Dave148 wrote:

WhyBeeSea wrote:Hahaha. Yeah it's overpriced for sure but beats any other burger option in the area. That includes five guys and Kumas which just opened in that same shopping center

If you're looking for a decent burger option with fresh cut fries in the area:
Lucky Burger And Grill
1408 Butterfield Rd.
Mundelein, IL 60060
https://luckyburgerandgrill.com/

Great! Thanks for the recommendation

Different tastes I guess. I went to Shake Shack at Old Orchard once and it was awful. I'd rank it dead last in it's category of fast food burger and shake places. Probably on par with Wendy's, but rated worse due to the price difference.

Also, they have horrible shakes. How is that even possible at a place called the Shake Shack???

WhyBeeSea wrote:Hahaha. Yeah it's overpriced for sure but beats any other burger option in the area. That includes five guys and Kumas which just opened in that same shopping center

Did you really just say that Shake Shack has better burgers than Kuma's?

I take back what I said about people having different tastes, turns out some people just have bad taste

shakes wrote:

WhyBeeSea wrote:Hahaha. Yeah it's overpriced for sure but beats any other burger option in the area. That includes five guys and Kumas which just opened in that same shopping center

Did you really just say that Shake Shack has better burgers than Kuma's?

I take back what I said about people having different tastes, turns out some people just have bad taste

Hahaha i know I'm in the minority here. But Kumas is vastly overrated imo. I hate burgers that are unnecessarily large and throw a whole bunch of stuff on them.

And more importantly, they use pretzel buns probably to hold all the ingredients together. Pretzel buns have no business being a vehicle for a burger. I hate them so much.

WhyBeeSea wrote:Hahaha i know I'm in the minority here. But Kumas is vastly overrated imo. I hate burgers that are unnecessarily large and throw a whole bunch of stuff on them.

And more importantly, they use pretzel buns probably to hold all the ingredients together. Pretzel buns have no business being a vehicle for a burger. I hate them so much.

Amen, brother! I could not have said it better myself.

=R=

shakes wrote:Different tastes I guess. I went to Shake Shack at Old Orchard once and it was awful. I'd rank it dead last in it's category of fast food burger and shake places. Probably on par with Wendy's, but rated worse due to the price difference.

Also, they have horrible shakes. How is that even possible at a place called the Shake Shack???

I'm sorry but your whole rant is about one visit? I've had many one visits at restaurants where everything is perfection and one visits when everything was horrible. Sometimes a second visit is a big surprise (good or bad).

Ram4 wrote:

shakes wrote:Different tastes I guess. I went to Shake Shack at Old Orchard once and it was awful. I'd rank it dead last in it's category of fast food burger and shake places. Probably on par with Wendy's, but rated worse due to the price difference.

Also, they have horrible shakes. How is that even possible at a place called the Shake Shack???

I'm sorry but your whole rant is about one visit? I've had many one visits at restaurants where everything is perfection and one visits when everything was horrible. Sometimes a second visit is a big surprise (good or bad).

how many visits do you need to chain fast food burger joint to evaluate it? If you go one time and everything you order is awful I'd say you've done your due diligence.

WhyBeeSea wrote:

shakes wrote:

WhyBeeSea wrote:Hahaha. Yeah it's overpriced for sure but beats any other burger option in the area. That includes five guys and Kumas which just opened in that same shopping center

Did you really just say that Shake Shack has better burgers than Kuma's?

I take back what I said about people having different tastes, turns out some people just have bad taste

Hahaha i know I'm in the minority here. But Kumas is vastly overrated imo. I hate burgers that are unnecessarily large and throw a whole bunch of stuff on them.

And more importantly, they use pretzel buns probably to hold all the ingredients together. Pretzel buns have no business being a vehicle for a burger. I hate them so much.

I don't disagree that Kuma's is overrated for the very reasons you state. I live down the street from the original and haven't been in a few years since we discovered the existence of Red Hot Ranch. But, it's still several levels above the garbage they sell at Shake Shack.

Shake Shack's closest comparison IMO is M Burger, another truly awful fast food burger joint.

To each their own. If you prefer Kumas, you're in the majority, and im not gonna try and convince you otherwise. But saying shake shack is garbage is hyperbole and plain incorrect.

Just to add another two cents to this tangent that will probably get moved by the moderators...

I recently went to Kuma's Corner for the first time. I thought it was a darn good burger! (Not my favorites - those would be Edzo's and Bat 17, both in Evanston - but darn good.) However, I could see how it wouldn't appeal to those who don't want "a whole bunch of stuff" on their burger; furthermore, their "no customization" policy would prevent anyone from ordering a relatively simple burger by specifying "hold this" or "hold that". Also, I think a pretzel bun is a perfectly decent alternative for a burger; however, theirs had a chewy texture that added to the sloppiness and inconvenience of eating an already overstuffed burger. Again, tasty, but I could see how folks might object to those characteristics.

As for Shake Shack, I've never had their burgers, but I tried one of their shakes. And I agree with our resident expert (at least based on his/her username), shakes, that their shake was just not very good. Surprising considering the name of the place (as well as all the great meals I've had at other Danny Meyer concepts). If you're looking for a great shake, you can find that at Edzo's, too.

WhyBeeSea wrote:To each their own. If you prefer Kumas, you're in the majority, and im not gonna try and convince you otherwise. But saying shake shack is garbage is hyperbole and plain incorrect.

I have no opinion on their burgers that I'll make public. My issue is that every time I get dragged there the result is a look at the receipt thinking "I just paid HOW much for this."

WhyBeeSea wrote:To each their own. If you prefer Kumas, you're in the majority, and im not gonna try and convince you otherwise. But saying shake shack is garbage is hyperbole and plain incorrect.

I don't think it's hyperbole or incorrect at all. It really is an awful place. On par with M Burger and Wendy's, but twice the price. Terrible burgers, terrible shakes, don't remember anything about the fries.

Geez, the place is called Shake Shack and they can't even make a decent shake. That should be a massive red flag for everyone.

shakes wrote:

Ram4 wrote:

shakes wrote:Different tastes I guess. I went to Shake Shack at Old Orchard once and it was awful. I'd rank it dead last in it's category of fast food burger and shake places. Probably on par with Wendy's, but rated worse due to the price difference.

Also, they have horrible shakes. How is that even possible at a place called the Shake Shack???

I'm sorry but your whole rant is about one visit? I've had many one visits at restaurants where everything is perfection and one visits when everything was horrible. Sometimes a second visit is a big surprise (good or bad).

how many visits do you need to chain fast food burger joint to evaluate it? If you go one time and everything you order is awful I'd say you've done your due diligence.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. There can be a night and day difference with a fast food joint based on how it's served. My Dad went to Chick-Fil-A and HATED it. Much later he tried it again and thought it was great. I'll even mention Wendy's. The difference between a Wendy's double that is freshly made vs one that has dried out from being heated too long is night and day and could almost be two different restaurants. Not to mention the huge difference at almost any place with fresh hot fries vs barely warm.

As far as shakes go, I never order them. While my eyes and mouth always want one, my gut has veto power. I would never be prevented from eating a meal at a place no matter what the name is because of the shakes. I'm a huge fan of Steak N Shake for their burgers not because of the mediocre shakes.

Drover wrote:

scottsol wrote:Leona’s on Sheridan is closed.
This reported on Yelp and the location is no longer listed on the Leona’s web site.

A once-revered local institution slowly and not so gracefully fades away. The Elston location looks sad and lonely and makes one wonder how much longer it will soldier on.

Leon Toia, former owner and grandson of the original Leona, sold the chain to an Evanston attorney in 2013. He maintained ownership of the original location at 3215 N. Sheffield Avenue that opened in 1950.

https://chicago.eater.com/2019/1/14/181 ... sures-2019

We were Leona's regulars way back to when it was just the single location. We were excited with the location on Sheridan opened - originally called "Leona's Daughters" IIRC because there was actual parking. The lines were hugely long and they'd bring out trays of pizza samples while you waited. That's where I first had a white pizza. Then we migrated to Oak Park, which was closer for us as we were Oak Parkers at the time. That started to go south, so we explored the Taylor Street location which was so horribly bad from start to finish that that visit ended our visits to any Leona's outpost forever.

Dave148 wrote:

Leon Toia, former owner and grandson of the original Leona, sold the chain to an Evanston attorney in 2013. He maintained ownership of the original location at 3215 N. Sheffield Avenue that opened in 1950.

https://chicago.eater.com/2019/1/14/181 ... sures-2019

The retained original didn't last long after the sale either -- it's a Home Run Inn now. [EDIT: was a Home Run Inn until a month ago.] IIRC they own(ed) the building so maybe they thought it was more profitable to cash it out or lease it out to someone else?

Brendan Sodikoff's Radio Anago appears to have closed. The banner was removed from the Hogsalt website and any direct link to the website takes you to the main Hogsalt site. Yelp also confirms the closing in a search for the restaurant.

We finally got around to trying the hole-in-the wall Ban-mi shop in our new neighborhood, Little Saigon Baguette, about a week ago and quite enjoyed it.

Went back for a second visit today and it wasn't open. A sign in the window reads "Moving to California. Last days of service May 4 and 5".

Little Saigon Baguette
5251 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640

While I was walking to the Evanston Farmer's market today, I noticed that Furious Spoon has opened again. They are located at Church and Maple. Apparently they have a revised menu, and have upgraded the seating. I saw one couple eating on the patio, and there were quite a few people eating inside. Apparently they reopened a few weeks ago.

NFriday wrote:While I was walking to the Evanston Farmer's market today, I noticed that Furious Spoon has opened again. They are located at Church and Maple. Apparently they have a revised menu, and have upgraded the seating. I saw one couple eating on the patio, and there were quite a few people eating inside. Apparently they reopened a few weeks ago.

Noticed the paper was off the windows last week when I drove by early in the morning but wasn't sure of the reason, glad to hear they were able to reopen.

Tambreet wrote:We finally got around to trying the hole-in-the wall Ban-mi shop in our new neighborhood, Little Saigon Baguette, about a week ago and quite enjoyed it.

Went back for a second visit today and it wasn't open. A sign in the window reads "Moving to California. Last days of service May 4 and 5".

Little Saigon Baguette
5251 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640

That's a bummer! Although everything in that strip mall is on borrowed time as it is targeted for development...

As announced on Instagram, Café Cancale in the old Publican Anker space is opening on Monday, May 13, 2019. Website doesn't have a menu up yet, but reservations are open.

Café Cancale
1576 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
312.736.1778
www.cafecancale.com

nsxtasy wrote:I recently went to Kuma's Corner for the first time. I thought it was a darn good burger! (Not my favorites - those would be Edzo's and Bat 17, both in Evanston - but darn good.) However, I could see how it wouldn't appeal to those who don't want "a whole bunch of stuff" on their burger; furthermore, their "no customization" policy would prevent anyone from ordering a relatively simple burger by specifying "hold this" or "hold that".

You can definitely say "hold this." I have on-and-off dairy issues, and they've never given me a problem when I ask for no cheese.

leek wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:I recently went to Kuma's Corner for the first time. I thought it was a darn good burger! (Not my favorites - those would be Edzo's and Bat 17, both in Evanston - but darn good.) However, I could see how it wouldn't appeal to those who don't want "a whole bunch of stuff" on their burger; furthermore, their "no customization" policy would prevent anyone from ordering a relatively simple burger by specifying "hold this" or "hold that".

You can definitely say "hold this." I have on-and-off dairy issues, and they've never given me a problem when I ask for no cheese.

Yeah, if I like all the toppings except for the salsa (like if I suspect it's going to be too spicy for me), I'll ask for it on the side, even if I have no intention of eating it. Seems like as long as you're not asking to substitute toppings, they don't mind leaving something off....just don't push it.

Busghetti wrote:

abe_froeman wrote:According to their own website, Chowpatti in Arlington Heights has closed- from their website: "Thank You for 35 Memorable Years ! It’s Bittersweet for us to inform you that Chowpatti Bids Farewell. This decision was necessary to allow for our mom to retire."

Chowpatti Vegetarian Restaurant
1035 S Arlington Heights Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Also, Palm Court, also in Arlington Heights has a new owner.

Palm Court
1912 N Arlington Heights Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60004

Honestly, I wasn't really a fan of Chowpatti, even though it was within walking distance of my house. I thought the portions didn't justify the prices, and just wasn't a fan of how it tasted. I do appreciate the diversity it brought to the area's restaurant options, especially in an underserved niche like vegetarian cuisine, and that it was a family-owned place. When I drove by last night, there seemed to be a temporary sign hanging out front, but I'm not sure if it was a "goodbye" from Chowpatti or an announcement for what's to come. I'll try to get a closer look next time I'm going past.

I've been to Palm Court a couple times and it's like a trip back in time, for better or for worse. Its "1987 Miami" charm has been remarkably well-maintained, and didn't suffer from the portion:price disparity that Chowpatti did. I hope it continues to stay in business, with maybe some updates, but only if it doesn't destroy the character of the place.

While the original signage is still in the parking lot there is now a scrolling LED light in the window proclaiming "Tamales" and there have been a couple large signs with peppers attached to the building so looks like it is taking a new direction. I haven't seen an actual name of the new place put up yet though.

The new restaurant is "Speedy Tamales - Homemade Mexican Cuisine" according to the food truck parked out in front of the restaurant. Looks like renovations are still taking place judging from the contractor material visible around the entrance. Per their Facebook page this is their 2nd location (the 1st in Berwyn) in addition to their food truck.

https://www.facebook.com/speedytamalestruck/

tesori, which had suspended service on April 3 due to CSO strike as noted in my post on April 16 in this thread, has a message on their telephone line that service suspension is now for the rest of the CSO season.

Dakota 94, from the owners of the several Kanela's Breakfast locations is open in the old Mia Figlia space on the 5300-block of Devon in Edgebrook.

And it appears that Glenview's Joe Donut (pretty good foofy donuts) will open its second location any day now at 6959 N. Milwaukee (in Niles?) looks diner-y and will be open for breakfast and lunch.

Busghetti wrote:

Busghetti wrote:

abe_froeman wrote:According to their own website, Chowpatti in Arlington Heights has closed- from their website: "Thank You for 35 Memorable Years ! It’s Bittersweet for us to inform you that Chowpatti Bids Farewell. This decision was necessary to allow for our mom to retire."

Chowpatti Vegetarian Restaurant
1035 S Arlington Heights Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

...

Honestly, I wasn't really a fan of Chowpatti, even though it was within walking distance of my house. I thought the portions didn't justify the prices, and just wasn't a fan of how it tasted. I do appreciate the diversity it brought to the area's restaurant options, especially in an underserved niche like vegetarian cuisine, and that it was a family-owned place. When I drove by last night, there seemed to be a temporary sign hanging out front, but I'm not sure if it was a "goodbye" from Chowpatti or an announcement for what's to come. I'll try to get a closer look next time I'm going past.

While the original signage is still in the parking lot there is now a scrolling LED light in the window proclaiming "Tamales" and there have been a couple large signs with peppers attached to the building so looks like it is taking a new direction. I haven't seen an actual name of the new place put up yet though.

The new restaurant is "Speedy Tamales - Homemade Mexican Cuisine" according to the food truck parked out in front of the restaurant. Looks like renovations are still taking place judging from the contractor material visible around the entrance. Per their Facebook page this is their 2nd location (the 1st in Berwyn) in addition to their food truck.

https://www.facebook.com/speedytamalestruck/

Yes, I actually contacted them back in January to confirm they were the same people...at that time, they said they were just waiting for the village to do the final inspection and thought it would just be another week or two. I don't think they were aware of how slooooooooowly the wheels of government (and contractors) turn!

Though their FB page posted a video from April 1st with video of the interior looking pretty complete, so I wonder what's going on.

A couple of closures in the far western 'burbs.
Al-Quds Middle Eastern Restaurant
944 IL-59
Naperville, IL 60540

And
Eatza Pizza
3450 Montgomery Rd Unit 6
Aurora, IL 60504

I personally went by both restaurants and there was no activity inside and Eatza Pizza had a sign thanking customers for their years of patronage.

Owners of the now-closed Turkish Cuisine on Peterson opened their new restaurant:
Oda Mediterranean Cuisine
5657 N. Clark St.
Chicago IL 60660
https://www.odachicago.com/