This hidden gem in Grantfork, IL is the sister restaurant to Diamond Mineral Springs, which is the more "family style" restaurant, whereas The Back Porch is a little more upscale.
The only reason I know about this is because my boyfriend, who is from Highland, used to work here for several years. We went with a group of nine people last night.
The Back Porch is open from spring to fall, with plexi-glass covering the screens during the cooler months, but it's really worth going to when it's warm.
The decor somehow manages to hover between "tacky" and "charming" - pillars made into palm trees and light-up tropical birds hanging from the ceilings, and all the staff wear Hawaiian shirts. But somehow it works.
Yes, there is no air-conditioning (more of a response to Teri D's rant of the restaurant under the Diamond Mineral Springs page) - it's called THE BACK PORCH...does your screened in porch have air conditioning? Pick a nice night to go and the breeze from the ceiling fans is enough. The beautiful view of the lush green woods surrounding 3/4ths of the restaurant is worth it. Also, given the constructs of the place, there will be bugs. We had a moth flutter by us, a spider on the back of my chair, and some unidentifiable bug on the arm of a friend's chair, that we flicked off and watched him lazily crawl away. If the idea of bugs near you and your food skeezes you out, then skip this place. I vaguely wondered how a place with bugs in it passes Health Inspection, but realized I didn't really care.
The food was really very good. A little pricy, but the quality is up there, and the portions are ginormous. Every person in our group of nine had a to-go box at the end of the meal.
I went with the Tutto Mare, which Devin said is one of their most popular dishes. I can see why! Creamy, delicious bow-tie pasta, packed with succulent shrimp, scallops, and clams in shell. Those were the larger, visible pieces, but there were also small bits of mussels, crab, and lobster. it was very good.
All of the entrees came with a side and a salad, which definitely justified the price. I picked the asparagus salad, which is new to the menu, and it was totally delicious! Asparagus spears, huge tomato slices, onions, artichokes, feta cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, on top of a bed of romaine. I'm not a huge salad fan, but this was perfect!
There aren't a lot of side options - I hope you like potatoes. Devin says they usually have all their potato sides (baked potato, twice-baked potato, sweet potato) and then one vegetable that they rotate out. Last night was Italian green beans, but sometimes they do creamed spinach or a vegetable medley. I went with the sweet potato, which was huge, moist, and tasty - came with a nice helping of butter and brown sugar on the side.
For drinks, I enjoyed a massive glass of red sangria, which was delightful. Devin had Breckenridge Agave Wheat on draught, which is one of my favorites. They have a really nice selection of craft beers on draught.
I was way too stuffed for dessert, but a couple of friends got some pie, and they wolfed them down. Apparently they were very, very good.
If you're on a diet, don't come here. I can't imagine how many calories I consumed last night.
The service was very good, and they had a band last night. I liked the band well enough (did some old school covers), but with where we were sitting, we could barely hear the person next to us. Devin says they never have a band, and it sounds like they were here special for Memorial Day weekend (and will be back Labor Day weekend). I enjoyed watching all the older husband-wife couples dance together in front of the stage.
Speaking of which, definitely an older crowd. I'd say the average age was about 55. The owner told us he was "happy to see some young people here for a change, instead of just all us old fogies!" I can only imagine that it's because of the location - it doesn't seem like an "old people" place. If it were closer, I'd want to come by all the time, at least for drinks and the atmosphere!
Important to note: this place is CASH ONLY.
If you have love for the outdoors and for fine dining, The Back Porch seamlessly combines the two. At an hour's drive from St. Louis, it's not exactly worth making a special trip, but if you're out in rural southern Illinois for whatever reason, it's definitely worth a visit. read more
