Good Eats in Chicago Suburbs?

All--

I'm curious to learn of good restaurants -- any type of cuisine-- in the western suburbs. I'm particularly interested in the food "scene" in Oak Park/River Forest and LaGrange. Thanks!

Greetings RP and welcome to LTH forum. (I can do this!)

Not to be crotchety, but have you tried the search function? While it's not perfect you will find many recs that match your specifications. For tips on using this, and an excellent tip on googling try here:

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=718

Glad to have you aboard.

-ramon

RP wrote:All--

I'm curious to learn of good restaurants -- any type of cuisine-- in the western suburbs. I'm particularly interested in the food "scene" in Oak Park/River Forest and LaGrange. Thanks!

My friend, there is really no food scene in Oak Park/River Forest. It is a mystery why there is not more of a good food vibe in this "closest to Chicago" suburb, but there you have it.

There's decent stuff here and there -- Jimmy's Place, Le Coq, and I like Papaspiros -- but no collective food sense. Sad, but true.

If there's some kind of chow you particularly like, do say, you might get more precise direction.

Hammond

I would have to agree. There is a lot of places for good food, but few for great food. The exceptions would be La Piazza in Forest Park and The Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor also in Forest Park. By far the best restaurant and place for dessert in the area.

I think the Cafe Laguardia West outpost on North just East of Harlem is worth a shot. I like their "version" of the Cubano and the tostones with garlic oil on the side.

http://cafelaguardia.com/west.shtml

Right next door is Amarind's Thai which this board likes quite a bit.

http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/dini ... 1152.venue

I stop by either on my way to Dominican University in River Forest.

Then, the beef place right close by, Johnny's?

Remember, although OP/River Forest area itself may not have the most fabulous collection of restaurants, the surrounding areas of the city (North Harlem) have quite a few fabulous spots to visit.

I love La Piazza in Forest Park (Circle & Madison). I like Cafe le Coq (Oak Park & Lake) - I think Tuesday night they still have a good prix fixe deal. I like New Rebozo (Madison -- just east of Harlem) for upscale Mexican. I went to Hemmingway's Bistro (Oak Park, north of Lake) for the first time last night and enjoyed it - it seems more reasonably priced than Cafe le Coq. I think Pasta Shoppe on Oak Park Avenue (south of Lake) is very good for lunch - dinner is a tad overpriced. I like Jimmy's Place but the last time I went there it was really loud and I haven't been back since -- but the food is very good. I also like Cafe Laguardia West (for the strip steak and very good appetizers). I enjoy Grape Leaves' (Oak Park/South Blvd) chicken shawerma. I also love Yum Thai on Madison in Forest Park (by Famous Liquors), especially the lemongrass chicken. Sorry for lack of addresses ... I don't have time to look them up right now! I was introduced to many of these places on this board so you should be able to search for them.

Katie, I think that is generally a good list.

My favorite restaurant (and I think the best restaurant at any price level) in the OPRFFP area is la piazza. When it's on, it's on.

Some other places in the general vicinity:

There's a lot of good mexican on Cermak in Cicero. My mom has written up quite a few of them, and I hope she'll chime in with more.

On 16th street in Cicero is Freddy's, which is a must visit for bread, deli items, bakery style pizza, and some of their prepared foods. Not to mention the excellent gelati.

In maywood on 1st Ave is Tropical Time Jerk Chicken, which has been written about a fair amount here.

As with the OP/RF area, La Grange has no real food "scene", that being said, it does have a lot to offer.

If you're looking for well done Italian with good atmosphere try Marconi's which relocated from its city location to La Grange with a lot of success. One caveat: don't go to La Piazza and then follow it up with a visit here because you will surely be disappointed. This is to say nothing against Marconi's, but La Piazza does a totally different kind of Italian cooking.

SoTish is an art gallery that also has a cafe located in the back and on Sundays they have a jazz trio that plays. The food is American (whatever that means) with a European influence. Very cool place that does a great job with food and atmosphere.

Vie located in Western Springs is written about here: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t= ... hlight=vie as well as this brief review by me last year: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t= ... hlight=vie

Happy dining!

Marconi's Ristorante
15 Calendar Ct.
La Grange
708-352-1621

SoTish
23 S. LaGrange Rd.
La Grange
708-588-1115

Vie Restaurant
4471 Lawn Ave.
Western Springs, IL?60558
708-246-2082

gleam wrote:Katie, I think that is generally a good list.

My favorite restaurant (and I think the best restaurant at any price level) in the OPRFFP area is la piazza. When it's on, it's on.

Some other places in the general vicinity:

There's a lot of good mexican on Cermak in Cicero. My mom has written up quite a few of them, and I hope she'll chime in with more.

On 16th street in Cicero is Freddy's, which is a must visit for bread, deli items, bakery style pizza, and some of their prepared foods. Not to mention the excellent gelati.

In maywood on 1st Ave is Tropical Time Jerk Chicken, which has been written about a fair amount here.

And good addendum. There are always about 20 places on Cermak I'm meaning to try, but I never quite make it to any of them. Two places that I KNOW I like are Chimbompo and the Mexican ice cream place right next door--both just west of Oak Park Avenue on Cermak.

I like Jim and Petes and Jimmy's and Salerno's all for Chicago style Italian food. Jim and Pete's is the best value, has some great pizza, and wraps their leftovers better than any place I know. Jimmy's just makes you feel warm and cared for; their martini's terrific, some dishes miss, some are sublime. Salerno's lacks the comfort and service of the other two but makes the best old school red sauce (IMO). Salerno's also pulls one of the top espresso's in Chicago.

I adore Le Coq and never go there enough. If you go their soon, do get the house made gnochi. Do French kitchens make the best pasta?

Cafe La Guardia, I love the greasy, and just horrible for your waistline Cuban burger. Most of the lunch specials are good, but I think the food at dinner prices not worth the money.

Masa in Elmwood Park has nice ice cream and above average espresso.

There's lots more in the area because frequent posters including Gleam, myself and David Hammond live (or have lived) in Oak Park.

This area is blessed with two (of a shrinking pool) good gyros places. Mickey's on Harlem is more traditional, Nicky's (f/k/a King and Queen's)on Roosevelt, with their grilled/feta cheese strewn version more avante garde.

Although, I’m not too sure about Oak Park itself, I do agree that there is some fantastic food in the surrounding areas-- perhaps the best beef and hot dog can be found a few miles away.

For a cheap eat you can try Joe’s Place in Westchester. They do a pretty good imitation of a G&J’s dog, but dare I say better fries?

In neighboring Hillside you have Priscilla’s.

In LaGrange you have Palmer Place which is nice for a burger and a hard-to-find beer. You also have the newly named, Emilio’s Sunflower Bistro.

A favorite lunch spot of mine is Village Pub in North Riverside. It is after all just pub food, but its fast, friendly service at a great price.

Joe’s Place
1551 Westchester Blvd
Westchester

Emilio’s Sunflower Bistro
30 S. Lagrange Rd.
LaGrange
http://www.sunflowerbistro.com/

Village Pub
8839 W Cermak Rd
North Riverside

As a former Oak Parker, I got a chance to survey the restaurant scene in the area pretty well. It is true there are not a lot of "great" places, but there are quite a few places worth eating at.

Cucina Paradiso (Oak Park Ave. and the Green Line) - the food here is always good and they change up the menu a bit every few months, the service is friendly, and the atmosphere is cozy but hip.

Avenue Ale House (Oak Park Ave. and the Blue Line) - good selection of beers on tap, certain food items are pretty good (burgers, BLT, quesadillas, and the best spinach/artichoke dip anywhere), and it's a great place to catch a game and a bite to eat or sit and lounge on the rooftop deck when it's warm.

Hemmingway's (Oak Park Ave. just north of Lake St.) - elegant little place, food and service are excellent, but it's a bit pricey.

La Majada (Harrison St. and Lombard) - great family run Mexican place in the Harrison street arts district.

Winberie's (Oak Park Ave. and Lake St.) - this place has a lot of so-so dishes and a few great dishes, like the salmon in parchment and the stuffed mushroom appetizer. The service is usually really good, too.

La Bella Pasteria (Marion St. just south of the Green Line) - this place has great atmosphere both in cold weather months and when it's warm enough to sit outside. There food has rarely been disappointing, although some dishes are better than others.

yourbar wrote:For a cheap eat you can try Joe’s Place in Westchester. They do a pretty good imitation of a G&J’s dog, but dare I say better fries?

Joe’s Place
1551 Westchester Blvd
Westchester

Here's some visual aides.
(I couldn't decide which pic was better, so here's the pair.)

yourbar wrote:Here's some visual aides.
(I couldn't decide which pic was better, so here's the pair.)

Both pics look pretty darn good to me! Anyway, who has only one hot dog?

Enjoy,
Gary

I saw the vast postings for good eats in the Oak Park area....but now I'd like to see if people could recommend places around the Northwest Suburbs. Schaumburg/Streamwood/Hanover Park/Bartlett/Hoffman Estates/Barrington/South Barrington/Elgin.

Yeah that's a lot of burbs, but all accessible. My husband and I go out quite a bit, so, we're always looking for new places to try. Any cuisine is game. We love them all. I'm interested if there is a good German restaurant near me as well.

Thanks for the help!

Akane wrote:I saw the vast postings for good eats in the Oak Park area....but now I'd like to see if people could recommend places around the Northwest Suburbs. Schaumburg/Streamwood/Hanover Park/Bartlett/Hoffman Estates/Barrington/South Barrington/Elgin.

Yeah that's a lot of burbs, but all accessible. My husband and I go out quite a bit, so, we're always looking for new places to try. Any cuisine is game. We love them all. I'm interested if there is a good German restaurant near me as well.

If you search on "Schaumburg," you'll find quite a few threads.

As for German, see this thread for a report on Christl's in Palatine.

I haven't yet been to any of these places, but they're not far from you, so perhaps you'll check them out for us.

Bavaria Hof
847/891-7997
933 S. Roselle Road
Schaumburg

Gasthaus zur Linde
847/695-8828
www.gasthausinelgin.com
15 N. Grove Ave.
Elgin

Schnitzel Platz
630/942-9900
www.schnitzelplatz.com
729 E. North Ave.
Glendale Heights

I've been to Gasthaus zur Linde about 3 or 4 years ago for lunch, not bad but haven't been back. It's got kinda of a dark wood hunting lodge theme going on and there seemed to be more folks in the bar than the restaurant.

Schnitzel Platz on the other hand is a good time with quality food. It can get pretty rowdy on a Friday or Saturday when Bob and Hank start playing German drinking songs in full costume. Audience participation is encouraged. It's pretty fun if you are in the mood for it but shouldn't distract from the food.

I've shared the full sausage plate with kraut and spatzle and also tried the kassler ripchen, frikadelle and various forms of their schnitzel. I'd prefer the spatzle with a little brown carmelized crunch from a quick saute in butter, but this is a minor quibble. Red cabbage is excellent. All meals come with either liver dumpling soup or the cold salad plate which includes pickled or dressed vegetables like carrots with diced onions and peppers, pickled red beets, and cucumbers in cream and dill. Bread basket includes some tasty rye, boring hard rolls, but excellent pretzel bread (probably from Labriola). Desserts seems to be made in house and are good as well. The ubiquitous apple strudel is a great version and the plum tart is not overly sweet and worth trying. Great selection of beers including the Weihenstephaner hefeweiss. The chef is almost always in house and working the room checking on tables. The food is made with care and as an odd side note they made and incredible vegetarian plate for my wife with little advance notice. It's worth checking out if you are in the Western suburbs.

LAZ wrote:

Akane wrote:I saw the vast postings for good eats in the Oak Park area....but now I'd like to see if people could recommend places around the Northwest Suburbs. Schaumburg/Streamwood/Hanover Park/Bartlett/Hoffman Estates/Barrington/South Barrington/Elgin.

Yeah that's a lot of burbs, but all accessible. My husband and I go out quite a bit, so, we're always looking for new places to try. Any cuisine is game. We love them all. I'm interested if there is a good German restaurant near me as well.

If you search on "Schaumburg," you'll find quite a few threads.

As for German, see this thread for a report on Christl's in Palatine.

I haven't yet been to any of these places, but they're not far from you, so perhaps you'll check them out for us.

Bavaria Hof
847/891-7997
933 S. Roselle Road
Schaumburg

Gasthaus zur Linde
847/695-8828
www.gasthausinelgin.com
15 N. Grove Ave.
Elgin

Schnitzel Platz
630/942-9900
www.schnitzelplatz.com
729 E. North Ave.
Glendale Heights

Thanks LAZ for the suggestions. I'll definitely check them out.

RP wrote:All--

I'm curious to learn of good restaurants -- any type of cuisine-- in the western suburbs. I'm particularly interested in the food "scene" in Oak Park/River Forest and LaGrange. Thanks!

Any type of cuisine? Well then, I'll make a plug for breakfast at the "Original Pancake House" restaurants. There's one in OP and one in LG.

And I have to echo the earlier praise for New Rebozo. Never less than wonderful.

Just a quick shout-out for Joe's Place in Westchester. A fantastic dog, full of flavor and snap. Amazing fries. Much better fries than Gene and Judes. The fries remind be of Al's on Taylor. Excellent, skin on, double fried tasty fries. Yum. Wish I had some of those fries right now...

electric mullet wrote:I've been to Gasthaus zur Linde about 3 or 4 years ago for lunch,

We sold ownership of the Gasthaus last October...
The new owners are not German, and they are not from restaurant backgrounds...

I've read a few posts here where a few forum members weren't completely ecstatic with the fare while my family was running it (1969-2006).... I do apologize to anyone who may have felt that way... There were times when I couldn't be there from open to close, to always ensure consistency.... particularly after my Father had passed away...
I would have if I could have...

I do want to thank our very loyal customers and friends for always supporting us.... 37 years is a long time for one small family owned restaurant to remain strong in business.

Thanks again...

Mireille,
Daugher.... Gasthaus Zur Linde...

Two places that I KNOW I like are Chimbompo and the Mexican ice cream place right next door--both just west of Oak Park Avenue on Cermak.

Is Chimbombo still around? Haven't heard it mentioned much these days.

Yep, it's still there and it's one of the few places where I found Cuitlacoche in Chicago.