Wadsworth TV restaurant debuts new menu, focuses on Greek family values

WADSWORTH – The Shanty Restaurant, at 38985 North Route 41, in Wadsworth, is known for being featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" TV show. Now, the eatery is adding to its cuisine with a brand-new menu called "Eleven."

This menu highlights "farm-to-table" dishes with a focus on all-natural ingredients, according to a news release.

Launched in November, this marks The Shanty's first new menu in two years. The menu preserves some of the restaurant's classics, yet features 13 new dishes and 11 new sauces, the release says.

Signature dishes include whiskey shrimp, organic goat cheese wontons and tequila-orange grilled salmon.

"We've always been known for our quality, but the new menu brings creativity – the art of food," said owner and chef Dimitri Kallianis. "We're keeping our signature dishes and adding new items with exclusive flavors – things you can't get at any other place."

An example of these exclusive items is as 12-ounce filet mignon topped with imported French Brie and served over a red wine reduction sauce. Another specialty is a "DNA-tested" Chilean sea bass topped with walnut pesto and served over a purple cauliflower puree with local tomato jam, the release says.

"What I want to do is to bring back the relationship between the restaurateur and the chef," Kallianis said of his vision. "I believe this relationship has been lost in the modern-day food industry."

Brad Trowbridge, a Le Cordon Bleu College graduate and Waukegan resident, has been The Shanty's executive chef for three years. Trowbridge said he agrees with the need for change.

"I'm excited," Trowbridge said. "It's fun to experiment and innovate in the kitchen. It keeps things fresh and interesting."

Kallianis said the restaurant has contracted with multiple local farmers within less than a 15-mile radius to supply fresh, all-natural, USDA-inspected beef and ingredients that will be used as weekend chef specials.

"Farmers are an important part of our community and I feel privileged to showcase their hard work," Kallianis said.

One supplier is the owner's father, Dino Kallianis, who owns Captain Porky's nearby at 38995 Route 41, in Wadsworth. Dino Kallianis raises his lambs at his local farm, the release says.

The family's Greek roots are brought into the new menu. When diners are seated, they are greeted with a tasting of non-genetically modified olive oil from Sparta, as well as handcrafted bread and roasted red bell pepper hummus – topped with black olives.

"It replicates the exact table settings we experience when we visit our village, Kastori, in the historic district of Sparta," Dimitri Kallianis said.

In addition to the new menu, The Shanty now offers an updated craft beer list, gluten-free dishes, hand-crafted seasonal cocktails and new desserts, the release says.

"It's not that the food is fancy ... It's the quality of the dining," Dimitri Kallianis added. "It's a fresh approach. At the end of the day, we are all still eating in our restaurant made of barn wood."