Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Apparently Barnaby's Pizza varies from location to location. The Barnaby's in Northbrook is pretty good. I like the crisp cornmeal crust with the hand pinched edges.

Regards,

I was at the one in Des Plaines..i just feel there are plenty of better thin crust pizza joints in the area
and one of the problems with chains..variance in quality

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Apparently Barnaby's Pizza varies from location to location. The Barnaby's in Northbrook is pretty good. I like the crisp cornmeal crust with the hand pinched edges.

Regards,

Imagine that! Cathy2 & I are in complete agreement on this one

Also, another very good Barnaby's location is in Niles at Caldwell near Oakton. I grew up on the Niles & Touhy locations. And while it's not quite thin enough to be a tavern pizza, the thin cornmeal crust is one of a kind that I really do enjoy and put in my top 10 pizzas. Especially that Northbrook locations version.

As to the Show Biz Pizza atmosphere?? That's a bit of stretch! All Barnaby's tend to be more late 60's/early 70's decor with that Bavarian beer pub look, as in more adult. So the two couldn't be more different! Show Biz is an obnoxious kids gaming palace and frozen pizza national chain on the same level as chuck-e-cheese.

As to "numerous local independent pizza places in the burbs"... lets just say that the options south of Rt 60 vs those north of Rt 60 are quite different.

Up here, Lake County has its own local style of pizza, which I have never quite acclimated my pallet towards. Places like Bills Pub (Mundelein/Third Lake), Pats Pizza (Grayslake), The Quonset and the venerable cool lounge club place Louie's (both of Waukegan) just don't do it for me. It's not that they are bad, its just not what I like.

well Burt thats what i experienced on my visit to Barnabys..obnoxious kids and mediocre pizza..so i im not far off at all in my experience which is why i used Show Biz pizza as a comparison..it was the only way i could describe it

I would never tell anyone they HAD to like a particular pizza style. That's for "experts" from the coasts who can't comprehend the total, mind-enveloping awesomeness that is Chicago deep dish, and fall back on a narrow definition of what pizza must be.

So you may not like Bill's for its type, and that's fair enough, recognizing that others do. For me, I have to say I think Bill's-- and my experience of it can hardly be more recent, as I am eating some leftovers right now-- is one of the two or three best thin crusts in the Chicago area. The cracker crust is every bit what Candlelite's was when we praised it long ago, delicate and light yet with none of the greasiness you find in super-thin pizzas like Pat's; while the toppings are more robust than D'Agostino's. Name any thin crust you want-- Vito & Nick's, Zaffiro's, Marie's-- and I am comfortable putting Bill's in that company and, privately, thinking it better than some. Mundelein is on the far side of the moon from me, but if you have a reason to be in that area, such as the Lake County Fair this weekend, a trip to Bill's and its hunting lodge-on-acid atmosphere is well worth a stop.

Previous post on Bill's

Bill's Pizza & Pub
Diamond Lake Road and Route 45
Mundelein, IL 60060
847-566-5380

Head's Red BBQ wrote:

abf005 wrote:One more add: How could I forget Leno's?? Big oops! They are a very good sub shop like Tony's Subs of Deerfield, been there forever at Lewis & Grand.

i dont understand the big deal with Tonys. I have worked in Bannockburn Vernon Hills and now Northbrook and my co workers seem to flock there form all three of those locations
granted you get a pretty filled sandwich but I cant judge a place based just on food quantity. Its an ok sub to me..
the seating is terrible as well

There are sandwich joints, and then there are sammich joints!

It seems that while most of the area population is content eating crap like Quizno's, Subway & Panera and paying equal or more for that junk. The mom & pop places like Tony's, Leno's, and Hero's (in the city) just do an honest quailty business at a very fair price. Using fresh Turano or Gonnella rolls still crispy from the bakery and generous amounts of deli meats which they slice fresh daily. It's not rocket science, but its something that seems to be beyond the realm of what chains are can do good.

Besides; I have recently read on a few local blogs that Tony's subs is supposed to make a really good in house cooked Italian beef. I plan on verifying this very soon.

abf005 wrote:

Head's Red BBQ wrote:

abf005 wrote:One more add: How could I forget Leno's?? Big oops! They are a very good sub shop like Tony's Subs of Deerfield, been there forever at Lewis & Grand.

i dont understand the big deal with Tonys. I have worked in Bannockburn Vernon Hills and now Northbrook and my co workers seem to flock there form all three of those locations
granted you get a pretty filled sandwich but I cant judge a place based just on food quantity. Its an ok sub to me..
the seating is terrible as well

There are sandwich joints, and then there are sammich joints!

It seems that while most of the area population is content eating crap like Quizno's, Subway & Panera and paying equal or more for that junk. The mom & pop places like Tony's, Leno's, and Hero's (in the city) just do an honest quailty business at a very fair price. Using fresh Turano or Gonnella rolls still crispy from the bakery and generous amounts of deli meats which they slice fresh daily. It's not rocket science, but its something that seems to be beyond the realm of what chains are can do good.

.

thats how i feel about pizza..

Mike G wrote:I would never tell anyone they HAD to like a particular pizza style. That's for "experts" from the coasts who can't comprehend the total, mind-enveloping awesomeness that is Chicago deep dish, and fall back on a narrow definition of what pizza must be.

So you may not like Bill's for its type, and that's fair enough, recognizing that others do. For me, I have to say I think Bill's-- and my experience of it can hardly be more recent, as I am eating some leftovers right now-- is one of the two or three best thin crusts in the Chicago area. The cracker crust is every bit what Candlelite's was when we praised it long ago, delicate and light yet with none of the greasiness you find in super-thin pizzas like Pat's; while the toppings are more robust than D'Agostino's. Name any thin crust you want-- Vito & Nick's, Zaffiro's, Marie's-- and I am comfortable putting Bill's in that company and, privately, thinking it better than some. Mundelein is on the far side of the moon from me, but if you have a reason to be in that area, such as the Lake County Fair this weekend, a trip to Bill's and its hunting lodge-on-acid atmosphere is well worth a stop.

Previous post on Bill's

Bill's Pizza & Pub
Diamond Lake Road and Route 45
Mundelein, IL 60060
847-566-5380

I'm no pizza Nazi!

I love it all, Chicago deep, stuffed or pan, neapolitan, tavern, Chicago thin, New York, St. Louis, artisan, and sometimes even Lake County.

One fact is comon to all of them though. They only know how to make great pizza sausage in the Mid-West!

abf005 wrote:

Mike G wrote:I would never tell anyone they HAD to like a particular pizza style. That's for "experts" from the coasts who can't comprehend the total, mind-enveloping awesomeness that is Chicago deep dish, and fall back on a narrow definition of what pizza must be.

So you may not like Bill's for its type, and that's fair enough, recognizing that others do. For me, I have to say I think Bill's-- and my experience of it can hardly be more recent, as I am eating some leftovers right now-- is one of the two or three best thin crusts in the Chicago area. The cracker crust is every bit what Candlelite's was when we praised it long ago, delicate and light yet with none of the greasiness you find in super-thin pizzas like Pat's; while the toppings are more robust than D'Agostino's. Name any thin crust you want-- Vito & Nick's, Zaffiro's, Marie's-- and I am comfortable putting Bill's in that company and, privately, thinking it better than some. Mundelein is on the far side of the moon from me, but if you have a reason to be in that area, such as the Lake County Fair this weekend, a trip to Bill's and its hunting lodge-on-acid atmosphere is well worth a stop.

Previous post on Bill's

Bill's Pizza & Pub
Diamond Lake Road and Route 45
Mundelein, IL 60060
847-566-5380

I'm no pizza Nazi!

I love it all, Chicago deep, stuffed or pan, neapolitan, tavern, Chicago thin, New York, St. Louis, artisan, and sometimes even Lake County.

One fact is comon to all of them though. They only know how to make great pizza sausage in the Mid-West!

i meant from a chain aspect

abf005 wrote:The mom & pop places like Tony's, Leno's, and Hero's (in the city) just do an honest quailty business at a very fair price.

Hero's on Western & Addison??? Burt, you never fail to amaze me.

ok Burt since we have veered out of Lake County next time you go to Johnnies In Elmwood Park stop at Alpine on North Avenue for a sandwich ..it will take your mind off of Tonys

Head's Red BBQ wrote:ok Burt since we have veered out of Lake County next time you go to Johnnies In Elmwood Park stop at Alpine on North Avenue for a sandwich ..it will take your mind off of Tony's

Alpine, OK will do. But not on a Johnny's run which are not that frequent, but maybe for a random lunch run.

Another of my favorites is Al & Joe's Food & Liquor on Addison in Franklin Park...

Stevez: I hope thats in a good way!

Since the influx of recommendations on this thread have cooled a bit, I thought I'd take it one step further and go with something frozen.
I have no better word for Greg's Custard Stand than darling. High schoolers working behind the walk-up counter, little kids w/dripping fingers and big smiles, handwritten signs. Darling.
I find something dangerously alluring about getting a scoop of chocolate custard w/ peanut butter and jelly toppings--gritty, melty peanut butter (or peanut butter topping, not sure what the deal is, but it always tasted real although it seems more liquidy than just melted PB) and viscous jelly that came with smushed chunks of cherry in it. Of course, just plain is a perfectly delicious option too.

List of their daily flavors.

Greg's Custard
1490 S. Lake St.
Mundelein, IL 60645
847-837-4175

Ha, we actually discovered that yesterday too while taking a break from setting up for the fair. One son even had the PB&J! Not quite as good as Scooter's, but pretty darn good, definitely likewise modeled on Kopp's et al., and nice folks.


We came all the way from Roscoe Village for this. What, you say there's custard right by our house?

abf005 wrote:There are sandwich joints, and then there are sammich joints!

It seems that while most of the area population is content eating crap like Quizno's, Subway & Panera and paying equal or more for that junk. The mom & pop places like Tony's, Leno's, and Hero's (in the city) just do an honest quailty business at a very fair price. Using fresh Turano or Gonnella rolls still crispy from the bakery and generous amounts of deli meats which they slice fresh daily. It's not rocket science, but its something that seems to be beyond the realm of what chains are can do good.

There have been Ma and Pa type places in McHenry Co. that claimed to be better than the chain places - the defunct Crystal Lake Deli comes immediately to mind - but they did not deliver a decent product. And that is why many of us head to Panera or Corner Bakery where we can get a decent bowl of soup and a good sandwich at a reasonable price.

No, I am not willing to drop $10-15 for lunch because I can do a lot better packing lunch from home.

Greg's Custard, reported to this community since August 31, 2003, originally on Chowhound and repeated later on LTHforum.com. Please note, my LTH post has never been replied to.

Cathy2, I did see both the Chowhound and LTH previous mentions, but they tended to be a bit sparse so I didn't even link it, and don't have enough data points to comment on each. Perhaps I will have to get a new sample from Greg's for each existing thread and comment after each time. Oh, torturous effort, painful travails!

MikeG, great minds think alike. Your pic does a great job of capturing the texture of the pb&j sauces, thanks!

Skess,

I look forward to your in-depth report.

Regards,

Head's Red BBQ wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Apparently Barnaby's Pizza varies from location to location. The Barnaby's in Northbrook is pretty good. I like the crisp cornmeal crust with the hand pinched edges.

Regards,

I was at the one in Des Plaines..i just feel there are plenty of better thin crust pizza joints in the area
and one of the problems with chains..variance in quality

I have been to the Barnaby's Pizza in Schaumburg and the one in Arlington Heights. The one in Schaumburg is consistently better. The sauce at Barnaby's in Schaumburg is spicier and they use less cheese. Barnaby's in Schaumburg is my favorite place to go for thin crust pizza.

jlawrence01 wrote:

abf005 wrote:There are sandwich joints, and then there are sammich joints!

It seems that while most of the area population is content eating crap like Quizno's, Subway & Panera and paying equal or more for that junk. The mom & pop places like Tony's, Leno's, and Hero's (in the city) just do an honest quailty business at a very fair price. Using fresh Turano or Gonnella rolls still crispy from the bakery and generous amounts of deli meats which they slice fresh daily. It's not rocket science, but its something that seems to be beyond the realm of what chains are can do good.

There have been Ma and Pa type places in McHenry Co. that claimed to be better than the chain places - the defunct Crystal Lake Deli comes immediately to mind - but they did not deliver a decent product. And that is why many of us head to Panera or Corner Bakery where we can get a decent bowl of soup and a good sandwich at a reasonable price.

No, I am not willing to drop $10-15 for lunch because I can do a lot better packing lunch from home.

I'm reading this as: $10-15 for lunch at Panera or Corner Bakery is typical. And I concur, I'm not willing to drop that much for what I consider to be crap either! Watered down soups with no character or flavor and horribly baked breads, Panera is just more national chain garbage, and ditto for the pathetic Corner bakery.

I'll rack up endless food misses just to find the one hidden gem, so I won't have to choke down any national chain garbage from anywhere.

And that's really the spirit of this thread, Northern Lake County has every obvious and well known chain to man, and so what! That's what makes it a food hell. And why the good places need to be discovered and broadcast. It's no challenge to land anywhere in this county and eat at Applebees or Buffalo Wild Wings!

The real point here is where are the good mom & pops and local based chains that make dining out worthy of posting to a food board?

Alright, enough of that.

I was in Waukegan this afternoon and evening. I did a little recon as well and here's what I found: Pictures are located here

Mama's Southern Style - no longer, not a trace!

Jesse's Diner - open from 6 am to 2 PM - M-F Looks like it might just simply be a diner, cant really tell since they dont post the menu on the windows.

Soul 4 Real - This one has Cathy2 written all over it! In the shopping center at Glen Flora & Lewis, next to what was a Ben Franklin's, was closed and had no hours posted, but was clean & well kept inside. Could be just opening, dont really know, check out the pictures!

Tres Islas Marias Seafood Restaurant - closed Mondays! I was ready to go in tonight, looks like a return visit is in order.

Waukegan does have one really old times Ice Cream place that is still allot of fun, Shirls on Lewis.

And lastly, had more of that Lake County style pizza, this was the version I loath. This time the place was Double D's, where more than a mouthful here is indeed a waste, pictures say more than words.

Sorry for the camera phone shots, I was traveling light today.

abf005 wrote:Soul 4 Real - This one has Cathy2 written all over it! In the shopping center at Glen Flora & Lewis, next to what was a Ben Franklin's, was closed and had no hours posted, but was clean & well kept inside. Could be just opening, dont really know, check out the pictures!

That's the shopping center that once was home to a Big Lots. I'll have to stop by. Thanks!

Waukegan does have one really old times Ice Cream place that is still allot of fun, Shirls on Lewis.

There's a Shirl's in Kenosha, too. Do you happen to know which side the border did it originate from? I'm taking a seat of the pants guess it may be of Wisconsin origin.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:

abf005 wrote:Soul 4 Real - This one has Cathy2 written all over it! In the shopping center at Glen Flora & Lewis, next to what was a Ben Franklin's, was closed and had no hours posted, but was clean & well kept inside. Could be just opening, dont really know, check out the pictures!

That's the shopping center that once was home to a Big Lots. I'll have to stop by. Thanks!

Waukegan does have one really old times Ice Cream place that is still allot of fun, Shirls on Lewis.

There's a Shirl's in Kenosha, too. Do you happen to know which side the border did it originate from? I'm taking a seat of the pants guess it may be of Wisconsin origin.

Regards,

I'd have to go with Waukegan first (based on looking at the age of the building) followed by Zion and then Kenosha. Sad news at the Kenosha Shirls this week

there was a Shirls Drive-In in Roselle that closed down a few years ago. I beleive it was there from the 50's or 60's. Wonder if its tied in somehow with the others

I read MikeG’s post on Bill’s pizza. I have been by the place a few times. I always wondered about their take-out. It looks like their take-out is prepared in a different location. Does that make a difference?

D.

Not that I'm an expert, having eaten from each once several years apart, but it seemed pretty identical to me. The restaurant and bar itself is a trip...

Mike G wrote:Not that I'm an expert, having eaten from each once several years apart, but it seemed pretty identical to me. The restaurant and bar itself is a trip...

In the original location the building is next door to the main restaurant, at the Bill's Pub North location everything is in one building. It's same food all the way across the board.

If I end up here I always ask for the pizza to be "well done", that seems to make it slightly better, even so, I'm still not a big fan of Lake County style pizza in general.

A few local updates:
I finally made into Jessie's Diner in North Chicago; its just a breakfast place, nothing too special, and definitely not soul food.

Hussies "not so fine dining" in Zion - Closed. A new sign was being put up in place of the old when when I drove by the other day, but looks like it will be another sports bar & grill of some sort.

Portofino's Italian restaurant in Vernon Hills went out, and already in its place is a new Pizza/pasta place.

Main Street Smokehouse - Read my LTH review I was very disappointed to say the least.

Looks like a brand new Mexican place opened in Libertyville: Casa Bonita, don't know anything about it yet, had a big crowd both days that I drove past. It looked pretty gringo from the street, but that's a big assumption on my part at this point.

Waukegan is now home to two El Parados, as if one wasn't bad enough... It's located on Belvedere and Utica/MLK.

Casa Bonita?

jesteinf wrote:Casa Bonita?

I thought to myself, no way it's gonna be the same rock-diving business model come to the midwest, but then again, I said the same thing when the Denver Casa Bonita was explained to me before a company holiday party was held there. You'll be happy to learn (or perhaps unhappy to learn) that there's no connection between the two.

If they have those all you can eat "more food flags", cliff diving and sopapillas like the one in Denver (which South Park spoofed), I think I'll just die.

jesteinf wrote:Casa Bonita?

For anyone seriously into hot dogs, I just did a pretty detailed piece on my blog about what my picks are for the top 10 Northern Lake County Hot dogs

A bit off the beaten path is the Tropics in Winthrop Harbor...right on the waterfront. The are proud of their prime rib dinners special and they are nice summer hangout with great view.