ndgbucktown wrote:According to a sign in THEIR window, Two Brothers Social Tap has closed, which in my mind formalizes the former Marion Street (Cheese) Market space as an official LTH Location of the Damned where sustainable restaurants can never be. The sign cites "recent changes related to state regulation of licensing for Craft Brewers and Brewpubs" (sic) as the cause, but to all appearances, they were far from thriving. A couple of intensely blah experiences when they opened gave me no reason to return.

Some background on the cited legislation here.

https://www.oakparkeats.com/food-news/t ... -oak-park/

It’s getting hard to keep track nowadays!

By the end of the year

One Lake Brewing
Lake and Austin

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/o ... story.html

Annexing Maywood.

Happened to be driving down 5th and noticed...


Versatile Soul Food Cafe
9 N 5th Ave, Maywood (ignore the google listing of 906).

Egg rolls, Lasagna, Tacos and Tamales, Jerk Chicken and Tacos and last but not the least Soul Food.

Certainly Versatile!

Gonna have to drop in a give it a try. I have fond memories of a Cajun place that used to be in the same block.

Annexing Forest Park.

Driving down Madison and noticed...

Thai Time Restaurant
7634 Madison St, Forest Park

I thought I never saw it before and a little research revealed it used to be Chang Thai. I believe I even ate a meal there once.

Anyone got any intel? I know any Thai place on Madison is eclipsed by the nearby Yum.

Panther in the Den wrote:Annexing Forest Park.

Driving down Madison and noticed...

Thai Time Restaurant
7634 Madison St, Forest Park

I thought I never saw it before and a little research revealed it used to be Chang Thai. I believe I even ate a meal there once.

Anyone got any intel? I know any Thai place on Madison is eclipsed by the nearby Yum.

Any place eclipsed by Yum Thai's got to be really awful

Vital Information wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Annexing Forest Park.

Driving down Madison and noticed...

Thai Time Restaurant
7634 Madison St, Forest Park

I thought I never saw it before and a little research revealed it used to be Chang Thai. I believe I even ate a meal there once.

Anyone got any intel? I know any Thai place on Madison is eclipsed by the nearby Yum.

Any place eclipsed by Yum Thai's got to be really awful

I tried pretty hard doing a cell phone search and Yum was the only place to come up .

I think Yum was also featured in an Oak Park Boy’s outing?

What is your favorite area Thai?

bobbywal wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:
MORA Asian Fusion
210 Harrison St, Oak Park

Soft opening weeks ago, #openingsoon hashtag in every post showing delicious food.

I finally had to tell them to stop teasing and just open. They replied...

Maybe another month.

???

Shit or get off the pot!

Was driving back from Pilsen late yesterday evening and it looked like some action happening at Mora. A few people sitting around the bar. Some employees dressed in uniform. Maybe still working out kinks? Either way the placed looked open, but on reflection could've been just ironing out aspects of operation. It is a great-looking spot though.

Mora Asian Kitchen has opened its third location, following restaurants in Bolingbrook and Plainfield. The Pan Asian restaurant features Korean, Chinese, and sushi. 201 Harrison Street, Oak Park.

https://chicago.eater.com/2018/9/28/179 ... -fall-2018

Panther in the Den wrote:
MORA Asian Fusion
210 Harrison St, Oak Park

Soft opening weeks ago, #openingsoon hashtag in every post showing delicious food.

Anyone been yet? Thinking about visiting tonight.

I have been there. I thought the wings (spicy) were great. Also, had some sushi rolls which were good. The green bean could have been amazing if they were not under cooked. The pork belly was over cooked and dry. Over all a mixed experience but sometimes it takes a while for everything to click. Overall, I'd say get the wings.

dradeli wrote:I have been there. I thought the wings (spicy) were great. Also, had some sushi rolls which were good. The green bean could have been amazing if they were not under cooked. The pork belly was over cooked and dry. Over all a mixed experience but sometimes it takes a while for everything to click. Overall, I'd say get the wings.

You're not selling me here, pal.

teatpuller wrote:

dradeli wrote:I have been there. I thought the wings (spicy) were great. Also, had some sushi rolls which were good. The green bean could have been amazing if they were not under cooked. The pork belly was over cooked and dry. Over all a mixed experience but sometimes it takes a while for everything to click. Overall, I'd say get the wings.

You're not selling me here, pal.

Some good news here...

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=44651

Well, it's hardly Citrine or anything evolving, but it is Oak Park . It's the new Oak Park Market on North where other Oak Park markets have been. I think you should try.

Let me digress first. When Pete's opened, I was nonplussed. Yet over time, I've grown to love the place. The produce prices/selections are about on par with Caputo's (and thus way superior to Jewel); the deli is very good and the hot bar, well, swoon. That's all to say that the new Oak Park is no Pete's.

But man are they trying. It's a small footprint store, so they only got so much to work with. Still, if you read the input that was about the store on a local Facebook page, you would know they are trying damn hard to cram as much into that tiny place. And meet some near impossible demands.* Someone said vegan, and they got that; organic, and they're trying for a bit of that; there's remnants of both the soul and hispanic sides to what was once there; it's a glorious mish-mash. From a few discussions with Angelo, the owner, I also know the approach now is to throw it all out there and see what sticks.

Like I say, it's no Pete's, but I'm giving them an A for effort. I want them to succeed. I'd like for you to try.

here's their facebook page, they're pretty active on it: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category ... 549414855/

6209 North Ave
Oak Park
(708) 613-4223

*The wish list was damn hilarious, it was like, "I want it to be grass-fed, from local farmers, but gender inclusive, with prices affordable for the Austin area, ok?"

I believe you linked to the wrong Oak Park Market Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/OakParkMarket/

I went once and am not a fan. They didn't have half of what I was looking for. No ground turkey, no half gallons of skim milk - there was a different milk in its space, and no-go for my typical cereal, as they had maybe a dozen varieties total.

Maybe I'm asking for too much, but since Pete's is the same distance from me, I don't feel any need to return.

As is our tradition, actually two traditions...

1) Sitting on the front porch for the full 4 hours on Halloween passing out candy...

2) Heading out afterwards for a hot bowl of soup to chase the chill away.

Our destination this evening was...

Saigon Pho & Cafe
726 Lake St, Oak ParK

... and they have been getting better with every visit.

The featured soup of the evening was...

Fried Chicken Egg Noodle Soup
Egg noodles in chicken broth with selection of fried chicken, baby bok choy, green onion, chives, napa and cilantro.

Who would of thunk it. Fried chicken, soup? I even asked the friendly busboy how do people do the chicken? Eat it separately, chunk it off the bone and into the soup?

He said people do it both ways.

So I sat there, chunking it off the bone, cutting up the large vegetables in the soup, tearing apart the basil leaves, chopping the jalapeños...


There was actually so much noodles and vegetables in the bowl I had to eat some before adding the extras.

What a great bowl of soup! The bits of fried chicken, skin and grease added a savoriness that isn’t the norm but worked great.

My Bride, The rebel that she is, opted for a chicken Bánh mì which she proclaimed the best she’s had yet.


Both with the soup and sandwich the freshness of the vegetables pushed it over the top.

We had started with the vegetable spring rolls and our favorite ginger tea.

Everything was great!

Panther in the Den wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Some more annexing and probably another nothing (especially since she opened a gaming parlor just to the west...

"Opening Soon!" "Now hiring!" Looks ready to go.

Rachel's Cafe and Deli
7001 Roosevelt Rd, Berwyn

IMG_1698.JPG

Maybe we will be surprised!

Driving by today I noticed the cases (deli and beverage) were filled.

Is the opening imminent?

Saw lights and tv’s on and knocked on the door.

Couple of days the gent said...

Earlier this afternoon I was about to walk in to Culver's across the street for a fish sandwich. This place caught my eye and I decided to give it a try. I had a 6" Italian sub. Decent ingredients served on D'amato's bread. Light on the dressing as requested. I was the only customer in the place. They had nice looking bakery style pizza ready to be reheated. I'll stop back when I'm in the area.

7441 W Madison St
Unit 2, Forest Park


Not too soon...

From another thread...

The Grill Stop

Panther in the Den wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:

bobbywal wrote:
Grill Stop
6623 Roosevelt Rd, Berwyn

In...

Berwyn Towne Sq
6623 Roosevelt Rd, Berwyn

I didn’t even know the...

SUBWAY® Restaurant
Permanently Closed
6623 Roosevelt Rd, A, Berwyn

... had closed!

Must be recent?

The attachment F6D5251A-6A5C-4755-9A25-8FAFA558F711.jpeg is no longer available

Menu

http://grillstoponline.com/GrillStop.pdf

Stopped by today to give the new (3 months) kid on the block a try.


Par with the other area hot dog stands (Mickey’s, Micheal’s,).

2 grilled (could of used more crust) patties and a glop of hotdog fixins on top. Not over cooked but missed medium rare as asked. Juicy!

Bun not up to double duty but would be fine on a single.


Both chicken and beef. Regular toppings. Big, double sandwich!

There is a tradition to give a squirt of water and cover to steam and there was a little too much left. Maybe cook longer but more likely a higher heat.

Sounded like it was prepared the traditional way with a pair of spatulas on the grill.


A big order and a generous pour of toppings. Not just on top but layered.

Supposed to be Nacho but no heat or flavor other than canned cheese.

Skin on fries, single cooked. Will ask for well done next time.

With bread and butter

Big chunks of chicken, not much Chipotle flavor or heat. Broth was fine and hearty.

While I was the only one when I arrived it fill up to capacity by the time I left at mid afternoon.

They still have the Subway toppings counter in place so I might hope you can have your sandwich your way.

Vienna hotdog, Kronos gyros.

A good addition to the neighborhood!

In another damned buffet location...

Harvest 365 Restaurant & Fresh Grill
7610 W Roosevelt Rd Suite 120, Forest Park
(in the Forest Park Mall)

Open a couple of months now.

Used to pretty stable when it was Old Country Buffet but then it has had a few different owners. The latest owners are associated with the big church in the back, Living Word Christian Center. I believe they own most of the mall now.

Visited on a Sunday around noon and thought it might be packed with church goers but while a good crowd, only about half full.

They had a different take on the food islands. Instead of just a random sampling they have segregated them into different cuisines.

Taste of Italy
The Tropical Hut
South of the Border
The Comfort Zone
Asian Fusion
The Vedge

... and in addition...
A dessert bar
A salad bar

They still have a grill in the back preparing steaks and chops. There is an upcharge for these premium items.

Maybe still have Sushi? I don't remember?

The meats were mostly chicken with I believe, short ribs on one.

The Vedge was a little embarrassing with corn, carrots, and other common vegetables. I would of liked to see some bean dishes, maybe tofu? Not really catering to a hardcore vegetarian or vegan although they would get by.


Almost everything was tasty, gravies had a good touch instead of standard food service. Apparently a chef had (is) involved with the creation of the menu.

Since they did have somewhat of a good crowd the food was fresh. Looking around for soup and asking I was told they didn't have any today. No explanation.

Service, clearing tables, refilling water and drinks, was very good! ... with a "Bless You" thrown in now and then.

I usually do not have high expectations for buffets and especially non-chain locations but this place appears to be just a touch above most.

Just a quick question, has anybody been to Katy's in Oak Park recently?

It was great at first, then went thru some issues and I believe they changed ownership, the most recent reviews I have seen were from a while ago and were not great. Just wondering if someone has some more recent experience with them.

Thanks

I have a friend who went on Christmas and they said it wasn't bad!

I'm Mr Momming this week. I can prolly convince Jr to go for a ride to Katy's with me and take one for the team. Maybe Wed. It's been a LOOOOOONGG time. Last time we went, it was a mixed bag of trash and middlin'. The dumplings were horrific, (full of sugar,) and the noodles were from a pkg.

I can roll it into a visit to Carnivore, so I can make it worth it if it still stinks.

Was wondering, with Five Guys gone, who currently has the best fries in DTOP. I'm trying to avoid driving around with Big Guys in my car on the way to meet a friend for a beer.

Vitesse98 wrote:Was wondering, with Five Guys gone, who currently has the best fries in DTOP. I'm trying to avoid driving around with Big Guys in my car on the way to meet a friend for a beer.

I don't think we have whipped anyone else into shape like we did Big Guys.

There is the Five Guys at Harlem and Cermak.

Wrong direction! I'm starting south and heading into DTOP to Beer Shop. Having made the drive from Big Guys to home just a relative few blocks away, I don't want my car smelling like fries (as much as I love them) should I shuttle them north.

There is delivery from Big Guys available

Vitesse98 wrote:Wrong direction! I'm starting south and heading into DTOP to Beer Shop. Having made the drive from Big Guys to home just a relative few blocks away, I don't want my car smelling like fries (as much as I love them) should I shuttle them north.

From? Mr. D's has great fries (amongst many other great thing)

Vital Information wrote:

Vitesse98 wrote:Wrong direction! I'm starting south and heading into DTOP to Beer Shop. Having made the drive from Big Guys to home just a relative few blocks away, I don't want my car smelling like fries (as much as I love them) should I shuttle them north.

From? Mr. D's has great fries (amongst many other great thing)

I do enjoy Mr. D's but I've never had a french fry there that was even remotely crispy. They're always soft.

=R=

https://resto.newcity.com/2017/01/20/make-mine-limp/

That's easy then and I am not sure why you mentioned Big Guys and Five Guys?

Mickeys makes an acceptable single fried french fry.

You guys are helpful but, unfortunately, not helpful. (I made it too hard by withholding information.) I'm in south Oak Park. I'm meeting a friend at Beer Shop, in DTOP. We wanted fries to snack on. Five Guys used to be right there and would have been perfect but is now closed. Mr. D's and Gene & Jude's are some of my favorite fries (and food) in the city, but they are too far north and would therefore require serious backtracking. Big Guys is by me, but that requires shuttling the fries with me from south Oak Park to Big Guys, which would result in cold fries and a smelly car; delivery is of course an option, but seems silly to order just fries for delivery. Kinslahger solves the transportation chill/smell issue, but they're not open tonight. Parky's might have been good, but they'll be closed by then. Hmmm ...

Added after thought: does Q-BBQ have good fries? Wild Onion?