Surviving in Ottawa (Illinois)

I'm headed to Ottawa Illinois for the day tomorrow. I did a search and came up with a couple of recommendations in Morris, which is on the way along I-80. Does anyone have any recommendations in Ottawa? Obviously I'm not looking for five star dining, but a good burger joint or a cafe serving up homestyle cooking would be real nice.

Hi,

I found this post where at a minimum great pie is promised!

Regards,

Thanks. That's a good start. If it's a decent diner, then it is just what I am looking for. I'll only be in Ottawa for one, perhaps two meals. This is the first place that I have ever Googled and come up with absolutely no restaurant listings.

Hi,

I suggest looking at the Roadfood.com website for ideas.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I suggest looking at the Roadfood.com website for ideas.

Regards,

Nope. Nothing even close on roadfood.com or hollyeats.com.

Hi, hope this isn't too late------Hanks in Ottowa, Annie's Road house in Naplate (really, really, great fried chicken)---Naplate is a suburb of Ottowa!-- and Uptown Grill in downtown LaSalle--they have a great burger and a terrific pork tenderloin sand., as well as many other good things--, just a bit up the road from Ottowa. Good Luck and Happy Eating!

Correction----It's Anne's Hideaway, not Roadhouse in Naplate--on railroad st.----sorry about that! Not only is the fried chicken great but the hash brown potatoes are the best even tho they aren't on the menu.

Steve (or Jackie),

If you do indeed find yourself in LaSalle, then please inquire about the fried chicken competition between the watering holes throughout the county. Maybe you can learn more places to go for chicken sampling.

Regards,

There's a truckstop in Morris that has a restaurant that serves some giant burger- i can't remember the name though. They had a good menu that i posted some time ago.

Here you go. www.rplaceromines.com

grant wrote:There's a truckstop in Morris that has a restaurant that serves some giant burger- i can't remember the name though. They had a good menu that i posted some time ago.

Thanks Grant. Actually, that's one of the few places that has been discussed on the forum. If all else fails, I'm going to stop there on my way home, although I'll probably skip the 2lb. Premium Ethyl.

If you get this in time: It was my post, so again I'll endorse the Green Mill. It's in downtown Ottawa, on one of the corners of the town square I believe, though I can't recall exactly on which street. It's the oldest diner still there in Ottawa -- first opened in the early 20th century, I think (maybe earlier), and they have menus on display to prove it. Very friendly owners and chatty regular customers who personify all that small town diner folk should. Excellent pie, good diner food (I had the roast turkey dinner once) and typically weak coffee. Try it.

Thanks Toni. As it turns out, my trip to Ottawa has been postponed to 10/15, so I'll be checking out the Green Mill then. Thanks for the update and the additional info.

If you go to the Green Mill (it's no relation, as far as I could tell, to the Chicago jazz club), please let me know what you think. I'd like to make sure that my diner assessments are accurate. Enjoy your trip!

ToniG wrote:If you go to the Green Mill (it's no relation, as far as I could tell, to the Chicago jazz club), please let me know what you think. I'd like to make sure that my diner assessments are accurate. Enjoy your trip!

Will do. I plan on posting about this trip once it happens.

Hopefully, the weather won't be so warm in Oct. If you are still thinking of stopping in Morris on your way home, here are a few more good places to try there. Yes, R-place--better than average truck stop food and a deor is fun--Chapins, downtown Morris--one of the newest spots and the food is really terrific, very friendly owners who personally come over and talk to the customers--Rockwell Inn, on route 6 by the golf course, good food,good service and a beautiful old ornate bar---Maria's on route 47 is also good and kind of a homey type place, lots of locals and has been there for years. Prices are alway good at all these spots too. Please do let us know where you go and how you like the food. It's always good to hear about newly discovered places in that area! I'm looking forward to trying the Green Mill the next time we are in that area. Maybe Starved Rock State Park will still have fall colors when you go in Oct.

How can ONE LITTLE town have so many *great* diners?? The universe is truly unjust. We don't have hardly that many good diners in all of KC; and there's certainly not one of such apparently high quality w/in a 10-mile radius of Whitewater...

The worst part is, my wife-colleague-person and I have travelled by Ottawa a dozen times in the last two years, starving to death each time, dreading to think about the awful Hardees in El Paso which doubtlessly awaited us.

[BTW, one bizarre thing: the Google map of Ottawa and region doesn't even note, not even once, that US 51 is sometimes known as I-39. ]

Hey, give us a report on the eats in Ottawa--it'll let me and Mz. D know where to stop.

Geo

Jackie says:

It's Anne's Hideaway, not Roadhouse in Naplate--on railroad st.----sorry about that! Not only is the fried chicken great but the hash brown potatoes are the best even tho they aren't on the menu.

This past weekend my son was wrestling at a meet in Ottawa and I have had a taste for Good fried chicken. So, I remembered Jackies post about Anne's Hideway. After my son's meet, we headed over to Naplate ( 10 minutes away) to try Anne's. I hate to pan somebodies recommendation but we did'nt have a very good experiance and Anne's. To begin with, this is a smoking establishment. I did'nt realize it until way late in the meal because when we got there everybody was eating. But just about the time we were finishing up out came the butts and out we went shortly after. Now, about the food. The chicken coating had no spice and no salt. I went through have the salt shaker. On top of that the coating was very greasy, which indicates a sign to me that the oil wasn't up to temp or that the oil was old and could'nt be got up to temp. My son had the double backed potatoe which was the best side that we had. I got the hash brown potatoes which were barely warm and a greasy mush pile. The other side that came with this family style dinner was a combo plate of spaghetti and ravioli. The ravioli was marble shaped balls of dough with I am not sure of what the filling was(and again tasteless). The sauce that was served with the ravioli and spagetti was'nt much better. A big disappointment, but as I told my son, "sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but at least we know."

Wow, so sorry about your experience! We were just there a month or so ago and our food was nothing like what you describe. Thank goodness or we wouldn't take the long ride out there. Yes, it's a smoking place, but we always ask for seating in an area that has the least amount of smokers and they almost always find us a non smoky place. I do know how that can be a real turn off tho. The chicken coating is plain, but very crispy and we find just a tad of salt is all we need. Also the meat itself is alway moist and tender. Never, ever has our chicken been greasy. Anyone we have ever taken there alway comments on how non-greasy the chicken is. Again, never have we had cold, greasy, mushy hash browns. They are always hot and crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I've never had the chicken family style or had any italian dish there. Sounds like you hit the place on a really, really off nite. Again, I'm so sorry you had such a bad meal ---I would never have rec this spot if I'd had a meal like yours!

I had to repost this from my previous post. Sorry. I'll get the hang of this yet.

Another wrestling meet took me back to Ottawa last weekend so I had the chance to stop at the Green Mill. I just had a piece of pie, rhubarb, which was very good. As ToniG mentioned in a previous post here the coffee was very weak. My son had a burger with fries. He almost always plays it safe and this time was no exception. His food was well prepared and came to the table piping hot. A nice little small town diner, but don't go for the coffee. On the way back to Channahon I've heard alot about
R-Place in Morris, not just here but from people in the area. In another post by....

CoolerbytheLake: says

"This is not your average truck stop. R-Place has its own bakery, a large, eclectic menu, and collectibles on the wall that belong in a museum. Although many customers stumble upon the place during their travels, what brings them back is the friendly service and upscale food, at least compared to most trucker joints. If you're in the mood to test the limits of your stomach and your waist, try the Premium Ethyl. Named for a type of gasoline available at the Amoco station next door, Ethyl is a two-pound freshly ground hamburger loaded with toppings and served on a homemade bun. It costs $17.95 and is served with a timer. If you finish it in less than an hour you get it for free and your name gets put on a plaque that hangs on the wall."

And he is right on the money. I was'nt really hungry but I ordered up the fried chicken so I could report on something here. The chicken was'nt bad. It came with a huge baked potatoe, peas and a salad bar. The salad bar was clean, orderly and all the ingrediants were fresh. Would I go back to both of these places.........yes, if I am looking for the safe play. Though usually these days I am looking for those diamonds in the rough.

Ill chime in on this old thread. We moved to LaSalle County 2 years ago after 30+ years in Naperville, and have tried most of the spots mentioned above, and I will add some new ones as well that are worthy of a visit for folks coming out to Starved Rock, or visiting other spots out here. The food in LaSalle County is decent, lots of fried chicken, pork tenderloin sandwiches, supper clubs, and the best cajun restaurant in Illinois. Here are my picks.

Bartley's Supper Club
414 1st Street
LaSalle Illinois

Enjoyable small supper club with a nice bar, and friendly owner who works the bar and dining room. I have enjoyed steaks, and everything I have had here.

Hank's Farm
2973 N. Route 71
Ottawa, IL.

Some of the better fried chicken around, we have also tried the pasta dishes here, and suprisingly a crab claw appetizer that was good. Good home cooking with a nice salad bar.

Casa Mia
219 18th Avenue
Naplate, IL.

Italian food, above average veal, and chicken dishes as well as some crab, steak, scallop, & shrimp entrees. Nice cozy spot with a small bar.

Uptown Grill
601 1st Street
LaSalle, IL.

I do not like the Uptown very much, we have had maybe 4 meals there, and they seem to be pushing the limits of what their kitchen staff can accomplish. The bar is expensive, $11 shots of Cazadores tequilla... Not a place I recommend to anyone.

Rockwell Inn
2400 W. Route 6
Morris, IL.

Nice restaurant, I prefer lunch here over dinner, very good rueben, and a very good pork tenderloin sandwich. The Bar area is very nice, and the drinks are cheap.

Mariachi's
1911 Ottawa Ave
Naplate, IL.

An above average Mexican restaurant for the area. Not Amanacer Tapatio, but who is. For a good burrito, some guacamole, and a large selection of cheap tequilla this is the place I go.

Cajun Connection
897 E. Hwy 6
Utica, IL.

The best restaurant in the area, and the best cajun food I have found anywhere around Chicago. The gumbo is top notch as well as the jambalaya, etouffe, fried corn, and everything else I have tried. The chef/owner is on site every day, and crawfish boils are had on occasion when he can get the fresh product on his trips down to Louisiana when he picks up supllies.

Cherry Supper Club
110 N. Main
Cherry, IL.

One of my favorite places to go, located in the small town of Cherry, just west of Peru, the Cherry Supper Club has never disappointed. We have gone maybe 15 times, and enjoy the fried chicken, the fish, the ribs, and everything on the menu. Every meal comes with salad bar, and soup, & the the hash brown potatoes are some of the best I have had. There are menu specials every night, and we can miost nights get out of there for under $30 including shots at the bar, a few Budweisers, and alot of hearty food.

None of the above are fine dining, but good locally owned places that give you good food for a good price. We still need to "escape" almost weekly into the city or suburbs to find some food that isnt well represented out here(chinese, deli, bbq, top notch steakhouses, & seafood), but I wouldnt live anywhere else.

Enjoy.

Hi,

A few years ago I was clued to in LaSalle County as a hot bed of fried chicken competiveness. Bars and restaurants live and die over the qualities of their fried chicken. If you are so inclined, then please offer your opinon of the best fried chicken places. It could be a suitable basis for a group trip to check it out.

Regards,

my favorites for fried chicken are:

Hank's Farm - Ottawa
Cherry Supper Club - Cherry

One of my other favorites just closed Captain Jacks - Naplate.

As you mentioned there pretty much every bar and restaurant offers fried chicken, most cook it to order, but some do not.

One place on my list of places to try now that the smoking ban is in effect is Johhny's Corner Tap in my new hometown of Marseilles. I have heard they are only open for dinner.

I have heard their fried chicken is excellent, and they also offer turtle soup, and walleye that are rumored to be good as well.

Johhny's Corner Tap
700 E. Bluff Street
Marseilles, IL.

jimswside, thanks for stepping up to the plate on this one! I'll ad Monte's Riverside to the list for Ottawa and I know there are at least 2 family diners west of Monte's on Rte. 6/71 but can't remeber their names. Monte's is more of a supper club, I think only open for dinner.

Monte's Riverside
903 East Norris (Rte 6 and 71 at this point)
Ottawa
815-434-4333

likestoeatout,

I have passed by Monte's probably 100 times, and have yet to stop in. I will have to make it a point to visit now.

The two diners are from west to east:

New Brite Spot
801 E. Norris
Ottawa, IL.

I have not eaten here.

Hi-Way Restaurant
210 W. Norris
Ottawa, IL.

I have eaten here, and it is typical diner food, I had steak and eggs, and it was ok. They also serve alcohol.

There is also a Mexican restarant further west on Rte 6 near Polancic's but I'm not sure if it's in business. LaSalle-Peru and Ottawa are good half way stopping points for us when we go to Peoria so we're always scoping out different ways to go and new places to stop. Of course Ron's is our favorite!

we were just at Ron's on Sunday for an early dinner. Same high quality food as expected. I had that nights special shrimp & crab etoufee served over the jambalaya with the bubba shrimp, and of course the obligatory cup of gumbo.

jimswside:

I am in total agreement with you on Uptown. I have been dozens of times over the years as it is my mother's favorite. (I grew up in Peru.) They try to do too much and fail often. (If you order something simple, it is usually OK.)

Ron's has the best cajun food I have had outside of NO and Ron seems to be a great guy. (I just wish I could make it there more often.)

Any pork tenderloin recommendations?

dabney's

I like the tenderloin sandwich @ Rockwell Inn in Morris, I have a place on my list in Ottawa to try, I have heard the tenderloin is one of the best in the area, and as big as the plate Its called Caretto's Bar & Bowling

Caretto's
729 Chestnut Street
Ottawa, IL.

Ron has a tenderloin on his menu but I've never tried, too many good canjun things! The truck stop in Morris called "R" Place is supposed to have a good breaded pork tenderloin.