djenks wrote:(not to hi-jack a thread or anything - but why not PM me a place you go to to get tacos)

There is a list as long as your arm, but mostly in Chicago. If you do a search, you'll come up with a list of many of them (Carnicera Leon, for example). Since this thread is about the western suburbs, I'll just point out Taco Grill in Westmont. I've only been once, but their al pastor tacos were quite good and worth trying. I think you can get them with lettuce and cheese by special order if you must.

Been to Taco Grill - the hospital i worked at was down the street so we ordered out from there a lot. Have certainly had some good meals from there.

I really like:

Fontano's Subs
1767 W. Ogden, Naperville (630) 717-7821

djenks wrote:

stevez wrote:(ever wonder why the cheese, lettuce and tomato are treated as afterthoughts at those "dive" places you refer to?)

i've never thought of that - thats a good point. I have certainly had my tacos with only cilantro and onions - but i unfortunately have just grown up eating my tacos with a whole bunch of stuff on 'em - so thats what i'm used to.

(not to hi-jack a thread or anything - but why not PM me a place you go to to get tacos)

No need to PM. I agree with Dickson and have been going to Taco Grill in Westmont for some time. Additionally, I visit El Burrito Mexican on the corner of Rt 53 and Maple Avenue in Lisle. My basic order is 3 steak tacos cilantro and onions only. Just a squeeze of lime and hot sauce.

Flip

stevez wrote:

djenks wrote:(not to hi-jack a thread or anything - but why not PM me a place you go to to get tacos)

There is a list as long as your arm, but mostly in Chicago. If you do a search, you'll come up with a list of many of them (Carnicera Leon, for example). Since this thread is about the western suburbs, I'll just point out Taco Grill in Westmont. I've only been once, but their al pastor tacos were quite good and worth trying. I think you can get them with lettuce and cheese by special order if you must.

Not as FAR west as Naperville, but if you like char grilled steak tacos, and are in the area:
Las Asadas
8863 Ogden Ave
Brookfield, IL 60513
(708) 485-8250
Warning:
If you prefer char flavor on your steak, be prepared to never go back to eating the griddled meat chunks that most places use. I am always surprised at the amount of business the places that serve up pan fried steak in their tacos get. But, to each his own, I guess.

Hi,

I'm visiting a company in Woodridge on Friday, they suggested the following places for lunch:

- Noodles & Company
- Quedoba
- Chili's
- Max & Erma's
- Lemont Café
- Caraba's (Italian)
- Nonnie's & Home Run Inn (Pizza)
- Charlie's Steak House

From this list, there is a thread on Caraba's only. I saw mentions of Clara's, Blu Coral, UniMart for a Filippino buffet, Rosati's Pizza and 4 Doggie Diners.

I'm meeting these people after lunch, so I can be picky. If I were there guest, I would go with the flow.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Regards,

you should check out cafe smilga's - it's a lithuanian cafe in a strip mall on 83rd street. can't say that there's anything healthy on the menu (dumplings, potato pancakes, etc.), but it's authentic ethnic food where you will hear little english spoken:

Cafe Smilga's
2819 83rd St
Darien, IL 60516
630-427-0929

Chinese Kitchen, Del Rhea's, Katy's -- in distance order. CK is an easy 5 mile drive.

I would go to Sher E Punjab (in the Meadowbrook strip mall at 63rd and Woodward).

Sher E Punjab
2113 63rd St
Downers Grove, IL 60516
(630) 971-8300

Good call. Terrific Indian options out that way.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I'm visiting a company in Woodridge on Friday, they suggested the following places for lunch:

- Noodles & Company
- Quedoba

Any suggestions appreciated.

Regards,

Cross those two off the list.
The only reason I'd go to either of these two would be to remind myself that I'm glad my parents MADE me try real ethnic foods on a regular basis. Seriously. Sometimes, like every three years or so, I'll go to a joint like these, and just laugh at the swarms of ppl gobbling the stuff up. If you're not hungry, and just want to try them for the novelty, that's really the only reason to go.

And I have to add that places like Qdoba aren't much of a value, either. The last time I was in there, I remember thinking to myself that I was paying a lot for one of their sub-par burrito meals.

JeffB wrote:Chinese Kitchen, Del Rhea's, Katy's -- in distance order. CK is an easy 5 mile drive.

I've been to all three of these and concur. Chinese Kitchen would be the closest to Woodridge. Del Rhea's has chicken like you've never had before and they've got Mac 'N Cheese made to order. I'm sure that you've been to Katy's.

Enjoy,

Ingrid

(I'm not working Friday, so if you want a lunch companion, let me know.)

milic13 wrote:You should check out Cafe Smilga's

Cafe Smilga's
2819 83rd St, Darien
630-427-0929

This was my go to place for a decent and different meal. This would be my top choice.

I would also second the rec for Dell Rhea's. Nice buffet for lunch and we all enjoy a nice buffet.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

I'm visiting a company in Woodridge on Friday, they suggested the following places for lunch:

- Noodles & Company
- Quedoba
- Chili's
- Max & Erma's
- Lemont Café
- Caraba's (Italian)
- Nonnie's & Home Run Inn (Pizza)
- Charlie's Steak House

From this list, there is a thread on Caraba's only. I saw mentions of Clara's, Blu Coral, UniMart for a Filippino buffet, Rosati's Pizza and 4 Doggie Diners.

I'm meeting these people after lunch, so I can be picky. If I were there guest, I would go with the flow.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Regards,

Yikes! Chains! Run!

The Good...
Rosati's Pizza - They do a good job. This is where I first had the Italian Beef and Gardinara pizza. Nicely done.

The Bad...
Chili's, Home Run Pizza, Nonnie's - Just the standard fare. Nothing special.
Max & Erma's - Just the Greek diner type of fare. Nothing special but nothing really bad.

... and The Ugly...
Qdoba - I tried the one in River Forest and it was bad. Really bad. I would rather go to Chipotle and I do not like that one either.
Take a pass on the Doggie Diners. Less than average.

... and for something a little different...

Islamorada Fish Co (Located in Bass Pro Shops - Outdoor World)
http://www.fishcompany.com/
709 Janes Ave, Bolingbrook
(630) 296-2600

Some good fish dishes and a few alternative meats...

Appetizers - Venison Stuffed Mushrooms, Alligator Strips
Buffalo Burgers

Never been but should be good...

Gordon Biersch Restaurant Group
http://www.gordonbiersch.com/
639 E Boughton Rd, Bolingbrook
(630) 739-6036

I've eaten several times now at Reel Club, the seafood restaurant that opened last year in Oak Brook at the mall, and really enjoyed it each time.

I would agree with Cafe Smilga, Chinese Kitchen, Del Rhea's, and Katy's. All of these would provide an interesting experience.

I also like Islamorada, Clara’s, and Gordon Biersch. Islamorada has a very good Clam Chowder. Clara’s lunch specials are VG and reasonably priced. Gordon Biersch is a microbrewery whose food is better than its beer.

Depending on the size of your group, Café Smilga, Chinese Kitchen, and Katy’s might be small.

D.

Clara's is a good choice if you want Italian in the Woodridge area. They appear to be open for lunch daily. They are a family-owned restaurant (FWIW, operated by "Mama Celeste's" daughter and her family) known for their homemade pastas, and the food is quite good. I suspect you would be in for quite a heavy noontime meal if you were to go there -- not sure if that's what you're looking for before a meeting.

Not surprisingly, the places mentioned by your contact at the company are not places that people on a forum like this would frequent. (Although, that being said, I looked at Lemont Street Cafe's website and it looks kind of promising.)

Max & Erma's - Just the Greek diner type of fare. Nothing special but nothing really bad.

Max & Erma's is a corporate chain in the Chilli's, Applebees, TGIF mode.

http://www.maxandermas.com/

My list of must trys:

Chinese Kitchen - Westmont
Katy's - Westmont
Del Rheas - Willowbrook


Del Rheas is good, I really like their lunch buffet, and chicken and dumplings. The chicken is good(not on the same level as Rip's, or Smitty's, but solid) - Im actually walking over to Del Rheas right now for a few drinks, and maybe some food.

Katy's - their legends is well known

Chinese Kitchen - their legend is growing


Places mentioned I have been to:


Gordon Biersh, I thought the beer was better than the food, but both werent that good.

Clara's, Ive been there a few times, and I am not a fan at all, overpriced and not that good imho

Bl

Naperville, and the Western burbs are chain restaurant hell, there are a few gems to be found, but they are few and far between.

jimswside wrote:
Gordon Biersch, I thought the beer was better than the food, but both werent that good.

Biersch is the epitome of West Coast dining mediocrity. I hadn't realized they made it this far east. I often end up there, if only because it's a brew-pub and Applebee's is not.

milic13 wrote:you should check out cafe smilga's - it's a lithuanian cafe in a strip mall on 83rd street. can't say that there's anything healthy on the menu (dumplings, potato pancakes, etc.), but it's authentic ethnic food where you will hear little english spoken:

Cafe Smilga's
2819 83rd St
Darien, IL 60516
630-427-0929

Probably influenced by Mike G's film on the last days of Healthy Foods and the rarity of a Lithuanian restaurant, this will be my destination tomorrow.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I will report back on this visit to Cafe Smilga's

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote: I will report back on this visit to Cafe Smilga's

really curious to see how you liked this place as it is near my work, and would be a welcome addition as the good lunch options in the area are sparse at best.

jimswside wrote:

Cathy2 wrote: I will report back on this visit to Cafe Smilga's

really curious to see how you liked this place as it is near my work, and would be a welcome addition as the good lunch options in the area are sparse at best.

I met Cathy2 and LAZ for lunch at Cafe Smilga on Friday. It was very enjoyable, but left me in a food coma. Cafe Smilga is not for anyone on Atkin's. Probably the funniest line of the day went something like this - Waitress: "Do you want to order any meat? You have lots of potatoes." We started out by ordering Red Beet Salad which consisted of beets, beans, pickles, carrots, and POTATOES. (I also detected black olives.) The salad was available made with either oil or mayonnaise. Cathy asked the waitress which she preferred and we were told mayo, with a nod that led us to believe, "what else?" Cathy and LAZ decided to have the homemade bread kvass to drink. Kvass is a fermented beverage. I declined and decided to stick with water, but our kind waitress brought me a sample. It wasn't bad, very interesting. Smelled a bit like beer and I thought it tasted like a cross between beer and hard cider.

Ordering, after that point, got even tougher. I had settled on POTATO Sausage. Somehow in my mind I was thinking it was something like Swedish Potato Sausage, but it was a potato mixture studded with bacon (I've seen it called potato bacon pudding) stuffed in a casing, served with a side of sour cream and chopped, cooked bacon in lots of bacon grease. (Oh yeah!!!) Cathy and LAZ had a hard time deciding between POTATO pancakes, Kugelis (grated POTATO cake), Zeppelins (dumplings made from POTATO dough), other dumplings and various pork dishes. I suggested we try the "Kugelis, plain potato pancakes, dumplings with meat" combo platter. It was at this point that the waitress made the POTATO comment, so LAZ tacked on a fried "Meat Pocket." The other items also came with sour cream and more bacon!!!

The beet salad was delicious. Nice texture and great flavor. I was very pleasantly surprised. (Not a big beet person.) The potato sausage was heavenly. Unique texture, not like mashed potatoes, but not just grated potatoes, studded with bacon and held together with bacon grease. The potato pancakes were fair; they appeared to be deep fried; definitely not as good as mom's. The "Kugelis" was similar in texture and flavor to the potato sausage, but sans casing and bacon pieces and it was fried, so the top and bottom were crisp. You definitely could taste the bacon fat. The small dumplings were filled with ground pork. Slather on the sour cream and bacon pieces - a tasty treat. Some caramelized onions would have really taken them over the top. The fried meat pocket looked like very large, thin calzones. Not bad, but nothing special.

After we started eating we realized that we hadn't ordered any Zeppelins, but that will have to keep for another trip. The meal with tax came to about $32.00 and Cathy left with a couple boxes of leftovers. She'll took photos and I'm sure she'll be posted them soon.

Sadie! (goodbye in Lithuanian)

[quote=quote]I would go to Sher E Punjab (in the Meadowbrook strip mall at 63rd and Woodward).

Sher E Punjab
2113 63rd St
Downers Grove, IL 60516
(630) 971-8300