Nice Pictures Gary. While I miss seeing Phil there, Maria is filling in nicely and the food is fresh as always.

You can see the old style Schlitz glasses behind her and Rich in your shot. Last time I was there she mentioned they
were one of the few restaurants in the area to carry it. Enjoying a Schlitz with dinner there is icing on the cake
for the nostalgic trip that the Charcoal Oven is.

Wow, I've never seen the inside of this place. It actually looks mighty tasty.

It's always been the joke with my buds and I that this place was a front for the mob. Like others in this thread, driving by, we never saw anyone there, ever. How could they stay in business?

But to my surprise, it actually seems to be a good place. I'll have to try it out sometime soon.

Thanks!

My family went for an early Saturday night dinner at the C.O. over the summer. I had the whitefish (which looked very similar to the preparation of the skate shown in Gary's post), and it was perfectly done. My husband had some kind of steak - I think prime rib - and the young one had lamb chops. They seemed to enjoy them a lot, but I did not taste.

All the entrees are on the pricey side, I would say ranging from $20-$30 for a "protein," but they come with appetizer, salad, entree, and sides (the aforementioned delicious homemade chips plus green vegetable). The night we went the appetizer was a generous helping of the pasticio. I don't eat milk + meat (Kosher thing) but I had a taste of the extremely rich bechamel. Yummy.

We skipped dessert, but I can see this as a nice place to come later in the evening for coffee and a hunk of pie.

It is not a great choice for kids, because there are no small plates or half orders or kid's meals. So the kids will have to order up or share plates.

Mixed drinks were very good, and my husband and I enjoyed the supper club of the 50s vibe. I hope the Charcoal Oven sticks around for another 60 years.

Went back again last night, with my 86 year old mother, who said (as many do) "I've been driving past this place for over 50 years, and never stopped in."

I won't duplicate the comments above, except to say most still apply. I was impressed that Maria seemed to recognize me, even though I hadn't been in there since June. Food was very good - it was impressive they could even make tilapia into a very flavorful fish dish. My lamb chops, ordered rare, came medium rare, but I knew to expect that ... order meat one step rarer that you'd really like. And the lamb chops, at $24, were the most expensive thing on the menu - most entrees (including appetizer, veg, salad and house-made chips) were in the mid-upper teens range.

One major change (for a place that hasn't changed in 60 years) - they changed the landmark neon sign. Where it formerly said "luncheons" (which haven't been offered for years), it now says "Fine Dining." Apparently they had quite a tough time finding a company that could make that change to such an old sign. They don't make neon like that anymore.

I was with a group of four there for a Saturday night dinner two weeks ago and had a very disappointing evening. We'd been there a year ago and really enjoyed it. When we arrived, it was clear they had been overwhelmed already - it was 7 pm. They had a table ready per our reservation and we were seated immediately.

Waitresses came by quickly for drink orders and delivered them. One waitress delivered a good lentil soup right away - acknowledged they were very busy and said she'd be back in a little while for our orders.

We were patient since it was clear they were scrambling, but it had to be close to 45 minutes before she returned for the order. And then we had the game of figuring out what they actually had vs. what was on the menu. By the time that process was finished, I don't think any of us felt really satisfied with what we'd ordered - just happy that we finally had ordered! Salads served quickly and then another long wait before the food arrived. I had walleye pike - it was fine, but didn't impress me in the way I remember loving the fish I ordered last year. Potato side was very good.

Another very long time went by before we were asked about dessert and coffee - at that point we just wanted to leave so we declined and asked for the check. Another waitress came by to confirm the drinks we'd had (one wine, one cocktail, and one soda) and she made sure they were on the bill. I felt disappointed that they didn't comp the drinks or offer desserts on the house - we'd been there 2 and a half hours, much of which we just sat waiting.

It was a very disappointing experience and even when they were clearly aware that the meal had really dragged out, there were no further comments made acknowledging our patience or offering a complimentary drink. Including the tip, went spent ~ $130 and it was not worth it. I can't imagine wanting to go back.

Had a great time dining with LTHers at Charcoal Oven last night. Now that Phil, who bought the place in 1949, has pretty much turned over the operation to his daughter Maria and her husband, Rich, a lot is changing. (Although, Maria noted that her father, 86, still calls in "every 15 minutes" to make sure the place is still running correctly.)

Maria and Rich are making a lot of the changes, doing some of the work themselves, but they're still firmly committed to the retro atmosphere which is what makes Charcoal Oven so special. Among the shocking changes: a new roof, tuckpointing the building, and replacing the fuse box that ran neon on the landmark sign with a circuit breaker box. They were concerned that replacing the fuse box would eliminate the slight flicker of the lights in the dining room, which some have said is evidence of ghosts in the basement. They didn’t need to be concerned – the lights still flicker and apparently the ghosts are still partying down there.

The first, most obvious change is the new paint job on the exterior. Coming from the west, there will be a large mural on the side of the building. It’ll look like you’re seeing through the brick wall into the main dining room, including balloon-style quotes actually overheard from patrons. Rich is doing the painting himself. He said it should be done by Friday.

As of Wednesday night, outlines of the mural were visible.

There’s also an element of playfulness in the parking lot.

Note the fork in the hand on the handicapped parking symbol.

But inside, while the interior has been brightened a bit, it could still be straight out of one of Chicago's finer-dining establishments in the 1950s.

Note Phil’s frugality. The banner over the front alcove was originally put up for the 50th anniversary of Phil’s purchase of the place. They just pasted over the “50” with a “60” for the 60th anniversary, earlier this year.

Prices are reasonable, considering the large portions and all the extras that come along – most entrées in the high teens or low 20s.

Everyone was started with a well-prepared lentil soup, prepared from scratch in-house (as is almost everything at Charcoal Oven).

Lentil Soup is never particularly photogenic. (Warning – many servings are far more delicious than they appear.)

The salads are a basic blend of house-grown tomatoes and romaine. But the salads are really a showcase for the house-made dressings, which Sonja has been making for the restaurant for decades. I tried the Creamy Garlic dressing – light, ethereal, but packing a definite garlic wallop.

But my favorite is the chunky, Creamy Blue Cheese dressing. Tarte Tatin visibly swooned over her Blue Cheese salad dressing.

I didn’t get a picture of the house rolls – so rich they don’t need butter. But I did get a photo of the house-made potato chips.

It’s probably a disservice to call these potato chips. They’re slightly thick, have a great crunch, and not at all greasy.

The vegetable of the night was simply prepared, perfectly done, flavorful asparagus.

The serving was much more generous than this looks. My dining companions attacked the asparagus before I could get the dish in front of my camera.

My favorite entrée, when available, is the skate. Sauteed, with herbs, and with a breadcrumb coating, it was a bit of crunch followed by pure seafood succulence.

And it was quite a large serving.

Everyone else had lamb chops. Again, simply prepared with Greek herbs, a very tasty dish.

With lamb chops this good, who can blame the others for all ordering the same thing?

One small criticism of Charcoal Oven in the past is that meats tend to be cooked slightly past the degree of doneness requested. Tarte Tatin asked for her lamb to be still baah-ing.

She got it.

Stuffed, we all still agreed to try Charcoal Oven’s not-too-sweet, cinnamon-y rice pudding.

Ten minutes after this picture was taken, the dish was scraped completely empty.

One of Charcoal Oven’s signature touches is giving diners something to take home – usually tomatoes, sometimes a freshly-baked loaf of bread.

It’s been a tough summer for growing tomatoes. We only got one each. It’s going on the pizza I’m making tomorrow night.

Tarte Tatin was even luckier. Maria heard her praise for the Blue Cheese dressing.

Tarte Tatin went home with a generous helping.

Charcoal Oven is a small place, under the same family ownership for over 60 years. Weeknights, it’s basically a two-person operation. They run out of things from time to time. The retro quirkiness may not be appreciated by everyone. But the retro atmosphere, friendly owners (at least when they’re not too busy), and unique touches (e.g. tomatoes as a going-away present) are only some of the reasons I nominated Charcoal Oven for a GNR.

Looks good, folks. Sorry I missed out on this meal.

What do you think the tab might be for your average LTHer, sans bar bill, at Charcoal Oven these days? Does $30/person sound like a good approximation?

Sounds reasonable (sans tip), depending on what you order. It was more than that last night, but included two bottles of Merlot.

nr

Last time we ate at Charcoal Oven the wine value was terriffic....moderate to good quality wine for dirt cheap....still the case in your opinion?

Our two bottles of merlot - obviously, not a top vineyard - were about $20 each. Yes, the wine list is a good value. They're also offering wine flights at a good price, although that wasn't mentioned on the menu. We saw the offer on a table tent on another table on the way out.

After a couple of decades of driving by and wondering if the place was still active (this was mid-90's) we stopped in for dinner and were extremely surprised. We went somewhat regularly for about 5 years and got distracted and took it out of the rotation (for no real reason that I can remember). Maybe it's time to give it another try.

We lived almost literally (on Kenneth 5 houses south of Golf) since 1967. My Dad sold last month. We didn't go nearly as often as you'd think living so close. Every time we did stroll over though, it was a good experience. Will have to try it again now that it's making some changes. Looks like the important stuff----the food---- is remaining the same. Glad to hear it.

Thanks to moetchandon and nr706 for arranging this lovely evening. The food was first-rate and the company and conversation delightful.

This place is a real treasure. How many restaurants in Chicago are still in business after 60 years, let alone in the same hands?

I missed Phil's courtly presence, but I'm glad to see that his daughter and son-in-law are refurbishing judiciously, with an eye to retaining all the old-school charm.

The menu remains American with a Greek edge. I always think I'm going to order moussaka, but wind up deciding on a steak or a chop. One touch I missed was the complimentary appetizer of patitsio that used to be a regular feature; they gave us soup as a starter instead. The soup, salad, vegetable and potatoes are all included with the entree, which makes Charcoal Oven more moderately priced than it may appear.

The salads come on chilled metal plates and the house-made dressings are scrumptious. My lamb chops were perfectly medium rare. The locavores will sneer at the asparagus, which likely came from the southern hemisphere, but it tasted great. (Asparagus seems to be one of the vegetables that ships well.) The Saratoga chips were hot and crisp.

Anyone who likes Gene & Georgetti or Sabatino's or their retro imitators ought to love this place.

Charcoal Oven
4400 Golf Road, Skokie
847-675-8062
http://charcoalovenrestaurant.com




Salad with potent creamy garlic dressing. Note the chilled pewterlike plate.



Full serving of asparagus



Lovely lamb chops

One touch I missed was the complimentary appetizer of patitsio that used to be a regular feature; they gave us soup as a starter instead

hope that's because it was a weeknight

Do they still bring out a tray of the raw steaks, chops, and fish to help you decide what to order? That's one of my chief memories of the place from years ago. And that tray was definitely appetizing, as I recall.

Sadly, haven't seen that in the past few years.

LAZ wrote:One touch I missed was the complimentary appetizer of patitsio that used to be a regular feature

The patitsio was back as the gratis starter yesterday evening. I think you were better off with the soup, as the patitsio was a flavorless combo of mushy macaroni and gelatinous bechamel.

I love the look and feel of Charcoal Delight, but if my meal last night was representative, the food can best be described as "adequate." Aside from the above-mentioned mushy, gelatinous patitsio, greek-style walleye tasted off, and asparagus which LAZ said tasted great on her visit with the LTH crew was completely devoid of flavor last night. Strangely, even though I couldn't taste any garlic at all while I was eating the creamy garlic salad dressing, I was belching intense garlic and tasting it the rest of the evening, so it was surely in there. The potato chips were terrififc.

As soon as we walked into Charcoal Delight and were greeted in that fantastic room by the welcoming owners, I thought I was going to love the place. When I left, "it was fine" was about all I could say about it.

Interesting Freudian slip on the name there, Kenny. Perhaps you enjoyed it a lot more than you'd care to admit, hmm?

cilantro wrote:Interesting Freudian slip on the name there, Kenny. Perhaps you enjoyed it a lot more than you'd care to admit, hmm?

Or maybe it reminded him of a fast food place.

Kennyz wrote:patitsio was a flavorless combo....walleye tasted off, and asparagus...was completely devoid of flavor....even though I couldn't taste any garlic at all while I was eating the creamy garlic salad dressing, I was belching intense garlic and tasting it the rest of the evening, so it was surely in there.... (emphasis mine)

How are you feeling, Kenny? Inability to taste -- especially the last instance -- sounds like the symptoms of somebody coming down with a head cold or suffering from hay fever.

That garlic dressing has certainly been intense on the palate of everyone who's tasted it whenever I have visited.

doin' fine, thanks LAZ. Though I do appreciate the diagnostic analysis. Quality health care has gotten expensive these days.

Disappointing service last night from who I assume was Rich; Phil's son in law. We've wanted to carry out for some time since they posted the availability of their carryout menu on the east side of the building. So last night I was across the street, and decided to walk in and carry out hamburgers. Place was moderately busy at 7:30 and I only saw Rich doing the dining room duties. Stood for three minutes or so until my presence was acknowledged; told Rich I wanted to make a carry-out order and he asked me to wait at the bar. No one was behind the bar, and one patron was siting there imbibing. I stood for another few minutes as Rich took care of dining room patrons and seated a couple who walked in after me. When Rich finally came over to me, he asked me why I hadn't called in first (excuuuuuuse me!). I ordered two steak burgers to go, one with swiss, one with cheddar. Rich said he wasn't sure if they even had cheese for their burgers (it's on the carryout menu, folks), and that he'd go back and check. When he returned, he said that all they had was blue cheese, and "is that a deal breaker?" I said it certainly was, left, and went to Blackie's two minutes away where they have no problem providing service. No apology, no attempt to make it up, no attempt to offer a deal if I took the two burgers plain.

We've eaten at Charcoal Oven before with Phil and Frau Blucher -- it really is the closest place to Skokie Hospital if you're leaving work and famished -- but if the new generation owners aren't concerned about pleasing people who aren't on Medicare, then they really need an attitude adjustment.

>>Brent

We took Cabbagehead's mother and his siblings to Charcoal Oven last night to celebrate her 92nd birthday. Food arrangements for my in-laws are always up to me, but my mother-in-law, as I have posted a number of times, is a tough customer to please. I'm happy to say that Charcoal Oven proved to be a very good choice for us. Everyone enjoyed the food, the service was good, and I was pleased to see that the place is humming along--it was pretty much full during the prime dining hours we were there (6 to 7:45 or so). And even though it was full, all seven of us were able to speak and hear each other around the round table, a characteristic that seems to be increasingly difficult to find in restaurants. (And as long as I'm sounding like a cranky old lady, I might add that the lighting to read the menu was good too!) Portions are large there, and we are the beneficiary of leftovers my in-laws from out of town couldn't finish. My brother-in-law kept saying how hard it is to find a restaurant like this now, and I think he really enjoyed it.

The food--the appetizer was the pastitsio, which we liked. I had to explain what it was to the in-laws. No soup offered. The salads were good, but are now served in bowls, no pewter plates anymore. Blue cheese dressing is still great. My red snapper was well-seasoned and, again, a generous helping but a bit dry. Perhaps it was cooked a moment too long or filleted before cooking? Not sure. I couldn't help compare it to the outstanding snapper I had at Avli a few months ago, which was filleted at the table and was juicy and light in comparison to CO's version. Still, I ate the whole thing . Chips were very good, and the vegetable was perfectly cooked green beans--tasty, if not too exciting. Others had the roast chicken, the Cyprus chicken (roasted with Greek seasonings), rainbow trout, and lamb chops. I didn't taste anything 'cause that ain't this crowd. For dessert, Cabbagehead and I split a mixed-berry pie with ice cream that was delicious. After I made considerable headway into it, he reminded me I could have ordered my own piece .

CO was a very good choice for this group (although those looking for good places for the elderly should note there are 2 small steps going into the restaurant, but we did not inquire if there is a handicap accessible route without steps through the back). But Cabbagehead, son, and I all agreed we would go back on our own. For the quality and amount of food, it is a good value and a great old-time place. I had not been there in quite a few years, but I think we'll return sooner than that.

I can't wait to check out this place. It sounds great. Do they still serve luncheon? BTW, MHays, your frau Blucher post almost had me sporking up some coffee I was drinking. Nice post!

Cogito wrote:I can't wait to check out this place. It sounds great. Do they still serve luncheon? BTW, MHays, your frau Blucher post almost had me sporking up some coffee I was drinking. Nice post!

They no longer serve lunch, unfortunately. Hours per website: 5-9 M-Th, 5-10 F-Sa, closed Sundays.

Sad news. We had dinner there the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Tina mentioned that Phil hadn't been feeling well.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Phillip P. Georgouses, age 87, of Evanston; Owner Operator of Charcoal Oven Restaurant, Skokie. Beloved husband of Patricia, nee Gilliom; loving father of Tina (Timothy) Gaffney, Maria (Rich Franco), Elena (Snowden Smith) Georgouses, and Barbara (Tom Hill) Georgouses; dear grandfather of Chloe and Trevor Gaffney, Peter and Nell Smith; brother of the late Katherine (the late George) Bugelas; many nieces and nephews. First generation Greek American, decorated veteran of WWII he was in the first wave at Omaha Beach on D-Day. He served in eight major campaigns including the Liberation of Paris and The Battle of the Bulge. In 1949 he purchased the Little Club Bar in Skokie, in 1953 the Glenview Country House. Transforming the Little Club into The Charcoal Oven it remains one of the oldest fine dining establishments on the North Shore. Gracious and charming he made all feel welcome. His love of life was synonymous with, family, friends, and good food. Visitation Jan. 2, Sunday, 2 to 7 p.m. at Donnellan Family Funeral Home, 10045 Skokie Blvd. at Old Orchard Road, Skokie, IL 60077. Funeral Services, Jan. 3, Monday, 10:30 a.m. at Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church, 5649 North Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60660. Interment Memorial Park Cemetery, Skokie, IL. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Saint Andrew Greek Orthodox Church would be appreciated. Info: 847-675-1990 or www.donnellanfuneral.com

He will be missed.

Gracious and charming he made all feel welcome.

In a nutshell. Sad news.

We stopped at Charcoal Oven last night after an event in Wilmette. Lots of cars in the parking lot when we arrived. A couple of large groups had slammed the restaurant earlier, which seemed to cause some stress for the owners. My friends and I chose to sit at the bar. Although we initially felt less than welcomed, that was turned around after we engaged the owners, Rich and Maria, in conversation as we ordered a bottle of wine. We weren't hungry enough to do a full meal so we split the appetizer specials (crab cake and a walnut-crusted, pan-fried goat cheese over arugula) and each had the lentil soup. The warm buttered rolls were delicious and the soup hit the spot. It was a good sized crab cake with a touch too much filler for me. The goat cheese was a high quality. We really enjoyed talking with Rich and Maria and look forward to going back for a full meal another time. Charcoal Oven still oozes charm.

Had a great rack of lamb meal not long ago (after an absence of several years). No idea why I don't visit more often.