Magical Transformations
By Naperville Magazine
February 2025 View more Table for Two
By Phil Vettel
Alchemist in Geneva conjures up fine food and cocktails

Marshall McCarty, who already had a successful Geneva restaurant in the Walrus Room, which debuted in 2018, couldn’t resist adding a second business when a space became available along Third Street. “Third Street is prime territory for restaurants and shopping,” he says. “Walrus Room is a bit hidden [on State Street, but set back from the road]. I’ve lived in Geneva for 10 years, and Third Street [restaurant] always was a goal.”
Thus was born Alchemist (477 S. 3rd St.), which turns 2 years old this month, occupying the space that once housed Galena Wine Cellar.

By design and because of its size, Alchemist is a much different concept than the Walrus Room. “We don’t have the same amount of space,” McCarty says. “It’s about 1,600 square feet, and we only have seating for 40 [90 when the outdoor seating area is usable], so we had to make some decisions.”
Accordingly, Alchemist hasn’t the menu depth of its sister restaurant. On the other hand, while there are clever cocktails at Walrus Room, the beverage program is much more prominent, and impressive, at Alchemist. “We twist even further into more experimental stuff,” McCarty says. “We’ve hired great people, and they’re super excited and keyed into the ever-growing cocktail universe.”

The bar is adept at classic cocktails, as evidenced by a perfectly balanced Lemon Drop that I sampled. More inventive drinks include the Beijing Bliss, a kind of Pisco Sour with Asian accents, and the Death Note, an improbable mix of rye, sochu, and Calvados that’s complex but smooth as silk.
McCarty’s love for New Orleans is reflected in the De La Louisiana cocktail, a boozy blend of rye, absinthe, Benedictine, and Carpano Antica. And I love the cleverly named Comfortably Numb, whose base spirit is Sichuan peppercorn-infused vodka (the peppercorns are famous for the tongue-numbing effect they produce).
There also are several nonalcoholic creations, and an “index” page (really a glossary) that defines some of the bar’s more esoteric ingredients.

On to the kitchen. A good strategy is to arrive extra early (3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday), when pristine raw oysters go for $2 each, and pintxos (Basque tapas) are $5, among other deals, including plenty of beverage discounts, as one might imagine.
As evening falls, bestsellers include harissa-spiced beef kabobs with chimichurri and garlic yogurt, and the smash burger with cheddar and caramelized onions. “We didn’t offer a burger for one and a half years,” McCarty says, “and now we sell a lot of them.”
I would direct you to the octopus, whether it be the grilled octopus with pickled vegetables and a smoky harissa goat cheese spread, or the octopus rolls, a spicy twist on a Maine lobster roll with pickled serrano peppers and Calabrian-chile aïoli. The grilled octopus in particular are sublime—fork-tender and delicious.

And as nicely as the raw oysters are presented, the grilled oysters, particularly the NOLA-style oysters drenched in lemon, garlic, and parsley butter, are outstanding.
There’s an entire menu section devoted to cheese and charcuterie, a dozen overall selections, priced by the ounce ($5 to $7, except for the premium jamon Iberico), and a handful of light salads, along with a hummus plate (chickpea spread with garlic, pickled tomatoes, and manzanilla olives) and sharable bites such as the boquerones (’nduja-spread toast topped with blistered tomatoes, cornichons, and white anchovies).
More substantial fare includes comfort-food creations such as pork belly fried rice, with plenty of protein (a poached egg in addition to the pork) to go with Asian accents (kimchi rice, ginger, chile crisp). The potato tartiflette—a gooey, creamy blend of Yukon gold, crème fraîche, brie, bacon, and onions—is the sort of dish one might order after an afternoon of skiing.

Alchemist serves lunch seven days a week (selected wines, $5/glass), which is a good time to try the muffaletta sandwich (three meats, ricotta and olive salad, served on focaccia bread) or the fried-oyster po’boy, accented with yuzu aïoli and smoked trout roe. Both are New Orleans classics, though neither of Alchemist’s versions is strictly traditional.
Alchemy, of course, is a protoscience whose practitioners hoped to turn lead into gold. Alchemist’s goals are not quite so lofty, but it has managed to convert common ingredients into nurturing food and sublime potables.
Photos: Alchemist Geneva