teatpuller wrote:Michael's Beef House @ North & Oak Park Ave is open again under new management. Appears to be much improved from the last guy. The place was totally gutted. Fries very good, dog was slightly above average, will have to return for beef and hamburgers.

Stopped by today around noon for a tamale and their namesake beef. Place was doing a good business.

Beef was pretty good! Tender and the sandwich was well filled. First spice note was garlic followed by salt. More of a Mr Beef style rather than Al's.
.

I would get it again.

Tamale? Unmarked wrapper corn roll. Not over or under cooked. Nice and freshly steamed. Big!

Interested in trying their Merkt's Cheddar 1/3 lb Burger.

The minor redecorating is also nice.

Michael's Beef House
6747 North Ave, Oak Park
(708) 848-8080
https://www.michaelsbeefhouse.com/

Never been to the new Michael's ...I'm free for lunch tomorrow if anyone's up for a mini Oak Park Boys - just sayin'

The old iteration of Michael's major claim to fame was their fries. Their beef was fair to middlin', and their "BellyBuster" (or was it the "beltbuster?) burger was well advertised, but those fries...that was were they shined.
Panther or anyone else- any intel?

seebee wrote:but those fries...that was were they shined.
Panther or anyone else- any intel?

I never went to any of the previous incarnations of Michael's, but I can confirm that they're doing the most with the fries these days. They're great.

Michael's is rapidly turning into one of my favorite lunch spots in the area, although I haven't managed to venture beyond the Chicago dogs, which they do an perfect job with. For me, one dog with their generous helping of fries and a soda for something like $5.49 can't be beat.



I also want to recognize the high standard this place has set for itself. It's been immaculately clean every time I've been there, and it's clear that they put a lot of care into preparing the food. Not that I don't appreciate doing the Chicago lean with a juicy beef at a counter from time to time, but a cozy booth has it's charms (as do easy parking and indoor plumbing).

One note: I checked my copy of Hot Dog Chicago and found that Michael's circa 1982 was distinctive for offering pumpkin seeds by the scoop for 40 cents. I might otherwise not have noted a small sign taped to the register: "Pumpkin Seeds $3.99." I have no idea if there's more history to this or not, but it's nice to see weird idiosyncrasies enduring.

Data points from buddies that have tried Two Brothers include both poor food and service, so probably will continue avoiding that place in the near to distant future. I also got a report of a huge drop-off at Autre Monde, on the same food/service front, enough that a friend never wants to go back. That came as a big surprise to me.

On the plus side, Food Obsessed has apparently been improving, so I think I'll give that one another shot. And on another plus side, apparently Heritage continues to take up the fancier pants-ier slack, and I look forward to taking advantage of their new happy hour.

Two Brothers Social Tap - we biked up to the area on Saturday and found ourselves famished around 4PM. The little ones liked the $5 corn dogs and the generous serving of sweet potato fries that came with. We split the wings (half buffalo/half BBQ) and the burrata/beet salad. As it was pre-rush, the service was fine. Nothing special about the wings or the salad.

I'm pretty tired of Two Bros. standard offerings, so I thought I'd order one of the specialty/"artisan" drafts that were on tap: an oak-aged ale and their mosaic pale ale. The waitress helpfully warned me that the former was $14 and the latter $10 - for snifters. I think these prices are insane for a taproom, even for "artisan" or limited offerings and opted instead for a $6 Pinball.

There are a couple of cocktails that I'm interested in trying based on ingredient breakdown. We are planning a bike ride up for the breakfast/coffee offerings but it likely won't include cocktails.

Tough to hear about Autre Monde.

I made a spur of the moment stop at Food Obsession after a band event. Service was friendly, they comped us an order of the fries for seemingly no reason - they were delicious. I got the fish tacos, which I'd order again. Good asian-inspired flavors. My daughter enjoyed her sliders. Beer was good. One pet peeve is that I can't keep track of their hours. I drive by often and are surprised to notice that they are closed during times I'd think they'd do a fine business.

Panther in the Den wrote:

teatpuller wrote:Interested in trying their Merkt's Cheddar 1/3 lb Burger.

Had the Merkt's Cheddar burger (double) today from Michaels along with an order of Fries and a Lemon Ice.

Burger was outstanding and a touch messy. (sorry no pics) Cooked correctly, still juicy, proper amount of cheese, grilled onions and other condiments and a bun that held up pretty well to all of the above. Fries were great with nice texture inside and out and not greasy at all.

I was in fairly early around 11;30am or so, and noticed that there were a bunch of cops dining there now. That's usually a good sign. Owner is there most times I have been in, and is doing what he can to make sure stuff is right. Today, after getting my order he asked that I try the fries and make sure they were still hot because he had another batch coming out of the fryer just then and would switch them out if I wanted (they were fine). It's that attention to detail that will go far with customers.

While I like the texture of their Ice, and there were noticeable chunks of rind in it, I do notice a slightly off "artificial" taste to it. They must be using some type of mix (or whomever they get their ice from does). They also have flavors like Watermelon and Blueberry which I haven't tried yet.

I will definitely be back

Vitesse98 wrote:Data points from buddies that have tried Two Brothers include both poor food and service, so probably will continue avoiding that place in the near to distant future..

I would agree on the food and service (dirty water glasses!), but, of course, the place is new. Perhaps more discouraging was that the menu didn't really seem to suggest any ambition on the food front, just the most simple, generic pub grub, so I can't imagine this adding anything to the area even if the service improves.

bobbywal wrote: Speaking of new breweries, well, maybe newish. Was selling some stuff at the Hi-Fi place on Harlem just north of Ogden in Berwyn and the proprietor mentioned Flapjack Brewery (between Grove and Kenilworth just north of the train tracks in Berwyn).
I swung in and grabbed a growler and was impressed with the humble but seemingly effective pizza-making operation - wood-burning oven, lots of TLC in the prep; I watched one of the pizza makers hand-grating a big ol' pile of parmesan for one of the pizzas from a nice looking block.
I got the cream ale since the IPA was a pretty steep 7.5%. I'm not a big fan of this particular beer. Seems very malty with a lot of residual sugar.
That said, the place was cozy and super friendly and the pizza looked good. Perhaps the other beers are better. I think I'll be back to find out.

I got here during Chicago Craft Beer Week. I can assert that this is now the closest brewpub to a Metra station, surpassing both Flossmoor Station and Imperial Oak Brwg.
But if you're originating in Chicago, you will probably take the #302 Pace bus. {Keen hint forthcoming.}
The venue is uncertain if it should pay for XFinity's plan that includes sports channels. So for now, it is not. When I was there, it was showing premium cable channel original shows.
I felt the beers were good. But my favorite was the aforementioned cream ale. Then again, I am not a hophead.
I did not eat anything here since, transferring from CTA route #54 to Pace route #302, I had swung east to eat an italian beef sandwich from Scatchell's. {The car wash west of Scatchell's, which it owned, has been demolished. I could surmise an expansion of the stand may be planned.}
{Keen hint.} Since I have heard that Berwyn {in best Svengoolie voice - Berwyn?} wants to build up the area as an entertainment and dining venue, it should spend money to extend the hours of operation of the #302 bus route. It runs six days a week (not on Sunday). It connects to the CTA Pink Line "L" at Cicero (& Cermak | 22nd St.). Pay for one street-sweeper run eastbound at midnight (or later, if venues want to stay open later).
So, yes, get here. Have the beers.

Novo on Lake Street is closed? Just saw an add for their specials 2 weeks ago.

stoutisgoodfood wrote:Novo on Lake Street is closed? Just saw an add for their specials 2 weeks ago.

Hmm. That's a bit of a bummer. We went there a few weeks ago for an anniversary celebration. Oysters were good and well-shucked. Nothing really stood out in terms of entrees - we shared all of our plates - but it was pretty quality. The wines were, as expected, a nice departure from the usual.

I was at Autre Monde about a month ago and it was as great as ever. Especially the meatballs, those delicious meatballs. Service was good too but I like to sit at the bar at most places for that reason. Pretty sure the bartender was new too. Maybe it was before the decline...

Two Brothers service was pretty bad the one time I made a visit. They said they were out of the carnivore bacon for the club but when my club arrived, probably 35 minutes later by the way, there was bacon on it. So I hope they didn't slow my food for the bacon. Anyway, the club was pretty good and I actually liked the crispy skinny fresh cut fries. It's fine for what it is and I'm sure the service will get better.

Vitesse98 wrote:Data points from buddies that have tried Two Brothers include both poor food and service, so probably will continue avoiding that place in the near to distant future.

Stopped in earlier in the week and had a great burger! Nicely spiced and cooked, if maybe a little lighter than, a perfect medium rare. Good flavor.


Had the Weiss in the 23 oz glass and had to educate them on the proper use of the lemon (yes, one slice should come with it and no, it doesn't go on the edge). The beer was fine.

On another front just down the street...

Connolly's Public House will be closing at the end of the month. Nicely designed menu and some authentic Irish dishes. I never did frequent it all that often.

https://www.facebook.com/connollyspubli ... =3&theater

Smokey Joel's Red Hots
810 Beloit Ave, Forest Park
(708) 267-1979
https://www.facebook.com/Smokey-Joels-R ... 336673506/

Driving by a week or so ago I spotted this little hole in the wall. Almost missed it.

Did some research and noted the limited hours F-Sat 11 to 7 Sun 11 to 5 and decided to make a visit.

Very limited menu and on the day I visited no tamales or Italian sausage? That was like half of the menu?

Very small shop! Only counter service inside and two picnic tables and a pair of lawn chairs. Open about a year.

Ordered the beef and the chili, both made in house. The beef, the first thing that hit the taste buds was salt, then garlic. Very thick cut (!) but tender. Flavor more along the lines of Mr Beef rather than Al's.


The chili was very good! Just a few beans and would make a perfect sauce for a chili dog. No crackers .

While I was eating I was talking to a gent who was meeting his fellow food friends there. "One of the only 5 star Yelp restaurants around!". Well that's Yelp.

People do love them so I wish them well! I will stop in for a hot dog sometime soon.

Saigon Pho & Cafe
726 Lake St, Oak Park
(708) 689-0389
http://www.saigonphocafe.com/

I have stopped a couple of times over the last month and they continue to impress. The broth could be a little more complex but it is fine. Spring rolls are nice and fresh and I love their Ginger tea. Peanut dipping sauce was also awesome.

When we were there on Wednesday, by 7 they were just about filled. Not bad for the middle of the week.

Sad to report that They [Tonini's in Berwyn] have posted that they are going to have to close. A downturn in business and some personal issues has brought this around.

No date given.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/7477819 ... 614156205/

Panther in the Den wrote:Not Oak Park but it was on our crawl...

Tonini's Italian Market
6950 W Windsor Ave, Berwyn
(708) 484-4590

They continue to impress. One of their more popular items are their Ready to Go dinners (Mon-Sat).

On Saturday they had their Sampler.

Meatballs are award winning. A perfect texture and the sauce, spot on.
Cheese Ravioli I don't believe is homemade. Pasta a little firm and cheese filling very good.
Cheese Pizza had a nice fresh taste. Premade and thicker crust.
Sausage and Orzo was a touch dry but a splash of sauce livened up the party.

My Bride and decided to dine in and soak up the atmosphere. No paper plates but they were able to make due.
We also grabbed a Brownie for dessert. Nice and crunchy crust.

As always it was all good. Never had anything bad from there.

WP_20170325_17_12_54_Pro (2).jpg

Panther in the Den wrote:

Vitesse98 wrote:Data points from buddies that have tried Two Brothers include both poor food and service, so probably will continue avoiding that place in the near to distant future.

Stopped in earlier in the week and had a great burger! Nicely spiced and cooked, if maybe a little lighter than, a perfect medium rare. Good flavor.

WP_20170617_16_23_58_Pro (2).jpg

Had the Weiss in the 23 oz glass and had to educate them on the proper use of the lemon (yes, one slice should come with it and no, it doesn't go on the edge). The beer was fine.

On another front just down the street...

Connolly's Public House will be closing at the end of the month. Nicely designed menu and some authentic Irish dishes. I never did frequent it all that often.

https://www.facebook.com/connollyspubli ... =3&theater

I certainly do not wish the Connolly family any ill will but just never felt comfortable in the place. Too bright, like drinking in a Denny's.

zoid wrote:I certainly do not wish the Connolly family any ill will but just never felt comfortable in the place. Too bright, like drinking in a Denny's.

I also wish all involved the best, but my heart really goes out to the six people who bought "beer for life" via their Indiegogo a mere 18 months ago.

ndgbucktown wrote:

zoid wrote:I certainly do not wish the Connolly family any ill will but just never felt comfortable in the place. Too bright, like drinking in a Denny's.

I also wish all involved the best, but my heart really goes out to the six people who bought "beer for life" via their Indiegogo a mere 18 months ago.

I would hope they would request a refund. ... and soon...

Panther in the Den wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Erik's Deli[/b]
107 N Oak Park Ave, Oak Park
(708) 848-8805
http://eriks-deli.com/zgrid/themes/10633/intro/index.jsp
Not to be confused with the Chicago chain...
http://www.originaleriksdeli.com/

Is moving down the street into the old location of Red Hen Bakery at 736 Lake St, Oak Park

When talking with the staff they mentioned it should be nice an bright in there. Good as we felt the remodel was way, way too dark.

... and in the old spot look for a Spanish tapas restaurant called Altiro
http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/5-8-2017/Erik%27s-could-become-tapas-restaurant/

Erik's has closed.

While Altiro has signs up in the windows including Help Wanted, The Red Hen bakery space still shows For Lease in the windows.

Not a good sign for Erik's.

"Signs, signs, Everywhere a sign"

WP_20170604_13_45_38_Pro (2).jpg

Well... Erik's is not moving as it was just reported that Courageous Bakery & Café will be moving into that space.

http://mobile.oakpark.com/News/Articles ... ke-Street/

What does this mean for Erik's?

Panther in the Den wrote:Smokey Joel's Red Hots
810 Beloit Ave, Forest Park
(708) 267-1979
https://www.facebook.com/Smokey-Joels-R ... 336673506/

Driving by a week or so ago I spotted this little hole in the wall. Almost missed it.

Did some research and noted the limited hours F-Sat 11 to 7 Sun 11 to 5 and decided to make a visit.

Very limited menu and on the day I visited no tamales or Italian sausage? That was like half of the menu?

Very small shop! Only counter service inside and two picnic tables and a pair of lawn chairs. Open about a year.

Ordered the beef and the chili, both made in house. The beef, the first thing that hit the taste buds was salt, then garlic. Very thick cut (!) but tender. Flavor more along the lines of Mr Beef rather than Al's.

WP_20170616_17_34_37_Pro (2).jpg

The chili was very good! Just a few beans and would make a perfect sauce for a chili dog. No crackers .

While I was eating I was talking to a gent who was meeting his fellow food friends there. "One of the only 5 star Yelp restaurants around!". Well that's Yelp.

People do love them so I wish them well! I will stop in for a hot dog sometime soon.

Stopped by again and the items missing from the menu last week were available.

Vienna Italian Sausage - Keep fresh by wrapping it in foil and placed in the steamer. A 'real' Italian sausage would work better here especially when paired with beef. Suffered a bit from being held. Served on a hoagie bun.

Tamale - Supreme in the plastic wrap. Fresh enough and moist. Removed from the wrapper and placed in a styro soup cup.

While I was dining a gent shared the table with me. He was enjoying his hot dog with everything. Maybe that is what generates the 5 star Yelp rating?

I am jonesing for the chili dog on my next visit. There was a trophy from a 2016 chili cook off.

District Kitchen and Tap to open in the Arts District.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/o ... story.html

In the same building as Happy Apple.

Smokey Joel's Red Hots
810 Beloit Ave, Forest Park
(708) 267-1979
https://www.facebook.com/Smokey-Joels-R ... 336673506/

Driving by a week or so ago I spotted this little hole in the wall. Almost missed it.

Did some research and noted the limited hours F-Sat 11 to 7 Sun 11 to 5 and decided to make a visit.

Panther -

Been curious about Smokey Joel's so thanks. I Drive down Garfield over there quite a bit but never stopped in. Did you notice if the dogs were natural casing or skinless?

Thanks....

thepld wrote:

Smokey Joel's Red Hots
810 Beloit Ave, Forest Park
(708) 267-1979
https://www.facebook.com/Smokey-Joels-R ... 336673506/

Driving by a week or so ago I spotted this little hole in the wall. Almost missed it.

Did some research and noted the limited hours F-Sat 11 to 7 Sun 11 to 5 and decided to make a visit.

Panther -

Been curious about Smokey Joel's so thanks. I Drive down Garfield over there quite a bit but never stopped in. Did you notice if the dogs were natural casing or skinless?

Thanks....

Haven't had the dog yet...

Bricks Wood Fired Pizza to open on Oak Park Ave...

http://mobile.oakpark.com/News/Articles ... -location/

Has anyone had the tea service here and can offer any comments? How about the rest of the shop if we don't have the tea service? http://www.sereniteaoakpark.com

excelsior wrote:Has anyone had the tea service here and can offer any comments? How about the rest of the shop if we don't have the tea service? http://www.sereniteaoakpark.com

While I did not have the service there I did drop in for a cup of tea.

Strolling around there were several tables having service. Very nice cakes on a tiered rack and individual pots of tea.

A few tables with ladies only and a few with young girls and ladies. It was all very nice.

They were quite serious about their teas and the space also sold various cookware.

My Bride is eager to visit with her granddaughters.

Good to know, Panther, thanks, hopefully we will make it there soon for tea.

Finally made it into...

Sarno's Restaurant
5615 W Roosevelt Rd, Cicero

Not surprising as their hours at 8:30 to 3:30 M-F. God knows I've tried.

60 years in the business and after most of the factories closed the were forced to cut their hours back.

Pretty much a standard sandwich and breakfast place, Hotdog, beef, fresh cut fries.

Today I had a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a beef. Both of which are made in-house. Both were good! The beef is closer to a Mr Beef with a nice beefy flavor and was very tender.



Eager to stop back with My Bride for breakfast.

thepld wrote:

Smokey Joel's Red Hots
810 Beloit Ave, Forest Park
(708) 267-1979
https://www.facebook.com/Smokey-Joels-R ... 336673506/

Driving by a week or so ago I spotted this little hole in the wall. Almost missed it.

Did some research and noted the limited hours F-Sat 11 to 7 Sun 11 to 5 and decided to make a visit.

Panther -

Been curious about Smokey Joel's so thanks. I Drive down Garfield over there quite a bit but never stopped in. Did you notice if the dogs were natural casing or skinless?

Thanks....

Natural.



Hot dog tasted great! Sausage full of flavor and the traditional toppings fresh. Both of our Buns were not steamed and hard and stale on the bottom.

Of the 5 items on the menu they were out of 2 (chili and tamales). Not the first time and I don't know what the issue is.

All and all and as much as I want to support the little guy I prefer Portillo's and Parky's.

They were even out of my preferred Cheeto's.