Raves for Rayme's Restaurant

Having lived in Lisle nearly 20 years, it may surprise most that I had only been to Rayme's once—particularly since Rayme's has been a staple in Lisle for 37 years and only changed ownership twice.

New owners Gary Nolan and Jerry Reynolds purchased Rayme's in 2009. Both had previous experience with bars (owned in Seneca and Oswego), but this is their first restaurant venture.

"There are customers who have been coming weekly for 25 years," according to Betty Montello. Montello should know; she has been a waitress and bartender for 35 years. "If they ever fired me, my car would come here automatically on its own."

According to Montello, Nolan and Reynolds have a commitment to customer service that has one of them on-site daily. They are overseeing quality control, interacting with customers and demonstrating a commitment to longevity in Lisle.

From the moment we walked in, supper club came to mind. And frankly, we loved it. It was warm and inviting. The kind of place that is conversation-friendly; loud enough that you can't overhear other tables conversations so you can remain finely tuned into your own. We started our dining experience with a pre-cocktail dinner at the bar. The bartender was attentive. The olives for the martinis are hand-stuffed and taste sensational all their own. My dining companions and I were pretty sure that we could make a meal out of the stuffed anchovy and blue cheese olives.

We chose the Smoked Salmon appetizer to share.  It was a nice starter for a party of four. The salmon was surrounded by delicious accompiments in the dill sauce, capers, red onions, sour cream and hearty light rye crackers. Starting with the spicy black bean soup which was just spicy enough and choosing the nightly special of rosemary encrusted tilapia for my main entree, I was very impressed. The rosemary gave the tilapia a rich and hearty flare without overpowering the light, flaky fish. My dining companions all enjoyed their selections of oyster rockefeller, prime rib and a classic American burger.

The dining service was also friendly and accomodating. Our wait for a table was fairly short for a Saturday night, but we arrived past normal dinner hours (around 7:45 p.m.). I would recommend calling ahead if you want to have dinner earlier.

With few dining experiences to choose from in Lisle, I am thrilled to have discovered Rayme's again and to be supporting a local restaurant.

• Payments accepted: Visa, Cash, American Express, Mastercard, Discover
• Food & dining options: Bar, Dining room
• General services: Catering, Phone orders, Eat-in, Take-out
• Specialties: Ribs, Prime Rib, Steaks and Fish
• Signature dishes: What dish is most representative of the restaurant? Pork Baby Back Ribs which are fall-off-the-bone tender.
• Price level: $$