Andrew's Open Pit, Chicken Dinner on the Cheap

LTH,

I love a deal as well as the next guy, but am only willing to sacrifice a wee bit, if at all, for the price savings. I'd rather skip lunch than plop down $5 for 6-Arby's roast beef even if that would be lunch, dinner and maybe even snack. So when my wife, who has occasion to be in the the far Western outskirts of Park Ridge (Dempster/Potter), told me about a rotisserie chicken dinner on the cheap I was ever so slightly dubious.

Frankly, I deserve a bad haircut and itchy socks for ever doubting her, Andrew's rotisserie chicken is really quite good, not in the class of Pico Rico, but not much was. Ok, on to the particulars, $6.95 gets you choice of soup or salad, choice of potato, 1/2 juicy, crisp skin roasted chicken and half an ear of corn.

Andrew's Rotisserie Chicken


Andrew's has a Southern Pride setup, left side for low and slow BBQ, ribs seem to be a popular item, chicken is cooked on wood and gas assist rotisserie pictured on right.

Andrew's Open Pit Restaurant Pit.



Andrew's is a comfortable full service restaurant, nicely spaced tables, full bar, friendly efficient service and a heck of a deal on rotisserie chicken.

Our niece Dehlia enjoyed her chicken fingers, who knew chicken had fingers, and was particularly enamored of the all you can eat butter option.





Andrew's is a little hard to find, it's in the shopping center just East of Potter on the North side of Dempster.


Enjoy,
Gary

Andrew's Open Pit
2610 Dempster
Park Ridge, IL 60068
847-824-3800

Boy, the mention of Andrew's put me back into the 80's mindset. That is a place that has been in business for maybe 30 years. It stays low on the radar and gets the Niles/Morton Grove crowd. I used to frequent it when I lived in the northwest 'burbs. Now I'm inspired to revisit it...and anyplace that has "all you can eat butter" is just fine with me.

I'm sure Steve Z has been there, he and I seem to have crossed each other in many old places. Steve?

Andrew's has been a "go to" place for our family get togethers for years. Good food at incredibly reasonable prices with excellent service to boot. The three pork chop dinner deal at $6.95 is amazing. These are nice size, almost 1" thick chops, not the paper thin, tough as shoe leather version you'd expect to find for this price. The 'Que is borderline authentic; somewhere between The Gale Street Inn and a real Greasehouse.

Is this really the first time anyone has mentioned this place on LTH? BTW, before the usual LTH effect kicks in, it should be mentioned that Andrew's is already crazy busy most of the time. Add to that their location in a strip mall shared by a banquet facility and you will frequently have problems parking your car. They do offer an occasional valet service, but I don't always see it available every time we visit.

Buddy

Andrew's has always been a reliable "go to" place for us as well. Nothing spectacular, but nothing bad either. On most visits, my bride and I are usually (by far) the youngest people in the place---and we are in our late 40's.

FYI---Andrew's is owned by the same folks that own Johnny's Kitchen and Tap (Glenview) and the various Jimmy's Charhouses in the suburbs.

LTH,

Chicken went up a buck since '07, but at $7.95 for a half of juicy crisp skinned bird with soup or salad, choice of potato and veg its still an outrageously good deal. Same for the 10-oz top sirloin, $9.95 including accompaniments.

Andrew's Top Sirloin Steak



Chicken en Brochette w/rice looked tasty, and at $7.95 with sides and soup or salad a real deal.

Chicken en Brochette



Andrew's ribs, while not the type trips my trigger, were tastier than I thought they would be, evocative of Carson's in their heyday. Baby back ribs, light smoke, pork chopy chew to pig flesh and, at $8.95 for a half slab with sides and soup or salad a decent deal.

Andrew's Ribs



Joint was jumping at 8pm, packed with an hour wait for 13 people. Drinks at the comfortable bar as reasonable as the rotisserie chicken, and just as generously proportioned.

I like Andrew's, the staff tries hard and makes you feel welcome, prices are reasonable, food, in particular the crisp skin rotisserie chicken for $7.95, is a steal of a meal.

Rotisserie Chicken



Enjoy,
Gary

oh man, I think I'm in love.
thanks for the introduction, G Wiv.

just what i was looking for, thank you

Like others, Andrew's was a family get-together place with my Glenview-based grandparents. My personal go-to choice was the rib&chicken combo, and I have delicious memories of their creamy garlic dressing. Mine were not the only grandparents there, the prices certainly drew a crowd leaning toward the white hair and Wheel of Fortune set. I note this only because, like nearby Elly's, I think Andrew's is very used to, and does a fantastic job, accommodating their sometimes more demanding clientele and is a good choice for seniors. I also think they do a good job of pacing the meal, striking a balance between steady turnover for their sizable crowds without rushing families out the door.

I have been frequenting Andrew's for 12 years or so. I always get the same thing: All white meat BBQ chicken, baked potato, salad with thousand island. Simply put, it's always delicious. The thousand island is arguably the best I've ever had - anywhere.

This is a great spot that's always busy for a reason.

Outskirts for you perhaps, but not out of the way for me. Thank you, Gary! Sweet Baboo will be happy to visit a new place for chicken and ribs.

I remember talking with Burt, the pizza genius from Burt's Place, about where he and Sharon like to eat when they have a night off. Andrew's was their first pick.

(I didn't realize this had already been discussed - mea culpa, and thanks to the mods for merging it into one thread.)

Not too long ago, at Burt's Pizza, I asked Burt where he and Sharon ate on their days off. He Immediately mentioned Andrew's. So a few weeks ago, I was in the neighborhood, and thought I'd check it out.


The strip mall location, across the street from Hillary Clinton's high school, doesn't look promising. But inside, it's basic American food, with several barbequed items, and a family crowd sprinkled with quite a few seniors, which made me feel especially young.

Inside, there are two Southern Pride smokers featured prominently - one for chicken, the other for ribs.

It's basic American food, but well done, at a very good value. Much of the food appears to be made from scratch, and portions are generous. It's been a while, so I don't remember what we had, but I do remember the food was unadventurous, but much better than serviceable.

Not a destination, but if you're in the neighborhood on a night when Burt's is closed, it's worth a try, and you might meet up with Burt and Sharon outside of their usual environs.




Andrew's Open Pit and Spirits
2610 Dempster St
Park Ridge, IL 60068
847-824-3800

Andrew's has been discussed previously here: viewtopic.php?p=123990#p123990

Thanks for the mention of it again though, I haven't been here in a long time and want to go again soon for the rotisserie chicken!

Thanks. Don't know how I missed the previous thread - my search skills must be waning in my old age.

nr706 wrote:The strip mall location, across the street from Hillary Clinton's high school alma mater . . .

sigh. i'm having this argument all the time with folks from maine east.

hillary rodham ATTENDED maine east, but she graduated from maine south.

giovanna
maine south class of . . . none of your business

you beat me to it, giovanna. but Harrison Ford is a Maine East alum!

We've eaten at Andrews a number of times and gotten take out from them quite a few more times.

It's fine. That's about the best I can say about it. And it's a decent value for what it is. The food is fairly uninspired...very basic...it can sometimes be bland and underseasoned. The barbecue is fair-to-middlin'. Nothing to write home (or even post about imo) but fine for something that's close to home and priced very reasonably.

Nothing here ever really wows me, but we eat pretty well, stock the fridge with leftovers and the kids and my parents are usually happy.

I wish I had more to say...more data points, either positive or negative, but the place always leaves me with the feeling that we could've gotten something....better, more interesting, more distinctive, etc, etc....

Oh, and I prefer take-out to dining in at Andrews because, as someone may have already mentioned, there's a considerable senior set that kind of descends on the place and takes over. But that's likely due to the time (early) and day (sunday) that we tend to go there, rather than anything specific about the restaurant.

elakin wrote:We've eaten at Andrews a number of times and gotten take out from them quite a few more times.

It's fine. That's about the best I can say about it. And it's a decent value for what it is. The food is fairly uninspired...very basic...it can sometimes be bland and underseasoned. The barbecue is fair-to-middlin'. Nothing to write home (or even post about imo) but fine for something that's close to home and priced very reasonably.

Nothing here ever really wows me, but we eat pretty well, stock the fridge with leftovers and the kids and my parents are usually happy.

I wish I had more to say...more data points, either positive or negative, but the place always leaves me with the feeling that we could've gotten something....better, more interesting, more distinctive, etc, etc....

Oh, and I prefer take-out to dining in at Andrews because, as someone may have already mentioned, there's a considerable senior set that kind of descends on the place and takes over. But that's likely due to the time (early) and day (sunday) that we tend to go there, rather than anything specific about the restaurant.

elakin, You got my house bugged or what? Sounds like me spouting off to the family as Andrews is liked enough by them (and I guess me) to still make a once a month appearance in the rotation.

iirc clinton was at maine east for 3 years and at south for her senior year because the district lines changed or something

also rich koz is a ME alum

G Wiv wrote:I like Andrew's, the staff tries hard and makes you feel welcome, prices are reasonable, food, in particular the crisp skin rotisserie chicken for $7.95, is a steal of a meal.

Speaking of great deals, Andrew's has a $3.95 bar menu. 9pm they had just cooled off after the Friday night rush, plenty of open seating, bartender was friendly, efficient and glugged Makers Mark into my rocks glass like his wrist hurt. Ground in-house 10-oz burger was not only a good deal, it was a good burger, light char from a gas grill, (almost) my request of med-rare, crisp pickle and a generous slice of raw onion. I added fries for a buck and was happy as a clam at high tide.

Andrew's $3.95 bar burger w/$1 extra for fries

Sweet Baboo's sister was in Hillary Clinton's class - at Maine East.