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. :)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Bowling and beverages -- Lucky Strike, Yorktown Mall, Lombard
Looking for some enjoyable, classy bowling? A nice night out with friends in the 'burbs? Lucky Strike Lanes, located at the Yorktown Mall in Lombard, was a great choice for our pre-New Years celebrating.
We visited on a Wednesday night, and on a weeknight, at least, the prices for bowling are fairly reasonable - 4.95 per bowling game, 3.95 for shoes. We had a friend from NYC along and she said "so cheap!!"
So we got our lane and our games -- minor bit of awkwardness when we had to shoo away the people sitting on "our" couch -- and looked over the menu. Because this isn't your typical bowling alley; it's got a great upscale vibe (but still fun, not snooty, and still a bit loud) with modern decor, great lighting and great loungy couches all over.
Our waitress was friendly and not at all pesky (hey, we're trying to get our bowl on here) and was available whenever we needed her. The food, honestly, was pretty delicious. We ordered cheese fries, nachos, Key West chicken skewers and tomato-n-cheese "s'mores" to split among the four of us, plus a couple beers (them) and a glass of wine (me).
The fries and nachos were slathered in a delicious artery-hardening cheese sauces, with nice seasoning on the fries and a scatter of tomatoes and some zippy salsa with the nachos. The "s'mores" were like little caprese toasties, with crunchy bread rounds, ripe tomato, melty mozzarella and fresh basil. Yummy. And the Key West skewers seemed to be the biggest hit of the night -- they had a flavorful seasoning enhanced by both the squeeze of lime juice and the sweet chili dipping sauce.
A quick note on drinks: the beer enjoyed by my party was said to be quite tasty. My pinot grigio (selected because they 'didn't have' the riesling and I hate chardonnay) had no real body to it at all. But, it got the job done I guess. They have quite a selection of cocktails as well.
The bowling itself, well, it was bowling! There are no cute animations between frames, but the lanes are well-maintained, there's some fun blacklighting for the neon balls, and a good time was had by all.
One thing I noticed and found interesting was the fairly large proportion of kids around. Seeing as it's a loungey atmosphere I wouldn't have expected that. I guess it's 18+ after 9 on weeknights, 21+ after 9 on weekends, but we were only there till 8:30 or so, and saw a fair number of families. I guess if your kids like to bowl, great, but it just seemed a bit incongruous with the atmosphere.
All in all, you wouldn't expect this inside a suburban mall, and I'm glad we tried it out. It would be a fun place to come for a bite to eat, a drink, or another round of bowling with friends.
We visited on a Wednesday night, and on a weeknight, at least, the prices for bowling are fairly reasonable - 4.95 per bowling game, 3.95 for shoes. We had a friend from NYC along and she said "so cheap!!"
So we got our lane and our games -- minor bit of awkwardness when we had to shoo away the people sitting on "our" couch -- and looked over the menu. Because this isn't your typical bowling alley; it's got a great upscale vibe (but still fun, not snooty, and still a bit loud) with modern decor, great lighting and great loungy couches all over.
Our waitress was friendly and not at all pesky (hey, we're trying to get our bowl on here) and was available whenever we needed her. The food, honestly, was pretty delicious. We ordered cheese fries, nachos, Key West chicken skewers and tomato-n-cheese "s'mores" to split among the four of us, plus a couple beers (them) and a glass of wine (me).
The fries and nachos were slathered in a delicious artery-hardening cheese sauces, with nice seasoning on the fries and a scatter of tomatoes and some zippy salsa with the nachos. The "s'mores" were like little caprese toasties, with crunchy bread rounds, ripe tomato, melty mozzarella and fresh basil. Yummy. And the Key West skewers seemed to be the biggest hit of the night -- they had a flavorful seasoning enhanced by both the squeeze of lime juice and the sweet chili dipping sauce.
A quick note on drinks: the beer enjoyed by my party was said to be quite tasty. My pinot grigio (selected because they 'didn't have' the riesling and I hate chardonnay) had no real body to it at all. But, it got the job done I guess. They have quite a selection of cocktails as well.
The bowling itself, well, it was bowling! There are no cute animations between frames, but the lanes are well-maintained, there's some fun blacklighting for the neon balls, and a good time was had by all.
One thing I noticed and found interesting was the fairly large proportion of kids around. Seeing as it's a loungey atmosphere I wouldn't have expected that. I guess it's 18+ after 9 on weeknights, 21+ after 9 on weekends, but we were only there till 8:30 or so, and saw a fair number of families. I guess if your kids like to bowl, great, but it just seemed a bit incongruous with the atmosphere.
All in all, you wouldn't expect this inside a suburban mall, and I'm glad we tried it out. It would be a fun place to come for a bite to eat, a drink, or another round of bowling with friends.
Brews and burgers at The Lucky Monk, South Barrington
Something interesting happened to me last week.
I drank an entire glass of beer.
I never touched the stuff in college. I would go alcohol-free for the evening before I had a drop of beer. Of course, that wasn't helped by the fact that the de facto beer at my alma mater was Natty Lite, but still. No beer for me.
I attended a great event at The Lucky Monk, 105 Hollywood Blvd. in South Barrington, and among the offerings were house-brewed beer. And to find that I actually liked the porter The Lucky Monk offered up? Shocker. Hints of chocolate and coffee, went down smooth with very little bitterness. I still would generally prefer a hard cider or glass of wine, but it was pretty tasty stuff.
On top of that, the food I sampled was really good -- tiny perfectly cooked burgers, thin-crust pizza, awesome chili and sweet-salty nuts. The staff was super-attentive (even handing out multiple large bottles of water and glasses at the end of the night to hydrate everyone), and I had a fantastic time overall.
The restaurant is very near the AMC 30, making it perfect for a bite or a drink before or after a movie. It's nicely decorated with a sleek wooden motif. All in all, definitely recommended and a place I'm likely to make the trek out to again.
I drank an entire glass of beer.
I never touched the stuff in college. I would go alcohol-free for the evening before I had a drop of beer. Of course, that wasn't helped by the fact that the de facto beer at my alma mater was Natty Lite, but still. No beer for me.
I attended a great event at The Lucky Monk, 105 Hollywood Blvd. in South Barrington, and among the offerings were house-brewed beer. And to find that I actually liked the porter The Lucky Monk offered up? Shocker. Hints of chocolate and coffee, went down smooth with very little bitterness. I still would generally prefer a hard cider or glass of wine, but it was pretty tasty stuff.
On top of that, the food I sampled was really good -- tiny perfectly cooked burgers, thin-crust pizza, awesome chili and sweet-salty nuts. The staff was super-attentive (even handing out multiple large bottles of water and glasses at the end of the night to hydrate everyone), and I had a fantastic time overall.
The restaurant is very near the AMC 30, making it perfect for a bite or a drink before or after a movie. It's nicely decorated with a sleek wooden motif. All in all, definitely recommended and a place I'm likely to make the trek out to again.
Monday, February 15, 2010
How sweet it is - Uncle Harry's, Addison
I've been a bad blogger. I know. In my defense, my co-bloggers have fallen off the face of the earth as well. But still. I hope to start posting more regularly again soon. :)
In the meantime... it was a sunny, cold Valentine's Day. We had a special dinner out Friday, so no need to cram in with 150 other people in a cramped restaurant. But I was getting a little stir-crazy and my sweet tooth was on in a major way. So we decided to go out for ice cream.
There are a lot of options in our area, but most of them are nothing special - Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins, etc. And then there's Uncle Harry's. Relocated in the last year to the Green Meadow Shopping Center (48 W. Lake Street, Addison), it's a cozy shop with 4 or 5 tables and hand-written chalkboard signs everywhere. They feature about 30 flavors of luscious ice cream for your perusal, plus shakes, baked goods, hot chocolate, and an extensive coffee/espresso menu if you just want some caffeine. They even make their own waffle cones - the scent is wonderful and my husband's cone was still warm. I enjoyed a hot fudge sundae made with Turtle Temptation ice cream. Creamy, sweet, fudgy and divine.
I try not to indulge in such decadence too often, so when I do, I want it to be worth it-- and Uncle Harry's is definitely worth it.
In the meantime... it was a sunny, cold Valentine's Day. We had a special dinner out Friday, so no need to cram in with 150 other people in a cramped restaurant. But I was getting a little stir-crazy and my sweet tooth was on in a major way. So we decided to go out for ice cream.
There are a lot of options in our area, but most of them are nothing special - Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins, etc. And then there's Uncle Harry's. Relocated in the last year to the Green Meadow Shopping Center (48 W. Lake Street, Addison), it's a cozy shop with 4 or 5 tables and hand-written chalkboard signs everywhere. They feature about 30 flavors of luscious ice cream for your perusal, plus shakes, baked goods, hot chocolate, and an extensive coffee/espresso menu if you just want some caffeine. They even make their own waffle cones - the scent is wonderful and my husband's cone was still warm. I enjoyed a hot fudge sundae made with Turtle Temptation ice cream. Creamy, sweet, fudgy and divine.
I try not to indulge in such decadence too often, so when I do, I want it to be worth it-- and Uncle Harry's is definitely worth it.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Rockin' the Indian food in La Grange
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to attend a fabulous dinner party at a new Indian bistro in La Grange, thanks to my membership on the website Yelp.
And I'm still thinking about the food, so I simply must spread the word about the wonderful Kama Indian Bistro, 8 W. Burlington Ave. in La Grange. It's very easily accessible by Metra line, so those in the city or along the BNSF line have no excuse.
It's a cozy space, not too small but not too big, with great purple walls and interesting artwork - no pictures of the Taj Mahal here! The walls are lined with bench seating with lots of pillows, for an intimate feel. But while it feels slightly communal, the quarters are not too close for comfort.
And the food is simply amazing. I am no expert on Indian food, being a white chick and Indiana native, but I did grow up eating it from a recent immigrant's kitchen, and it is comfort food to me. Everything I tried - even the mushroom pakoras, and I've never been a huge fan of mushroom - was full of wonderful flavors and textures. We were given loads of food and probably tried half the menu, and I thought it was all pretty fantastic.
Especially worth mentioning are the chicken lemon tadka, the chilly crispy potatoes, the chicken tikka, and the lamb biryani. But honestly, I doubt you could go wrong with any of it. The owner and his wife - and the owner's father, a classically trained chef - were delightful and inquisitive and explained their food philosophy to us: authenticity and fresh ingredients. No cans here. They even make their garam masala from scratch, which is pretty amazing.
Prices are reasonable, food is plentiful and the atmosphere is friendly and sophisticated -- great for a dinner with friends or romantic night out. And seeing as I won a gift card from the Yelp drawing to come back, we will be revisiting Kama Bistro in the near future.
I highly recommend this gem of a restaurant - and La Grange is a pretty cute little town, too.
And I'm still thinking about the food, so I simply must spread the word about the wonderful Kama Indian Bistro, 8 W. Burlington Ave. in La Grange. It's very easily accessible by Metra line, so those in the city or along the BNSF line have no excuse.
It's a cozy space, not too small but not too big, with great purple walls and interesting artwork - no pictures of the Taj Mahal here! The walls are lined with bench seating with lots of pillows, for an intimate feel. But while it feels slightly communal, the quarters are not too close for comfort.
And the food is simply amazing. I am no expert on Indian food, being a white chick and Indiana native, but I did grow up eating it from a recent immigrant's kitchen, and it is comfort food to me. Everything I tried - even the mushroom pakoras, and I've never been a huge fan of mushroom - was full of wonderful flavors and textures. We were given loads of food and probably tried half the menu, and I thought it was all pretty fantastic.
Especially worth mentioning are the chicken lemon tadka, the chilly crispy potatoes, the chicken tikka, and the lamb biryani. But honestly, I doubt you could go wrong with any of it. The owner and his wife - and the owner's father, a classically trained chef - were delightful and inquisitive and explained their food philosophy to us: authenticity and fresh ingredients. No cans here. They even make their garam masala from scratch, which is pretty amazing.
Prices are reasonable, food is plentiful and the atmosphere is friendly and sophisticated -- great for a dinner with friends or romantic night out. And seeing as I won a gift card from the Yelp drawing to come back, we will be revisiting Kama Bistro in the near future.
I highly recommend this gem of a restaurant - and La Grange is a pretty cute little town, too.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Holiday fun at the zoo
Christmas is such a great distraction from the fact that the weather sucks, isn't it? We put up sparkly lights and Christmas trees and buy a lot to distract ourselves from the short days and gray skies.
And three area zoos do fun, festive things for the holidays -- because who would ever want to go to the zoo in December otherwise?
But if you bundle up, and bring a few extra dollars for hot chocolate, you can have a lot of fun at these holiday events.
Festival of Lights at Cosley Zoo
1356 N. Gary Ave., Wheaton
630.665.5534, Wheaton Park District
Price: Free
Time: 3 to 9 p.m. daily through Dec. 30
Features: 2,200 trees for sale, plus wreaths, animal-related gifts and ornaments; decorative lights; holiday music; hot chocolate. During the weekends of Dec. 5 and 12, kids can visit with Santa and make a holiday-themed craft project from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a $2 donation.
Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo
3300 Golf Road, Brookfield
708.688.8000, Chicago Zoological Society
Price: $12; $8 for seniors and kids ages 3 to 11
Time: 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 20 and daily Dec. 26 through 31
Features: More than 1 million lights; a light show synced with music; ice-carving demonstrations, a train ride, live music, dance performances, storytellers, magic acts, caroling and visits with Santa, and much more.
ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo
2001 N. Clark St., Chicago
312.742.2000 Lincoln Park Zoo
Price: Free
Time: 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 13 and daily Dec. 18 through Jan. 3
Features: Mix of indoor and outdoor attractions; 1.5 million lights outside; hot chocolate and spiced wine; ice carvers; musical light show on the zoo's south lawn; free visits with Santa in the lion house through Dec. 23; more.
And three area zoos do fun, festive things for the holidays -- because who would ever want to go to the zoo in December otherwise?
But if you bundle up, and bring a few extra dollars for hot chocolate, you can have a lot of fun at these holiday events.
Festival of Lights at Cosley Zoo
1356 N. Gary Ave., Wheaton
630.665.5534, Wheaton Park District
Price: Free
Time: 3 to 9 p.m. daily through Dec. 30
Features: 2,200 trees for sale, plus wreaths, animal-related gifts and ornaments; decorative lights; holiday music; hot chocolate. During the weekends of Dec. 5 and 12, kids can visit with Santa and make a holiday-themed craft project from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a $2 donation.
Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo
3300 Golf Road, Brookfield
708.688.8000, Chicago Zoological Society
Price: $12; $8 for seniors and kids ages 3 to 11
Time: 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 20 and daily Dec. 26 through 31
Features: More than 1 million lights; a light show synced with music; ice-carving demonstrations, a train ride, live music, dance performances, storytellers, magic acts, caroling and visits with Santa, and much more.
ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo
2001 N. Clark St., Chicago
312.742.2000 Lincoln Park Zoo
Price: Free
Time: 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 13 and daily Dec. 18 through Jan. 3
Features: Mix of indoor and outdoor attractions; 1.5 million lights outside; hot chocolate and spiced wine; ice carvers; musical light show on the zoo's south lawn; free visits with Santa in the lion house through Dec. 23; more.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Rockin' Oak Park
I've been a bad blogger. Work has been busy, our trips out haven't been as frequent, and I've often put off or forgotten to talk about the cool places we've been.
But I wanted to highlight a great suburb I'd not previously spent much time in: Oak Park. The surrounding area of River Forest and Forest Park (how confusing is *that*?) is also quite nice.
Bordering the city, Oak Park's downtown runs along Lake St (US 20) and a few blocks north and south, starting at and continuing east from Harlem.
There's a great variety of shopping, restaurants and stuff to do along this stretch. Just on the other side of Harlem is a shopping center with grocery, chain restaurants and more, and free parking (always a bonus in this area). And downtown Oak Park has bookstores, a movie theater, plenty of restaurants, shoe stores, clothing, crafts, food and more.
A few highlights of places to go:
Ten Thousand Villages, 121 N. Marion St.: a fantastic store full of home goods, crafts, accessories and more made by artisans in developing countries and sold at fair trade prices.
Pumpkin Moon, 1028 North Blvd.: A funky store jam-packed with creative gifts and odds and ends from Pez dispensers to political t-shirts.
Barbara's Bookstore, 1100 Lake St., and The Book Table, 1045 Lake St.: Two locally-owned bookstores offering new and used titles -- and a great local alternative to the third bookstore on the block, Borders.
Bleeding Heart Bakery, 1010 North Blvd.: A "punk" bakery started in Chicago, and made famous on Food Network Challeges, this cozy place offers fresh, local, sustainable baked goods including a wide variety of cupcakes.
Wells St. Popcorn, 1119 Lake St.: Serving the quintessential Chicago snack food guaranteed to turn your fingers orange, with cheese corn, caramel corn, kettle corn and buttered.
There's plenty more in Oak Park and the surrounding area to explore, including a very cool-looking forest preserve, but there are a few highlights. Take note, suburbanites: Most parking is metered, except on Sundays. You can park in the Whole Foods shopping center lot on Lake for free for three hours; there is also a Metra and Green Line station on Harlem.
But I wanted to highlight a great suburb I'd not previously spent much time in: Oak Park. The surrounding area of River Forest and Forest Park (how confusing is *that*?) is also quite nice.
Bordering the city, Oak Park's downtown runs along Lake St (US 20) and a few blocks north and south, starting at and continuing east from Harlem.
There's a great variety of shopping, restaurants and stuff to do along this stretch. Just on the other side of Harlem is a shopping center with grocery, chain restaurants and more, and free parking (always a bonus in this area). And downtown Oak Park has bookstores, a movie theater, plenty of restaurants, shoe stores, clothing, crafts, food and more.
A few highlights of places to go:
Ten Thousand Villages, 121 N. Marion St.: a fantastic store full of home goods, crafts, accessories and more made by artisans in developing countries and sold at fair trade prices.
Pumpkin Moon, 1028 North Blvd.: A funky store jam-packed with creative gifts and odds and ends from Pez dispensers to political t-shirts.
Barbara's Bookstore, 1100 Lake St., and The Book Table, 1045 Lake St.: Two locally-owned bookstores offering new and used titles -- and a great local alternative to the third bookstore on the block, Borders.
Bleeding Heart Bakery, 1010 North Blvd.: A "punk" bakery started in Chicago, and made famous on Food Network Challeges, this cozy place offers fresh, local, sustainable baked goods including a wide variety of cupcakes.
Wells St. Popcorn, 1119 Lake St.: Serving the quintessential Chicago snack food guaranteed to turn your fingers orange, with cheese corn, caramel corn, kettle corn and buttered.
There's plenty more in Oak Park and the surrounding area to explore, including a very cool-looking forest preserve, but there are a few highlights. Take note, suburbanites: Most parking is metered, except on Sundays. You can park in the Whole Foods shopping center lot on Lake for free for three hours; there is also a Metra and Green Line station on Harlem.
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