Dining in downtown Lake Bluff

Dining in downtown Lake Bluff

Recently I was ever so slightly embarrassed when Vital Information and family visited McCormick’s in Lake Bluff in my area. I had passed it many times and never realized it was even there. This has led me to look at Lake Bluff with fresh eyes and hopefully outline whatever riches it may have beyond the residents.

Saturday’s are my favorite days to have lunch beyond Highland Park and immediately adjacent communities. My friend Helen and I decided to check out downtown Lake Bluff for any dining opportunities, which happens to be where IL-176 originates from on the east. Lake Bluff has a very tiny business district with only two restaurants we could identify.

We first went to Bluffington’s Café, which has a puffy little legend explaining the name’s origins. Inside there are café tables and a counter with deli refrigerator where one orders sandwiches, soups and salads. A nice little hangout for breakfast and lunch where a mixed generation party could find something appealing to eat. It was also crowded with no tables available, so a real sit down visit is postponed for midweek at another time.

We then strolled over to Holly’s American Bistro, which had tablecloths and nicely attired waiters. While we like nice restaurants, we have a mental budget for lunch we like to stick to and this looked a tad bit more expensive. To save ourselves any embarrassment, we regularly read the menu before accepting a seat. Why put yourself through the fun of sitting down, getting your water and finding nothing on the menu appeals to you, then walking out. I’ve done it though lots of grief is avoided by reading first.

Holly’s American Bistro very nicely had their menu posted on the window. Lots of wonderful things to choose. Just from window shopping the menu we had decided on:

- Wild mushroom and goat cheese strudel with poached pear compote and toasted pine nuts: $8
- Beef Tenderloin sandwich with blue cheese, caramelized onions and tarragon mayonnaise. Served with fruit, house made chips or pommes frites. $10
- Chicken pot pie with golden pastry crust: $9
- Asparagus with balsamic syrup: $3

Maybe ever so slightly more than we’d pay for lunch, though it all seemed to ring delicious in our minds. We were really looking forward to this lunch and walked into the restaurant.

We were very promptly seated by the window at my request because who knows when I may need to take a picture. We were presented the lunch menu, which was absent of all the delights we observed on the posted menu. While I am dreaming of Chicken pot pie, the menu offers: Potato Leak (sic) soup, six kinds of salads and two sandwiches: tuna salad on wheat and turkey and swiss on a baguette. Where’s the beef?

I immediately signaled to waiter, which turned out to be a busboy who thought we wanted water. I then found someone else to inquire about the menu, who then sent a manager over. She explained Holly’s American Bistro is 3 and a half weeks old. The posted menu we read was their dinner menu. Though they are sorry no beef tenderloin sandwich or chicken pot pie is available for lunch, they hope to expand the lunch menu in the future. I thanked her for the explanation and advised I would return in a few months once their luncheon menu has more fully developed. However while I found the dinner selections most appealing, there was nothing on the lunch menu I desired and left.

We will be returning to Holly’s American Bistro someday. If the food on their current dinner menu was their lunch and goodness knows how they may choose to elevate the dinner menu further, this could be a very desirable location for dining. As it is presently, I would come for dinner and skip lunch entirely.

Where did I end up for lunch? I went to McCormick’s for their Rueben sandwich made from thick hand cut corned beef probably left over from their dinner menu, which I liked quite a bit. Sandwich, coleslaw, fries and a coke set me back $9. I got precisely what I expected, which was good enough on a gloomy day.

Bluffington’s Café
113 East Scranton Avenue
Lake Bluff, IL
Tel: 847/295-3344

Holly’s American Bistro
(half block west of Bluffington)
So new it is not on anywho.com yet

McCormick’s Restaurant and Lounge
Routes 176 and 41
Lake Bluff, IL 60044
Phone: 847/234-2525
Fax: 847/234-2537

To be continued on a later date…

Cathy- 3 places in the area that might be worth trying. I have never eaten at Little Nicks, which is just west of the mobil station at 43 & 176, but when I give blood at the lifesource across the way, the nurses talk about it as their favorite lunch place. One told me that they have comfort foods like pot roast and meatloaf, and that the portions are generous enough that she has enough to take home for dinner. Since this particular nurse was about the size of my car, they must be decent portions indeed.
I have eaten at Rita's, which is about 1/2 mile west on the north side of 176 in Rondout, but only the fish fry on friday nights. I dont think that they are open for lunch, but the supposedly fresh perch is some of the best I have ever had. There are other nightly specials, again mostly comfort food type stuff.
Also, there is always Scooters, where i get my gyros fix, and the kids love the cheese fries. As soon as I get up the nerve, I am going to order their jumbo polish, which looks to be close to a pound at around 15 inches, served on a baguette.
-Will

Cathy2 wrote:Holly’s American Bistro
(half block west of Bluffington)
So new it is not on anywho.com yet

Holly's American Bistro
847/615-9400
28 E. Center Ave.
Lake Bluff

I have posted a review of Holly's here: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=9139