Mystery Diner in Geneva: The Country House home to classics done right

Perched above a pond on Geneva’s border with Batavia sits the picturesque Country House, a long-running establishment known for hospitality and American staples – from its award-winning burger to ribs and pork chops.

The attractive interior is spacious, with casual dining areas, party rooms and a bar that’s old school, serving peanuts in the shell to patrons. Begging for milder weather is the lofty patio overlooking the water attraction and perfect for sunset views.

The reconfigured intersection with Kirk Road has a median strip on eastbound Fabyan Parkway that means driving a block farther to the entrance for the Comfort Inn & Suites and taking the westbound frontage road to the restaurant. Its sister eatery is in Clarendon Hills.

Again open for indoor dining, The Country House still offers carryout, curbside pickup and delivery service via DoorDash. We opted to grab an early dinner to go, ordered by phone, and had our meal waiting in about 20 minutes for some instant gratification that kept us blissfully out of the kitchen on a busy Saturday. The website shows the temporary, streamlined menu for carryout.

Divvying up the goodies at home, we started off with a bowl of Country House Chili, described as the restaurant’s original recipe for more than 40 years. It was a mellow mix of finely ground beef, tomato chunks, green pepper, onion and a smattering of beans among its ingredients. It was delicious and had a subtle kick.

For an appetizer, we picked duck tenders, nice and crispy on the outside. The plentiful order paired nicely with a first-rate buttermilk ranch dressing and a barbecue sauce with a hint of brown sugar and vinegar for zesty balance.

My dining companion chose the pot roast sliders, three generous sandwiches on toasted buns, featuring shredded braised beef accented with a horseradish-cream sauce and garnished with onion straws.

“It was tender and flavorful,” he said.

The sliders come with a side, offering a choice of everything from fries to onion rings, coleslaw or baked potato. Torn between the always tasty coleslaw and fries, we settled on the potato salad, a creamy, savory dish that’s a stand out.

I tried the grilled chicken salad, whose presentation was lovely. A bed of mixed greens and iceberg lettuce was covered with generous sections home to diced fresh tomatoes, a mix of shredded cheeses, slices of boiled egg, and wonderfully crisp bacon strips. My choice of honey mustard dressing was a hit. A big serving of grilled chicken cut into strips arrived in its own insulated container to keep it warm and allow you to custom mix your salad.

We look forward to returning and snagging a seat on the balcony patio to celebrate a hopefully imminent spring.

• The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at the Kane County Chronicle. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff when ordering or picking up the food. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: The Country House

WHERE: 2095 Kirk Road, Geneva

PHONE: 630-208-8181

INFORMATION: burgerone.com