Save 90% on Gift Certificates to Select Batavia Restaurants

Restaurant.com is offering 90% off all gift certificates until Sunday, September 13th. $25 gift certificates are just $1!

I have used Restaurant.com in the past as a way to save money when dining out. Registering for an account is free and simple. Not all restaurants participate, but below is a list of Batavia restaurants offering gift certificates.

Thai Village Restaurant
The Rendez Vu
Tusk Thai Cuisine

Click on the image below and give it a shot…see what restaurants in your area are offering gift certificates. To receive the 90% off on your purchase, be sure to enter in the discount code, “NINETY” (at the top of the shopping cart page), then hit apply.

Batavia Bat Men to Play in Vintage Baseball Game

August 15, 2009
2:00 pm	to	4:00 pm

The Geneva Rovers will once again take the field in Geneva, courtesy of the Geneva History Center. In 1867, the Geneva Rovers became the community’s first baseball team, playing games every Saturday from April through September. For the past two years, the Geneva History Center has staged a nine-inning, 19th century rules game against the Midway Marauders, a visiting team from Rockford. This year, the Rovers will take on the Batavia Bat Men, a local club sure to revive old rivalries between the two cities.

Two crack teams have been assembled to ensure a competitive and good-natured game. The game is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, at 2 p.m. at Sunset Park, 710 Western Avenue. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children and members, with all proceeds benefitting the Geneva History Center. Spectators are encouraged to bring picnic blankets and lawn chairs.

Those who attended previous games noted that they were spirited but gentlemanly matches. The rules of 19th century baseball are markedly different from today’s sport. Major differences include:

• the ball is considered fair or foul based solely on where it first touches the ground
• a ball caught on the first bounce is considered out
• a strike is called only on a swing and a miss.

For more information, contact Dave Oberg, Executive Director at 630-232-4951 or via e-mail.

When: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 2 – 4pm
Where: Sunset Park, 710 Western Ave., Geneva, IL
Price – $3 for children; $5 for adults
Ticket Phone: 630-232-4951

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Art in your Eye Batavia Riverwalk Arts Festival Scheduled for August

August 8, 2009
10:00 am	to	5:00 pm
August 9, 2009
10:00 am	to	4:00 pm

The Art In Your Eye Festival features award-winning artists for its fifth annual fine art festival at the beautiful Riverwalk on the Fox in downtown Batavia. Sponsored by the City of Batavia, the festival is a collaborative effort with other key organizations and reflects the spirit of Batavia’s artistic and art-supporting community. Art In Your Eye includes additional pre-festival activities focusing on art education, hands-on art experiences, and arts appreciation. The culminating two-day event at the Riverwalk includes the centerpiece outdoor fi ne art show, exceptional childrens’ art activities, continuous musical entertainment, an indoor exhibit featuring local artists, food, and free guarded bike parking to attract the hundreds of cyclists traveling the adjacent Fox River trails.

Complete information about Art In Your Eye can be found at the website: artinyoureye.com. Each fine art show artist is featured on artinyoureye.com with an image and link to his/her website for months prior to and following the festival. Tremendous community and volunteer support and amenities make this show highly regarded by artist participants.

The Art in your Eye Festival is Saturday and Sunday, August 8-9, between 10AM – 5PM on Saturday and between 10AM – 4PM Sunday.  The festival is located at the Riverwalk on the Fox in downtown Batavia.

Batavia Named One of Best Small Towns in Nation

CNNMoney.com has named Batavia as one the top 100 best small towns in America.

Batavia came in at number 56 overall and ranked higher than any other Illinois community. Buffalo Grove and Glen Carbon were also in the top 100.

Batavia was recognized for having ‘great schools, affordable homes and low crime,” the magazine stated.

Batavia, with a population of 27,300 is described as having an “old-town feel despite its location 35 miles of downtown Chicago,” and “easy access to commuter trains, the magazine said.

Batavia also is noteworthy because “nearly 200 manufacturing, research and warehousing firms, as well as the Fermi National Accelerator” call it home, the magazine said.

“We are proud that Batavia is one of only 3 communities in Illinois to receive this recognition,” said Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke. “Our residents, our schools, our parks, our businesses all contribute to making Batavia a great community to live, work and play.”

CNN Money’s Top 100 Small Towns list is developed using their Best Places database of 1,800-plus U.S. cities includes towns with populations 8,500 to 50,000 with satisfactory education and crime scores, where income is below 200% of the state median, and that are no more than 95% white – as well as cities with populations 90,000 and up.

This isn’t the first honor for Batavia. In 2007, Batavia was ranked by Business Week as one of the “50 best places to raise kids.” Batavia was ranked as 21st nationally on the list. Business Week reviewed a variety of factors such as crime, education, and affordability in making their selection.

The complete list of the top 100 best small towns in America can be found at money.cnn.com. Additional information on Batavia can be found on the city’s website, www.cityofbatavia.net. For the most current news, job postings and developments; sign up for Batavia E-News through the city’s website, www.cityofbatavia.net.

Swordfish Restaurant Review

At the very least, Swordfish – contemporary sushi – is a feather in Batavia’s restaurant hat. But that statement is somewhat misleading, since Batavia’s restaurant hat is, at least at this point, relatively featherless… and the statement does absolutely no justice to what both Lauren and I believe to be a simply marvelous sushi dining experience. We have eaten at a total of seven different sushi venues in 4 different states in the past four years, and I personally thought that perhaps we had seen some of the best. But I was very, very wrong.

Let me first state that Swordfish is very different from any of the other sushi restaurants at which we have had the pleasure of dining. The slogan that accompanies Swordfish is “contemporary sushi”, but even that is insufficient to accurately describe the place. I can perhaps best portray the restaurant as something of a Sushi-302, because it seems almost like a fusion of sushi with one of my favorite restaurants in Geneva. The reason for this comes not only from the feel or the ambience one experiences upon entering – the walls are a mixture of bright, yet calming colors and the music is something of a new age, light jazz – it comes as much or more from the expert chefs behind the sushi bar and certainly from the incredible and masterful presentation of the plates that are placed before you. They seem almost too aesthetic and eye appealing to consume.

Swordfish has been open for several months and I have been yearning to give it a try. So, on a cool and cloudy October night, the time seemed just right to stop in. It was another Tuesday night and the parking lot was virtually empty. This, as we have seen before, is often a red flag. Upon entering, we found ourselves to be the only two in the place; although I must admit that we were bordering on being classed as “early diners” (it was only 6:30). There were two chefs (later that number increased to three) behind the sushi bar, which is where we decided to sit; a waitress immediately approached us, presented us with drink and dinner menus, and asked if we would like something from the bar. Lauren asked for a large, hot sake and I requested a “box” of cold, Namahage (a “rich, complex flavor, extremely dry” sake). It actually came in a small square box! As we sipped our respective sake beverages, we tried to decide what to order. The numerous choices and descriptions on the menu made that part difficult, but we ultimately settled on two items from the sushi bar: Dynamite ($9) consisted of “sushi rice wrapped with fresh salmon and topped with seasoned spicy scallop”, and Assorted Tuna Sashimi ($15) – which was “a taste of all different tuna available.” We also decided to try something called Crunch ($12) – a maki (sushi roll) that consisted of pieces of shrimp tempura with asparagus.

As I recall, the Dynamite came out first and I can only recall thinking that it was way too beautiful to eat… but eat it we did. There were three exquisitely prepared pieces of salmon surrounding the sushi rice, with just a touch of heat – which I assumed to be the “spicy scallop.” There was also a roll of Japanese radish wrapped around a neat little bundle of greens that were ever-so-tasty morsels. I had been watching one of the chefs preparing a marvelous plate of sashimi, complete with a fan of Fuji apples, a carrot sculpted into the shape of a butterfly and a huge pile of “spaghetti” that was really Japanese radishes in long strands. As it turned out, the plate was for us – our Assorted Tuna Sashimi – and it came with a small candle to illuminate the entire affair. There were three different types of tuna: white, tuna, yellowtail tuna and Ahi tuna. All three had their own delicate textures and flavors and all three were excellent. Our finishing piece that evening was the Crunch and it too was expertly prepared and presented.

Lauren and I were both very impressed, not just by the presentations, but by the quality and the flavors of the fish as well. And the sauces… well, they were simply to die for. It was slow in the restaurant that night (hard to believe…), and the waitress hovered a bit more than we would have liked. But the overall experience was definitely one that I will want to repeat. Besides, there are another 40-50 items on the menu that we still want to try! If you are looking to “dial it up a notch” and are not afraid of the higher prices that swordfish charges, I’m betting that you will really enjoy this – pardon the pun – Dynamite bit of sushi heaven found in Batavia. I give Swordfish Four Zins and definitely recommend that you put it at the top of your list of places to try!

Review originally published on RalphPancetta.com

Windmill City Festival 2009

July 10, 2009 4:00 pm

to

July 12, 2009 4:00 pm

New this year – Sunday is an added day!

Friday, July 10 – 4:00 PM through Sunday, July 12

Batavia’s Windmill City Festival boasts countless activities around Batavia over the course of three days – families will be able to take in concerts, run in a 5k, browse the arts and crafts show, and participate in a pet parade or a number of other contests.

For more information, visit the Batavia Park District Website.

Batavia 4th of July Fireworks – 2009

July 4, 2009
4:00 pm	to	11:00 pm

Don’t miss one of the Fox Valley’s premier 4th of July fireworks displays–the Batavia “Sky Concert.”

Due to the $60 million construction project to enhance the Batavia High School, the Batavia fireworks location for 2009 will again be Engstrom Park at the corner of Main and Millview Streets.

Before the fireworks, Engstrom Park will open at 5:00 PM with the aroma of food vendors. At 7:00 PM, a local band will take the stage. This will be an evening of food and fun. All Batavians are invited to come and meet others in the community.

The Sky Concert begins promptly at 9:30 PM.

For more information about the event, please see the Batavia Fireworks website.

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Batavia and Geneva to Join Upstate Eight Conference

With their current conference, the Western Sun in shambles, the Batavia and Geneva high school athletic programs look to join the two St. Charles schools in the Upstate Eight Conference (UEC). The schools both need final school board approval which should take place sometime this month, however it is anticipated both will join the Upstate Eight in 2010 after one final season in the Western Sun without any objections.

Current members of the Upstate Eight Conference include:

• Bartlett High School
• East Aurora High School
• Elgin High School
• Lake Park High School
• Larkin High School
• Neuqua Valley High School
• St. Charles East High School
• St. Charles North High School
• South Elgin High School
• Streamwood High School
• Waubonsie Valley High School

Although Batavia and Geneva will be the UEC’s smallest schools, it is expected that they will be able to compete just fine and strengthen the conference as a whole.

Although the details of the additions are still being worked out, the basic plan is to split the UEC into two seven-team divisions based on enrollment. Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles East, St. Charles North, Elgin, Larkin and Streamwood would be in the smaller-school division while Bartlett, Lake Park, South Elgin, East Aurora, Neuqua, Waubonsie and new Metea Valley will compose the large-school division.

Most games played will be intra-divsion with some crossover.

One thing is for sure, fans in the Tri-Cities can expect to witness some great rivalries come the fall of 2010.

Foreclosure Number Takes a Dive in May

The month of may saw a total of 71 homes in the Tri-Cities and surrounding communities enter into foreclosure according to data provided by Realtytrac.com, a foreclosure tracking website.

When compared to the previous month of April that number showed a decline of 51 percent when Realtytrac reported 145 homes moved through the foreclosure process.

The foreclosures in May 2009 represent a year-over-year decline of 26 percent compared to the 96 homes in May 2008.

The reduction in foreclosures is a good thing for homeowners that aren’t in foreclosure or short sale trying to sell their homes because foreclosures and short sales tend to pull down the value of surrounding homes.

This is good news for the area, however it doesn’t mean that we are out of the woods yet.

By the numbers:

Number of foreclosures, Tri-Cities and Elburn, South Elgin, North Aurora, Maple Park, and Sugar Grove.

May 2009:  71

April 2009:  145

May 2008:  96

To learn how you can avoid foreclosure by short selling your home, contact us and one of our local real estate experts will contact you…remember there are alternatives to foreclosures.

• Search all Batavia foreclosures for sale

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