Winston S wrote: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.

Thanks Winston, but what makes it so nice? What's the food like? And how do you get there? Is on the way to the beach?

Hi all,were heading up to Illinois Beach State Park Resort.I did do a search and Captain Porkeys will be a must!I also see in Gurnee theres a resturant Royal Thai.Has anyone been there?If theres any rec"s in the nearby area we should check out please post!Im from the far southwest burbs and have never been up that way!Thanks for your time,Deb

Hi,

Captain Porky's is on the cusp of moving. I would call before you go, because he just as well may be at US-41 and Wadsworth Rd instead his old location at Sheridan and Wadsworth Rd. The Shanty is Captain Porky's son's business, which probably is pretty good. I have not yet been to it.

When you are that far north, I suggest going over the Cheddar Curtain to Woodmen's, Tenuta's for Italian deli or my new love, Well's Brothers in Racine for pizza. I was at Wells on Saturday, I still am thinking about it today. They are closed on Sundays.

I would check threads on Racine and Kenosha, because they are just sooo close to Zion. In Kenosha, there is a street car you can ride around for a quarter (or is it 50 cents?). Frank's Diner and the Coffee Cup are great for breakfast, though the wait at Frank's will be longer. Plus there is a Civil War museum in Kenosha, which I have yet to visit.

I don't know anything about the Thai place mentioned.

Regards,

Hi,

Royal Thai is pretty good considering the other Asian offerings in the area. I would recommend that you skip the pad thai noodles but many of the other dishes are good. Some of my favorites include the the rama noodles, spicy basil entree, and red curry. The last time I was there to pick up some carry out, I saw a waiter serving some thai ice tea. It is on my list to try next time I dine in. Their staff is very nice - I may even ask if they would consider putting a karee beef roti special on the menu. The pictures that TAC Crazy posted looked great.

(this is my first LTH post but I've been enjoying the LTH postings for over a year)

If you're in the mood for BBQ try Big Ed's in North Chicago. It's a family owned and operated place that really knows how to put out excellent smoked BBQ. They have back ribs on the weekends, but we prefer the spare ribs that he has daily. The tips are also outstanding...lean and covered with a great rub. He also has smoked brisket, smoked pulled pork, home made links and really good fried chicken wings. There is also a nice variety of sides and three different cakes for dessert - all home made. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Big Ed takes his Q seriously and based on our experience, puts out a very consistent high quality product.

Big Ed's BBQ
2501 Martin Luther King Jr Dr.
North Chicago, Illinois, 60064
Phone: (847) 578-1901

Moved to Gurnee area from Cook County and I can't find good bbq, thai food, or chinese food. Can anyone help ???

IMO, one of the best BBQ places in the Chicago area is in North Chicago. Check it out.

Big Ed's BBQ
2501 Martin Luther King Junior Drive
North Chicago, IL 60064-2329
(847) 578-1901
www.bigedsllc.com

saluki68 wrote:IMO, one of the best BBQ places in the Chicago area is in North Chicago. Check it out.

Big Ed's BBQ
2501 Martin Luther King Junior Drive
North Chicago, IL 60064-2329
(847) 578-1901
http://www.bigedsllc.com

Funny, look who said the same thing, two posts above yours.

Two co-workers were talking at work about Epic Deli in McHenry. They had high praise for a sandwich called the Gilly. Seeing as Mrs Willie is at a two day seminar this weekend and I hadn't been up McHenry way in quite awhile, I made it my lunch destination for today.

Upon entering the restaurant I noticed to-go containers everywhere, clearly it is norm to take home some of the massive sandwiches put together here. The other item to notice is the huge chalk menu board, must be 20+ sandwiches listed.

I ordered two sandwiches:

The Gilly - Italian beef, chopped italian sausage, bacon, hot giardinera, gyro meat, tzatsiki sauce, and mozzarella served on a toasted sub roll

Reuben - as I am a sucker for house made corned beef and almost feel obligated to order the corned beef at any place that cooks off their own, dying art sort of thing.

I'm guessing the Gilly must have been off, I really didn't get any chopped Italian sausage that I could detect and the gyro meat was laid on top of the sandwich. It was good but when I want a sandwich with different meats in it, I think I stick with the Jim Shoe.

The corned beef was quite delicious, not on par with the great Jewish delis but certainly a step up from the normal corned beef served most places. I wouldn't go out of my way for this sandwich but if in the area, I'd definitely stop by again.

Yes I did end up using a to-go container, it was a lot of food.

Epic Deli
2616 Schaid Ct.
McHenry, IL 60050
http://epicdeli.com/