Oak Park Treasures?

Okay LTH -- I did the search on Oak Park and found so many threads that I decided to throw caution to the wind and just throw this out here. I'm dining with a friend this weekend in Oak Park, a town I know literally nothing about. We'll have a car and he'll be treating (so money is no object!) but i really want to have dinner somewhere that is worth the time and the money. In other words, if you only have one night in Oak Park, where should you spend your calorie allocation? Atmosphere is secondary but fun is always good.

I'm not big on Indian or Thai or sushi. I know about Cafe le coq (although is that still open?) and he often goes to Philander's.

Shout 'em out to me -- I'm intrigued.

Shannon

La Piazza in Forest Park, by a longshot. Check out Hammond's post about it, Glad to be their dumpster.

It's certainly (to me) the best upscale restaurant in a 5 mile radius of Oak Park.

I strongly agree with gleam. Go to Forest Park. I will say no more.
Chef

earthlydesire wrote:I'm not big on Indian or Thai or sushi. I know about Cafe le coq (although is that still open?) and he often goes to Philander's.

Philander's has, hands down, the best bar in the area: a beautiful old dark wood octagon where Frazier's Dad can frequently be found, totally accessible, and a good guy to hoist a few with. The food is okay; I like the oysters Rock, but overall it's mostly a fantastic bar with a decent (over-priced) restaurant attached. When they close, you might wander down Pleasant to Nut Bush, a late-hours place with karaoke (tell them Diamond Dave sent you).

Cafe Le Coq is still open, though the Chef has gone elsewhere.

La Piazza is well worth a visit, and has probably the best food hereabouts -- try as I might, no comparable place comes to mind...but it depends a lot on what you like.

FYI, just got back from dinner at New Rebozo, down the street from La Piazza. Dudley Nieto, we miss you.

Hammond

Never been to either, but isn't the war of upscale restaurants in Oak Park basically between Le Coq, and Hemingways? Marion Street Grill used to be a player, but I've HEARD it's gone downhill. Agree w/ the Philander's posts. Bar - good times, food - not so good times.

WHAT HAPPENED AT NEW REBOZO?? DOWNHILL???

seebee wrote:Never been to either, but isn't the war of upscale restaurants in Oak Park basically between Le Coq, and Hemingways? Marion Street Grill used to be a player, but I've HEARD it's gone downhill. Agree w/ the Philander's posts. Bar - good times, food - not so good times.

WHAT HAPPENED AT NEW REBOZO?? DOWNHILL???

In the 90s, New Rebozo inspired Bruce Kraig's book Hidden Cuisines of Mexico, and it used to be a western suburban outpost for the higher end nuevo Mex chow that folks like Bayless were (and still are) popularizing. I talked to Kraig a few months ago, and his advice was "Don't Go." I went any way, and came to understand the reason for his injunction: the place is under new management, the menu has changed. Paco, the owner, is genial, etc., but the food just doesn't have much spark, and dishes are prepared with what seems remarkable insensitivity (case in point: WAY over-salted, and I like a lot of salt in most everything I eat: it was even too much for me). Many have complained about the prices, with justification. You could probably eat much better at Frontera for the same prices.

I would say that my favorite restaurant in the area remains Jimmy's. It was good enough for my last birthday dinner (see also embedded link to another Jimmy's thread).

To some extent, my ideas of recs for Oak Park depend on where in Oak Park you mean/want. For instance, if you are in the Northern end, like me, (and also share my culinary fetishes) you might enjoy attempting the Czech Paradox. On the other hand, if you're in the Southern parts of town, that's a haul. On that end, I'm pretty keen on Salerno's (although I still tend to prefer Jimmy's in Forest Park).

Do report back!

Vital Information wrote:I would say that my favorite restaurant in the area remains Jimmy's. It was good enough for my last birthday dinner (see also embedded link to another Jimmy's thread).

I stopped by Jimmy's Place day before yesterday and had a quite excellent hamburger. I chatted with the "other" Jimmy (Moccio, the chef), and he said that his secret is using a lot of different parts of the cow. Whatever, it's under six bucks, comes with well prepared (though previously frozen) fries and a big basket of house-made bread. I noticed many others that were having lunch that day were also eating Jimmy's burgers.

Hammond

La Piazza's going to be on Check, Please! tonight, so you may want to make reservations soon if you're hoping to go this weekend.

Try Amarinds on North Ave. just west of Oak Park Ave. Great Thai food. Chef/owner is former sous chef at Aruns. The Cuban Restaurant next door is also good. Cafe LaGuardia

chefdeab wrote:Try Amarinds on North Ave. just west of Oak Park Ave. Great Thai food. Chef/owner is former sous chef at Aruns. The Cuban Restaurant next door is also good. Cafe LaGuardia

... but then again this is right across the street from Oak Park and in Chicago proper.

Both places are very good.

I have to go with the La Piazza recommendation as well. DH and I celebrated our anniversary there Monday night with Chef's Choice, a four-course tasting menu plus desserts (We had 14 different dishes en toto, all chosen by Chef Gaetano.), and it was some of the best food I've ever had anywhere. (Only caveat: Don't pay extra for the wine pairings; just get a bottle of wine instead. Granted, 8 glasses of wine for an additional $24 is a decent price, but it's just overwhelming. They all begin to taste the same to me. Your experience may be different, of course.)

Cafe le Coq is still good, altho the bouillabaise ain't what it used to be. I've never liked Marion St. Grill; the food is only so-so and the service is absolutely terrible. I enjoy Philander's and its reliably tasty albeit unchanging menu. Amarind's is very good Thai. There is no good Mexican food in Oak Park, to my knowledge, and the last time I ate at Khyber Pass, the tandoori chicken was the texture -- and taste -- of shoe leather.

My two cents...

Hey guys -- wanted to get back to you on this. I met my friend in Oak Park and he had gotten us reservations at La Piazza without even hearing my input, so I was totally tickled to hear we were going. He was astounded i even knew about the place -- LTH is really my secret weapon, I'm telling you!

Anyhow...what a lovely meal! The evening was not about the food so much as catching up so we didn't do the full on monty meal -- we shared two appetizers and each had a great entree. For starters we had a fried green tomato dish that was just amazing. Wedges of green tomatoe, coated with a light cheese spread (i can't remember -- it wasn't goat but it was a very nice cheese spread) and then fried tempera style -- light and crispy and yummy and served with a very spicy sauce that just warmed your mouth and totally complemented the crunchy cool tomatoes. I could have had a whole plate of these for dinner. We also had the shrimp in a gorgonzola sauce served in a puff pastry -- and that was just incredible. I made an audible yummy sound with every bite! I think I liked these starters a little better than my entree but it was a nice entree. I had the Fettucine La Piazza which was house made fettucine (delish) with lobster and shrimp in a tomato sweet and sour sauce. Just right on. Perfect balance, nice and creamy and the pasta was done perfectly. My only quibble was that the lobster came in the shell -- and it was hard to get it out of the shell -- i was given no implement to do it and it was coated in the sauce and I had to get my fingers all messy to pull the lobster out of the shell. BUT....licking my fingers has never been something that's made me ashamed.

My friend had a Risotto with seafood -- mussels and clams and shrimp and scallops and it had a great mouth feel to it -- very savory and yummy and the rice was perfectly aldente.

Good coffee. Great service. Excellent decor -- very fun to look at. We skipped dessert because we decided to indulge in a little Oberweis dairy treat afterwards -- i had very nice cone with their cinnamon flavor.

I think the thing that really got me was that the menu was just unbelievable. I could have eaten almost anything on it --- and I'm sure that sometime when we have more time, we'll go back and get the Chef's Choice -- if tonight's meal was indicative of this chef's skill (and of course knowing the reviews I've read here of that service) it would just be a parade of pleasure.

So thanks to all who offered up their suggestions -- it's obvious to me that La Piazza IS a gem of that area -- and I hope that the Check Please effect doesn't mess it up for people. I asked the front desk if they had been experiencing it and was told that they had been bombarded with calls. The place wasn't completely full for our 6:00 pm reservation but by the time we left it was hopping. This is a restaurant I would love to take my parents to -- it was really a delight.

Shannon

Thanks a ton for the follow-up report, very nicely written too!

Rob

earthlydesire wrote:Hey guys -- wanted to get back to you on this. I met my friend in Oak Park and he had gotten us reservations at La Piazza without even hearing my input, so I was totally tickled to hear we were going. He was astounded i even knew about the place -- LTH is really my secret weapon, I'm telling you!

It was reviewed on WTTW's Check Please!, yesterday, so I am sure that everyone knows about it at this point.

E.M.

I don't have to many current comments, although I've had excellent meals at both Kyber Pass and Hemingway's in the past, and my advice for a one night special meal would be Hemingway's Bistro for some great French bistro comfort food. But I wanted to comment on Poor Phil's Bar (next to the previously mentioned Philanders).

I made the trek to Poor Phil's a couple of weeks ago, on the promise of getting a hand pulled beer, only to be told, they haven't had anything on the hand pull since Bell's pulled out of Illinois. I then managed to pick out every tap beer they were out of on the menu, until I had to ask the inevitable question "what do you have?".

This was a Sunday afternoon, during their shift change, so maybe it was a temporary situation where they couldn't get their kegs changed, but with as many beers as they had tappers for, I figured they should have more than half of the beers listed.

As far as food, I made the mistake of ordering the cheap oyster special, instead of the better ones they had available. The Chesapeakes I had on the half shell were liquorless and bland. The crawfish po'boy was good, but nothing exciting. I wanted this to be a great beer bar, but it turned out to be just a good bar.

www.hemmingwaysbistro.com
211 N Oak Park
Oak Park

www.khyberpassrestaurant.com
Khyber Pass
1031 Lake St.
Oak Park

www.poorphils.com
Poor Phil's Bar and Grill
139 S Marion
Oak Park

Kiplog,

Poor Phil's (Oak Park's first tavern since...gosh, before Prohibition) is a VERY popular place. I went there last summer when my internet connection was down, and I spent many hours accessing their free wireless connection, eating free popcorn, and drinking beer.

In the 80s, Poor Phil's seemed to put a little more energy into their oysters, usually carrying six fresh varieties, usually priced quite competitively. Lately, the number of offerings has dwindled, though I still think, as far as bars go, Poor Phil's is not a bad choice (assuming, of course, that they carry their usual complement of beer -- I'm surprised so many were out when you were there).

Hammond

Poor Phil's (Oak Park's first tavern since...gosh, before Prohibition) is a VERY popular place.

Definitely very popular, it was full by the time I left that Sunday night.

According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago History, Oak Park was dry quite a bit before Prohibition, since 1873, finally lifting their ban a hundred years later in 1973. Which explains why there's a bar on just about every corner in next door Forest Park.

Back in the day, Phil's used to have some really good food at reasonable prices. Now, well, um, if I ever got roped into going there for dinner, I'd probably get a Murphy Burger, and call it a night. Man o Man did they used to
serve up some tasty mussels. Actually, the last time I was there meeting folks for some late afternoon cocktails, the idea of strapping on the feed bag at Poor Phil's was tossed around. We all agreed that the food was now a total joke, and strolled on down to La Bella. Funny thing is, two of our party of four used to work at Poor Phil's. Prev to that, I was at a large wake across the street, and of course, Poor Phil's was the place to catch up with old friends. Ordered some appetizers. Um, one word: gross. Think frozen and fried. Whatever brand they went with was a step down from what you could get in the frozen food section of jewel. Bar food is bar food, but back in the day, they were quite a step up from Bar Food. Me oh my, I think I'm officially "old."

seebee wrote:Bar food is bar food, but back in the day, they were quite a step up from Bar Food. Me oh my, I think I'm officially "old."

Poor Phil's does still offer a few items that are a notch above, say, Horan's Snug, Healy's or other local boites. For instance, neither of those places (a walk away in Forest Park) offers lobster or crab, and Poor Phil's prices for both are not bad (as I recall).

Fundamentally, though, I think what Poor Phil's has going for it is the vibe: it's a wild, chatty...and young, which is a reason I'm rarely seen there, though I always have a good time when I go.

David "Ye olde fart" Hammond

I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents regarding Amarinds. I've been there three times, tried about 12 different things and have been totally disappointed. Everything looks great, the food is fresh, people are nice, etc. but the food has no flavor...no spice, no complexity at all. Particularly disappointing are the curries..they are watery. Where's the rich coconut milk? Is this no-fat coconut milk? Blech.

Try Yum Thai in Forest Park. Where Amarind is Americanized Thai served with excellent ingredients and plating values in a beautiful room, Yum Thai is real Thai food in all of its sour, bitter, fermented, rich, delicious aspects, served in a place that's slightly rough around the edges but still comfortable. It's not TAC or Spoon, but for FPOPRF, it's most welcome.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... t=yum+thai

Thanks. I will definitely try it. Has anyone tried that Thai place almost directly across the street from Amarinds?

That one would be:
Thai's Oak Park Restaurant
6851 North Ave. - Oak Park
708-386-6667

Never been, sorry. I have had good meals at Amarind's, so I have never tested the waters at the place across the street.

Teat - I spend a fair amt of time at Yum Thai out of convenience, and offer this piece of advice (noticing you had an issue with Amaraind's curries): Yum Thai is quite heavy handed when it comes to adding sugar to a few of their curries - most notably - their green curry, and panang curry. This may be a regional thing with thai cooking - which is fine. I just have not encountered curries as shockingly sweet as those prepared at Yum Thai. I have resorted to ordering any of their coconut milk curries with "no" extra sugar added. They put up a fight at first, so I assume that they prepare a good amount of curry "base" for each dish, and then use as needed, but after being stubborn about my order, they made it the way I prefer it, and it was worth my stubborness. They do pretty good work over there.

You might also wanna give Benjarong a try. It's on Mannheim just north of Cermak on the W side of the road. In between Giordanos and the Jewel. None will be Tac, or Spoon, as Santander pointed out, but if you know what to get, they can all be serviceable. My favorite in the area happens to be Amarind's, but I do frequent Yum much more out of convenience. There's also a "Mama Thai" on Madison in OP. Maybe an OP/Near West Burb Thai recon mission is in order? I'll start the new year with a resolution to try one of these and report back soon within a few weeks.

I will try Thai's Oak Park and see what happens. It doesn't look too promising. I'm just the opposite as you in that Amarind or Amarinds (?) is only like 6 blocks from my house.

Thanks for the other advice too!

OOH! Cool! Please report back. I'll hit Mama Thai soon and do the same. Ya never know... Either way, Thai food trials don't set you back too much.

P.S. 6 blocks away from Amarind's, huh? I am a staunch fan of Alpine Food Shop's Italian Sub sammiches along with their roast beef subs. Off topic, I know, but If you've never been, give them a try:
7538 W North Ave, Elmwood Park, IL 60707

I can vouch for Alpine's as well - good rec!

I'm not such a fan of Mama Thai, even with their takeout menu on our fridge. Their Holy Basil Chicken (you might have to order "Thai Basil Ground Chicken," as the people on the phone never seem to have the menu terminology mapped to the kitchen terminology) is the only standout I've found. I think their sliced beef salad is one of the poorest exemplars in the city, and all of the deep fried appetizers seem fresh from the freezer.

Santander wrote:I can vouch for Alpine's as well - good rec!

I'm not such a fan of Mama Thai, even with their takeout menu on our fridge. Their Holy Basil Chicken (you might have to order "Thai Basil Ground Chicken," as the people on the phone never seem to have the menu terminology mapped to the kitchen terminology) is the only standout I've found. I think their sliced beef salad is one of the poorest exemplars in the city, and all of the deep fried appetizers seem fresh from the freezer.

I worked for years in OP and I too am not a big fan of Mama Thai. I wouldn't say that it's bad, but, there's nothing that makes it stand out for me, that makes it a place I revisit unless someone I know is bent on trying it out. I would heartily agree that their appetizers seem to be previously frozen.

It isn't open yet, but I hoping that Sushi House on Lake near Marion will become a treasure. I believe that it is owned by the same group that owns Sushi House(s) in LaGrange and Wheaton. I've heard that they're pretty good, so I've got my fingers crossed...

Well, two not so stellar reports on Mama Thai is not so great news, but this Thai talk got me in the mood, and I got some take out from Amarind's. This was my first try of their standard green curry, and sadly, I was not impressed at ALL. I usually do their panang curry, and have been pleased with it, but as Teatpuller described, my green curry here was watery and bland. I was a bit under the weather, and full of cold medicine, so I forgot to ask for it extra spicy, but the coconut milk itself was obviously watered down even with the americanized curry prep. I actually had to doctor up the leftovers with some chili sesame oil, holy basil leaf sauce, and a few chopped jalapenos, stir fried it with some rice and got a decent meal out of it. We also got a Pad Thai - standard - no news there.

Apps:
Tried the "Decorative Pancake."
Not bad. not bad at all. A little on the greasy side. I'll bet this can vary from time to time, but this was good. A scallion pancake of sorts, with a few extra veggies in it. I'd get this again.

Chive Dumplings. Theirs are steamed. Not my preference. If you put Amarind's steamed and Tac's fried in front of me, I would take Tac's every time. Amarind's flavor was fine, but Tac's texture was far superior for me. (this raises a question for me - why no chive dumplings at Yum Thai? )

Was talked into trying their dessert labeled "Glutinous Rice Custard" after inquiring if they had any sticky rice. I was not disappointed with this. Never had it before. It was presented like a sticky rice maki with green egg custard on top. A perfect picture for the mind would be like an inside out avocado roll, with the avocado slices on top. These were pretty good, warm, dense sticky rice with a rich egg custard. Came with like 10 pieces, but two small pieces is plenty for one person since they are so dense.

So, anyway, the point of this was, to revisit Amarind's to see if Teatpuller was on to something with the watery curry observation. I then realized that when I go to either place(Amarind's, or Yum,) I have to customize my order to get what I want. My straight off the menu green curry from Amarind's was indeed, lacking, and even disappointing. My usual order for a curry at Amarind's is:

Chicken Panang curry, extra spicy, with fried wide rice noodles. The server first tried to put up a fight claiming that she recommended the standard thin noodles that come with the dish until I pointed out that it was just a fricking difference in noodles. (I think the language barrier was the main issue.)

So, Teatpuller, maybe if you do Amarind's, and try to order stuff the way you like it, maybe they can come through for you. I agree that my order straight off the menu was not very good, but I've never been disappointed with their panang when it's customized how I want it. Noticeable difference in the texture as well - not watered down. If it's only a few blocks away, give it a shot again.

If it doesn't work out, however, Lathrop or Thatcher are great streets to go south to get to Yum Thai.

Maybe for my Mama Thai trial, I'll order an entree straight off the menu, and then order a 'customized' entree. Sometimes, I really think that if you assert yourself, and order something in a way that might spark a chef's mind, they might put a little extra care into the prep instead of going through the motions of making the day in, day out, Americanized slop. I know that when I used to work in kitchens, when a special order came in that was actually cool, it was handled MUCH differently than the standard "sauce on the side," or "please use margarine instead of butter" or "prime rib, well done " orders.