Antioch High School Grad Opens New Restaurant

Fresh, locally grown, organic ingredients are at the heart of Antioch High School graduate and former Kirsch's of Lake Geneva chef Rick Starr's new Lindenhurst eatery, Ad-Lib. 

The food preparation is both spontaneous and 'ad-lib' because the menu changes weekly and seasonally based on the hand-selected ingredients of the chef.

"We refer to it as a Geo Cafe. We only use the freshest ingredients available to us at any given time, both locally and flown in to us from around the country, and then create our menu based on those ingredients," said Starr. 

The prices are not cheap, but the food is excellent.

The Friday night menu featured halibut flown in fresh from Alaska ($24) and a Maine lobster tail mixed with gnudi, bacon and sweet corn ($18). Both entrees were delicious and beautifully presented. Pork, lamb and beef options were also available and sounded equally tantalizing.

Starr has hired Sous Chef Jason Azzaline, also from Kirsch's of Lake Geneva, to assist him at Ad-Lib.

"We have been getting good feedback. People seem to have nothing but good things to say," said Azzaline.

Tucked into a small plaza at 475 S. Route 45 in Lindenhurst, Ad-Lib has been open two weeks. Contact Ad-Lib at (847) 245-7328. Credit cards are accepted.

"There has been a steady stream of people," Starr said. "I believe we will see more people as word spreads. We are doing things to get the word out, like finalizing our website."