Has anybody mentioned the place on the corner of North & Elston? I believe it was the Wagon Wheel or something similar. Any pics?

There was also a 50's-style diner at Woodfield that closed in the early 90's. It was in the spot where PF Chang's is (and California Cafe was), but I can't remember the name.

stevez wrote:

BR wrote:Golden Bear - I remember loving the fried chicken at the location at Lake Cook just west of Waukegan.

+1 on the chicken and an honorable mention for their pancakes, a delightful end to more than a few substance induced late-night snack attacks.

It's a honey of a place ... where food is fun.

If you want to try a Pondarosa these days, go to the locally owned one in Slinger, Wisconsin. They buy local vegetables in season, and do special things for holidays. For Valentines they have on the buffet prime rib, crab, and some "special" desserts according to an email.

Boo on the Chicken Unlimited hate. My first job was as head fry cook for one (that turned into a Brown's). To go from a huge chain to three places (key west, Miami, and another Florida location) in just a few years was astounding.

JoelF wrote:Amendment: Chi-Chi's sucked, I had confused it with El Torito, which we enjoyed.

my brother worked in the kitchen at Chi-Chi's as a teenager in the mid-80s.

Never wanted to eat there again after knowing what went on. (aside from knowing my brother was allowed to cook food for the public in the first place)

tem wrote:

JoelF wrote:Amendment: Chi-Chi's sucked, I had confused it with El Torito, which we enjoyed.

my brother worked in the kitchen at Chi-Chi's as a teenager in the mid-80s.

Never wanted to eat there again after knowing what went on. (aside from knowing my brother was allowed to cook food for the public in the first place)

If I can accept the fact that I accidentally ate dozens of ants about a month ago, I'm pretty sure you can't destroy memories of the fried ice cream and nachos I enjoyed at Chi-CHi's (probably when your brother worked there).

My husband thinks I'm a dirty rotten liar, but I swear this is true.
Does anyone remember a tiny, romantic restaurant at about 6124 N. Northwest Highway? I can't remember the name, but they had a live musician sitting on the window dias on weekends, and they had mood lighting, very few seats and a small menu. It was a really fantastic place and I had one of my first dates there. I will have to look back in my diaries to see if I have the name written there. I was really sad when it closed, because it was unlike anyplace I've ever been.

Waukegan in the '80's:

We lived there nearly four years, from '83 to '87.

Our first night there, after finding our apartment before we went back to Chicago for the evening, we ate at Louie's, on North Street, which is still there. I had "Special Rigatoni" in a cream sauce, very filling. Probably the best place we ate regularly while there.

The place I can't remember the name of was a Chicago-style hot dog place on Grand between McAree and Lewis. I went there a lot. In the last year we were in Waukegan they suddenly moved, I remember to Delany road off 41 Northwest of town, apparently to be a lunch place for the factory across the street. The one time I went to visit there, at lunch time, they were doing a huge business and I had a long wait. They must have closed or become something else because a google search of the area doesn't bring up any familiar name.

I miss La Campanina on Grand Ave in Elmwood Park. Pasta was served to you in huge skillets brought to the table with enough for at least one more meal. Mike Royko wrote a column about the place but never mentioned by name for fear of yuppies overtaking it and he wouldn't be able to get a table.

Does anyone over the age of 50 from the NW Suburbs remember a place called the Smokehouse in/near Linconlshire/Long Grove/Vernon Hills? I think it was on Route 83. My dad brought me there a few times back in the 80's and I remember it being a nice deli that made phenomenal sandwiches. It looked like a big white farmhouse if I remember correctly.

Memory just popped into my head for some reason so figured I'd ask.

rdstoll wrote:Does anyone over the age of 50 from the NW Suburbs remember a place called the Smokehouse in/near Linconlshire/Long Grove/Vernon Hills? I think it was on Route 83. My dad brought me there a few times back in the 80's and I remember it being a nice deli that made phenomenal sandwiches. It looked like a big white farmhouse if I remember correctly.

Memory just popped into my head for some reason so figured I'd ask.

Yup. It was on 83, between 60 and Lake-Cook roads. Was always busy for breakfast on the weekends. After driving by multiple times my wife and I stopped in once to see what the crowds were about. Had a weird Grandmas house feel and everything was really dusty. I was kind of grossed out by it so we left. Looks like I may have missed something based on your memory! There is some steakhouse there now. Newish building, never have eaten there either

Does anyone remember an upscale French or Italian restaurant in Northbrook Court that I think was housed in the ORIGINAL Claim Company space, and in which I ate in late 2000?
They were a branch of a restaurant that was on one of the side streets off the Mag Mile for years and highly popular, but can't recall the name.
One of the best meals and service ever! Glad I was there once!
(It wasn't The Palm, tho).

Well, Rosebud is now in the original Claim Company space on Rush St, IIRC. Don't remember a Rosebud in Northbrook Court, but I try to avoid malls whenever possible.

Does anyone remember a place in Skokie, roughly off of Crawford, on Main, Oakton, or Howard that had sort of a supper-club vibe to it?

Royal Lichter wrote:Does anyone remember a place in Skokie, roughly off of Crawford, on Main, Oakton, or Howard that had sort of a supper-club vibe to it?

There was the Mark III on Dempster near McCormick and Elliott's Pine Log Inn on Lincoln and Howard ("Hey Dad, how far is the old pine log in?").

Mark III sounds about right. Thanks. Just want to file that away in the back of my mind for posterity.

markypoo wrote:Does anyone remember an upscale French or Italian restaurant in Northbrook Court that I think was housed in the ORIGINAL Claim Company space, and in which I ate in late 2000?
They were a branch of a restaurant that was on one of the side streets off the Mag Mile for years and highly popular, but can't recall the name.
One of the best meals and service ever! Glad I was there once!
(It wasn't The Palm, tho).

Bice?

=R=

YES! Thank you so much!

markypoo wrote:Does anyone remember an upscale French or Italian restaurant in Northbrook Court that I think was housed in the ORIGINAL Claim Company space, and in which I ate in late 2000?
They were a branch of a restaurant that was on one of the side streets off the Mag Mile for years and highly popular, but can't recall the name.
One of the best meals and service ever! Glad I was there once!
(It wasn't The Palm, tho).

It may have been Bice - which was a pale imitation of the parent restaurant. As I recollect, it didn't last very long, perhaps as few as two years.

But before Bice was in that spot, there was Pomodoro, which was actually a destination for us for the few years it survived (late 90's to early 2000's, as I recall). The shrimp and seafood were really good, prices were very fair for Northbrook Court, and the artichoke appetizer with choron sauce was a family favorite.

A few more-

Gold Star Sardine Bar in the Furniture Mart building
The Emerald Isle on Pearson
N. N. Smokehouse on Irving Park
Dancing Noodles on Central and on Chicago Ave. in Evanston
The Ratskeller by NU Streeterville campus
Spudnuts (donuts) on the Southside, not sure of the street
Gino's Steak House in Harvey

There are a couple of Gino's steakhouses in NWI--Dyer and Merrillvile are the locations I've seen. Not sure if there are others or if they're related to the one in Harvey. But ALOT of folks moved to NWI from the south side so it wouldn't surprise me.

Hi All, I love this thread as I came to Chicago in the 80s and remember a few of these. Question for you: Before 3170 N Sheridan (at Belmont) was converted to condos in the mid-90s, it was a hotel with a fine dining restaurant, do any of you know the name of the hotel or the restaurant that was there circa 1986? Here's some info on the building [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-01-13/business/0201130274_1_13th-floor-ceilings-parking-garage]

Thanks in advance for any clues you can share!

The Belmont was already doing short-term apartment leases in 86-87, because I live there for 3 months in 1987. I don't recall a restaurant in the lobby. Maybe you're thinking of the Belden Stratford Hotel and Ambria? That's where we'd have gone for fine dining on the park about then.

There was a restaurant in a large room just south of the lobby. As I vaguely recall, it went through several incarnations. I believe the last one was called Tango.

Tango closed in the mid-to-late 80's. Kennessy's Hungaran restaurant was also in the Belmont.

nr706 wrote:There was a restaurant in a large room just south of the lobby. As I vaguely recall, it went through several incarnations. I believe the last one was called Tango.

yes, i can confirm Tango. it was an elegant room with lots of white, and i remember it specialized in seafood. george badonsky owned it. here's a link with more info and pics (it's not as gorgeous as i remembered it!)
http://dimbeautyofchicago.blogspot.com/ ... icago.html

justjoan wrote:

nr706 wrote:There was a restaurant in a large room just south of the lobby. As I vaguely recall, it went through several incarnations. I believe the last one was called Tango.

yes, i can confirm Tango. it was an elegant room with lots of white, and i remember it specialized in seafood. george badonsky owned it. here's a link with more info and pics (it's not as gorgeous as i remembered it!)
http://dimbeautyofchicago.blogspot.com/ ... icago.html

And before Tango, I believe that there was another fine dining establishment called Jerome.

I ate there once, and a seafood mousse appetizer was a special treat. I requested, and later received, the recipe.

Wow, you guys are great, thank you!! It was Tango I was thinking of, the minute you said it, I knew it. This helps me out a lot. Thanks!!!

And in 1987 the French chef Guy Petit, who for a while had cooked at Cricket's, with the help of some partners totally remodeled and redecorated the space formerly occupied by Tango and called the new French-Asian-Eclectic restaurant Saint Tropez. I do not think that it lasted more than a year. But it was at the time one of the few places in town where you could eat some decent rabbit.

My favorite was the Stock Yard Inn,I learned the standard for good steaks. Also the Hickory Pit barbq on 23rd at Halstead.Steins in Lyons,El Bianco on 63rd and Toscano,s on Oakley. The best linguini and mushrooms I ever had!