Little Amsterdam, Des Plaines

Eating in downtown Des Plaines always makes me very sad. It's such a culinary wasteland, from Leona's cigarette-smoke-infused pizza to the very questionable gnocchi stocked at Shop 'n Save. And lest we not forget what must be one of the sketchiest restaurant operations in Chicagoland: the Sugar Bowl.



I clearly haven't learned my lesson. Yesterday, I stopped to try one of the newest additions to downtown DP: Little Amsterdam Restaurant.







Judging from the exterior and my first impressions of the interior, my hopes soared. Familial oak tables, decent beer selection, beer garden, Nederlands flag, not-too-commerical photos of A'dam, a playpen set up in the back for the owner's baby. I didn't even need to forgive all of the klompen hung about. I just saw them as further promise that I might have found one of the fullest offerings of Dutch food in the Chicago area right in my backyard.

My heart sunk into my very empty stomach when I opened the menu. First, I read the list of appetizers:

Jalapeño poppers
Buffalo wings
Mozzarella sticks...

Then I skimmed the entrees:

Assorted burgers
Other [non-Dutch] sandwiches
Spaghetti
Mostaciolli
Chops…

I was so depressed I settled on a reuben, which was fine.




The bread was lightly buttered and toasted sufficiently. The beef was very warm and thus the cheese well melted. I would have liked a bit more sauerkraut, but I ate the whole sandwich and was satisfied.

In conclusion, no one else need get excited. There is no Dutch food in the twilight zone that is downtown Des Plaines. During my meal last night, the owner came out to ask patrons about how they were enjoying their food. (She didn’t stop at my table.) One enthusiastic response was, “It’s nice to have a little bit of Europe in Des Plaines!” What?!!! I don’t understand why the people of DP don’t demand better. The DP theater seems to draw out the Southeast Asian community for films. Why isn’t there a decent Indian restaurant downtown? Instead, there’s another Mexican place opening up on the cursed corner of Lee and Miner.



My sad stomach and I walked around after Little Amsterdam to re-survey the downtown dining options, and, unsurprisingly, the most bustling place was none other than Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Little Amsterdam Restaurant
686 Lee St
Des Plaines
847-298-8321

I've never gotten past The Choo-Choo myself...

I haven't been to Little Amsterdam, but I did talk to the owner after hearing about her at the Indonesian dinner. Every other Saturday they do a risjtaffel, that includes three or four Dutch dishes, a Dutch cheese array, and some sweets.

I can't vouch for it but here's more:
http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/food/200 ... an-buffet/

I haven't been to Little Amsterdam, but I did talk to the owner after hearing about her at the Indonesian dinner. Every other Saturday they do a risjtaffel, that includes three or four Dutch dishes, a Dutch cheese array, and some sweets.

I can't vouch for it but here's more:
http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/food/200 ... an-buffet/

Thanks. I saw that posting when I had to Google Little A'dam's address. The Indonesian connection threw me for a loop. Once I lift myself out of my DP depression, maybe I'll try the Rijstaffel. "Ann's Dutch cheese tray" was listed on the menu last night, but it wasn't actually available.

Right next to Little Amsterdam is Mexico Restaurant, and it had some pretty good food the one time I tried it a couple of weeks ago. Started out with warm chips, with tomatoey red salsa and pico de gallo. Ordered tacos al pastor, which were very tasty, though not cooked on a spit. They were meaty, not gristly. I also had a dish of shrimp cooked in a spicy and very garlicky red sauce. It was well made and had lots of flavor. The rice had good flavor and texture, made with chicken broth. Beans were average. A theme I noticed here was that a lot of the dishes I tried had bold, fresh flavors. Nothing mind blowing, but good.


Mexicao Restaurant
694 Lee Street
Des Plaines 60016
847-296-1611

The Indonesian connection threw me for a loop.

Back in the '80s/90s, some of the best Indonesian food outside of Southeast Asia was available in Amsterdam. My childhood neighbors in Shorewood were an Indonesian family named Rugerbrecht, with lots of Dutch-themed tchotchkes in their house (wooden shoes, windmills, etc.).

If you've got mediocrity abound, one place to be thankful for is:
Las Asadas
356 Lee St
Des Plaines, IL 60016
(847) 298-3393

not a culinary adventure by any stretch, but damn good char grilled steak offerings, and usually HOT salsa.

Back in the '80s/90s, some of the best Indonesian food outside of Southeast Asia was available in Amsterdam.

As of 2002--the last time I was in Amsterdam--I believe good Indonesian food was still readily available. Unfortunately, I didn't partake in it as much as I would have liked. I was in A'dam as a graduate student with no money. I ate mainly toast and falafel. I was confused about the Reader blog posting only because I read it after eating at Little Amsterdam, which seemed Dutch only in decor.

bnowell724 wrote:Right next to Little Amsterdam is Mexico Restaurant, and it had some pretty good food the one time I tried it a couple of weeks ago. Started out with warm chips, with tomatoey red salsa and pico de gallo. Ordered tacos al pastor, which were very tasty, though not cooked on a spit. They were meaty, not gristly. I also had a dish of shrimp cooked in a spicy and very garlicky red sauce. It was well made and had lots of flavor. The rice had good flavor and texture, made with chicken broth. Beans were average. A theme I noticed here was that a lot of the dishes I tried had bold, fresh flavors. Nothing mind blowing, but good.


Mexicao Restaurant
694 Lee Street
Des Plaines 60016
847-296-1611

I second this recommendation on Mexico Restaurant. They have really good mole if that's something you like. Much better food than overpriced Lalo's.

I second this recommendation on Mexico Restaurant.

Thanks for this and the Las Asadas recommendation. I will give both a try once I have some distance from Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

There is no Dutch food in downtown Des Plaines? How fortunate for the residents of that town! If you want to see a culinary wasteland you should come to Amsterdam itself. I'm a Chicagoan who lives there and I would give my eye teeth to be eating and shopping for food in Des Plaines. I've never seen a Dutch restaurant in the US and after living here I know why.

Mexico Taqueria y Restaurant has been in business and run by the same family for 25 years.

The original location was all fluorescent lighting, wall to wall mirrors and long communal tables which added to the trepidation of an Anglo pretending to know what he was ordering. Pozole, menudo, al pastor tacos and lengua en salsa verde were firsts for me here. Even the table salsa with cilantro and diced serranos but no tomato sauce was close to exotic in 1982.

It is far from cutting edge or even regionalized Mexican food by today's standards but continues to serve fresh and well made comfort foods. It is like the neighborhood diners of the past before food service products proliferated so many.

Was the original location you're talking about in the old Des Plaines Mall, T? I grew up in D.P. and we went there all the time when I was little. That's where I fell in love with horchata. I haven't been to their new location since a little after they opened, but it was just as good as I remembered. maybe I'll head in there soon.

Abe, The mall was actually their second location which I'm guessing started up around 1986. Remember the coin operated rocking pony just outside the entrance? It was great as both a bribe and diversion for my little boy who already spent more than enough time in restaurants. The original location was on Ellinwood Street facing the parking garage and tracks ( I think ). I didn't live in the area at the time but believe that stretch of block was demolished and lay vacant for several years until the library and other shops were put in. I also recall the portable Vietnam War Wall Memorial being staged in this area which was probably post demolition of the original location.

Hmm, we moved to D.P. in '84, when I was 4, so I don't know if we went to a location on Ellinwood....it was farther west, where the library area is, not near Oliveti's? Hmm, I'll have to check with BuddyRoadhouse (my dad) to see what location(s) we went to.

Little Amsterdam is having an Indonesian Dinner tomorrow (5/12). Details here.

-ramon

Ramon wrote:Dear Friends,
Join us for a culinary tour of the Indonesia Islands.
This week we will explore West of Nusa Tenggara.
Bring your family and friends for this mouth watering journey at
Little Amsterdam
Saturday, 12 May 2007 at 4:30-08:00 pm
686 Lee St, Des Plaines, IL 60016
RSVP (847) 298-8321

Special today's menu :

* Grilled Chicken(Ayam Taliwang)
* BBQ Chicken with peanut sauce (Sate)
* Curry squash and corn (Gulai Jagung Labu)
* Spicy braised beef (Kelak Bage)
* Corn fritters (Perkedel Jagung)
* Steam Rice (Nasi Putih)
* Shrimp chips (Kerupuk)
* Hot Chili (Sambal Tomat)
* Egg rolls (Lumpia)
* Sweet rice cake (Wajik)

Terima kasih dan sampai jumpa di Little Amsterdam.
Veel bedankt and tot ziens.

-ramon

Hi,

I went to this dinner with jygach, jlawrence01 and Josephine on Saturday evening. The company was terrific. How was the food? The company was terrific. What? The company was terrific.

In the spirit of "if you cannot say anything good, then say nothing." The company was terrific.

One glimmer of light was an item not listed on the menu: sauerkraut with some bacon and mashed potatoes (or at least I think it was mashed potatoes). From the Indonesian menu, the peanut sauce was also very good. Sorry I didn't take the menu with me, because it wasn't obvious the peanut sauce went with grilled chicken. Why? The company was terrific ... oops! ... the peanut sauce was placed between he lumpia and the shrimp crackers.

Yes, the company was terrific. To have gone solo to this meal would have simply been depressing.

Regards,

ok, can someone explain to me Mostaciolli ???


i'm from st. louis area, where Mostaciolli is an item on every catered event there ever was. i'm not sure if people think it's good, or if it's just cheap, or what... but my friends who have lived in st. louis have commented on it as well. what the $99$! ...

has anyone here ever had Mostaciolli and thought, "wow, that was good?" if so, where?


...just curious.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I went to this dinner with jygach, jlawrence01 and Josephine on Saturday evening. The company was terrific. How was the food? The company was terrific. What? The company was terrific.

In the spirit of "if you cannot say anything good, then say nothing." The company was terrific.

So, does anyone have a really big kitchen? Or perhaps somewhere we can hold a potluck? It's just not that hard to come by Indonesian recipes, and I've successfully reproduced Indonesian dishes I had in Indonesia by simply folloing recipes. We could just fix our own. Because there are a lot of cooks in this group, and the rule of thumb worldwide is, if you know how to cook, you kow how to cook. Indonesian food doesn't require digging a pit in the backyard or doing some other weird thing that can't be reproduced in Chicago. Most of it is grilling, stir-frying, roasting, boiling -- that sort of thing.

If we want another Indonesian dinner, we could do it ourselves. Of course, we could get input and guidance from those who really know Indonesian food. But it's not a cuisine that is beyond the skills of anyone who has cooked Thai.

dddane wrote:ok, can someone explain to me Mostaciolli ???


i'm from st. louis area, where Mostaciolli is an item on every catered event there ever was. i'm not sure if people think it's good, or if it's just cheap, or what... but my friends who have lived in st. louis have commented on it as well. what the $99$! ...

has anyone here ever had Mostaciolli and thought, "wow, that was good?" if so, where?

It is a good cheap filler ... I don't like it and would never serve it. I did not know that it was peculiar to St. Louis scene it seems to also be a Chicago staple too ...

Well, that is not exactly true. My wife brings trays of leftover mostaciolli home from the office. I can add a ton of auce and other goodies to make it taste pretty decent.

Sorry for the poor result of my alert. I'll make it up to you all.

-ramon

Ramon wrote:Sorry for the poor result of my alert. I'll make it up to you all.

-ramon

Ramon,

You have nothing to make up. We enjoyed our time together. The food wasn't great, well we knew it was a risk from the original poster.

I'd rather have information than have it qualified and rejected because someone might not like it. Who knows, the restaurant might have risen to the occasion. It's not your fault they didn't.

We're square.

Regards,

dddane wrote:ok, can someone explain to me Mostaciolli ???
...

has anyone here ever had Mostaciolli and thought, "wow, that was good?" if so, where?


...just curious.

Many times. Usually on a Sunday afternoon at my Zia Clara's house; these days, more da JeffB. But the baked ziti/mostaccioli at modest weddings, Little League banquets, quinces, etc., not so much. P.S., I don't think it's limited to St, Louis by a long shot. Ever been to a second wedding in Berwyn? Tampa? New Jersey? Philly?

Back to the subject at hand.

The Indonesian food at Little Amsterdam was disappointing. Had we not agreed to a get together, I would have passed and went elsewhere. It is never a good when you get there at 4:45 pm and the food is in chafing dishes and the food is up over the sides of the pan ... and the same food is there at 6:00 pm. Also, there was no evidence that anyone knew of teh special as most of the patrons were eating off the menu.

The company made the meal.

There are a lot of great restaurants within a one mile walking radius of the Union Pacific Northwest line. Most of them are not in DesPlaines. In the future, I plan a get together in one of the other towns along the pathway of the train.

FWIW, for the lurkers out there, METRA does offer a $5 weekend pass on ALL of its trains (except the South Shore line). It gives you plenty of opportunities to try a good variety of restaurants without the hassles of parking and paying for gas.

I will basically reiterate what Cathy2 and jlawrence have stated in their posts. The company was terrific and the food disappointing.

Actually, I felt rather sorry for the owner of the restaurant. Clearly, she is catering to diners who have no real interest in exploring the world of Indonesian cuisine. Just about every diner there consumed items off the regular menu which has the standard offerings of chef salads, sandwiches and burgers. An earlier poster wondered why there were no interesting ethnic food options in Des Plaines - I think I figured out why.

Cynthia may be right - we need to have an Indonesian potluck.

Jyoti

There are a lot of great restaurants within a one mile walking radius of the Union Pacific Northwest line. Most of them are not in DesPlaines. In the future, I plan a get together in one of the other towns along the pathway of the train.

FWIW, for the lurkers out there, METRA does offer a $5 weekend pass on ALL of its trains (except the South Shore line). It gives you plenty of opportunities to try a good variety of restaurants without the hassles of parking and paying for gas.

Thanks for the info! I may be taking that train soon, so which restaurants near it are great? (sorry to be off topic again)

bnowell724 wrote:

There are a lot of great restaurants within a one mile walking radius of the Union Pacific Northwest line. Most of them are not in DesPlaines. In the future, I plan a get together in one of the other towns along the pathway of the train.

FWIW, for the lurkers out there, METRA does offer a $5 weekend pass on ALL of its trains (except the South Shore line). It gives you plenty of opportunities to try a good variety of restaurants without the hassles of parking and paying for gas.

Thanks for the info! I may be taking that train soon, so which restaurants near it are great? (sorry to be off topic again)

Perhaps fodder for a different thread: I too am interested in restaurants within walking distance of train stops. My admittedly-paltry experience visiting the northern suburbs by train is that the stations aren't particularly near the action.

bnowell724 wrote:

Thanks for the info! I may be taking that train soon, so which restaurants near it are great? (sorry to be off topic again)

When I have time this week (in the evening), I will post a couple dozen restaurants that lie within a ten minute walk of the various train depots.
I have to admit that I am not going to represent that these are the best restaurants in the city. No, these restaurants will be place where you can get a good meal without venturing too far from the station.

That will get the conversation going at a minimum.

T Comp wrote:Mexico Taqueria y Restaurant has been in business and run by the same family for 25 years.

The original location was all fluorescent lighting, wall to wall mirrors and long communal tables which added to the trepidation of an Anglo pretending to know what he was ordering. Pozole, menudo, al pastor tacos and lengua en salsa verde were firsts for me here. Even the table salsa with cilantro and diced serranos but no tomato sauce was close to exotic in 1982.

It is far from cutting edge or even regionalized Mexican food by today's standards but continues to serve fresh and well made comfort foods. It is like the neighborhood diners of the past before food service products proliferated so many.

Stopped into this place yesterday. The above description is still just about right. I had (among other things) very nice spicy shrimp soup served with chopped onions, cilantro and lime wedges. The shrimp were not special by any means, but the soup, heavy on vegetables, was. My friend had some enchiladas with roasted pork. A family member served us-- very snappy service, by the way-- and remembered my friend from a year of more earlier. I'll defintiely be back.

borismom wrote:There is no Dutch food in downtown Des Plaines? How fortunate for the residents of that town! If you want to see a culinary wasteland you should come to Amsterdam itself. I'm a Chicagoan who lives there and I would give my eye teeth to be eating and shopping for food in Des Plaines. I've never seen a Dutch restaurant in the US and after living here I know why.

Funniest post I have read in a long time!