Dining options between Mettawa and O'Hare and Park Ridge

Hi all,

I've been enjoying reading the posts here very much, so thought I would jump into the fray with my first missive -- and a challlenge. To my mind, what I have going on is a logistical nightmare, but the smart folks here surely have some good suggestions.

I have friends flying in for an overnight trip soon from North Carolina; their hotel is in Mettawa because that is close to where my friend's husband's meetings are. We live in Park Ridge, very close to O'Hare. Their flight arrives at 6:45 p.m., on a Wednesday night, and if all goes well, I figure we can be at a restaurant by 8 p.m. (They have to pick up a rental car.)

Where should we go? I was thinking of Cafe Touche in Edison Park, because I don't know the area on the other side of O'Hare very well. I wanted to avoid all the restaurants in hotels in Rosemont -- is there anything there that doesn't smack of corporate dining and expense accounts? What I am trying to avoid is making it difficult for them to pick up 294 N to head up to Mettawa after dinner. Should we maybe meet in some locale like Schiller Park? (I know zilch about that area except for what I read in the papers lately.)

This is the first time one of my friends has ever been to Chicago, so I'd like some place nice, not a chain. She and her husband enjoy good food, as do my husband and I, that's well-prepared and not outrageously priced.

Help, oh dear LTHers! I promise to write back with a report on how we fare.

Thanks so much for any and all suggestions.

Sharon Bond

Perhaps they can zip up River Rd to http://www.cuzzinscafe.com/ is Des Plaines. From there, they can continue up River to Golf. Hang a right on Golf to get to 294 north. Make sure they rent an I-pass or have a handful of change for the Golf Rd toll booth.

If you don't mind going a little bit further out of your way, you could go to either Pete Miller's, or Cooper's Hawk, both in Wheeling. Pete Miller's is a local steakhouse which also does a fine job with seafood. Cooper's Hawk has a winery in Orland Park and this is one of their four restaurants; the food is very good American fare, and the wines are excellent and reasonably priced (and you can try them for free in the tasting room before sitting down to dinner). They can get to dinner from O'Hare via I-294 north to Willow Road to Milwaukee Avenue (IL 21) northbound. Afterwards, they can either continue north on Milwaukee Avenue (IL 21) all the way to Mettawa, or they can cut east on Lake-Cook Road to get back to I-294 north.

nsxtasy wrote:If you don't mind going a little bit further out of your way, you could go to either Pete Miller's, or Cooper's Hawk, both in Wheeling. Pete Miller's is a local steakhouse which also does a fine job with seafood. Cooper's Hawk has a winery in Orland Park and this is one of their four restaurants; the food is very good American fare, and the wines are excellent and reasonably priced (and you can try them for free in the tasting room before sitting down to dinner). They can get to dinner from O'Hare via I-294 north to Willow Road to Milwaukee Avenue (IL 21) northbound. Afterwards, they can either continue north on Milwaukee Avenue (IL 21) all the way to Mettawa, or they can cut east on Lake-Cook Road to get back to I-294 north.

That's a great idea! I don't mind driving out that way. I want to make it as easy as possible for my friends, as they won't be familiar with the area. Thanks for the idea -- now my world has expanded.

Dave148 wrote:Perhaps they can zip up River Rd to http://www.cuzzinscafe.com/ is Des Plaines. From there, they can continue up River to Golf. Hang a right on Golf to get to 294 north. Make sure they rent an I-pass or have a handful of change for the Golf Rd toll booth.

What is the ambiance like there? I see they have several of my favorite comfort food dishes on offer. Thanks for the suggestion!

sdbond wrote:

Dave148 wrote:Perhaps they can zip up River Rd to http://www.cuzzinscafe.com/ is Des Plaines. From there, they can continue up River to Golf. Hang a right on Golf to get to 294 north. Make sure they rent an I-pass or have a handful of change for the Golf Rd toll booth.

What is the ambiance like there? I see they have several of my favorite comfort food dishes on offer. Thanks for the suggestion!

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=27412&hilit=cuzzins

nsxtasy wrote:If you don't mind going a little bit further out of your way, you could go to either Pete Miller's, or Cooper's Hawk, both in Wheeling. Pete Miller's is a local steakhouse which also does a fine job with seafood. Cooper's Hawk has a winery in Orland Park and this is one of their four restaurants; the food is very good American fare, and the wines are excellent and reasonably priced (and you can try them for free in the tasting room before sitting down to dinner). They can get to dinner from O'Hare via I-294 north to Willow Road to Milwaukee Avenue (IL 21) northbound. Afterwards, they can either continue north on Milwaukee Avenue (IL 21) all the way to Mettawa, or they can cut east on Lake-Cook Road to get back to I-294 north.

If you choose either of these restaurants, they will save time using Lake Cook on the way to the restaurant and back to their hotel.

I think you all are being wildly optimistic about "zipping" anywhere tomorrow, given the dire forecast and look of the NWS radar; given the storm's trajectory, they will be flying (or not) right though the teeth of it. It will be a wonder of nature and the airline industry if your friends even make it in tomorrow, given the sheer volume of flight cancellations today. Fingers crossed. . .

sundevilpeg wrote:I think you all are being wildly optimistic about "zipping" anywhere tomorrow, given the dire forecast and look of the NWS radar; given the storm's trajectory, they will be flying (or not) right though the teeth of it. It will be a wonder of nature and the airline industry if your friends even make it in tomorrow, given the sheer volume of flight cancellations today. Fingers crossed. . .

You are quite correct; their trip has been postponed until next week. So we will just regroup for the 9th.

sdbond wrote:Hi all,

I've been enjoying reading the posts here very much, so thought I would jump into the fray with my first missive -- and a challlenge. To my mind, what I have going on is a logistical nightmare, but the smart folks here surely have some good suggestions.

I have friends flying in for an overnight trip soon from North Carolina; their hotel is in Mettawa because that is close to where my friend's husband's meetings are. We live in Park Ridge, very close to O'Hare. Their flight arrives at 6:45 p.m., on a Wednesday night, and if all goes well, I figure we can be at a restaurant by 8 p.m. (They have to pick up a rental car.)

Where should we go? I was thinking of Cafe Touche in Edison Park, because I don't know the area on the other side of O'Hare very well. I wanted to avoid all the restaurants in hotels in Rosemont -- is there anything there that doesn't smack of corporate dining and expense accounts? What I am trying to avoid is making it difficult for them to pick up 294 N to head up to Mettawa after dinner. Should we maybe meet in some locale like Schiller Park? (I know zilch about that area except for what I read in the papers lately.)

This is the first time one of my friends has ever been to Chicago, so I'd like some place nice, not a chain. She and her husband enjoy good food, as do my husband and I, that's well-prepared and not outrageously priced.

Help, oh dear LTHers! I promise to write back with a report on how we fare.

Thanks so much for any and all suggestions.

Sharon Bond

Responding to my own post; my friends' plans got all bollixed up thanks to the blizzard. So, haven't ventured out to eat at any of the suggested places yet. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Hopefully they will get to come to Chicago when the weather's a bit better!

nsxtasy wrote:If you don't mind going a little bit further out of your way, you could go to either Pete Miller's, or Cooper's Hawk, both in Wheeling. Pete Miller's is a local steakhouse which also does a fine job with seafood. Cooper's Hawk has a winery in Orland Park and this is one of their four restaurants; the food is very good American fare, and the wines are excellent and reasonably priced (and you can try them for free in the tasting room before sitting down to dinner). They can get to dinner from O'Hare via I-294 north to Willow Road to Milwaukee Avenue (IL 21) northbound. Afterwards, they can either continue north on Milwaukee Avenue (IL 21) all the way to Mettawa, or they can cut east on Lake-Cook Road to get back to I-294 north.

There's a whole boatload of restaurants along Wheeling's Milwaukee Avenue "Restaurant Row",
including Bob Chinn's Crabhouse, Don Roth's, Hackney's, Superdawg, Tuscany, Osteria Di Tramonto, Buca Di Beppo, ...etc.

To get from Milwaukee Avenue to the Mettawa Hotels on Riverwoods Pkwy, just go east to either Portwine or Riverwoods and go north to 60. No need to get back on the tollway.