Citrine's target audience might be fools. ( P.T Barnum and what not.)

Vitesse98 wrote:Went to Citrine the other night, maybe for only the second time since it opened, and man, that place is so thoroughly mediocre for a restaurant featuring several entrees in the $30-$40 range. Prices like that better give me something better than average, but no way does Citrine deliver on that front. It's too bad, since it's a nice space and much better than the barrage of generic brewpubs and chains invading Oak Park, but it's a shame one of our centerpiece spots is not remotely special. We're having a bunch of out of town guests visiting, and I'm torn about what to even recommend.

Relocate the brunch to The Heritage (Forest Park) forthwith.

Vitesse98 wrote:Went to Citrine the other night, maybe for only the second time since it opened, and man, that place is so thoroughly mediocre for a restaurant featuring several entrees in the $30-$40 range. Prices like that better give me something better than average, but no way does Citrine deliver on that front. It's too bad, since it's a nice space and much better than the barrage of generic brewpubs and chains invading Oak Park, but it's a shame one of our centerpiece spots is not remotely special. We're having a bunch of out of town guests visiting, and I'm torn about what to even recommend.

Sorry about your mediocre visit. My Bride and I have enjoyed our couple of visits. I like the fact that amidst the the finery there was still room for some comfort food.

I would recommend Rustico on Lake. The chef there has really hit his stride.

Rustico
722 Lake St, Oak Park
https://www.rusticooakpark.com

Good luck!

... of course...

Gaetano's Restaurant
7636 Madison St, Forest Park
https://gaetanosforestpark.com

... always satisfies.

Panther in the Den wrote:In the shuttered...

Amelia's
7330 Harrison St, Forest Park

... then...

Backyard Kitchen & Tap
http://www.backyardforestpark.com/

...

Supposed to open today but delayed until next Monday (11-6-17)...

Tacabrón
7330 Harrison St, Forest Park(708) 435-4343
https://www.facebook.com/eattacabron/
http://eattacabron.com/

https://patch.com/illinois/forestpark/n ... orest-park

patch.com wrote:So, what is this "Tacabrón" that everyone is talking about? The Tacabrón is one of their signature dishes - a special goat taco. The name comes from the combination of taco and cabrón, a male goat.

Edit: Opening date correction

Panther in the Den wrote: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.

After sitting on the front porch for the afternoon/evening waiting for the neighborhood kids, we have a tradition of getting a bowl of hot soup.



Another great visit! Broth was direct in it beefy mission and the egg roll rice vermicelli with the light and sweet sauce hit the spot.

About half full with a strong carryout going on.

Now that the kids are grown and out of the house, and we get home from work when 95% of the trick-or-treating is over, Halloween has become date night.

Last night the wife and I went to Rustico. It is the first time I have been in there since the change from Messy Crab (or whatever the last iteration was). Let's just say we will definitely be back.

We started with a few of their cocktails and all were very good. We started with their tapas as appetizers. Both the grilled octopus and the chicken skewers were excellent. Octopus was tender and had a nice char on it. Chicken was moist and flavorful. Both portions were much larger than I expected. A few tapas dishes could easily replace an entree for dinner if desired. For main courses we had the chicken paella and one of the evening specials which was lamb shank. The Paella was well cooked, tasty, and probably enough for 2 people. The lamb shank was excellent, and still might have even been overshadowed by the mushroom risotto that accompanied it. We had no room left for desert, but while we were looking at the choices, the bar sent over a couple of tequila shots, gratis.

Service was pleasant and efficient, and the space, though not changed a whole lot is nice. Most of the tables were occupied by the time we finished, yet the room is not overly loud or noisy.

Next time I think we will mix and match a bunch of the tapas. We really enjoyed everything we ate and would like to explore more of the menu.

Felony Franks has closed. The owner has posted on his facebook page of the closing:

https://www.facebook.com/denoandrews/posts/10214482890490140

I always hate to see when a local business can't make it. There was nothing groundbreaking about the food at Felony Franks, but they were providing employment opportunities for people that many other would not consider giving the time of day to.

thetrob wrote:Felony Franks has closed. The owner has posted on his facebook page of the closing:
.

That's too bad. I only went there a handful of times but the workers were always pleasant, which is more than a lot of places offer.

thetrob wrote:Felony Franks has closed.

It is always sad to see a place close but the food wasn’t really all that good either at this location or the previous incarnation on Western. We did give both several tries.

Closed...

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... 1336673506

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.

Too bad about Felony Franks and Smokey Joel's. Given the level of fanaticism people have about hot dogs, I wonder if it's not a particularly difficult format to make work if the focus isn't fanatically 100% on turning out the best possible dogs and fries possible. I'd like to think that OP could support a Red Hot Ranch, for example.

It's not all bad news in the area, though. There are signs up for District Kitchen and Tap on Harrison, whose arrival is very much anticipated by the neighborhood. Peeking through the windows reveals that the floor's all torn up, so they've got a ways to go.

Tacabron in Forest Park appears to be up and running. Might have to give them a shot this weekend.

Is Tacabron a totally new restaurant (that is, no track record)? Is it in that cursed location on Harrison? Looks like they've got goat, which is promising.

Felony Franks ... I love the concept, but the food was mediocre. Even my kids noted the lack of Vienna Beef products (their gold standard), and with Michael's, Portillo's, Johnnie's, even Gene & Jude's or Mr. D's in the general location, there's just no excuse for mediocre fast food.

Had a good meal at Heritage the other night, I think that remains the sole pricey place in the immediate area that might possibly compare to some places in the city. At the least it's a good space with a nice bar and great service.

Rustico--No problem with the food.
However, they did a couple of non-food things that I really hate.
We had a Saturday night 9:15 reservation. We were seated, ordered cocktails and after they arrived, ordered some tapas/appetizers. About three bites in they wanted us to order entrees because the restaurant will be "closing soon." Ok, but can you wait to put the order in so that we have some time to finish what we've already ordered and have time to breathe before the next courses arrive? Sure! No problem! About five seconds after we were done with the tapas, the mains arrived. At this point, we're both still working on our cocktails as well, and believe me, we plowed through the tapas fast because I just knew they wouldn't wait. Since we both still had drinks, we didn't order wine, so a lost sale for them there. As soon as we push our plates back and are done eating, they're pulling the olive oil and balsamic bottles off the table to refill. We're not the last table there. There were still two others when we left.
The best part was when our server brought the check and smiled while saying, "no rush."
If they want everyone gone by 10pm, perhaps they should cut off reservations at 8pm.

hoppy2468 wrote:If they want everyone gone by 10pm, perhaps they should cut off reservations at 8pm.

That is a crazy story. Closing at 10:00 on a Saturday? Even for Oak Park, that's terrible!

teatpuller wrote:

hoppy2468 wrote:If they want everyone gone by 10pm, perhaps they should cut off reservations at 8pm.

That is a crazy story. Closing at 10:00 on a Saturday? Even for Oak Park, that's terrible!

All kitchens (with a bar) close at 10 with the exception of Bar Louie. I might of missed a restaurant or two...

Panther in the Den wrote:

teatpuller wrote:

hoppy2468 wrote:If they want everyone gone by 10pm, perhaps they should cut off reservations at 8pm.

That is a crazy story. Closing at 10:00 on a Saturday? Even for Oak Park, that's terrible!

All kitchens (with a bar) close at 10 with the exception of Bar Louie. I might of missed a restaurant or two...

I'm confused. Citrine, Bar Louie, Poor Phil's off the top of my head are open later. Is the kitchen closed at 10:00?

teatpuller wrote:I'm confused. Citrine, Bar Louie, Poor Phil's off the top of my head are open later. Is the kitchen closed at 10:00?

Also Scratch and occasionally Papaspiros Agora are open and cooking later. Mystifying Cooper's Hawk has also told us on two occasions with a 9:30 PM weekend arrival that there was a 45-60 minute wait for seating, after which the kitchen would still happy to cook for us (place is supposed to close at 10:30). In both cases we were seated at bar or tables much more quickly anyway.

New in the hood...

Pit Zone BBQ
7247 Roosevelt Rd, Forest Park
(708) 435-4117
http://pit-zone-bbq.business.site

Wow! 2 new BBQ places just recently.

What's the other one? And isn't this one literally down the street from Smokin Ms?

Holy SHIT!
Who's gonna get there first!
The website is a trainwreck. (And I love it.)
You can get to the actual menu if you navigate through the first 20 or so flip-phone-ass-lookin' pictures.
Looks like a tips / spares / links, pulled poke and pulled chix type of joint. Lunch specials, too. All issues with the crappy food pictures were forgiven when I saw this on the menu:

"Specialty Drinks:
Kool-Aid Of The Day..."

I am SO in.

Might have to try this joint before City BBQ.

seebee wrote:Holy SHIT!
Who's gonna get there first!

Almost made it tonight but detoured to have goat tacos. Well that didn’t work out either so I just finished a gyro from...

Lucky Dog
6043 W Roosevelt Rd, Cicero
(708) 863-4349
http://luckydoghotdog.com/cicero/

Suburrito closed and a new place moved in...

Hecho en Oak Park
1053 Lake St, Oak Park
(708) 383-6900
https://hechoenoakpark.eat24hour.com/about



Looks more like a rebranding than something new as most links take you to the old place.

I didn’t mind the old place, reminded me of Chipotle’s across the street at a lower price point.

Saw several mentions of burgers looking it up?

Jamaican Grill
10 Chicago Ave, Oak Park

... has closed.

When there were a few ‘in da hood’ they were a lesser and never went back.

Where am I going to get my jerk fix now?

Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating
814 S Oak Park Ave, Oak Park

... has closed.

seebee wrote:All issues with the crappy food pictures were forgiven when I saw this on the menu:

"Specialty Drinks:
Kool-Aid Of The Day..."

I am SO in.

I couldn't help noticing that, as a speciality drink, Kool-Aid commands a premium price: $1.96 versus $1.95 for a regular soft drink.

On the topic of premium Kool-Aid, here's a sign I saw in Detroit ten years ago.

While I totally understand the why of it, maybe, I'm always a little saddened by new places that open before they bother taking down the old sign. Like Hecho in Oak Park. And I also just noticed the other day that Obsessed Kitchen still has a Kinderhook Tap sign flying nearby...

Panther in the Den wrote:Jamaican Grill
10 Chicago Ave, Oak Park

... has closed.

When there were a few ‘in da hood’ they were a lesser and never went back.

Where am I going to get my jerk fix now?

You'll just have to make the trek to Tropical Times in Maywood Park
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2398&start=30

Even when there was Jamaican on Chicago and North Ave, I would drive out there.
I just wish they delivered out this way.

Coming soon (owner mentioned 2 weeks)...

Petra Falafel
7314 Madison Ave, Forest Park



(Sorry for the bad crop, file size limitations on the site. )

Panther in the Den wrote:Fresh off the press (pizza oven?)...

46FC41EE-66B6-4308-91EB-F20F9F2EB51F.jpeg

Rosati’s (opening soon)
1013 Madison Ave, Oak Park

Now open.

Looking forward to my favorite Italian Beef and Giardiniera pizza.