Long John Silver's in Lincolnwood

Quote is from Friday Night Fish Fry thread.

John Danza wrote:My wife and I concluded that we would have had better fish at Long John Silver's.

Having recently eaten at the newly reopened Lincolnwood Long John Sliver's I'd venture to say it would be easy to do a hell of a lot worse than LJS. I had a two piece cod with an additional "plank", difference being plank is pollock. Preferred cod, but both were surprisingly tasty for fast food fish and neither were overcooked nor was the batter overly salty.

I was greeted at LJS with friendly efficient enthusiasm, place was spotless, dining room spartan but comfortable and was thanked for coming when I walked out the door.


If we are talking fast food fish, I give the nod to Culver's, in particular seasonal Walleye, but I've had worse for more money many a time.

Just to show I have not lost my mind, palate or am experiencing early onset senility here is a YouTube video from Mind of a Chef of April Bloomfield making fish and chips. The thrice cooked potatoes look insanely delicious and the squiggle of batter when the fish is almost done is pure genius. ---> Link I plan on doing this exact prep very soon.

Long John Sliver's
3901 W Touhy Ave
Lincolnwood, IL 60712

Glad to hear it. I have, several times in the past gone into an LJS expecting good, and left really disappointed, and a couple of times grossed out. (Perhaps I have memories of Arthur Treacher's being good that steered me that way?)

It's not that fast food chains can't do fried fish: Culver's does a decent job, especially when walleye is available.

I love me some LJS, and I also like the look on people's faces when they realize that I call it LJS. They have fish tacos that will mysteriously appear on the menu from time to time, and the hushpuppies are always great. I also have a thing for restaurants in former LJS buildings and locations.

JoelF wrote:Glad to hear it. I have, several times in the past gone into an LJS expecting good, and left really disappointed, and a couple of times grossed out. (Perhaps I have memories of Arthur Treacher's being good that steered me that way?)

It's not that fast food chains can't do fried fish: Culver's does a decent job, especially when walleye is available.

Joel, are we talking about the same Arthur Treacher's, in Skokie on Dempster east of Crawford, possibly where Hub's now sits?

I remember frequenting that place around 1973-1974, having never seen fast food fish before. And malt vinegar as a condiment? It was a nice change, seeing that during that time I was existing on Super tacos from Jack-in-the-Box or shawarma sandwiches from Mediterranean House, the precursor to Pita Inn.

jnm123 wrote:Joel, are we talking about the same Arthur Treacher's, in Skokie on Dempster east of Crawford, possibly where Hub's now sits?

No, I don't think I ever dined there. The last Treacher's I remember was at Greenwood just south of Dempster in Park Ridge where it meets Niles.

JoelF wrote:The last Treacher's I remember was at Greenwood just south of Dempster in Park Ridge where it meets Niles.

Reminiscences and photo here.

Well, thanks, nsxtasy; I am glad to learn that there are still Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips shops out there! My enthusiasm for a road trip through or to Ohio (my advice: bring a book; I think that should be the state motto) has just gone up.

My mom had a soft spot for Arthur Treacher's, and we lived in Highland Park, so I think that back in the 60's and 70's there must have been one closer to there than Niles, but I can't remember where.

I'm neutral on Long John Silver's. There's one here in Mundelein, attached to a Taco Bell. A previous resident of this house liked to get food from LJS, and I thought it was okay, but I couldn't help noticing how very thick the breading was and how very small the fish or shrimp pieces inside the breading were. Best eaten hot, I think, and best to get large fish pieces so you get a high fish-to-breading ratio. I've not yet tried a comparison with Culver's; we have one of those nearby too. The dog did sure like the crumbs from the LJS fried fish, I remember that.

I too was an occasional visitor to the Niles Arthur Treacher's location. It was quite the adventure, for a couple of reasons. First off, there was the exotic departure from the usual suspects like McDonald's, BK, Jack In The Box, etc. I mean, come on, Fish & Chips? Very European for a high school kid with keys to the Chevy Impala.

Secondly, there was the location. For a boy from Morton Grove, anything west of Milwaukee Avenue was The Wilderness. There were rumors you would fall off the edge of the Earth if you drove further than the McDonald's at Milwaukee and Oakton. Walk to the western edge of Golf Mill Mall parking lot and stare down into the abyss.

IIRC, the Chips were unique in their shape and consistency. I'm guessing mashed potatoes were squirted out of a tube to create the eight pointed star shape. Nobody knew about fresh cut Fries back then, so deep fried, artificially shaped mashed potatoes weren't an abomination. Plus, they were pretty good. All those ridges made for some nice texture and flavor.

Tyrgyzistan, FWIW, I know of two restaurants located in old LJS buildings. The first is a very nice Thai joint called Tuptim, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I've been there several times and enjoyed the food quite a bit. The outside is the only indication of its origin. The inside has nothing to do with LJS or any other fast food restaurant's design.

The second one is just a few blocks from my home in Des Plaines. Charcoal Delights is on Oakton, just west of Lee/Mannheim Rd. Given a choice, based on quality and general desirability, I'd sooner drive for Thai food in Ann Arbor than the Hot Dogs and Sysco crinkle cuts two minutes away.

Buddy

Tuptim Thai Cuisine
4896 Washtenaw Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
(734) 528-5588
http://www.tuptim.com/default.aspx

Charcoal Delights
1090 E. Oakton Street
Des Plaines, IL 60018
(847) 803-2777
http://www.charcoaldelights.com/