Dinner and drinks off the Milwaukee North line??

My girlfriend works in the burbs and takes the Milwaukee North line to work every day. I was thinking of meeting her out for drinks and dinner at one of the Metra stops along that line so we don't have to drive anywhere tonight, but neither of us have a clue if there are any bar/restaurants at any of the stops. We are at the Grayland stop and she is coming from Deerfield. She's seen a place called "Grandpa's" at Glenview (I think), but that didn't sound that appealing. Any suggestions???

jblagg wrote:My girlfriend works in the burbs and takes the Milwaukee North line to work every day. I was thinking of meeting her out for drinks and dinner at one of the Metra stops along that line so we don't have to drive anywhere tonight, but neither of us have a clue if there are any bar/restaurants at any of the stops. We are at the Grayland stop and she is coming from Deerfield. She's seen a place called "Grandpa's" at Glenview (I think), but that didn't sound that appealing. Any suggestions???

Jilly's is on Green Bay Road just North of the Central Street Metra stop in Evanston.

The Noodle in Glenview is a short walk from the Glenview Metra Station, and offers pretty good Italian fare (or at least it did a couple of years ago, when I last visited). There is also an outlet of Kamehachi in Northbrook, about two blocks from the Metra station (an easy walk). Don't waste your time on Grandpa's; nothing special there at all.

(Note that ChiNola has confused the Milwaukee North Line with the UP North Line; you won't be anywhere near Evanston on this trip!)

jblagg wrote:My girlfriend works in the burbs and takes the Milwaukee North line to work every day. I was thinking of meeting her out for drinks and dinner at one of the Metra stops along that line so we don't have to drive anywhere tonight, but neither of us have a clue if there are any bar/restaurants at any of the stops. We are at the Grayland stop and she is coming from Deerfield. She's seen a place called "Grandpa's" at Glenview (I think), but that didn't sound that appealing. Any suggestions???

If you feel like pasta, The Noodle (1875 Grove) is pretty good - it's about a block from the Glenview Metra stop. Haven't been to Grandpa's, although it's been around a long time. It's basically an Irish pub, from what I hear.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:(Note that ChiNola has confused the Milwaukee North Line with the UP North Line; you won't be anywhere near Evanston on this trip!)

Right you are. My bad. I've been working out in the 'Burbs so long now I'm starting to lose my mind (as well as my familiarity with the rail system).

I should also point out that several of the rush-hour Milwaukee North Line trains have bar cars, so you could start the "drinking" part of your evening a little earlier. Good bunch of folks in those bar cars; that's where Mrs. JiLS and I met each other!

Those bar cars still exist? Are they only available on certain lines? Is it typically at front, back or middle of the train?

The bar cars are only on a couple of the Metra lines; the Milwaukee North Line is one of them and I can't recall the other(s). I believe they still have bar cars on the 4:45, 5:12 and 5:25 Milwaukee North Line trains leaving Union Station. The bar car is typically the third car from the rear. From the outside, it looks like any other car, except it has no entry door (the vestibule has been converted to hold the bar service and cooler). You have to enter the bar car by walking through from the car in front or behind it; this tends to create massive traffic jams when "walk throughs" are jostling those in line for drinks as the train is leaving the station. The bar cars also are not operated by Metra; the operators lease the space, and Metra (from what I understand) would really rather they just went away (they have enough trouble with drunks on the trains as it is, I suppose) -- but the customers certainly like having the bar cars there!

Hi,

Bar cars do not exist on the Chicago Northwestern (now called Union Pacific, but who uses that name) North line because Zion is a dry town. If that changed, then I was advised there would be a bar car.

I do know there is a private car, which is strictly Lake Forest people. It supposedly has a bar for their use. It's been a while since I've seen it, though I don't take the train very often.

Best regards,

Oh, the things I learn here.

I'll be on one of the trains with the "bar car," so I'll check it out. I'm also going to "The Noodle," and I'll report back on the experience.

Thanks much!

Hi,

My Uncle used to live in Arlington Heights. Whatever train line goes that way had bar service, also.

I have seen difficult and/or drunk passengers removed from the train. They phone ahead to alert the police and escort them away. They don't tolerate nonsense because their customers expect a quiet ride home.

Here's The Noodle's Website, to help you plan your trip and know better what you're getting into. The big deal here is that you pick your type of pasta and sauce, allowing you to customize your dish a little. This is actually somewhat odd, as it tends to allow diners to make poor pasta/sauce matches, but if you know what you like, it's a good setup. Non-pasta offerings are pretty good, too, and the owner/manager has always had an enthusiastic approach to wines, with a decent list (maybe 50 or 60 bottles).


(Note to Mozilla/Firefox browser users: The Noodle's website is only compatible with Internet Explorer).

JimInLoganSquare wrote:
(Note to Mozilla/Firefox browser users: The Noodle's website is only compatible with Internet Explorer).

It's also compatible with Safari for us Mac users.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:

The big deal here is that you pick your type of pasta and sauce, allowing you to customize your dish a little. This is actually somewhat odd, as it tends to allow diners to make poor pasta/sauce matches

According to the web site, the only pasta choices are angel hair, linguine, and fettuccine, so how far wrong can you go?

I recall a restaurant in Louisville that had what they called a pasta bar but was, in fact, a "pasta fixins'" bar. They would cook your choice of pasta to order, then you helped yourself to sauces, cheeses, etc.

Bar cars do not exist on the Chicago Northwestern (now called Union Pacific, but who uses that name) North line because Zion is a dry town.

In the 70s, the Kansas attorney general tried to use Kansas' lack of liquor by the drink (that is, Kansas only had private clubs, not bars, for anything harder than beer) to force airlines to stop serving alcohol while flying over the state. Eventually the FAA ruled that 30,000 feet up was definitely no longer the state of Kansas' turf, although it was never precisely determined, I think, just how high up you had to go to leave the state.

cowdery wrote:According to the web site, the only pasta choices are angel hair, linguine, and fettuccine, so how far wrong can you go?

Chuck, read the website a little more closely. You can choose angel hair, linguine or fettuccine in any of three "flavors" (plain white, spinach or garlic & parsley). That makes 9 varieties. Then, they also have three varieties of filled pastas (3-cheese ravioli, smoked mozzarella ravioli, and cheese tortellini). That makes a total of 12 types of pasta. With nine sauces, that makes 108 permutations (some of which would obviously be better than others). Then you have four "add-ons" (meat balls, sausage, chicken and sauteed vegetables). That increases the number of permutations 4-fold, to 432 possible pasta combinations! (Actually, because in theory you could order 1, 2, 3 or all 4 "add-ons" on any pasta dish, the permutations jump into the thousands; don't ask me to do the math, though!). And because that may be confusing or make it hard to decide, they also let you split an order, with two sauces on one type of pasta. So for those who like it "their way," The Noodle is a pretty good choice. (EDIT: Went ahead and did the math. If you tried all possible combinations, you could eat a different pasta dish on each of 2,592 nights. That works out to 7 years, one month and 5 days.)

JimInLoganSquare wrote:That works out to 7 years, one month and 5 days.)

I hope you accounted for leap years. And which month is it we're talking about, here?

They should offer this as a package deal. If the dollar keeps getting weaker, it might turn out to be a wise investment.

rien

rien wrote:

JimInLoganSquare wrote:That works out to 7 years, one month and 5 days.)

I hope you accounted for leap years. And which month is it we're talking about, here?

I did account for leap years! (I divided the days by 365.25 rather than 365.) And the month we're talking about depends on the month in which you start this odyssey ... if you started now, that month would be approximately February 20 to March 20, 2012. And then you'd get your last 5 days, too, toward the end of March 2012.

[EDITED FOR OBFUSCATION: You know what, the number of options is actually significantly higher than I calculated above, because I forgot regarding "add-ons" that one option is NO add-ons (I assumed 1, 2, 3 or 4 add-ons in each dish of pasta). I am not going to do the math, but clearly the Noodle is prepared to meet the demands of the pickiest of eaters (assuming you like their pasta to begin with).]

During my commuter days on the Chicago Northwestern, I would simply allow myself a few extra minutes and stop at a bar in the station for something "to go". You'd get a good strong drink served in a styrofoam cup with a lid on it much like you had been served your coffee for the trip into the city that morning. Then you can make your way to whatever section of the train you chose and plop yourself down in a seat. I had heard rumors that there actually was a bar car on my train, but this just seemed a much easier way to go.

Kwe730 wrote:During my commuter days on the Chicago Northwestern, I would simply allow myself a few extra minutes and stop at a bar in the station for something "to go". You'd get a good strong drink served in a styrofoam cup with a lid on it much like you had been served your coffee for the trip into the city that morning. Then you can make your way to whatever section of the train you chose and plop yourself down in a seat. I had heard rumors that there actually was a bar car on my train, but this just seemed a much easier way to go.

That certainly is one way to go, and many people do it (and I have done it, when riding later trains without bar cars). But what that option does not provide is the opportunity to socialize with the "regulars" in the bar car, which is a fun little world. If you prefer to be left alone, then of course you might prefer to plop down in a quiet part of the train by yourself; but as you can see from one of my earlier posts, I actually met my wife in the bar car, which probably wouldn't have happened otherwise, so I may be prejudiced.

Point well taken, Jim. However, since I had a good friend that I used to ride the train with I was not drinking alone. The bar car was also a bit too smokey for my tastes which was another reason I avoided it.

For what it's worth, there's been no smoking on any Metra train - including the bar cars - for a number of years, now. In fact, having ridden the Metra since 1991, I actually don't recall a time when smoking was allowed. Maybe it was allowed on some lines, in certain designated cars (such as bar cars)? In any event, if you got on the bar car tomorrow night, you would find (1) no smoking and (2) a lot of very nice people who would be happy to include you in their social sphere. Here's Metra's official policy statement regarding smoking on the trains (scroll down and look at the first bullet-item under "A Few Considerations to make everyone's Metra ride more pleasant"): Metra Politeness Policies.

Well, there you go! Just gives you an idea of how long it's been since I've been a regular commuter! I'm sure I would find lots of people in whose sphere I would enjoy being included.

Kim

Oh god, there certainly used to be smoking in those bar cars back in the days of yore (pre 1990s to be sure). When someone opened the door to exit enough smoke would waft out to float through half the adjoining car. Even though I smoked occasionally back then I would always avoid sitting anywhere near the bar car on my commute.

well, we made it to grandpa's for a drink, and unfortunately, we made it no further. my girlfriend just wanted to stay there and have drinks and smoke. i was hungry, so i ordered off their menu. BIG MISTAKE.

we ordered chicken wings and fries. the fries were fine. the chicken wings, on the other hand, were the worst i've ever had. they were breaded and fried, which is okay by me. the sauce, however, is what really distinguished these wings. it was thick, like barbeque sauce, and glopped on the wings, but the sauce tasted like bad hot sauce. i've never had anything like it in my life. and do not care to again.

the people at grandpa's were nice, though. i'd go back for a drink.

also, my train didn't have a bar car. and i certainly looked!

Cathy2:

Bar cars do not exist on the Chicago Northwestern (now called Union Pacific, but who uses that name) North line because Zion is a dry town. If that changed, then I was advised there would be a bar car.

That explanation doesn't ring true for me because unless something's changed recently, only a few trains on that line go north of Waukegan and make the Zion/Winthrop Harbor/Kenosha stops. It would be a simple matter to put the bar cars only on trains that end their runs in Waukegan or Lake Forest or Highland Park.

ebohlman wrote:Cathy2:

Bar cars do not exist on the Chicago Northwestern (now called Union Pacific, but who uses that name) North line because Zion is a dry town. If that changed, then I was advised there would be a bar car.

That explanation doesn't ring true for me because unless something's changed recently, only a few trains on that line go north of Waukegan and make the Zion/Winthrop Harbor/Kenosha stops. It would be a simple matter to put the bar cars only on trains that end their runs in Waukegan or Lake Forest or Highland Park.

The problem with that plan is that the bar cars are used in the mornings, too -- to serve coffee, donuts, etc., so you couldn't send them right back downtown in the evening. While the liquor on the evening trains is the majority of their trade, my understanding is that they also need the morning sales to stay in business. So, there would have to be a siding or other storage place to leave the train equipment, ready to roll out again the next morning, including the bar car (i.e., an entire 7 to 9 car train - no way they would pull out just the bar car!). As you can guess, that isn't likely to happen in Highland Park anytime soon, meaning that the bar cars probably have to go all the way to the end of the line in Kenosha before turning around. On the Milwaukee North Line, that's precisely what they do -- all bar cars terminate at Fox Lake, sit overnight and head back the next morning with a load of hot coffee, bloody mary mix, etc.

My Dad rode the train for almost 30 years from home to work. Lake Forest to Chicago, and back again. I remember when there was a real bar car. Guys played gin, drank gin, smoked, etc. But now, it seems as though a bar car is only the little set-up in the vestibule area? I haven't seen a full car devoted to a bar in years, other than in a Doris Day/Rock Hudson movie.

And yes, there were smoking cars. I can still smell it.

Hi,

Union Pacific - Metra announced they are retiring their 10 bar cars as of this weekend. The reasons cited were increased costs and liability.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Union Pacific - Metra announced they are retiring their 10 bar cars as of this weekend. The reasons cited were increased costs and liability.

Regards,

There was a little bit of this story on NPR today and here is the Tribune article
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-metra-barcaraug27,0,1946689.story

The article says;

"Metra said concern about alcohol isn't the issue. Rather, the bar cars aren't worth the revenue they produce—just less than $100,000 a year. With growing ridership, the agency is trying to maximize its space and equipment, spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said."

I was fortunate enough to have spent a summer taking the LIE in NY and may have spent some time in the bar cars on Metra . While I am mosts happy to hear that train transportation is doing well I consider this development a sad one.