The Menu
Open for lunch and dinner, the menu features everything from seafood and steaks, to pasta and burgers. Its signature cheesy, pull-a part monkey bread served with herbed garlic butter in an actual monkey dish is presented at each table, and checks are delivered with a tasty bowl of homemade caramel corn.
The menu was created by noted chef consultant, Tobie Nidetz, who has added creative flair to the Monkey Dish’s comprehensive menu of contemporary American fare. Lunch favorites include the Bird of Paradise, featuring fresh pineapple filled with pecan grape chicken salad surrounded by fresh fruit and warm corn pudding; and the Jumbo Crab Cake and Small Caesar combo; along with a variety of sandwiches, salads and burgers, including its own Monkey Burger boasting Angus beef served on a garlic butter toasted sesame bun and topped with Tillamook cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, dill pickle, Monkey Dish special sauce and grilled onions.
Dinner highlights include the Blackened K.C. Strip Steak char-grilled with searingly hot spices and served with hush puppies, béarnaise sauce and mashed potatoes for; Ginger Soy Glazed Ahi seared on the grill with stir-fried vegetables and jasmine steamed rice; Chicken Piccata topped with lemon sauce, mushrooms and capers and served with angel hair pasta for; and Penne Alla Roma, featuring penne tossed with garlic, olive oil, fire-roasted eggplant, pine nuts, golden raisins, Kalamata olives, zucchini, hot peppers and parmesan cheese. Other dinner favorites include salads and the signature tomato, basil cheese, barbeque chicken and wasabi shrimp flatbreads.
A special junior menu is offered with younger palates in mind, including such favorites as pasta, chicken, and cheese and tomato flatbread.
Decadent desserts include Key Lime Icebox Cake featuring homemade sponge cake layers topped with candied limes; Strawberry Fondue with dark chocolate fudge dip and toasted coconut and crushed peanuts; and a five-inch tall slice of Double Chocolate Tower cake served with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Getting its whimsical name from what those in the restaurant industry refer to as a small bowl, the Monkey Dish’s extensive bar menu sports a delicious variety of small plate-style appetizers. The “Monkey Plates” include Ahi Carpaccio, Chesapeake Crab Cakes, Buffalo wings, BBQ Rib taster, Grilled Portobello, Pork and Vegetable Pot Stickers, and Warm Artichoke Cheese Dip with toasted pita crisps, to name a few. Sliders include classic burger, seared tuna and seared tenderloin combinations, and a variety of small salads, soups and side dishes also are available.
On the spirited side, the Monkey Dish hosts a variety of signature cocktails and martinis, a quality wine cellar, and a grand selection of domestic, hand-crafted and imported beers. Signature cocktails include the Mojito Fresco, Rancho Sangria, M.D. Margarita and The Funky Monkey, featuring a tasty float mixture of Bacardi Rum, Malibu Mango Rum, Cream de Banana Liqueur, fresh-squeezed pineapple juice, Fresh Citrus Squeeze and Midori Melon Liqueur. The martini menu sports a variety of fun flavors, including a decadent Chocolate Silk martini with Van Gogh Dutch Chocolate vodka, Godiva White and Chocolate Liqueur, Light Cream de Cacao and Ghirardelli Cocoa Rum in a glass decorated in chocolate syrup swirls.
The impressive wine list offers more than 40 varietals, most available by the glass. The red wine list contains labels from France, Australia and California, including Pinot Evil Pinot Noir, Bohemian Highway Cabernet Sauvignon, Arnold Palmer Cabernet Sauvignon and Jacob’s Creek Shiraz Grenache.The white wine list also features labels from around the world, including a New Zealand Kim Crawford Riesling, Italian Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio and Murphy-Goode Fume Blanc from California. The menu also offers a variety of sparkling wines.
Boasting one of Gurnee’s largest selections of imported, hand-crafted and domestic beers, labels include Corona, Heineken, Murphy’s Red, New Castle Brown Ale, Red Stripe, Anchor Steam, Victory Golden Monkey, as well as local favorites such as Bud Light, MGD and Old Style.
The Atmosphere
Combining high style with a warm and friendly environment, guests feel comfortable gathering at the Monkey Dish in everything from business attire to jeans and shorts.
The modern and inviting décor showcases a sleek blend of earth tones, stone and wood throughout, as well as exposed ceilings and glass vessel light fixtures. Striking, abstract jewel-toned murals are featured in the dining room and bar area, and a unique lucite skylight fixture with metal detail towers high above the bar – which also features an open grill serving up mouth-watering items from the small-plate menu. In the main dining room, a raised seating area offers a semi-private dining experience for large groups. Adding to the energy is an eclectic mix of music, from blues to folk.
Management Team Bios
David Potesta
Managing Member
Developing his passion for the restaurant industry when he started working for the family business, Potesta’s Pizza in Waukegan, at age 11, Dave brings more than 30 years of restaurant expertise to the Monkey Dish Bar & Grill. In 1995, he purchased the Potesta’s Pizza operation and has since, with his wife Kim, expanded Potesta’s Pizza to two more take out locations in the Lake County area.
Dave’s entrepreneurial flair led him to the Monkey Dish opportunity when he was approached by the building’s landlord to open another restaurant in newly renovated space. Seeing great potential in bringing an original concept to the area, he sought out a then acquaintance and now business partner, Phil Marienthal, to help develop and operate an urban-style bar and eatery featuring creative American cuisine. The Monkey Dish has now successfully opened to an eager crowd of local and visiting guests just one year later. Based on its instant success, Dave will seek opportunities to expand the Monkey Dish concept throughout the Chicagoland area.
Prior to his successful restaurant ownership and development career, Dave held positions in the construction and real estate industries and taught motivational seminars on successful living and relationships. He currently lives in Libertyville with his wife Kim and two daughters.
Phil Marienthal
Managing Member
Phil brings 30 years of restaurant development and operations experience to the Monkey Dish Bar & Grill.
Prior to opening the Monkey Dish, Phil created one of Chicago’s first Southwestern restaurants, Blue Mesa. While running Blue Mesa he also created and operated the Canoe Club, a Northwood supper club, located on Chicago’s North side.
Additionally, Phil has held management positions with Chicago’s Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and the Rosenthal Restaurant Group.
As a second generation restaurant owner and developer (his father owned Chicago’s famed Mr. Kelly’s and London House), Phil understands all facets of the industry. When approached by his now business partner, David Potesta, he immediately recognized the potential in opening an original concept in Gurnee, and put his restaurant and business development skills to work, helping create the winning Monkey Dish Bar & Grill concept. Phil will continue to serve in a development and regional management role as the Monkey Dish concept continues to grow throughout the Chicagoland area.
Phil is a member of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, National Restaurant Association and Illinois Restaurant Association. He currently resides in Evanston, Ill. with his wife Farrel and son, Ben.
Tobie Nidetz Chef Consultant
Noted for bringing a unique approach to a variety of traditional cuisines, Tobie developed the Monkey Dish Bar & Grill’s comprehensive menu of contemporary American fare and is responsible for ongoing kitchen staff training and menu updates. Tobie answered his calling to become a master of the culinary arts when he accepted an apprenticeship under Chef John Snowden at Dumas Pere L’Ecole de la Cuisine Francais. Since then, he has worked as a consultant for some of the top names in the restaurant industry, such as Lettuce Entertain You concepts and numerous prestigious restaurants in the Minneapolis area.
In addition to menu consulting, Tobie teaches numerous cooking classes, writes for a variety of consumer publications, and is working on a book titled “The Improv Cook” that teaches how to cook without recipes. Tobie is based in Minneapolis, MN, and consults on projects across the nation.