Coopers Hawk

I recently visited Coopers Hawk for the first time. I'd heard nothing but good things about the place form friends about the food and the wine and the wine club. We stopped at the Orland Park location while out doing some last minute Christmas shopping at the mall.

It was just hubby and I, so it was a nice place for a relaxing, romantic (as you can see from the photos, the lighting is super dim) dinner.

I loved how knowledgable our server, Gina, was. She gave several suggestions on wines and beer and I loved being able to sample a couple before ordering. It stinks to order something on a recommendation and learn that you don't like it all that much. I told her I liked whites on the sweeter side and ended up loving the Gewürztraminer that she suggested.

As a starter, we got the roasted vegetable and goat cheese flatbread, which was phenomenal - super crispy crust and with a nice variety of vegetables, including beets, which I love sincerely!

The bread that was served before our meal was a mini pretzel loaf.

Can't recall what craft beer hubby settled on, but he was happy to also have a chance to try out a few samples.

We'd actually eaten not long before our stop and didn't want to overdo it, so we decided to split a surf and turf chef special for that night, which they were happy to do. The portion was perfect and it was great to have a little taste of the medium bone in filet and horseradish crusted salmon. It was served with Mary's Potatoes and parsnips with carrots.

If you are fond of their wines, consider doing the wine clubs, where you can get one or two bottles of red, white or sweet and a complimentary tasting every two months. Visit www.coopershawkwinery.com for more information.