the Shanty on Rte 41

Shanty looks literally like a dive on the corner of Wadsworth and Rte 41. It's minutes away from Gurnee Mills & Great America.

Anyways, Triple D will be filming there saturday. The great Guy Fieri will show up between 11-8pm, but you can only eat there that day with a ticket. My attempts to get one failed.

the Shanty has good fish, best whitefish i've ever had a few years ago.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S1.article

Hi,

The Shanty is owned by the son of Dino who recently received a GNR for Captain Porky's.

Regards,

Yep,very aware of the father/son relation between Captain Porky's and Shanty... which are completely different restaurants as well.
Living in Zion, I ordered from Porky's often since it was so close.

According to Dimitri Kallianis, the principal owner, The Shanty was the only restaurant between Milwaukee and Chicago selected by Food Network for the show.

I don't know if Dimitri is just referring to the highway, but Frank's Diner (Kenosha) is also between the two cities and was on the show a long time ago.

An article on the DDD appearance of The Shanty in the Lake County News-Sun said that Captain Porky's second store next to The Shanty should open this summer.

-Will

I don't know, I'm not getting it...

Not trying to rain on anyone parade, especially since I can tell LTH appears to have quite the strong following for these two places, but

I went to the Shanty once last year, I was so underwhelmed that I'm truly shocked to see it appearing on DDD. I also have been pretty unimpressed with Capt'n Porky's food (especially the BBQ) as well.

Folks don't get me wrong; the service and people running these places were great, but there are lots of great people running many other mediocre restaurants in this area, so what makes this one so special?

Are these the kind of places you have to send someone to visit with specific "be sure to order this" instructions??

Either I'm really missing the boat, or I have managed to catch each establishment on successive mediocre days... Which would be a real shame since I live so darn close in Gurnee!!!

I'm not sure why you've had mediocre experiences.

I've eaten at Captain Porky's twice in the last week and almost everything I ate was stellar. The fried seafood-especially the shrimp--is wonderful. The barbecue is certainly in the upper echelons, imo. Had great St. Louis ribs last night. Plenty tender, but with some resistance. Hot link was fabulous. Plus, Dino threw about seven different bites and tastes at me.

He was working on a preparation where he placed sides of salmon in the smoker underneath rib tips, so the pork grease dripped over the salmon, basting and flavoring it as it cooked.



Here's a pic of his smoker. Last night he was using oak and applewood.

elakin wrote:I'm not sure why you've had mediocre experiences.

I'm not sure either! That's why 'm asking! LOL

In this area; I think that the BBQ is a notch below or equal to Hilary's. And that its not even in the same stratosphere as Big Ed's in North Chicago.

The seafood is unchallenged in this area, meaning that other than the Family Fishery in Mundelein they are the only game in all of Lake County. Which is fine, and while it's good, it's certainly not on the level of the old Joe's, Calumet or Fish Keg.

Personally, if I lived in Park Ridge like yourself, I'd go to the Fish Keg on Howard over Capt'n Porky's any day.

Again I ask, what is the "killer" menu item to get here that will have me leaving a changed man?

abf005 wrote:In this area; I think that the BBQ is a notch below or equal to Hilary's. And that its not even in the same stratosphere as Big Ed's in North Chicago.

So, how is Big Ed's? Been meaning to try it, just haven't gotten around to it. Haven't been on that part of 22nd Street since high school (20 years ago).

Did anyone drive by The Shanty to see the taping of Diners, Drive-Ins, and dives? I was so focused on getting out of work and going down to see my Mom I completely forgot about it.

abf005 wrote:In this area; I think that the BBQ is a notch below or equal to Hilary's. And that its not even in the same stratosphere as Big Ed's in North Chicago.

Hillary's cooks exclusively over briquets, there is no wood used. Consequently, there is no smoke flavor to their meats. However there are people who really dig their sauce, which has a nice vinegar snap to it. Certainly from the influence of reading people's BBQ comments here, I do expect the meat to stand on its own, which Hillery's does not do it for me. Whereas Captain Porky's BBQ did have a smoke infused taste to the meat, that was great on its own. Now is Captain Porky at the level top tier BBQ in Chicago, no, but it holds its own in Lake County.

I have been to Big Ed's only once so far, last fall a few months after they opened. I wasn't too impressed, but I know the guy was still learning and eager for feedback. Before opening, Ed and his wife travelled as far as Kansas City checking every BBQ place along the way. He did a great job of emulating Smoque's range of sides, which he has visited. I think most BBQ places should look at Smoque's sides simply because it fills out the meal very nicely. Not everyone wants french fries, when Mac and Cheese, greens et al would be preferred.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

abf005 wrote:In this area; I think that the BBQ is a notch below or equal to Hilary's. And that its not even in the same stratosphere as Big Ed's in North Chicago.

Hillary's cooks exclusively over briquets, there is no wood used. Consequently, there is no smoke flavor to their meats. However there are people who really dig their sauce, which has a nice vinegar snap to it. Certainly from the influence of reading people's BBQ comments here, I do expect the meat to stand on its own, which Hillery's does not do it for me. Whereas Captain Porky's BBQ did have a smoke infused taste to the meat, that was great on its own. Now is Captain Porky at the level top tier BBQ in Chicago, no, but it holds its own in Lake County.

I have been to Big Ed's only once so far, last fall a few months after they opened. I wasn't too impressed, but I know the guy was still learning and eager for feedback. Before opening, Ed and his wife travelled as far as Kansas City checking every BBQ place along the way. He did a great job of emulating Smoque's range of sides, which he has visited. I think most BBQ places should look at Smoque's sides simply because it fills out the meal very nicely. Not everyone wants french fries, when Mac and Cheese, greens et al would be preferred.

Regards,

A few comments:
1) I know what you mean about the sauce, but I loath Hilary's sauce, and think they use the cheapest meats anywhere as well. I get the sense that neither of us really thinks too highly of the food there, am I right?
2) Given that there are somewhere between 10-15 BBQ places in all of Lake County, the pitmaster talent pool here is not all that deep, so holding ones own here is not really that a much of an accomplishment now is it?
3) Capt'n Porkys... I wanna like these guys, I really I do. So I'm looking for the silver bullet menu item here. I'm thinking its a combination of timing and menu knowledge, because I dont think this place is consistent, nor are they great at every menu item they offer. So far, I see them them as being strictly a seafood place, and think that the BBQ thing is just a novelty for them. I call it the Greek restaurant owners bane, yes they may be able to make every dish known to mankind, but doing every item exceptionally well is quite another matter! I can tell you that the Smoker has not been running on any of my three visits, and that the rib tips I had just the other night were God-awful! Those tips were far from fresh, no way they were cooked that day, and the sauce they had been simmering in for hours was horrendous too. I ended up tossing the entire order in the trash they were that bad. I obviously must have a knack for catching these guys with their pants down!
4) Please do yourself a favor, and revisit Big Ed's. I can tell you that over the past year I've been going there, I've noticed that he continues to improve his mastery over his pit, and I'm surprised, because each visit is usually even better than the last. IMO, Big Ed easily holds his own anywhere, even in the city.

The travel comments about Ed are spot on, in fact, I've had the same chat with him many times, and I've even brought him various rubs, sauces, and pit wood from some of my travels down into the barbecue belt. I happen to work for an Austin Texas based company and get to go down there quite often.

Maybe we should meet up at the Shanty or Porkys sometime, and with one of you fans there to guide me, maybe this time the whole experience would turn out right.

1) I know what you mean about the sauce, but I loath Hilary's sauce, and think they use the cheapest meats anywhere as well. I get the sense that neither of us really thinks too highly of the food there, am I right?

Agreed.

2) Given that there are somewhere between 10-15 BBQ places in all of Lake County, the pitmaster talent pool here is not all that deep, so holding ones own here is not really that a much of an accomplishment now is it?

Last summer when the Eden's was torn up. Going north was far easier than heading into Chicago. The only known-to-me aquarium smokers are Hillery's and Captain Porky's, which suggest a Chicago southside BBQ. Of those two, I prefer Captain Porky's because of the use of wood you can taste. (I have not yet seen Ed's pit, is it an aquarium?) The other BBQ places known to me are more in the Twin Anchors mode rather than low and slow. There are two BBQ places in Highland Park, one I never visited and one I tried long ago with my only recollection is the heavy sauce. There is a BBQ around 60 and 45, which was awful on my one visit. Carsons in Deerfield, which is a style I visit occasionally for nostalgia. Some years ago, there was a BBQ guy in a strip mall near the Piggly Wiggly in Grayslake. I remember liking it quite a bit, though I am not sure how it would stack against my acquired knowledge since then. Of the 15 BBQ, only two emulate anything approaching the south side style: Hillery's and Captain Porkys.

3) Capt'n Porkys...
... I call it the Greek restaurant owners bane, yes they may be able to make every dish known to mankind, but doing every item exceptionally well is quite another matter! I can tell you that the Smoker has not been running on any of my three visits, and that the rib tips I had just the other night were God-awful! Those tips were far from fresh, no way they were cooked that day, and the sauce they had been simmering in for hours was horrendous too. I ended up tossing the entire order in the trash they were that bad. I obviously must have a knack for catching these guys with their pants down!

I pretty much go for the Jumbo Shrimp more than anything else. However, last summer it was a relief to go there for BBQ than use the Edens. Sometimes it is all relative.

4) Please do yourself a favor, and revisit Big Ed's. I can tell you that over the past year I've been going there, I've noticed that he continues to improve his mastery over his pit, and I'm surprised, because each visit is usually even better than the last. IMO, Big Ed easily holds his own anywhere, even in the city.

I had a feeling he might be working to improve his effort. He's a caterer who backed into the BBQ business. I seem to recall he said he was using a Southern Pride, am I right?

It is on my shortlist to go to the Shanty.

Regards,

For Silver Bullet items you can pretty much ask Dino. The shrimp are almost always spot on and there is often a fresh fish available, yes they are all prepared fresh, but some are fresh from Dino's pond or just arrived never frozen. In general the fried foods are top notch and the South African lamb is often available on Sunday which is outstanding. Last month for whatever reason the alligator was possibly the best I have had and the walleye on a quality bread with the homemade tartar brought me right back to shore lunches of old on Lake Superior.

I also recommend the homemade deserts with Dino's own quince topping when available.

I think the "typical Greek" reference is unwarranted in that while the turnover of food does not always match the ambitiousness of the menu I do not see the food as lacking focus as much as it might spend too much time in the steam trays. The added benefit of the old world grape vinegar available, the homemade cheeses, Dino's own oils, and the made to order items make Captain Porkies a very special place if not a consistent BBQ destination.

If all else fails the tavern owner who rents the space to Captain Porkies is a fantastic vet with some cheap pours and character enough to warrant a meal from next door, you can simply think of Captain Porky's as really great bar food.

third coast foodie,

Thanks for replying on the food's quality. I realized later I didn't address it.

Dino is friends with a caterer who used to have restaurant-catering space in an old Dog n'Suds drive in called: Fresh Appetizers by Chef Paul. Both make as much as possible in-house because not only do they control the quality, they save money over premade items.

There is one small change I have seen over the years at Captain Porky's. Dino used to make his rolls in house, which I noticed recently come from a commercial source. It was once a common site to see rolls proofing. I don't know when that changed.

Regards,

third coast foodie wrote:For Silver Bullet items you can pretty much ask Dino. The shrimp are almost always spot on and there is often a fresh fish available, yes they are all prepared fresh, but some are fresh from Dino's pond or just arrived never frozen. In general the fried foods are top notch and the South African lamb is often available on Sunday which is outstanding. Last month for whatever reason the alligator was possibly the best I have had and the walleye on a quality bread with the homemade tartar brought me right back to shore lunches of old on Lake Superior.

I also recommend the homemade deserts with Dino's own quince topping when available.

I think the "typical Greek" reference is unwarranted in that while the turnover of food does not always match the ambitiousness of the menu I do not see the food as lacking focus as much as it might spend too much time in the steam trays. The added benefit of the old world grape vinegar available, the homemade cheeses, Dino's own oils, and the made to order items make Captain Porkies a very special place if not a consistent BBQ destination.

If all else fails the tavern owner who rents the space to Captain Porkies is a fantastic vet with some cheap pours and character enough to warrant a meal from next door, you can simply think of Captain Porky's as really great bar food.

Thanks for the feedback, I think you just confirmed my thoughts;

I'm thinking its a combination of timing and menu knowledge, because I don't think this place is consistent, nor are they great at every menu item they offer. So far, I see them them as being strictly a seafood place, and think that the BBQ thing is just a novelty for them

Maybe I should also add, be sure to call ahead to ensure Dino is there as well?

Just to clarify; my quote did not say "Typical Greek", it specifically read "the Greek restaurant owners bane". Which is NOT a slur or slam at Greeks, but rather a statement of how owners of Greek style family restaurants often over-reach the limits of their best abilities.

Cathy2:
Big Ed's is using an Aquarium Smoker, although he said he has the room and desire to maybe build a real barbecue pit in the future, and that would be something special indeed! Since to the best of knowledge there aren't very many brick and steel pits north of the Mason-Dixon. You can safely add him to your list of Chicago Southside style places.

Lake county BBQ updates;
That BBQ place on Center St in Grayslake by the Piggly Wiggly went OOB many years ago, I cant even recall the name exactly it's been so long.

The Mundelein place at Rt60 & 45 was called Brothers Ribs which closed in 2007, I believe they still maintain another location in Lake Zurich. I thought it was OK, nothing religious, but I certainly had worse.

Is Carson's really true BBQ? I'm not sure I want to step into that topic! Many flame wars have been fought on Chowhound over that one!

Had dinner last night at the shanty. While not a destination restaurant by any means it is by far the best dining option we have found in the immediate area (we spend a lot of time at our lake house not far away in Bristol, WI)

Everything is more or less homemade. Dinner starts out with a three bean salad which accompanies a bread dish of butter soaked toasted french bread croutons and a pot of pub-ish cheese. We enjoyed this quite a bit.

Dinners come with a soup or salad. Soups and dressing are both homemade. I enjoyed a nice navy bean rendition. The menu is long on fresh seafood and beef, which i doubt is prime but i neglected to ask. They are supposedly famous for the prime rib which we tried and which was very good. Everything is priced very reasonably. Alaskan King Crab was $21 for a very large portion which was meticulously cracked in advanced for convenience. Prime rib is also reasonably priced in various cuts with homemade horseradish sauce for no more then $19. Desserts are also homemade but we didnt try anything.

Overall a nice option with a very big menu is a food no mans land. We will return.

iblock9 wrote:Had dinner last night at the shanty. While not a destination restaurant by any means it is by far the best dining option we have found in the immediate area (we spend a lot of time at our lake house not far away in Bristol, WI).

iblock9 wrote:Overall a nice option with a very big menu is a food no mans land. We will return.

While the tiny town of Bristol may be a bit sparse in the great dining options department, Kenosha County is by no means a "food no-mans land" either. Meaning that the Shanty is not the only game near that town.

Maybe on some of your next visits up this way, you might consider trying some of the other known good options that are also around or near Bristol:

The Thirsty Turtle - Antioch - Door County style fish fry/boil & BBQ
Johnny's Chophouse - Antioch - featuring Alan Brothers Steaks
Wilmot Stage Stop - Wilmot, WI
Colony House - Trevor, WI - an 80 year old restaurant with many fans
Franks Diner - Kenosha - a classic 1921 diner with great food

Kenosha has several interesting places that can pretty much equal or better anything coming out of the Shanty's kitchens, and easily has the largest list of nice places of any town between Milwaukee & north of Highwood that you'll find. Most people never look past the Brat Stop, or head the 6 miles east to find out what a great town it really is.

Among the places in the Kenosha restaurant arsenal are the Boathouse, the Wine Knot Bistro, Mangia, Gerhard's, Chop's on the lake, and Twisted Cuisine restaurants which are all sit down places with nice atmospheres and good food.

Ron's Place, which reminds me allot of the Shanty; is a local bar & grill, but with a bigger menu and more interesting menu items than what you would find at your typical bar. Plus Ron's is across the parking lot from Tenutas, which means that excessive food, wine & cheese shopping can always ensue afterwards.

There are also several good to great tavern style pizza joints all over the Kenosha-Racine area, in fact, you can just pretty much throw a rock and hit a decent one like a Luigi's or Ruffalo's for example. But Wells Brothers in Racine is without a doubt, one of the top pizzas anywhere in the entire country and is a must hit if your in the area and like thin crust tavern style pizza.

Bottom line is this; since you seem willing to drive at least as far as the Shanty from Bristol for a good meal in the area, then know that you can do just as well, or better in Kenosha County & Antioch so you don't have to feel so stranded for good meals during your visits.

Take care

-Burt

so, just saw a re run of Triple D and defiri presenting the shanty b/w Mil and Chicago.

Do they have a website? Would like some additional information before making the trek. I'm living in the south loop, so it is quite a distance for a meal.

Mainly, i was really blown away by the shrimp dish. it was garlic bread doused in butter, covered in huge shrimp, and covered in this delicious looking gumbo consistency cream based sauce.

What dish is that again?

Thanks!

It was "whiskey shrimp" and had Jack Daniels in it. I thought the Shanty looked outstanding. I also came away with a new appreciation for what they do at Tufano's. The Tufano's family came off splendidly and their from-scratch approach (red sauce cooked all day with neckbones and other cuts), frankly, surprised me. I have not been in some time because I had a few mediocre experiences with other dishes and figured their red sauce would be the slap-dash affair common in "red sauce joints" from North Beach to Mott Street. Now I mean to make it to the Shanty for the first time and also want to ggive Tufano's another shot. Opinions about the host aside, this show continues to have more relevant information than just about anything on Food TV.

haha just saw the DDD last night. now I want to try this. I wish it was closer, we don't have a car.

We were just at the Shanty Sunday before last for lunch, driving past on 41 (I never use the tollway when going north). I had an outstanding 10 oz burger, Mrs. Trpt had a tasty walleye fillet broiled with veggies. The construction next door looks to be on hiatus.

Had lunch at the Shanty today after a painful visit to the outlet mall with the FDC. My South of the Border burger was quite tasty and cooked as ordered. FDC had today's fish special which she didn't offer to share. Let's just say that lunch made up for the the morning escapades and we'll leave it at that.