Anyone remember the Ice Cream place across from Plaza Del Lago in Wilmette? . . . . I think it was called "No Man's Land" or something. I remember blackberry icecream cones. . . wearing most of it. I think it disappeared in the mid-60's. Had a great room with a view of the lake. . . . Anyone recall the actual name of the place. . . . This was more than a little while ago.

stevez wrote:

Cynthia wrote:And I don't remember the full name, but there was some place called Phil something at the corner of Lake Cook and Waukegan, where Borders is now. My mom told me my grandfather used to stop there. I loved it because it had a separate building (with a viewing window) just for the racks of chickens being spit-roasted.

Phil Johnson's RIP

Cynthia wrote:I think of the Hoddle House, where I first had hash browns and chocolate cream pie.

That's the Huddle House (the one time sister restaurants to the Waffle House chain), which is a chain still in operation. I just saw a few Huddle Houses on my recent trip to Indianapolis.

Yeah -- Phil Johnson's. Thanks.

I didn't know the Huddle House was still around, because it's not still around here -- at least none of the places it existed when I was young (Glencoe and Evanston, primarily). And it's funny, but Huddle was the first thing that came to mind, but I thought I was confusing it with The Huddle, which used to be at the Orrington Hotel in Evanston. (And that's another popular, old restaurant that's gone.)

dan1234 wrote:Anyone remember the Ice Cream place across from Plaza Del Lago in Wilmette? . . . . I think it was called "No Man's Land" or something. I remember blackberry icecream cones. . . wearing most of it. I think it disappeared in the mid-60's. Had a great room with a view of the lake. . . . Anyone recall the actual name of the place. . . . This was more than a little while ago.

The whole area was "No Man's Land" -- it was an unincorporated area bordered by Wilmette and Kenilworth (you can still see the stone pillars that marked the boundary). The ice cream place was Peacock's, and they had the best ice cream on the North Shore. One of the big reasons we looked forward to summer was the annual return of Peacock's fresh peach ice cream. Yum. The ice cream lived on for many years after the closing of that location, appearing most notibly at Ravinia for many years, but I haven't seen any signs of it in ages. Sorry to have lost them, too.

And across the street from Peacock's, still in No Man's Land, was a restaurant called San Pedro -- a charming place decorated in fantastic, beautiful, Spanish-influenced style -- a favorite lunch spot, thanks in large part to the fact that the bread dropped on your bread plate was always a fabulous, gooey pecan roll. Yum.

Rene G wrote:

delk wrote:Now I'm trying to remember the chili place on the West side of State St. just North of Archer.

That was Mexican Joe’s Chili at 1802 S State. Reportedly the owner was Polish but made a good bowl of red. I never had the pleasure.

A friend and I went there in 1980 or thereabouts. Ancient, ratty white-formica dive.

The chili seemed to be ground beef that had been cooked for days. No discernible flavor. You really didn't miss anything.

The other two chili joints that have been around since the 30's, Lindy's & Bishop's, were much much better.

grant wrote:The Big Nasty - does anyone remember this Lincoln Ave bar? They sold as much silly string as beer.That place was a blast!

Little teeny-tiny bar? Might have changed to Sterch's. I recall the silly-string.

virino wrote:The other two chili joints that have been around since the 30's, Lindy's & Bishop's, were much much better.

Actually they both go back farther than that. The original Lindy’s, still in business at 3685 S Archer, opened in 1924. Bishop’s, at 18th and Damen for over half a century, goes back to 1925. There’s still one (much newer) in Westmont. My favorite is the upstart Ramova Grill (3510 S Halsted), serving chili since 1929.

virino wrote:Might have changed to Sterch's.

Sterch’s, still in business, was around long before the Big Nasty. I think the Big Nasty was one door north of Sterch’s. I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Big Nasty inspired Sterch’s window sign: "No Corona. No foolish drinks."

verino wrote:Little teeny-tiny bar? Might have changed to Sterch's. I recall the silly-string.

If memory serves me Sterch's predates Silly String.

JSM wrote:

verino wrote:Little teeny-tiny bar? Might have changed to Sterch's. I recall the silly-string.

If memory serves me Sterch's predates Silly String.

The big Nasty was a two story bar with a big plywood Elvis on the sign outside. It was across the street from the also defunct Bamboo Bernie's. Silly String was not allowed in the upstairs bar.

But what was the name of the fine dining place that was in that building before it became The Big Nasty? As I recall, the sommelier was married at the time to Jackie Chen, who had her own place just a few blocks up the street.

Cynthia wrote:

dan1234 wrote:Anyone remember the Ice Cream place across from Plaza Del Lago in Wilmette? . . . . I think it was called "No Man's Land" or something. I remember blackberry icecream cones. . . wearing most of it. I think it disappeared in the mid-60's. Had a great room with a view of the lake. . . . Anyone recall the actual name of the place. . . . This was more than a little while ago.

The whole area was "No Man's Land" -- it was an unincorporated area bordered by Wilmette and Kenilworth (you can still see the stone pillars that marked the boundary). The ice cream place was Peacock's, and they had the best ice cream on the North Shore. One of the big reasons we looked forward to summer was the annual return of Peacock's fresh peach ice cream. Yum. The ice cream lived on for many years after the closing of that location, appearing most notibly at Ravinia for many years, but I haven't seen any signs of it in ages. Sorry to have lost them, too.

And across the street from Peacock's, still in No Man's Land, was a restaurant called San Pedro -- a charming place decorated in fantastic, beautiful, Spanish-influenced style -- a favorite lunch spot, thanks in large part to the fact that the bread dropped on your bread plate was always a fabulous, gooey pecan roll. Yum.

Are you sure? The Peacock's I posted about didn't close until much later..maybe the early '80s, and it was on Skokie Blvd just north of Old Orchard. Across the street was a Fannie May. The ice cream was Black Raspberry, not blackberry. There is a big difference.

I remember the Peacock's on Skokie Blvd. I think they moved there from No Man's Land ... maybe in the 60s or 70s?

Hi,

I never went to Peacock's, I always drove past it on my way to Old Orchard before it had its own exit. It was there at least into the 80's.

Regards,

nr706 is correct -- Pecock's moved later to the Skokie Blvd. location. I went to the No Man's Land location when I was a little kid, then went to the Skokie location later for my summetime peach ice cream fix for years after No Man's Land had been annexed by Wilmette and developed into what it is today.

For anyone who lived in the Buffalo Grove/Long Grove/Mundeline area in the 1970's and 80's - does anyone remember a place call the Smokehouse on Route 83 and either 22 or Gilmer Road? My dad used to go here religiously while working in Long Grove and I remember being in there a few times as a youngster. He still talks about how good their sandwiches were, particularly pastrami and roast beef. I think it closed down in the very early 90's but was wondering if anyone knows what happened to the proprietors of that place - or even remember the place at all?? Was the best deli I can remember.

nr706 wrote:I remember the Peacock's on Skokie Blvd. I think they moved there from No Man's Land ... maybe in the 60s or 70s?

Are you sure you mean Peacock's and not Cock Robin, between Oakton and Main, in the site that's currently a branch of the Bank of Lincolnwood? That's been gone at least 30 years.

Nope. Definitely Peacock's. When I was growing up, the great debate was whether Peacock's or Homer's had the best ice cream.

nr706 wrote:When I was growing up, the great debate was whether Peacock's or Homer's had the best ice cream.

Which was your preference?

Regards,

nr706 wrote:Nope. Definitely Peacock's. When I was growing up, the great debate was whether Peacock's or Homer's had the best ice cream.

I second that "definitely" -- I've never heard of Cock Robins. Peacock's was on Skokie Blvd., not far from the old Fannie May house, where you could watch them make hand-dipped chocolates. It was the first time I saw people working on marble tabletops.

And I don't know if anyone ever really decided between Peacock's and Homer's -- the taste testing for the debate was too much fun. But Homer's is still there and Peacock's isn't, so we may never get a decision.

The official name was Peacock's Dairy Bar and I remember with fondness its peppermint stick ice cream.

The older I get, the more I miss the "tearoom" restaurants like San Pedro and Indian Trail that were years ahead of their time serving small-portion full-course dinners including appetizer and dessert bundled into the entree price. My family loved to go to San Pedro, and -- Cynthia, I'll be astounded if you remember her -- always insisted that we be seated at a table served by a waitress named Opal. Going there in my teens and college years I never felt there was enough to eat, but it's a concept that I'd like to see return today in lieu of sharing portions or bringing home half of my entree in a doggie bag.
>>Brent

The Cock Robin I frequented as a child was in Skokie, a block north of Oakton. They certainly had their names for everything---a 'steakburger' and their 'one-in-a-million' shakes, which were pretty good, using those old Hamilton Beach mixers.

And it was also an ice cream store, serving square-shaped scoops, so that might be the cause of the Peacock's confusion.

But this Cock Robin closed probably in the 1970's, and the last Cock Robin I found was in the 80's, somewhere around North Avenue and First Ave.

jnm123 wrote:But this Cock Robin closed probably in the 1970's, and the last Cock Robin I found was in the 80's, somewhere around North Avenue and First Ave.

There was a Cock Robin in downtown Wheaton up until at least the late 90s.

jnm123 wrote:The Cock Robin I frequented as a child was in Skokie, a block north of Oakton. They certainly had their names for everything---a 'steakburger' and their 'one-in-a-million' shakes, which were pretty good, using those old Hamilton Beach mixers.

I believe they were actually called one-in-a-million malteds (not malts or malted milks). Cock Robins were originally called "Prince Ice Cream Castles". The Prince Castle company started manufacturing their own line of milkshake mixers, because the Hamilton Beach models could not handle the thickness of the malteds. They also invented the metal sleeves that hold waxed paper cups, so the shakes could be blended in the paper cups. In the early 70s, they hit it big manufacturing those ferris wheel apple pie warmers that McDonald's uses. They now make over 500 products for fast food restaurants, and are headquartered in Carol Stream.

Here is an interesting article about the history of the Prince Castle company, and the last Cock Robin.

http://www.rblandmark.com/main.asp?Sect ... M=46139.31

brotine wrote:The older I get, the more I miss the "tearoom" restaurants like San Pedro and Indian Trail that were years ahead of their time serving small-portion full-course dinners including appetizer and dessert bundled into the entree price. My family loved to go to San Pedro, and -- Cynthia, I'll be astounded if you remember her -- always insisted that we be seated at a table served by a waitress named Opal. Going there in my teens and college years I never felt there was enough to eat, but it's a concept that I'd like to see return today in lieu of sharing portions or bringing home half of my entree in a doggie bag.
>>Brent

Sorry -- no -- I don't remember Opal. I just remember the cinnamon rolls and the fact that they had the first vegetarian entree I'd ever seen (walnut loaf).

And yes -- Indian Trail was great -- and there was a similar place in Evanston, the Dominion Room. I used to go there with my grandmother. I love the spinach, and it was the first place I sampled what has become one of my favorite summer desserts: strawberries with sour cream and brown sugar.

Another place we used to go was the Homestead, which was very nice but still family oriented when I was a kid. Since then, it has housed a number of far higher end restaurants, including Trio.

Wow, I don't think often of how much the area has changed.

The Dominion Room was like our substitute Sunday dinner location. My grandfather was friends with "Alfie" the host or owner or something. I remember great pan fried chicken, leg of lamb, Tarragon Salad Dressing, appetizers of sherbert in a glass of fruit juice.

If you were ever there, you can still see remnants of the decor when you go to the Davis St. Fishmarket today (wainscotting and the like). Great place with great memories.

Actually, when my grandfather "retired" he worked selling Dominion Room salad dressings to local grocers. . . .he wasn't good at being retired.

If you were ever there, you can still see remnants of the decor when you go to the Davis St. Fishmarket today (wainscotting and the like).

What is this, Davis Street Fishmarket decor day?

brotine wrote:The older I get, the more I miss the "tearoom" restaurants like San Pedro and Indian Trail that were years ahead of their time serving small-portion full-course dinners including appetizer and dessert bundled into the entree price. t

I remember going to Indian Trail as a kid ... it was the go-to place for a nice weekend meal. And before that, my aunt worked there as a waitress ... the family had some money at the time, so she always insisted the chauffeur let her off a few blocks away.

In the spirit of the day. . . . It sounds as though Dominion Room decor remnants probably left with the recent Davis St. Fishmarket Remodel. . . . .

Good dining options are becoming extinct in the neighborhood I have lived my whole life. Were not at the end yet and if you look past the Jamba Juices and Chipotle like places and through the Potbellys and Subways at every busy corner you can find places like Athenian Room, Cafe Bernard, Peqouds, Local Shack, Tom and Wendees and Dees. The problem is other than the local shack, which isn’t even really a "shack" type place (average dinner tab is about $10-$16/per) there doesn’t seem to be any quick in and out type places that you can just get up and go to. It had me thinking of the places I grew up on. Long gone is Farmar Browns which stood at Clybourn near division, this place introduced me to BBQ, it feels like it was so long I don’t even really remember much except they slanged crack, in the BBQ form. I heard that the Pitmaster passed away probably 10 years ago and no one was able or wanted to take over and now there is a hair salon in the building that once lit up the whole area with sweet smoke.

Joes fisheries has probably been gone as long as Farmar Browns but this shack which was located at the bridge on Cortland served up the tastiest fried shrimp that I can remember chowing, sometimes ive thought maybe its because I was young but I can remember these tasty treats like it was yesterday and they were good. The building it was located in is still for sale and it sits along the river, ive been hoping for years now someone would take advantage of the location and stigma of the property and open their own seafood shack.

You don’t grow up in Chicago without eating three things, pizza, hot dogs and beef. My go to spots when they were around were Fazzio's for beef, Demon Dogs for hot dogs and Pats for pizza. Pats is still around and has since moved into Lincoln Park from the borderline of LP/Wrigleyville but they are losing their status as the best Chicago style thin crust (my favorite style) it just isn’t the same. Fazzios was located where the Ginos East now stands on Lincoln and then they moved down the block and later closed. While they were open Fazzios had the best beef available on the north side and aside from the place ill mention next they had the best fries ive ever had. Ive tried over 50 beef spots in this city and this is where it all began. Nothing comes to mind like Hot dogs when you mention Chicago style food and my all time favorite didn’t even serve their dogs Chicago Style, the owner was to cheap (there was a time they charged for ketchup) either way Demon Dogs, located under the Fullerton el stop had top notch dogs, with their heavily steamed buns and wieners that snapped so loud you could hear it even when a train was above the building. That dog served alongside the best fries ive ever had all for under $2 up until closing was the best bargain meal this city has ever seen, at least in my time. I would give anything for a plain dog with salt on the fries, which I would precede to stuff in the dog for dinner right now.

I’m only 25 and ive already witnessed three of the best shacks in the city go under, hopefully the gemmers left live long.

I was visiting my mom this weekend, and I was telling her about LTH and, in particular, the discussion of all the places we dined while growing up, and she reminded me that the funny little restaurants that I called "The Hoddle House" above were, in fact, "The Toddle House." Obviously, it has been too long since I saw those places. Between the Huddle at the Orrington Hotel and the Toddle House in Hubbard Woods (and another somewhere else, but I don't want to bet on where, if it's that fuzzy) clearly got conflated. Funny that there is yet another place with a sufficiently similar name to have added yet another layer of confusion.

Anyway, it was the Toddle House that had what, as a tot, I considered the best fried potatoes and chocolate cream pie in the world. And it was the first place I saw (to my utter amazement) someone order dessert before the main course. My father assured me at the time that it was a privilege reserved for grown ups.