Lunch in Vernon Hills?

Hey all, going to be out in Vernon Hills later this week and need to find a good spot to take some customers for lunch. I know there are tons of chains in the area, but wanted to see if there are any gems around there.

Any thoughts?

Fill your belly at Burt's Deli. An old fashioned Jewish deli in Libertyville. Try the special "Yummy" sandwich or a corned beef or pastrami with a bag of Jay's potato chips and a Green River in a glass bottle. For dessert, I recommend the frozen banana(best I've ever had). Ralph, the owner and son of Burt offers lunch with a dose of the good old fashioned deli "schtick." I've been a regular since 1976. Tell him the "Hot Dog Guy" from Wisconsin sent you. Do a search on "Burt's Deli-Libertyville" and you'll find a full post with pictures.

Burt's Deli
1121 S. Milwaukee Ave.
Libertyville, IL
847-367-9687

I would second Burt's deli. If you want something a little nicer, Peacock has a good Indian buffet, in the mall on the southwest corner of Milwaukee and 60. Across Milwaukee ave is Green Basil for upscale Thai. I wouldnt describe either as a "gem," but they are decent.

-Will

as the OP mentioned customers, I don't think Burt's Deli wouldn't be suitable. When I think customer/client, I think actual sit down restaurant. Burt's is more "come and get it".

Irae 60 is very elegant Japanese and French, staffed with Le Francais veterans.

Irae 60
Fashion Square
700 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills
(847) 367-6600, http://www.irae60.com

Daily Herald review

Ah, I've got some good options for you, I think, but only the first one is in Vernon Hills.

A nice and suitably classy lunch option is the Silk Mandarin restaurant on the south side of Route 60 - the highest-rated Chinese restaurant in the area. There is also a lunch buffet ,a sushi bar, and a menu of Korean dishes in addition to the Chinese options.
http://chicago.metromix.com/restaurants/chinese/silk-mandarin-vernon-hills/137235/content

545 North is on Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville: http://www.545north.com/

[The Tavern, also on Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville, is a really nice white-tablecloth place for steak, but not open for lunch.]

And if you've gone as far as 545 N. Milwaukee and don't mind going a few blocks farther, there's the French restaurant Cafe Pyrenees: http://www.cafepyrenees.com/

I haven't yet been to the Tavern, but I've been to the other three and recommend them all for a classy lunch or dinner.

I would recommend Burt's Deli too, but not for this particular occasion.

Just up Milwaukee avenue, a mile or so is Firkin. Great beer selection, fish tacos, burgers. I had a delicious soft shell crab sandwich there once. It's where I would want to take customers. Search on lthforum for plenty of mentions.

There's also Wildfire at Milwaukee and Aptakisic rd.

Silk Mandarin on 60 is good too.

dudefella wrote:as the OP mentioned customers, I don't think Burt's Deli wouldn't be suitable. When I think customer/client, I think actual sit down restaurant. Burt's is more "come and get it".

Burt's is the last of the small Jewish deli's. If you came to Milwaukee, we'd go to Jake's Deli. Both serve execs and professionals. How often will you or your customers have the opportunity to dine in an old fashioned Jewish deli in Lake County? Dining at Burt's will be an eating experience to remember and share with family and friends.

I second 545 North and Firkin. For nice Italian, I wholeheartedly recommend Ristorante Bottaio just 1/4 mile north of downtown Libertyville. It's a great place that never gets mentioned on this board. All of these would be good places to take clients.

Burt's Deli makes fine sandwiches, as does the Picnic Basket in downtown Libertyville. Yes, executives and people from all walks of life eat there. But despite multiple pleas from the hot dog guy, Burt's (or the Picnic Basket) is not a place to take clients.

abevigoda wrote:Burt's Deli makes fine sandwiches, as does the Picnic Basket in downtown Libertyville. Yes, executives and people from all walks of life eat there. But despite multiple pleas from the hot dog guy, Burt's (or the Picnic Basket) is not a place to take clients.

If my recommendation is a plea, then I'm guilty as charged and all the deals I've closed with a corned beef sandwich at Burt's are hereby null and void.

Tsukasa..decent Japanese place on Milwaukee..fills up very quick around lunch time though

I will second the Cafe Pyrenees recommendation! Have been there a few times for dinner and enjoyed it. You can check out their menu on the web site: http://www.cafepyrenees.com/

Flatlander's off of Old Half Day and Milwaukee is a nice spot for American pub fare.

200 Village Green
Lincolnshire, IL 60069
(847) 821-1234
http://www.flatlanders.com/

If you want good bakery/sandwich place, go to Eloise's off of Milwaukee and 60 (strip mall with Best Buy) - turkey special or Rustic Sandwiches on Ciabatta are great. Lemon Bars are excellent as well.

701 N Milwaukee Ave
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
(847) 816-0727

Head's Red BBQ wrote:Tsukasa..decent Japanese place on Milwaukee..fills up very quick around lunch time though

I'll second Tsukasa. It's delicious food for Teppanyaki and a show at the same time. The golden shrimp usually shows up somewhere in my dreams about once a month.

Tsukasa of Tokyo
www.tsukasaoftokyo.com
561 N Milwaukee Ave
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
(847) 816-8770

For clients, I'll add to the votes for Tsukasa, Cafe Pyrenees, Silk Mandarin, I've had many wonderful meals at all of these-

...but now I'm going to have to check out the deli I never knew about....
.....mmmm Corned Beef Sandwich mmmmm..........

If you enjoy eating a good pizza in an "Up North" style pub, while the heads of gigantic stuffed animals hover over your table, try Bill's Pizza & Pub in Mundelein.

Bill's Pizza & Pub
624 S. Lake Street
Mundelein, IL 60060
847-566-5380
http://www.ylunch.com/mundelein/bills-p ... pizza.html

WillG wrote:Across Milwaukee ave is Green Basil for upscale Thai. I wouldnt describe either as a "gem," but they are decent.

A little late to the party here, but I've worked in this area for five years and love Green Basil. Solid Thai place with a hip urban atmosphere. I wish more of the Thai spots near my home in Evanston were this consistently good.

Katie wrote:The Tavern, also on Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville, is a really nice white-tablecloth place for steak, but not open for lunch....

I haven't yet been to the Tavern, but I've been to the other three and recommend them all for a classy lunch or dinner.

I have been to The Tavern and definitely recommend it. It's not at all a typical steakhouse. They have a fabulous wine list.

Also, they have a "secret" menu item: foie gras brulee. (Call ahead.)

The Tavern
519 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville
(847) 367-5755
http://www.tavernlibertyville.com

More on the Tavern and why I agree that the food is good and the wine list is excellent.

I had lunch the other day from Calzone & Macaroni Co. It was solid, a good local option, but certainly not a 'rush back' place for me. I got a snacker combo, which was a small mac and a mini calzone. It was a ton of food, especially at $8.99.

For my mac I got the Mediterranean Macaroni-white cheddar, goat cheese, bacon, & spinach. Though not particularly Mediterranean, it was a combo I enjoyed. It leaned toward the bland side and wasn't really more than the sum of it's parts. But when it's parts are cheese, bacon, and pasta I'm okay with that. I liked the thick-cut, meaty bacon and the cheese sauce which was just thick enough. Would've liked more spinach.

For my calzone I got the Italian-mozarella, marinara, onion, pepperoni, mushroom. The marinara came on the side and was pretty terrible, unbearably salty and acidic. The ingredients weren't distributed very well and there was a flood of cheese. I thought the crust was really good, very flaky and buttery. The onions were raw red onions, which infuriated me (it doesn't take much, apparently). Cooked red-fine. Raw white, sliced thinly-fine(ish). Cooked white-great. Caramelized white-even better. Chopped, raw red-nope. Nope nope nope.

If I lived or worked in the area, I'd probably be there a couple times a month for lunch. The decor had the smooth, inoffensiveness of a planned franchise and the efficient counter service to match. Potbellylike. Everything I had was incredibly rich and filling. Almost to the point of being too much, but I ordered a calzone and macaroni and cheese so I only have myself to blame. A good option to be aware of, and I can see the appeal, but wont be making any Best Of lists for me.

260 Hawthorn Village Commons (next to the dollar store)
Vernon Hills, IL 60061
847-996-0205
http://www.calzoneandmacaroni.com/

Green Basil Thai restaurant is quite tasty.

Green Basil
701 N Milwaukee Ave, Vernon Hills, IL
(847) 918-8858

jlodoglvr wrote:Green Basil Thai restaurant is quite tasty.

Green Basil
701 N Milwaukee Ave, Vernon Hills, IL
(847) 918-8858

It must be good, because every time I've shown up there at lunch time, they've got a line out the door and I've never had time to wait. There's another Thai place around the same center which is usually empty, and is fine for fuel but nothing special.

I havent seen any mention of the vernon hills location of Priya. Several posts about the Schaumburg location. It is around the corner from best buy and 5 guys. I had the lunch buffet today and it was quite good. They were serving different things than what the online menu shows for Friday, so I cant remember a lot of the names. There was an excellent goat pepper masala, good spice with nice chunks of meat.....not all bones like some places, almost makes me wonder if it was mutton. there were a couple of chicken dishes and then some vegetarian options. Interestingly there were no dishes with beans or lentils. there was a good chicken rice biryani. Very casual setting, all self serve except they brought a potato dosa that was fresh made. It was either $9 or $10 so a good value. I will be back.

-Will

Priya Indian
701 N Milwaukee ave
Vernon Hills

Thanks for the reminder about Priya, Will. I don't know why I haven't been here yet. I'm going to try it soon. Maybe the LTHNLG will too ...?

I've yet to do Priya VH, but want to. I've had a menu at the office for a long while. Since they are closed on Mondays, and the menu and website have no mention of a lunch buffet, we've kinda shied away from it. This news of a buffet skyrockets interest.

seebee wrote:I've yet to do Priya VH, but want to. I've had a menu at the office for a long while. Since they are closed on Mondays, and the menu and website have no mention of a lunch buffet, we've kinda shied away from it. This news of a buffet skyrockets interest.

I’ve tried it and can recommend. Now, it’s possible that I’m being strongly influenced by the all-you-can-eat double ka meetha (of which it turns out I can eat a truly staggering amount), but I think the offerings — while nowhere near as numerous or varied as those of the late 7 Spices — were much more interesting than those of the typical buffet. I don’t recall seeing any Mughlai dishes at all, to be honest.

A big caveat is that I was there around 1 and the food did not seem to get replenished, most likely due to lack of business. So get there at the start for best results. What I had was still tasty, though — and the dosas are of course made to order (and quite good).