Mai Tai's at Bob Chinn's

Every time my family goes to Bob Chinn's in Wheeling we always get pitchers of Mai Tais. I think they are too sweet, too acidic, and too potent, but I go along with the crowd and drink them anyway. (I'm not doing that any more and and am getting a cocktail and beer with my meal from now on.) The servers always pour the drinks themselves giving everyone a full glass and pushing the concept that a pitcher serves four only. This is mildly irritating, especially when we have five people (or nine as we did Christmas eve.)

But, what I really have a problem with is when some people finish their drinks and want a little more, they once again encourage the table to order another whole round of pitchers and when they bring them, they fill everyone's glasses all the way up and then leave the leftover pitchers on the table. This is an obvious ploy to encourage tables to over-order the expensive pitchers of Mai Tais, but more important they are encouraging people to drink way too much. Many of the people who want more, just want a little more, not another whole glass. When we leave, we almost always have an entire pitcher extra that nobody wants, and everybody at the table leaves half or more of their glass. And even at this, with all the adults at the table having had too much to drink, they are still asking us if we want another pitcher of Mai Tais!

The next time, we are going to order one refill pitcher at a time and insist that we pour it. I heartily encourage others to do the same.

I can't stand Chinn's Mai Tai's. If i want a good Mai Tai i'll go to a Chinese restaurant like Chin's in Arl Hts. Food's okay but the Mai Tai's are killer! Personally i don't think Bob Chinn's are potent at all.

I'm not a polished critic, and never aspire to be one, but I have NEVER understood why anybody would praise Bob Chinn's. I've been there three times trying to figure out why it is such 'the rave.' All three times I thought it was average at best. I made it a point to watch the Check Please episode,
where my anxieties of having a bad palate were laid to rest. (At least my anxieties for having a bad palate for Chinn's anyway.) Hmmm - there's a thread I should search for on this board. Wonder what the lthers think about Chinn's...

Don't forget that you're the customer. Tell them how you like your drink mixed and tell them how you want it served. I often tell the waiter to give me the wine or put it in an ice bucket and let me serve it. I hate it when they shove your drink down your throat. I can do that very well on my own, thank you very much.

Personally,I have been to Chinn's on a half dozen occasions and always enjoyed the meals. The food has been well presented and flavorable and the service has been very competent. And the atmosphere is a lot of fun.

It is a popular target because it is most likely the highest grossing restaurant in the area and on some food boards, that means it MUST be bad.

I think you have to go to Bob Chinn's knowing what you're getting into. It's very fresh fish prepared competently, but it's not the place I go expecting to have cutting edge creations. Last time I was there, about a month ago, I had linguine alfredo and crab cakes. It was very good- these were surprisingly big, thick crab cakes; not those little tiny things you get in other places. They were probably at least an inch thick and about 4-5 inches across. They had big chunks of crab in them, along with whatever filler they were using to hold it together. They had shredded potatoes on the outside, nicely browned. It was well seasoned.

I also did their salad bar. It's no Fogo de Chao salad bar, but it was pretty good- they had a big bowl of whole avocado slices- I'm an avocado fiend, and in December, I don't buy too many. I loaded up my plate with those- definitely got my money's worth on the salad bar!

I'm not a big drinker, so I have no opinion on the Mai Tai.

The other thing they have there, that I love is the Bob's Slice of Heaven Pie- it's made with Hawaiian sweet potato (aka "Okinawa Sweet Potato") and it has a layer of coconut custard and a shortbread crust with toasted coconut in it. It's so good.

I definitely wouldn't wait in line for more than 20 minutes- it's not that good, but I think you usually get your money's worth and the fish is very fresh.

seebee wrote:Wonder what the lthers think about Chinn's...

I like Bob Chinn's in the same way I like Disneyland.

--They're at their best when you stick to their strengths. In the same way I don't go to Disneyland for the thrill rides, I don't go to Bob Chinn's for the pasta.

--It's a big, efficient operation that turns out a good, consistent product to thousands of people every day.

--It's not the kind of place that I'd want to eat at every week, but it's fun once in a while. I wouldn't want to go to Disneyland every time I'm bored and I wouldn't want to go to Chinn's every time I'm hungry.

--The main mascot is in plain view, shaking hands, taking pictures, and making sure everyone's having fun: A big mouse in Disneyland and Bob himself at his restaurant.

What do I eat when I'm there? You can't go wrong with the crab legs. The place goes through tons and tons of crab in very short spans of time. The last time I was there I got 10oz of king crab legs with an 8oz strip steak for 28 bucks. It was delicious and I considered it a bargain.

As for the Mai Tais, I'm not taking home a gallon of the mix, but it's fun to have one when while you sit and look over the menu.

Best,
Michael

I've gotten unintentionally drunk a few times with servers pouring booze aggressively. I think it's pretty dumb for a place in the suburbs-- to which about 100% of diners must have driven-- to do that. It's bad when it's mixed drinks because you don't know how much alcohol you're getting, and it's really tacky when it's expensive wine.

I was impressed by the wine service the other week when I had a Saturday lunch in the enoteca at Osteria Via Stato. The food was perfectly OK (average the reviews you've read for the place) but the wine service was extremely responsive to how slowly we wanted to drink. At one point we were done eating and still working our way through the carafe of wine. I mentioned to the server (who was pouring) that we were taking a long time and she said, "That's just fine." The wine was medium-priced and a lot of other places would have been pushing it so we'd get another, or at least trying to get us to finish and leave.

abe_froeman wrote:I think you have to go to Bob Chinn's knowing what you're getting into. It's very fresh fish prepared competently, but it's not the place I go expecting to have cutting edge creations.

I think it's okay - not great, not terrible. I don't even think it's a matter of "cutting edge" versus conventional seafood. I just think it suffers by comparison. When I choose a place to go for seafood, there are better places around, where I like the choices of preparations, and the execution, better - just to name one that is not too far from Chinn's, Mitchell's Fish Market in Glenview. I know that I end a dinner at Mitchell's thinking about how delicious the food was and looking forward to going back again. After eating at Chinn's, I just don't feel that way.

eatchicago wrote:

seebee wrote:Wonder what the lthers think about Chinn's...

I like Bob Chinn's in the same way I like Disneyland.

An excellent metaphor, I think. And I agree.

Also, it's not just the food that helps make the decision as to whether this is one's best choice. The place is huge and usually packed, so it's great for celebrations but not good for quiet, intimate dinners.

As for their strengths, while there are a number of places that now serve aged beef, for a long time, Bob's was one of the few places you could get 21-day dry-aged steaks. And a place in the Glen may be better now, but Bob Chinn opened this place long before the northern suburbs had other seafood options, and even the city didn't have much other than the Cape Cod Room. Plus, the space he took over appeared doomed -- several restaurants had been in there and died within a few years.

I've known Bob Chinn since he ran a tiny but excellent take-out place called House of Chan in Wilmette back in the '60s. We ordered Chinese at least once a week, and my mom used to joke that she was the only person on the North Shore with a charge account at a Chinese carry-out place. Even then, Bob flew in fresh ingredients every day -- or as often as flights came in from some destinations in those days. (My dad was with the airlines, so he and Bob discussed such matters.) The Crab House may not be perfect, but it maintains Chinn's tradition of working hard and flying all your stuff in fresh.

I only head for Bob Chinn's maybe twice a year. But if you go expecting what it offers, it offers it consistently.

And whether or not you love it as a dining destination, it's a great success story. From working the woks in a small storefront to having your own American Express Card ad. Not bad.

And Bob Chinn supports the local community in a number of ways. The $18.97 lobster/steak dinner for the benefit of the Wheeling Jaycees is a screaming steal and on our annual calendar.

jlawrence01 wrote:And Bob Chinn supports the local community in a number of ways. The $18.97 lobster/steak dinner for the benefit of the Wheeling Jaycees is a screaming steal and on our annual calendar.

When does that take place? I love a bargain -- and a bargain that helps others is a double joy.

From working the woks in a small storefront to having your own American Express Card ad.

And inspiring the Burt Reynolds character in Boogie Nights!*

*A different, though equally beloved, Bob Chinn.

Cynthia wrote:

jlawrence01 wrote:And Bob Chinn supports the local community in a number of ways. The $18.97 lobster/steak dinner for the benefit of the Wheeling Jaycees is a screaming steal and on our annual calendar.

When does that take place? I love a bargain -- and a bargain that helps others is a double joy.

Actually, I found out about it on THIS site. See the link. We call the Jaycees each year.

http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=2515&highlight=wheeling+jaycees