Not a fan of Two Brothers beer, not sure a generic-ish brewpub type restaurant is really needed here.

On that note, RIP Kinderhook Tap, which is closing so that owners can focus on a ... brewpub type place down near Starving Rock State Park.

Not a fan of Two Brothers beer, not sure a generic-ish brewpub type restaurant is really needed here.

On that note, RIP Kinderhook Tap, which is closing so that owners can focus on a ... brewpub type place down near Starving Rock State Park.

I'm pretty torn here. I've grown awful tired of their beer but it is largely reliable and they deserve some credit for kickstarting the microbrew revolution in Illinois - along with their distribution arm, WCD. All that said, the food at their restaurants is pretty good. I work near the original brewery and there is always some interesting and tasty items. Also, they did a really nice job with the place they opened in downtown Naperville - although I've only had the coffee, which was delicious. Put me down as cautiously optimistic.

I'll believe it when I see it, though. I'm still waiting for that Wild Onion brewpub that was supposed to open right down the street from the Cheese Market last fall.

I guess Oak Park has really "made it" now with Lou Malnatti's, Cooper's Hawk, and Two Brothers. Made it to what, I'm not sure...

Tonight (last night?) was Kinderhook's last night in Oak Park. They are moving on to other adventures (as mentioned).

In the meantime another owner is taking over the space...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/oak-park/news/ct-oak-kinderhook-oak-park-tl-0209-20170201-story.html

Look for them to open at the beginning of March.

Vitesse98 wrote:On that note, RIP Kinderhook Tap, which is closing so that owners can focus on a ... brewpub type place down near Starving Rock State Park.

Is it near? I heard it is called Starved Rock.

In the meantime another owner is taking over the space...

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

I hope the food is better.

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 in to Michael's yesterday at around noon. It was completely empty, which seemed a little odd. I ordered a beef, a sausage and a fries. While I waited I chatted with the owner for a bit. He said business has been a little slow, but he hopes that it will build by summer time. Most old customers who have come in said that while Michaels used to be a great place to go, over the years it had gone so far downhill that most had given up on it and had not been in for years and years (myself included). The place is definitely cleaned up, the food service equipment is nice and clean/shiny and there are new electronic menu boards. He plans on doing some local advertisements and specials to try and lure customers back.

As mentioned the Fries were very good. Fresh cut as opposed to food service, not overly greasy and not over salted. The sandwiches were a touch longer that what you get at Johnnies, closer to the "beef and a half" they serve at Buena beef. Sweet Peppers were also fresh cut and roasted, as they had a slight bit of char on them. Giardiniera was not overly hot, and had a lot of celery, carrot, cauliflower in it as opposed to peppers. I will need a few more stabs at the Giardiniera to see if that is the norm, or just the cup that I had. Sausage was above average, nicely charred and a nice flavor. Not overly spicy, nor bland. Beef was a good portion, with nice texture but maybe a touch under-seasoned. I ordered it regular as opposed to dipped to get a feel for the beef itself. Next time I will get it "Juicy" and see if that helps the seasoning.

Overall, I think it is well worth trying again. Also, I will have to try some of the other menu items and see how they stack up, such as the Burger, Gyros and Italian Ice (lemon and watermelon).

thetrob wrote:
Overall, I think it is well worth trying again. Also, I will have to try some of the other menu items and see how they stack up, such as the Burger, Gyros and Italian Ice (lemon and watermelon).

I think the burgers are better than the beef. IMO the beef was just average. Roll was of the bagged styrofoamy variety as opposed to the fresh morning delivered in a paper bag type.

Red Hen Bread is closing soon (sorry, not sure when) per a sign posted on the front door. Given the level of activity in the area and the visibility of the location, I'm sure the space will be filled before too long.

I wish the owners of the Kinderhook well. I will always hold a slight grudge against them for surreptitiously changing the "Oak Pork" sandwich from a breaded tenderloin to pulled pork, but they were a mostly reliable neighborhood place.

Other than the Domaine DuPage, I like Two Brothers' beer well enough. I'm most excited by their demonstrated restaurant-operating competence, which will be necessary to overcome the bad vibes that haunt the erstwhile MSM.

Is it near? I heard it is called Starved Rock.

As you all know, we are beyond passionate about beer and we want to make it. And that requires a lot of time. We made the very tough decision to sell The Kinderhook Tap to focus all of our energy on building Starved Rock Brewing which will be located in La Salle, IL just a few miles from the beautiful Starved Rock State Park

Seems like Messy Crab on Lake street is now closed. If you go to what once was their OpenTable page, it looks like a place called Rustico 722 is going to open in the same space around the beginning of March. Not sure if it is same owners or not.

thetrob wrote: Not sure if it is same owners or not.

Let's hope not. Boy was that a dumb concept.

Mexican food to Mexican-style seafood or whatever (Messy Crab) to Mexican Seafood (Rustico 722) ... I wonder if it's just a name change, but the same place? The Open Table site already has reviews, and they look they're reviews of Messy Crab.

Panther in the Den wrote:I did stop by Hamburger Mary's over the weekend around lunchtime.

Nicely presented but the burger was too lean (not juicy enough) and not seasoned at all. I did try the poutine gravy with my tots and it was somewhat bland as well.

I just get a weird vibe from both places...

Gave it one more (and last) try. Tried the stuffed burger and it was cooked to death (ordered medium) and the stuffing was completely gone and had shrunken to 2/3rds the size of the bun. Potato Soup was thick to the consistency of mashed potato.

After two disappointing burgers this week in a row, yesterday My Bride and I made the pilgrimage to Kuma's and my faith was restored in the world.

Come on! It is not that hard. You would figure with 'Hamburger" in the name...

On another note, a new coffee shop called L!VE opened up recently just a few doors south.

Vitesse98 wrote:Mexican food to Mexican-style seafood or whatever (Messy Crab) to Mexican Seafood (Rustico 722) ... I wonder if it's just a name change, but the same place? The Open Table site already has reviews, and they look they're reviews of Messy Crab.

Took a look at Open Table. Not taking reservations until March 2.

Vitesse98 wrote:Mexican food to Mexican-style seafood or whatever (Messy Crab) to Mexican Seafood (Rustico 722) ... I wonder if it's just a name change, but the same place? The Open Table site already has reviews, and they look they're reviews of Messy Crab.

iirc...it's been Taco Fresco --> Fuego Loco --> Lola's Cantina --> Messy Crab --> Rustico 722 over the course of three years. I've assumed this madness is the same set of owners switching concepts as soon as the mediocre news gets out, but for whatever reason, this spot seems doomed.

PantherInTheDen wrote:Gave it one more (and last) try. Tried the stuffed burger and it was cooked to death (ordered medium) and the stuffing was completely gone and had shrunken to 2/3rds the size of the bun. Potato Soup was thick to the consistency of mashed potato.

Thanks for the report. I have OPBC gift certificates to use up, but my finely tuned dining intuition told me to stay away and head to Exit Strategy for brunch yesterday. Although they always seem slightly surprised to see people showing up before noon (there usually aren't many in my experience), service is friendly and accommodating and the kitchen can put out a solid pub burger cooked to specifications and decent fries, and they have one of the nicest spaces in OPRFFP, especially on a sunny day.

Thanks for the report. I have OPBC gift certificates to use up, but my finely tuned dining intuition told me to stay away and head to Exit Strategy for brunch yesterday. Although they always seem slightly surprised to see people showing up before noon (there usually aren't many in my experience), service is friendly and accommodating and the kitchen can put out a solid pub burger cooked to specifications and decent fries, and they have one of the nicest spaces in OPRFFP, especially on a sunny day.

While not a brunch report, I headed that way a couple of weeks ago on a random Tuesday night when a time crunch didn't make it possible to cook a meal. It was me and the kids. The two oldest split the burger (rave reviews from them, though I didn't have any) while myself and the youngest split an order of the Porter/BBQ wings and the flatbread pizza with all the meats. I thought everything tasted really good, everyone at the table had at least one wing, and my very picky youngest went to town on the flatbread. I ate some as well and it might be a go-to for me going forward. Paired it with Exit Strategy's reliable Rufus Porter.

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.

Had the chance to eat here on a few occasions very good experience overall; Merkt"s Cheddar burger made to order cooked utilizing both the Flat Top and the grill. Pepper Jack burger is made with large slices (sliced on the diagonal) of grilled Jalapeno and chipotle mayo. Italian beef is right up there with the gravy being good and hot temp wise ala Al's Johnnie's and Chickie's with a nice Giardinera which incorporates tiny pieces of cauliflower. Very solid natural casing Vienna beef dog with fresh cut fries.
Owner mentioned that he had owned Wolfy's for several years.
Great addition to the area

Interesting on the dogs. I was there a couple weekends ago, that beautiful sunny Saturday. I had a hankering for char dogs and saw they had them. While they use skinless jumbo vienna's for the char dog, which I like but prefer the natural casing when the ends flare, the wife got two regular dogs and those were skinless also. I was kind of surprised by this. Maybe this was a one off ? Regardless we still enjoyed the meal. The dogs tasted fresh and the fries were pretty good. Next time I might ask for them extra crispy as some were a little flimsy. Want to get back to try the beef and burger.

Also have to say that the Italian Ice at Michael's was great. Not too sweet, very lemony with big chunks of frozen rind. I loved it.

I'll believe it when I see it, though. I'm still waiting for that Wild Onion brewpub that was supposed to open right down the street from the Cheese Market last fall.

Well, I guess this really is happening. Owners hoping for a late May opening:

http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/3-13-2017/Wild-Onion-Tied-House-could-be-open-by-late-May/

Time for another shot at success by yet another restaurant. The spot at 6818 North Ave, which most recently house the short lived Restaurant Elbrus, which succeeded the short lived My Mothers Place, which succeeded the short lived Cafe Laguardia West, etc. etc. etc. no has signage up that coming soon is......Cafe Hoang Vietnamese Restaurant. Supposedly opening today 3/13/17 (I have not verified if it is indeed open today). They have other locations on Cermak (China town) and on Argyle (Viet Town)

thetrob wrote:Cafe Hoang Vietnamese Restaurant... other locations on Cermak (Chinatown)

Well respected on LTH. This is great news.

thetrob wrote:... the short lived Cafe Laguardia West

They actually had a pretty good run, but never drew enough business. I was also a fan of their Armitage location.

Last night I was driving home after a surprisingly satisfying corned beef meal from Connoly's when I noticed that the former Kinderhook was lit up and packed with people. A soft opening, perhaps?

My daughter took a camp at the chef's Food Obsession catering shop on south, and honestly I loved everything they all devised under his guidance. I hope some of his Korean ideas wind their way into whatever he is up to in the former Kinderhook spot.

http://foodobsession.co

Wow. That is encouraging. Very excited about the prospects there. Thanks for sharing.

Cafe Hoang is pretty good! Limited menu at this location though.

My Bride and I had a nice crawl of the new places the last few days.

Obsessed Kitchen and Bar
800 S. Oak Park Ave, Oak Park
(708) 613-5044

Chef Daniel Vogel is trying really hard to bring the menu together and there are many things in flux.

Chicken Soup had a rich broth and chock full of chicken and vegetables.
Chicken Strips were juicy and tender the breading was curiously thin and fine.
The Burger has gone through 7 versions and still needed some refining. Was told it was only cooked one was (well) due to the thin patties but they were not that thin.

Fries very good!
Strawberry Shortcake dessert was very good! An uber flaky pastry.


Mixed drinks are a mixed bag.

Still waiting for a Korean touch to appear.

I would give it a little more time to settle.

Live Cafe
163 S Oak Park Ave, Oak Park
(773) 417-6030

Very nice and lively atmosphere. Nice community feel.
Has many activities happening, as we were there a knitting Club set up in the back room, music last weekend and some community meeting this weekend.

Pastries from Flur Bakery
Bagels from Turano's.
Coffee from River City Roasters
Drip coffee is the default (a bit on the weak side) and pour over and espresso based drinks are also available.

We really enjoyed the vibe.

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.