Gold Class Cinemas

Looking for something to do in the 'burbs which requires as little time out in the freezing cold as possible?? Well forget hanging out inside the mall and head to Gold Class Cinemas, located in The Arboretum Shopping Center of South Barrington (Route 59 & Higgins Road).

Many people are put off by the price of Gold Class Cinemas but I'm here to say it is well worth it. I mean, think about it; you are going to pay $10-$14 at a regular theater now and what do you get? Uncomfortable seats, a crowded theater full of obnoxious teenagers, sticky floors, and over-priced plain old movie snacks. Why not pay just a little bit more and have a truly "Gold Class" experience?

If you plan on going here take some time beforehand to sign up as a member on their website, www.goldclasscinemas.com. It's completely free and as a member you get discounts on your tickets ($2.50 off per ticket) every day off the week. Also as a member on Tuesdays they have $3 glasses of wine and beer plus discounted select food items. With our member discount our two tickets were $40.

I love the ambience of the place; it's more like you are going to a chic lounge than the movies. Lots of comfy chairs, couches and tables to use while you peruse the menu. There are a couple of big fireplaces at either end - a welcome treat on those freezing Chicago nights. The restrooms were spotless and we were there on a busy Saturday night.

While their menu is a bit limited and some items seem pricey, everything we tried was absolutely delicious and top-notch quality - plus they quantity of the food was good as well! They also add a few seasonal additions for drinks and appetizers to the menu which changes throughout the year. They also come around and offer free little bags of popcorn and if you don't already have a cocktail they offer a complimentary soda-fountain beverage.

My husband and I tried three different appetizers, a dessert and cocktails - all were scrumptious! The kitchen was super-quick and our food/drinks were delivered discreetly to our table in the theatre. If you need another drink or any other items you simply press a button on your table and a server comes over within a few minutes.

The chairs were also oh-so-comfortable and you can recline them to whatever degree you like. An arm of each chair opens up to store your coat and/or purse in. They have blankets and pillows available upon request for the ultimate snuggly experience. In my opinion there are no bad seats here, either. Each theater only has like 24 seats and the front row is 25 feet from the screen, certainly not up too close for the average person. I would, however, recommend ordering your tickets ahead online just to make sure they don't sell out.

If you want to save some money skip the food and cocktails - it is still well worth the experience.

Swanky steak time -- 94 West, Orland Park

The husband and I are not normally fancypants steakhouse sort of people. We appreciate finer dining when we get it, but are not the sort to seek out a restaurant where the average entree is $25 or more.

But  when it's Christmas and your in-laws want to take you out for a lovely dinner after Christmas Eve mass, you put on a nice top and go with it.

94 West (15410 94th Ave., Orland Park) is a swanky suburban steakhouse with dim lighting and high prices. It's a special occasion sort of place. I have heard that it didn't use to include much with your meat, and I can see why that would be really off-putting, since the prices are high enough as it is, but entrees now include choice of potato (or veg) and soup or salad, plus complimentary bread and "green noodles" (an Italian-dressing flavored pasta salad heavy on the neon aqua food coloring).

Service was very good and in the two years we've gone for the holidays, there was nothing I ate that wasn't delicious. Besides an assortment of steak choices, they offer shrimp, multiple fish choices prepared to your liking, ribs and chicken.

Last year I had a wonderful mahi mahi with a plate-lickingly good red pepper sauce; this year I stepped it up a notch and ordered a 6 oz filet and shrimp (three HUGE fried shrimp) with a delicious Bearnaise. The filet was cooked perfectly, completely tender and so good. The potato selections are pretty standard (baked, double-baked, fries, sweet potato fries, etc) but done well.

While chances are good we won't be back until/unless it becomes a Christmas Eve tradition, I would recommend 94 West to anyone looking for a fine dining experience in the southwestern suburbs.

Burgers done right -- Tom & Eddie's, Lombard

After much anticipation and a few missed opportunities, we finally got to try one of the newest suburban burger hotspots -- and unlike Meatheads, Five Guys and the like, this one is no chain.

Tom & Eddie's, 348 Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard (located in the Shops at Butterfield next to Yorktown Mall) is an upscale fast-casual burger joint started by two retired McDonald's executives who decided to start making good burgers.

It's probably the nicest "counter service" restaurant I've ever seen, or at least the fanciest burger joint. It includes a lot of thoughtful little touches, from salt & pepper mills at each table to a variety of sauces to adorn your burger or dip your fries into. It's got lots of woodwork and fancy cushy seats and your food is brought out to you on big modern square plates.

The menu includes both "reciped" burgers and a huge variety of choices for building your own -- from bun to meat choice to sauces and toppings. It can be a little dizzying. I went with a standard beef cheeseburger on a ciabatta roll, with cheddar, pickles, tomato, caramelized onions, garlic aioli and brown mustard. DEE--wait for it--LICIOUS. I had standard fries as a side but you can also choose from sweet potato fries (which my husband tried -- fab), chips, onion straws, soup or salad.

Other patty choices include chicken, ahi tuna or edamame, and the menu also features salad, hot dogs, soup, hand-made shakes, ice cream, floats, cane-sugar soda, craft beer and wine.

While it is a bit pricy ($8.50 to $10 per sandwich, which includes a side), you're paying for high-quality ingredients and, let's face it, the location. It's essentially a sit-down restaurant without tips and with minimal waiter service -- though each table does include a locater dealie with a button you can push should you want to order dessert belatedly or need anything else

This won't be a weekly stop for us, but we will absolutely be back when the craving hits for a high-quality, hand-crafted, customized burger.

Baked delights - La Blondina Bakery Cafe, Wood Dale

I rarely write about brand-stinking-new places because I figure new businesses should have a little time to get settled in, find their niche, develop their website...

But I'm pretty jazzed about this one. There's a small storefront on Wood Dale Road, just north of Irving Park, that previously housed a bakery, then sat vacant for over a year. I pass this place at least twice a week, and was excited when I saw new signs of life. This past Saturday, I was driving home from spin (yes, this is a little ironic) when I saw that the new bakery -- La Blondina Bakery/Cafe was open. And since it had a large sign advertising FREE COFFEE, I had to stop.

The space is not very big, but there's enough room for a large case advertising their many baked delights, plus a few small tables for enjoying your goodies in-store. It's nicely decorated and very cute.

So far, baked goods for sale included HUGE cookies, somewhat smaller cookies, quiche, croissants, chocolate croissants, tarts and much more. I was told they expect to have a lunch menu soon and will also offer custom wedding and birthday cakes. I walked out with two chocolate croissants and a piping hot cup of Lavazza coffee.

The croissants were *awesome* (and of course the coffee was too) and now I'm really excited about this place, I must say.

Their website is not very functional yet, but you can call them at 630-595-5500.

Spooky fun

Looking for some last-minute Halloween plans? Want something scary to do this weekend? Check out these suburban ghost tours for some eerie entertainment:


Historic Ghost Tours of Elgin:
Where: Meet at Mel's Pizza, 728 W. Chicago St., Elgin, (847) 695-8180, historic-ghost-tours-elgin.com
Price: $30
What: Nobody under 16 allowed. Van travels to some of Elgin's scariest spots, including a haunted elementary school, a cemetery and the Elgin State Mental Hospital. Tour participants can carry an electromagnetic field sensor, a tool used by paranormal investigators. Three hours; ends at Mel's for a hypnotism demonstration. Tarot readings are available at the restaurant for an extra fee.

Ghost Tours of Naperville
Where: Meet at Central Park, 36 S. Washington St., Naperville, (630) 205-2664, naperville-ghosts.com
Price: $20, $15 for students and seniors
What: Led by paranormal investigator Kevin Frantz. Two-hour tour through the city's downtown area. Stops can vary, but typically include Central Park, the YMCA, the city's old library and the Red Geranium, Naperville's most notorious haunted house. Visitors are encouraged to bring cameras to snap pictures looking for ghostly images.

Historic Ghost Tours of Naperville
Where: Meet at Quigley's Irish Pub, 43 E. Jefferson St., (630) 978-7033, historicghosttoursofnaperville.com
Price: $15, $10 for kids younger than 14 and seniors
What: Two-hour walking tour through downtown Naperville runs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 15. Learn about the Great Naperville Train Disaster and hear local legends and ghost stories like “Charlie Yellow Boots” and the “Weeping Bride” and tales of paranormal encounters. Special trolley tours also are available on a few dates.

Historic Roundhouse Ghost Tours of Aurora
Where: Meet at America's Historic Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway, Aurora, (630) 978-7033, historicghosttoursofnaperville.com
Price: $13
What: Tours run at 7:30 p.m. Mondays and walk around the historic Roundhouse, which is said to be very haunted.

Ghost Walk of Palatine
Where: Durty Nellie's Pub, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine, (847) 358-9150
Price: $5
What: Tour areas of Palatine said to be haunted and help the Haitian relief effort at the same time. Remaining walks are at 6 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 24 and 31, and start with a short presentation at Durty Nellie's.

Excursions into the Unknown
Where: Westfield Chicago Ridge Shopping Mall, 444 Chicago Ridge Mall, Chicago Ridge, (708) 425-5163, ghostresearch.org
Price: $35-$45
What: A bus tour of south and southwest Chicago, Excursions into the Unknown makes 10 to 12 stops including Jane Addams Hull House, the Glessner House and the Marshall Field Jr. Mansion. Guests are encouraged to bring an open mind and a camera to look for spirits.

Cheap, plentiful Chinese -- Hoy's, Bensenville

I drive past Hoy's, 455 W Irving Park Rd, Bensenville daily. It's in a strip mall that's actually one of the bright spots of the Bensenville stretch of Irving Park, which has a lot of auto shops and empty spaces.

This cheery little strip mall contains a taqueria, a Jimmy John's, a Polish deli, a barber shop, a couple other small shops and Hoy's Chinese Restaurant.

So I drive past Hoy's regularly, but I hadn't indulged my Chinese take-out craving for quite awhile -- until the husband was away for the weekend and I wanted something fast and tasty.

The restaurant is not very big, but has a decent-size dining room for eating in. I perused the large menu briefly and selected a small wonton soup and Taiwan Style Rice Noodles, described as "Taiwan style thin rice noodles mixed with shredded pork, pea pods, peppers, carrots, bean sprouts and onions."

About 10 minutes later, I had my piping hot bag in hand and was out the door.

Even though it seemed a touch overpackaged, I appreciated that the soup was in its own small plastic bag and then a bigger paper bag inside the largest plastic bag, so there was no chance of leakage.

The soup was packed with veggies -- unusual for wonton soup -- and instead of one or two big wontons, it contained maybe six or seven small meatball-sized wontons. The broth wasn't quite as flavorful as I'm used to, but I appreciated the tons of cabbage and sprouts.

The noodles were a HUGE portion -- easily enough for two. It was flavorful, with fresh, plentiful veggies. There was also plenty of pork, although it wasn't really shredded. Instead it was big slices and strips, and some of it was a bit on the chewy side. Oh, and it also contained egg, which is not mentioned in the description. That said, it was fresh-tasting and very good, both for dinner and the next morning when I polished off the rest of it.

Given the prompt service, tasty food and very reasonable prices, I am looking forward to trying more of Hoy's huge menu.

The Sci Side

You probably fall in to one of two categories:

A) You've never heard of American Science & Surplus

OR

B) You absolutely LOVE American Science & Surplus

I am most definitely a category B! AS&S is one part mad-scientist toy store and one part educational fun/hobby store. A great place for adults and kids alike...and you don't have to break the bank to get a bag full of fun, interesting, and/or educational goodies.

American Science & Surplus is located in West Chicago at 33W361 Roosevelt Rd. (aka Route 38), just a quarter of a mile East of Kirk Rd. You can also reach them by calling 630-232-2882. They also have two other locations in Chicago and Milwaukee.

If you are babysitting or have children, bring them here- it's worth the drive if you don't live in the area. My husband and I spend at least an hour if not more in this store each time we go, and we don't have children.

It's also great place to gather supplies for Halloween costumes- this year my husband purchased many items for his, go figure, "mad scientist" costume here. We also scored some crazy goggles - one pair is for welding and another is supposed to be Chinese Snow Goggles. Say what? Yup, Chinese Snow Goggles...this place has everything! Rubber insects? Check. Beakers and test tubes? Check. Disco Ball? Check. British Postal Worker Vest? Youbetcha! They have more wires and thingamabobs than you can shake a stick at. And it probably goes without saying, but if there is a science project to do this store is a must.

Their staff is quirky but very friendly and helpful. They also have a fun and informative website for your home browsing pleasure, www.sciplus.com. So come on over and get your sci on!