PSA: Johnnie's Elmwood closed until 2/13. May I recommend a vintage Alpine sub or lacy-edged griddle burger at Burger Boss instead while you wait?

the last couple months have found me in Elmwood Park a few times a week meeting with an associate.

My last few beefs/combos I had before Johnnie's went on vacation, and the couple I had since they had been back, had me reconsidering Johnnie's place in the IB/combo landscape/hierarchy. Saturday's combo I had at around 7:30 p.m. was as good as it gets. Fresh beef that was spied being slid into the gravy right before I ordered, spicy Italian sausage, nice hot peppers. Timing is everything.

Inconsistency has been on the menu in Arlington Heights ever since it opened and wonder if ever since the 2 stores came about adds to it at both. I was a long time Elmwood Park customer, before AH, so have some history. The worst in AH is the sausage which too often approaches a fossilized state. Ridiculously small beef portion sizes also continue here. Still there are those times which make it worth the risk.

Haven't really had any of the consistency issues that T Comp mentions above at the AH location, thankfully. Today at lunch I learned that you can get a double sausage at Johnnie's (like a combo, but if you replace the Italian beef with another Italian sausage). Today was a good day.

T Comp wrote:The worst in AH is the sausage which too often approaches a fossilized state.

That's too bad T Comp.

Over the years, I too have had a coupla hockey pucks at the AH location - especially since, when on, Johnnie's charcoal grilled sausage with sweet/dipped is the best thing at either location. What I've come to doing at this point in AH is to ask how long ago they've grilled the links. Otherwise, you're taking a big gamble at that location. They'll almost never have this problem in Elmwood Park as routine sausage turnover is a given.

PIGMON wrote:

T Comp wrote:The worst in AH is the sausage which too often approaches a fossilized state.

What I've come to doing at this point in AH is to ask how long ago they've grilled the links. Otherwise, you're taking a big gamble at that location. They'll almost never have this problem in Elmwood Park as routine sausage turnover is a given.

That's a helpful suggestion PIGMON. I need to remember, you can use your mouth for more than just eating and drinking .

Comments about the AH location are spot on, and reflect my experiences as well. If you want edible sausage, you must get there before about 7-8 pm. If you smell them cooking when you walk in the door, you're good to go. If all you smell upon entering is the antiseptic smell of floor cleaning fluid, forget it. They start cleaning the floors a good hour before closing so that they can leave early, customers be damned. You sometimes have to excuse yourself for getting in the way of the floor cleaning while you order your food, and the workers are horsing around with each other- gee, what's wrong with that scenario? The sausages at that point have been sitting so long that they're terrible and nowhere near fresh or edible.

sandman wrote:Comments about the AH location are spot on, and reflect my experiences as well. If you want edible sausage, you must get there before about 7-8 pm. If you smell them cooking when you walk in the door, you're good to go.

To be fair, I always go during lunch; so that's probably why I've never had any issues.

fropones wrote:

sandman wrote:Comments about the AH location are spot on, and reflect my experiences as well. If you want edible sausage, you must get there before about 7-8 pm. If you smell them cooking when you walk in the door, you're good to go.

To be fair, I always go during lunch; so that's probably why I've never had any issues.

I only go there for lunch too, and usually have no issues, but a few visits ago I had a sausage that tasted as if it (or perhaps the green peppers) had met some lighter fluid - pretty bad really. Otherwise, my experiences at the AH location have been very positive, if not perhaps quite at the level of the Elmwood Park location.

BR wrote:

fropones wrote:

sandman wrote:Comments about the AH location are spot on, and reflect my experiences as well. If you want edible sausage, you must get there before about 7-8 pm. If you smell them cooking when you walk in the door, you're good to go.

To be fair, I always go during lunch; so that's probably why I've never had any issues.

I only go there for lunch too, and usually have no issues, but a few visits ago I had a sausage that tasted as if it (or perhaps the green peppers) had met some lighter fluid - pretty bad really. Otherwise, my experiences at the AH location have been very positive, if not perhaps quite at the level of the Elmwood Park location.

This has happened to me with unsettling frequency at the EP location. Unfortunately so much so that I will not order the sausage anymore. Shame because when it's good it's really good but it's just not worth the risk.

PSA the Elmwood Park Johnnie's is closed until 2/15/2016 for their annual vacation.

-edited to add EP