At the corner of Mill Road and Army Trail there is a small strip mall that formerly housed Solace 601, a fine-dining Italian-French restaurant.
I don't know if it wasn't doing very well, or if the owners just wanted to take things a new direction, but the space has been reinvented and is now 601 Bar & Grill (601 W. Army Trail, Addison). That's much more our speed, so we decided to stop in on a recent Friday evening.
The owners must have done a big renovation -- the space has a big bar, lots of tables and high tops, and a dozen or more TVs.
We were seated promptly next to a picture of the Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks and the most popular people in the restaurant. Half a dozen or more people squeezed themselves in next to my husband just to say hello to them. And around the bar were a bunch of middle-age dudes on their fourth beer who had absolutely no inside voice.
But 601 saved itself. Because the food was quite good and the service was excellent. The menu is heavy on burgers and wings, but also includes other sandwiches, pizza and a few entrees for giggles.
We started with nachos, which were very good chips, covered in beans and taco meat, slathered in convenience store cheese sauce and dotted with tomatoes, scallions and sour cream. Not bad, but would've been better with real cheese and pico de gallo.
We both ordered burgers: I had the California burger (avocado, green chiles, jack cheese, hold the mayo); the husband had the pizza burger.
Pretzel buns are awesome. The burger patties were juicy and cooked well (but not well-done). And the toppings were mighty tasty. We also both had waffle fries, which were sufficiently good though not seriously outstanding.
Service was very, very good -- seemed like nobody walked by our table without grabbing a used napkin, refilling the water, asking how the food was or *something*. Extremely attentive and friendly.
I just wish for a few more booths (I only spotted one) and a few less loud-mouthed dudes...
Showing posts with label sports bars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports bars. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Steak, sports and more -- Prime Time, Hickory Hills
My husband's grandparents are the sweetest people ever. And they are stereotypically good at the Old Folks Stereotypes. As in we eat dinner with them at 4 p.m.
Last weekend visited them again, and Prime Time, a lunch-dinner-late night sports bar-meets-steakhouse (7750 W 95th St in Hickory Hills) was suggested. I was really glad it was, too. It's nicer looking than you might expect, with lots of stone and wood, though it does have a sort of steak house meets sports bar confusion to it. Feels sort of like a Champps, but a little nicer. The owners also run the breakfast/lunch spot next door, so there's plenty of parking.
The menu was also sports bar meets steakhouse, with a good selection of appetizers, sandwiches, steaks, chops, and chicken. I know now not to order appetizers there unless that's ALL we're getting. Oh, the nachos we had were good, very good, but then we got bread and soup before our main meal (me: fish tacos - husband: chicken parm sandwich) and could barely eat them!
Okay, so the nachos were good. The bread was crusty but soft, with a lovely whipped cinnamon-sugar butter. The soup, oh my god. We both got the chicken dumpling and it was out-of-this-world velvety and delicious. I don't even want to think about how much cream and butter was in it.
By the time I got to my fish tacos, I was nearly full. I did eat one, and it was good though not the best I've ever had. The homemade chips were cooked well and had that great crunchy outside while still tasting like potatoes.
Service was good, not perfect maybe but I have no complaints.
They have an extensive drink menu, and a decent beer and wine list, not amazing, but Woodchuck on tap is always welcome.
All in all, a great choice for dinner, and we would come back, hopefully after 5 p.m. :)
Last weekend visited them again, and Prime Time, a lunch-dinner-late night sports bar-meets-steakhouse (7750 W 95th St in Hickory Hills) was suggested. I was really glad it was, too. It's nicer looking than you might expect, with lots of stone and wood, though it does have a sort of steak house meets sports bar confusion to it. Feels sort of like a Champps, but a little nicer. The owners also run the breakfast/lunch spot next door, so there's plenty of parking.
The menu was also sports bar meets steakhouse, with a good selection of appetizers, sandwiches, steaks, chops, and chicken. I know now not to order appetizers there unless that's ALL we're getting. Oh, the nachos we had were good, very good, but then we got bread and soup before our main meal (me: fish tacos - husband: chicken parm sandwich) and could barely eat them!
Okay, so the nachos were good. The bread was crusty but soft, with a lovely whipped cinnamon-sugar butter. The soup, oh my god. We both got the chicken dumpling and it was out-of-this-world velvety and delicious. I don't even want to think about how much cream and butter was in it.
By the time I got to my fish tacos, I was nearly full. I did eat one, and it was good though not the best I've ever had. The homemade chips were cooked well and had that great crunchy outside while still tasting like potatoes.
Service was good, not perfect maybe but I have no complaints.
They have an extensive drink menu, and a decent beer and wine list, not amazing, but Woodchuck on tap is always welcome.
All in all, a great choice for dinner, and we would come back, hopefully after 5 p.m. :)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Fire Bar & Grill, Crystal Lake -- sports bar fun for (nearly) everyone
Being a relatively new Crystal Lake resident, I'd heard a lot of things about Fire Bar & Grill.
None of them were really good. But after having a late dinner there Friday night, I'm not sure what all the negativity was about.
As a former server at a bustling sports bar, it felt a little like home. It's spacious and dark, with flat-screen TVs, Big Buck Hunter Pro and plenty of pool tables in the back.
The vibe there felt more bar than restaurant, but the food tasted great.
A group of co-workers and I ordered from a very pleasant server, who gave helpful suggestions to the half of us who are vegetarian. The menu had tons of stuff: sandwiches, wraps, appetizers, salads and more.
One friend ordered the spinach-artichoke dip and chips and said it was tasty and filling enough as an entree. A couple others ordered different sandwiches and quesadillas, also giving nods of approval. Meanwhile, I ordered the buffalo chicken wrap, and my only complaint was the sauce was medium or hotter, when I thought it was mild (I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to heat). But the steak fries were so fresh; the best I've ever eaten.
We also had a few rounds of beer and other drinks, all decently priced.
Surprisingly, we saw a few families with kids later on around 9 p.m. Probably for the game machines and food, but again, it's a little bit more on the bar side. One cool thing I noticed was a sign for free pool between noon and 5 p.m. every day.
They also have karaoke on Tuesdays, live bands on Thursdays and a guest DJ spinning on Friday and Saturday nights. Sundays are typically devoted to NFL games, with prizes and giveaways.
I think the group of us would definitely go back, probably for the drink specials and the atmosphere. It's somewhat hard to find a variety of late-night hangouts in McHenry County -- outside of your corner pub -- but I'll be adding this to my list.
None of them were really good. But after having a late dinner there Friday night, I'm not sure what all the negativity was about.
As a former server at a bustling sports bar, it felt a little like home. It's spacious and dark, with flat-screen TVs, Big Buck Hunter Pro and plenty of pool tables in the back.
The vibe there felt more bar than restaurant, but the food tasted great.
A group of co-workers and I ordered from a very pleasant server, who gave helpful suggestions to the half of us who are vegetarian. The menu had tons of stuff: sandwiches, wraps, appetizers, salads and more.
One friend ordered the spinach-artichoke dip and chips and said it was tasty and filling enough as an entree. A couple others ordered different sandwiches and quesadillas, also giving nods of approval. Meanwhile, I ordered the buffalo chicken wrap, and my only complaint was the sauce was medium or hotter, when I thought it was mild (I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to heat). But the steak fries were so fresh; the best I've ever eaten.
We also had a few rounds of beer and other drinks, all decently priced.
Surprisingly, we saw a few families with kids later on around 9 p.m. Probably for the game machines and food, but again, it's a little bit more on the bar side. One cool thing I noticed was a sign for free pool between noon and 5 p.m. every day.
They also have karaoke on Tuesdays, live bands on Thursdays and a guest DJ spinning on Friday and Saturday nights. Sundays are typically devoted to NFL games, with prizes and giveaways.
I think the group of us would definitely go back, probably for the drink specials and the atmosphere. It's somewhat hard to find a variety of late-night hangouts in McHenry County -- outside of your corner pub -- but I'll be adding this to my list.
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