Mystery Diner in Crystal Lake: Jude’s provides big taste on small plates

Jude’s in downtown Crystal Lake offers a unique experience. A glass garage door out front opens to fresh air on a comfortable evening, and the restaurant has a warmly designed interior. Its smallish bar crafts some of the region’s more interesting gin-based cocktails.

But our visit to Jude’s was for the food. This is Mystery Diner, after all. The menu at Jude’s, which opened last December, features a variety of internationally inspired small plates meant to be shared. Jude’s notes it rotates its selection, and this being our second visit in a month, some of the menu already had changed, featuring a few new spring offerings.

We reported when Jude’s opened that the dishes “are from a variety of different countries, including India and Vietnam, as well as from across the United States. … The concept came after (the owners) created a poll on Facebook asking people what kind of foods they would like to see in the city of Crystal Lake. A lot of people suggested Indian food, and vegetarian was requested, as well.”

With the small, shareable plate and international concepts, many chances to experiment with the menu are in play – from wraps, flatbread pizzas, soups and skewers to falafel and chops. And we would recommend ordering in waves, rather than all at once. This strategy allows diners to anticipate the next choice, while also knowing when to say stop when they are getting full.

Our first wave included a cup of Pho Ga soup (Vietnam, $5) with soft noodles and shredded chicken in a fragrant broth; Crispy Peking Duck (two wraps, China, $9), including crispy baked duck with cucumber, green onion and hoisin sauce wrapped in a thin Chinese pancake; and Louisiana Alligator Bites ($9 for a deep cup), breaded, tender alligator seasoned with Cajun spice and served with a Cajun ranch dipping sauce.

The soup is light with a pleasing broth, and has a red pepper with a solid kick. The wrapped duck was a favorite with a nice mix of duck and veggies. And the breading on the alligator bites was crunchy and flavorful. The Cajun ranch was a perfect complement to the bites and not too spicy.

The second wave included Peshwari Lamb Chops (India, $13, for three) with a mint sauce, and Falafel (Middle East, $9, four pieces) with skhug and tzatziki sauces.

The lamb chops were meaty, moist and grilled well. The chops would be fine on their own, but the mint sauce was a nice addition. The falafel benefited from the accompanying sauce options.

Our final choice was Mediterranean Chicken Skewer (Greece, $9 for two skewers). The meat was prepared with Mediterranean spice. The chicken skewers’ other ingredients didn’t match the description on the menu, but the pieces were tasty.

Overall, Jude’s is a culinary trip around the world here in Crystal Lake.

And as mentioned above, Jude’s is also a cocktail bar. Its specialty gin is made by a distillery in Wheeling. The drinks we sampled were summery, and featured watermelon, mint, berries and a few surprises.

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at the Northwest Herald. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Jude’s

WHERE: 19 Williams St., Crystal Lake

PHONE: 815-575-8337

INFORMATION: www.judescocktails.com