made good progress on the appetizer, despite its generous size, when our next course appeared – a house salad for me, a cup of cream of broccoli for my companion. These were simply made, but with quality ingredients and disappeared quickly.

Next up was the entrees – shepherd’s pie for me companion, and chicken Marsala for me. I ordered the bleu cheese cole slaw and grilled mushrooms as my included sides, forgetting for the moment that my chicken would also be topped with mushrooms. My mistake didn’t matter one bit – the mushrooms in the Marsala dish were simple a piece of a much larger tapestry of flavor, while the grilled side made for a delightfully strong counterpoint to the mild and refreshing cole slaw.

My companion chose a side of grilled asparagus and proclaimed it the best she’d ever tasted, high praise considering her enthusiasm for that vegetable. She was equally pleased by the shepherd’s pie, but given its heartiness and massive proportions, she’d only made it a third of the way through the dish when she asked for a box – and later got two more meals out of it.

At this point ordering dessert was more than gluttonous, but we pressed on regardless. Our server rattled off a lengthy list of choices, from which I selected the chocolate fudge cake and my companion the chocolate mousse. Upon finishing these fantastic sweets, I reflected that we probably should have shared a single dessert, to which my companion agreed.

Blackthorn Grille has a whole host of options that we didn’t get to explore. There’s a vast array of burgers, sandwiches, paninis and wraps, including a buffalo burger and tasty sounding Kildare chicken Parmesan. The menu has seafood and pasta options, an “Irish Favorites” section, and half a page devoted just to their pizzas.

I’ll always have a great deal of affection for the traditional Irish pub, but given a choice between a simple neighborhood hole-in-the-wall and Blackthorn Grille, there’s really no comparison.

The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at Suburban Life Media. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. Only positive dining experiences will result in published reviews.