By Rick Karlin

Contributing writer

D.O.C. Wine Bar
326 Yorktown Center
Lombard, IL 60148
Phone: (630) 627-6666

There’s a section of Yorktown Mall in Lombard that looks as if it’s a city street. Quaint street lamps cast shadows upon the snow-swept sidewalks. If it weren’t for the lack of dog poop, pigeons and panhandlers, you’d almost think you were in downtown Chicago. Oh, yeah, one more thing—you don’t have to valet because there’s plenty of free parking. You can bet that Mayor Daley wouldn’t let that happen in his kingdom.

If this part of the mall really were a street in the city, D.O.C. would be the neighborhood favorite of the young sophisticates. The intimate, window-filled space is filled with cozy booths, while the dark wood bar is lined with plenty of comfy bar stools. The staff is uniformly friendly. Our waitress must have been slammed the night we visited—we had to wait quite a while for her to take our drink and appetizer order, and then again between courses, but she was apologetic and friendly throughout.

Choosing a glass of wine is no easy feat—the wine list boasts more than 300 global selections, almost all of which are available by the glass or as very reasonably priced bottles. They are serious about wine here, with a temperature-controlled wine storage room and an exceptional variety of local and imported vintages. This is the kind of place where you can hang out with friends or on a date, sipping wine and relaxing. You won’t feel rushed, but it is certainly not the place to go for a quick bite—which is probably good, as the food isn’t anything exceptional.

Chef Philipp Vitti, who worked at Tru, has fashioned his take on classic American fare. While a few dishes are outstanding, there are more misses than hits. Chorizo-stuffed dates wrapped in smoked bacon are good. How could you go wrong with the sweet, salty and spicy classic combo? However, our other appetizer, oven-roasted calamari, was overwhelmed by a preponderance of acrid tomato sauce, which also made it impossible to taste the white beans and olives served with the dish.

The curly spinach with pistachios and goat cheese arrived lightly bathed in a honey mustard dressing. This dish was not only good, it was generously portioned, as was the traditional Caesar. Both overflowed their plates and would benefit from being served on a larger platform. It was almost impossible to eat it without spinach and lettuce leaves flying off the dish.

Cabernet-braised short ribs are melt-in-your-mouth tender and the slow cooking in red wine and horseradish gremalota left them richly flavored. If only the same could be said for the huge mound of mashed potatoes accompanying them—they were as savory as wallpaper paste. Pan-seared salmon arrived a tad overcooked, but well seasoned. Sautéed spinach in lemon basil sauce is good enough to serve as a meal on its own.

We eagerly anticipated our desserts because they sounded so yummy on the menu. Again our hopes were dashed. The “Lincoln Park” warm chocolate chip cookie arrived warm, but tasted as if it had been micro-waved instead of freshly baked. The dish is topped with store-bought-tasting vanilla ice cream and caramel (not “Carmel”—all chefs and restaurant managers please note: Carmel is a city in California. Caramel is the butter and sugar combination.) The “S’mores Panini” was an overly rich combo of chocolate, peanut butter and marshmallow fluff—the base was soft and mushy rather than crisp.

The Bottom Line: A three-course dinner with a glass of wine runs about $50 a person, tax and tip included, about $5 less for pasta or a sandwich.