Eric's New Venture

E.F. Carpenters has fine dining nailed
By LAURA GRIFFITH
2008-02-10 22:29:00
The Telegraph
JERSEYVILLE — Although it has only been open about a week, Jerseyville’s newest sit-down restaurant is already carving out a name for itself.

E.F. Carpenters, a casual fine dining restaurant, opened Feb. 1 and enjoyed a successful opening weekend, general manager Robin McIntyre said.

“Saturday night (Feb. 2), we had more than 200 people,” she said.

McIntyre said patrons so far have marveled at E.F. Carpenters’ atmosphere and great food.

“The service is relaxed, not rushed by any means,” she said.

The interior of the old building along South State Street has been rehabbed and features exposed brick and high ceilings, as well as dining areas on the ground floor and in the loft.

McIntyre touted the restaurant as a quiet place to eat or have a dinner meeting. It includes a full bar complete with martinis and wine, with a patio that extends off the back of the restaurant.

Chef Eric Walker has more than 10 years of restaurant experience and makes all of the restaurant’s dressings and desserts from scratch, McIntyre said.

He comes from Chesterfield’s Wild Horse Grill.

McIntyre said many of the restaurant’s dishes — a selection of steaks, seafood, pasta and chi
cken — are Walker’s creations.

The restaurant’s most talked-about dishes so far include his coconut shrimp; the pecan chicken, which is a double breast topped with a sun-dried tomato and basil-infused cream sauce; and the cowboy pork chop, a 14-ounce grilled bone-in pork chop topped with a bing cherry glaze and candied walnuts.

The dessert menu includes profiteroles, a pastry with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and powdered sugar.

With the closing of 518 Restaurant, many in Jerseyville have been waiting for a similar eatery to come along.

“I think this is going to be a popular weekend place,” McIntyre said. “It’s a terrific place for quiet business lunches and meetings, special birthdays and dates.”

The restaurant derives its name from its owners — an engineer, a farmer and two carpenters. All residents of Jersey County, they are Dean and Rita Heneghan, Paul and Mary Bartlett, Jerry and Rhonda McIntyre, and Tom and Kelly Retzer.

The restaurant’s rehabilitation began in August and was completed Jan. 1. E.F. Carpenters is in the 200 block of South State Street.

Reservations and walk-ins are accepted during the restaurant’s hours, beginning at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

“We welcome everyone,” McIntyre said.

Salads and sandwiches are served during lunch, and patrons can order off the dinner menu after 5 p.m.