Pinstripes in Oak Brook

A new establishment in Oak Brook that not only has a nice restaurant, but also bocce ball and bowling. It looks like they do some pretty neat weddings here too.

To be fair, we've been here twice now. The first time, was during their soft opening, It was very busy and hectic, but all of the food was free. The service was great, but one of the three entrees was severely flawed.

On our first visit, we started with the appetizer mozzarella balls. The plate was generous and also came with onion straws. The mozzarella balls were a little on the salty side, but I liked it. Plus the sauce was just icing on the cake. I thought that by itself they were awesome but when I tasted the marinara sauce, I melted, just like the cheese in my mouth.

My meal was great. I had the Maple Glazed Salmon which was sooo sweet. I loved it. The avocado, cucumber, and tomato just added to it.

My father had the veggie burger. He thought it was a tasty burger, but at $11 without any side dishes, was extremely pricey. The avocado hummus was a nice surprise, as that night, we weren't presented with a menu, just with a random card that determined what we ate.

My mom got a card for chicken with goat cheese. Our server said we could switch them for another meal of our choice. First I have to say this was not the fault of our server, but my mom asked him to give his honest opinion of his favorite dish from their regular menu. He said he would recommend the Spinach Tagliatelle Bolognese. So my mom asked if she could try that. Our server said he would ask the kitchen if they could do it. This dish was not being offered as part of their trial run. When the meal came it looked okay but right away my mom could tell it wasn't what she thought it would be. The spinach noodles were so undercooked that they were stuck together like a spinach blob with what she said tasted like cheeseburger "Hamburger Helper". She politely asked to speak to the manager. She let them know what she thought of the meal, they right away asked if she would like something else to try. She declined but they gave her a complimentary glass of wine. Then we ordered dessert.  It was amazing.  See the pictures below!

We decided to try it one more time. Our 2nd visit was during normal business hours on a Monday night. It was not as busy this time, and again, we were seated immediately. We noticed that the sculpture in the middle of the dining room now has a bowling ball and a bocce ball added to it (see the picture below).  This time they met our expectations.  I had the Chicken Marsala which was very good, considering the price tag of $17, my father was noticeably shaken by the prices, but he agreed that I could have anything I wanted as long as we skipped appetizers.  My dad had the pizza which was cooked in a wood burning brick oven, it was very good, and at $13 it was a more affordable option, also vegetarian.  My mom had the baked meat lasagna, which was a large enough portion to serve as lunch the next day, but a bit pricey at $18.

Overall, the food and service was top notch, and the atmosphere was like no other restaurant I have ever been to.  When you combine bowling, bocce ball and fine dining, you get "Pinstripes!"

Four out of four forks!
* My dad made me mention that it was a bit pricey.

Thyme & Honey

Thyme & Honey
7525 W Madison
Forest Park, IL 60130
708-771-5752













I found out about this place, Thyme & Honey, from my grandmother. They have an outdoor patio which is dog-friendly. Something unique about this Greek-style diner is that the server, knowing that our water was automatically coming to our table, offered water for our dog before asking us for our drink order.

I ordered the London Broil with mushroom sauce and baked potato, which came with a choice of Chicken Noodle or today's special which, Lentil soup.
The soup had small bits of tomato which gave it a summer feel. It had great seasonings that made me feel comfortable on this perfect 75 degree night.






Even though we sat outside, the fish tanks i saw when i went to the washroom add to the casual indoor atmosphere with linen table coverings that make it seem expensive when it really is affordable. I like that there is no kids menu, and that there is a special menu section for 'Vegetarians' in addintion to MANY other regular vegetarian items.













The London Broil was excellent. At most restaurants, a steak meal is not satisfying, but here the portions are very large. The steak was juicy and the mushroom sauce adds some great tang to the meal. The steamed broccoli, kale, zucchini, onions and green peppers that came as a garnish paired well with the dish.

My parents both ordered versions of the baked ravioli which also came with the vegetarian lentil soup and they both loved it.







Our server had just met Whitney Miller from master chef, my compliments to Jessica for great service. Overall, the diverse menu, the affordable pricing and huge portions make this place a great thyme!

Four out of four forks.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Forest Park, Illinois

Chicagos Home of Chicken and Waffles Review

Chicago's Home of Chicken & Waffles
543 Madison Street
Oak Park, IL 60302
708-524-3300
www.chicagoshomeofchickenandwaffles.com
Hours: Sun-Thurs 7am-9pm, Fri-Sat 7am-11pm

Screen shot from their website...

We've been watching this place come together for a while, anxiously waiting for them to open.  Wondering "How would chicken and waffles taste together in one meal?"  So, they finally opened, and after a while we finally got around to checking it out.  Here is my review.

It was a very busy evening, we had to wait about a half an hour to be seated.  We took some pictures of the waterfall in the waiting area, even their bathrooms were impressive!  Here are some more pictures:

Bathroom Sinks, very nice!

Waterfall with their logo on the entry wall

The atmosphere is dimly lit, and my first thoughts were, 'casual, yet romantic.'  Once we got to our table, our server was really nice, and you can peer into the kitchen from almost every table.  

I ordered the Betty Lou, a half a fried chicken with two waffles.  My mom ordered the Fried Catfish with Collard Greens, Yams and Cajun Red Beans for sides.  My dad, the vegetarian, ordered a side of Cheese Grits and had one of my Pecan Waffles.  

The chicken part of the Betty Lou just fell right off the bone.  It had a hint of sweetness, but you could still taste the saltiness, plus all that moist, juicy skin.  I had the dark meat which was exceptional, but if you like the white meat, that must be good too.  The Pecan Waffles were served separately, they were giant, soft, and fluffy, and because they were teeming with maple syrup and butter, they were phenomenal.  I gave one of my Waffles to my dad, who is also very cheap.

All three of our meals, together in one photo.

My dad really liked his Cheese Grits, even though he adds too much salt.  I thought they were bland.  My dad was impressed with the amount of pecans in the waffles.

My mom's Fried Catfish plate came with three sides.  She liked it, but had to ask for extra lemon wedges to really get it to her liking.  The Collard Greens were lacking in flavor, the Yams were great, sweet at first with a salty aftertaste.  The Cajun Red Beans were slightly spicy, so I didn't have a lot of them, but I've never tasted anything like it.

This is a one of a kind gem!  With all the Mexican, Chinese and Italian restaurants in the area, this one adds another genre to my palette.  My dad wanted to give it 3 out of 4 forks, because it doesn't have a non-flash version of the website that we can get to from our iphones, and it is a little too expensive to go to all the time, but I really liked my meal, so I gave it 4 out of 4!

Four out of Four Forks!

Chicago's Home of Chicken and Waffles, you've been Forked!

Kidz Kitchen: Spanish Omelette Step-by-Step

In addition to Restaurant Reviews, I love to cook.  Join me in making a Spanish Omelette on YouTube!  Enjoy!

Al's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria - Restaurant Review

Al's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria - Restaurant Review
Location:
6050 West Cermak Road
Cicero, Illinois 60804

http://www.alsrestaurant.com

We were invited to dinner by grandma and grandpa. They picked "Al's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria". My first impression was that inside it felt like i was in an Italian village and had really nice hand painted walls and big mirrors that made the dining room feel larger than it was.

It took a few minutes before the waitress came to the table. From there, she brought us our drinks and a large bread bowl with olive oil and parmesan cheese.

All the tables get a bread bowl, and all the entrees seem to come with dinner salad and a side dish. But they have a salad bar that is $4 extra, and I think it was worth it. The salad bar had a great Hawaiian salad, calamari salad, rice pudding, olives, regular salads, cantaloupe, fruit salad, pistachio salad, jello fruit salad and a variety of pasta salads.

When she took our order, my meal said to allow an extra 25 minutes, but it felt like 25 hours. We had some great conversations with the family during that time, but in reality it took a solid 45 minutes. I ordered the Chicken Pompeii which was described by the menu as "Two Boneless Breasts, stuffed with Provolone Cheese & Sauteed with Olive Oil & Fresh Garlic, served with Vesuvio potatoes" and it was a big portion too. It was rolled in a delectable light breading, and had plenty of potatoes, which were great too.

My mom had the Eggplant Parmesan which was just plain good, and plenty of leftovers. My dad had a special that was only $10, called the "Mezzaluna Pasta served over Alfredo Marinara and a hint of Pesto" but he should have asked what "Mezzaluna" pasta was first because when the large dish came it made the 6 little pastas look even smaller than it was. And as it turns out, Mezzaluna means spinach which he would usually avoid. But it came with a salad and choice of potato, that was enough to make it a good meal.

This restaurant is well known for its pizza, but they have a great Italian menu and everything was very good overall. My suggestion is to avoid the busy times, then the food will probably come out faster.

3 out of 4 forks.

Al's Restaurant, you've been forked!

Mi Tierra Mexican Restaurant Review

Mi Tierra Mexican Restaurant Review
Location: 7134 Cermak Rd; Berwyn, IL 60402

I never even looked at the kids menu, which in the past has had the usual fare, plus a good Carne Asada kids portion that I have had many times already. I was looking at the adult menu right away. What I had to eat was Mojaritos del Rio. This is a large fish that tasted really good. I finished most of it at the restaurant, and the rest when I got home. They have really good plating, the special metal plates look like fish and when you get done eating you see it says the name of the restaurant in metal on the plate.

When we got there it wasn't busy, but they took over 3 minutes to bring the chips and salsa, but they are forgiven because my meal was so good. The chips and salsa are the best I've ever had. They serve fresh made chips and two kinds of salsa, mild and spicy. I prefer the mild.

This place is not really kid-friendly, it seems more like a romantic mexican restaurant. They had 3 televisions, which had sunday football games on when we were there, and no booths or special kids-area for children.

By the time we left it was very busy, every seat was packed on the first floor and they had to open the 2nd floor. The stairway is very steep up to the 2nd floor, but it has a similar feel to the first floor. It gets loud when it is packed, but I would expect it to be loud when a restaurant is busy.

Overall, my impression was that the restaurant has a great Mexican feel, good chips and salsa and a really good menu.

Three out of Four Forks.

Mi Tierra, you've been Forked!

Leona's Restaurant review

Leona's Restaurant - Lakeview
3215 N. Sheffield Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657
http://www.leonas.com/

The food was delicious,the setting was family-friendly and including a large kids area with TVs playing movies and video games all around the room so the parents can take their time while the kids are enjoying themselves. Everyone wins!

I usually don't order from the kids menu, in fact, the reason I started this blog was because I was disappointed with the 'usual fare' of kids menus. Leona's has such a great selection of kids food, I had to make an exception.

I ordered the mac and cheese lasagna which might sound childish to you but when you taste it you wouldn't say that. The mac and cheese lasagna wasn't what you might expect. It wouldn't fall apart on its own and had to be cut with a knife. It had a crunchy outside, but on the inside it was soft and delectable. The cheese seemed to be a mix of Cheddar, American and I think Brick cheese and was cooked to perfection.

If you are a vegetarian, then you would like this place. Even my dad liked it, and he is a strict vegetarian.

The bottom line is that Leona's is the most kid-friendly restaurant that I have ever been to. Even the themed restaurants at Disney World aren't as kid-friendly because they don't offer activities to keep kids busy while the parents eat and drink.

Four out of Four Forks!