Why I Oughta...

Learned something from the new restaurant up in Coloma last week.  (More on the restaurant in a different post). From the back of the beer menu (plus a few commas): Dickerville was the name for Coloma from approximately 1836 to 1850.  Coloma was called Shingle Diggins prior to Dickerville.  It was home to lumber mills that hand split more than one million shingles.  After the lumber was all gone, the industry died and most people moved on.  Money was no good there due to the lack of industry so one had to dicker (barter) for goods and services.  This is when  the town took on the identity of Dickerville.  In 1850, the town was to be added to a national registry and receive a post office.  Not wanting to be known nationally as Dickerville, they decided on Coloma after Coloma California.  

Last week, I posted about the 'new' logo Egg Harbor was using on their to-go cups  and tweeted about it.  This morning, they responded and shed some light on the situation: they're going back to their original logo from 1985.  Sweet retro 80's egg instead of the rooster.   Egg Harbor isn't the only thing turning 30 this year.   Check out this full list from Mental Floss .  

As seen on the 'to-go' cup I was given at Egg Harbor recently is this new slimmed-down/modernish logo and font setup featuring an egg and a reflection of the egg.  Are the Rooster's days numbered in terms of serving as the icon/symbol of Egg Harbor Cafe?  Perish the thought. We *love* Egg Harbor.  Our family of five goes there just about every week for breakfast and the kids love everything about the dining experience - even though they got rid of the little rubber ducks!

We made a stop at Redamak's in New Buffalo on the way home from the holiday weekend.   There are a few places we like to stop at on the way to Coloma including this place and Steve Dahl's recommendation of Stop 50 in Michiana Shores. I had a VERY tasty double cheeseburger.  I've tried the triple and it is just simply too much for me.  I also ordered my waffle fries 'well done' and they were pretty stinkin' good. Don't take it from me on the quality of Redamak's burgers, just look at A Hamburger Today when they say : "The cheeseburger at Redamak's is among the best on the planet."

I posted this Illini Coors Light coaster earlier this week , and it looks like that might start a trend here on the blog.  We went to Ted's over the weekend and I had a pretty amazing burger.  The coasters?  They seem to give some pretty solid advice.

Sandwiched right between Fitz's Spare Keys and the York Furrier on York Street in Downtown Elmhurst is a 'new' place called Sushi Time.  3 Years ago, I posted about how this same restaurant changed over from Elmhurst Chop Suey to the Pagoda Bistro . Now, they're (I think?) trying to give the Sushi Nest a run for it's money by focusing on Sushi.  The reviews - thus far - on Yelp seem pretty positive .  With all the vacant storefronts in the City Centre, it is good to see another entrepreneur try to make it.

I'm one of those guys who have totally bought into the In-N-Out narrative.  Every trip to California includes a stop for some chow.  This past trip, I made a stop and ordered Animal-style fries for the first time.  They were awesome.  Gross.  But awesome. I've had a few meals that I can recall at a moment's notice in my mind like Buddy's in Detroit or John's Pizza in NYC and now I think this double Animal-style'd meal is on that list.

We went to Al's #1 Italian Beef over the long holiday weekend and on the wall there were just a handful of photo endorsements.  The usual suspects of Mayor Daley, Steve 'The Hungry Hound' Dolinsky were up there.  And so were a few wrasslers . And then there was this Paula Deen one.  Prominently displayed for all to see.    Seems her clout on food issues has dropped a bit, hasn't it?   Or...once you get a Paula Deen photo, you keep that photo?  Is that the case?

We walked to Church this weekend down York Street and saw the exterior construction that was going on in the old Smoothie Factory space.  You'll remember the Smoothie Factory closed back in April after a number of years in the location. Really glad to see an entrepreneur give it a go in our City Centre.  And I'm even more pleased that it isn't a nail salon or "Cash for Gold" franchise location.  Also glad to see the landlord make the necessary investment in the building. The exterior work on the building looks to be enhancing the facade - which is really nice.  Based on the story on the Elmhurst Patch , it looks like we're getting something called the Fulla Bologna Old World Delicatessent.   They have a site up , but don't give much detail on what they're offering. I'm hoping that they'll do a great job on sandwiches and IMPORTANTLY....have a killer giardiniera to go along with them.   As for the name, a commenter on the Patch pointe

Sad news is being reported by multiple outlets :  The Qdoba Burrito joint on St. Charles near 83 is set to close as part of a restructuring.  And it is happening fast.  As in TODAY. All total, they're closing 67 stores.  17 of which are in our area. I have to be perfectly honest.  It always felt like a knock-off of Chipotle.  I have no idea which one came first, but in my mind it was the Burger King to the Chipotle McDonald's.  And...while I ate it a few times, I didn't love it.  I think that was largely because in my head a "quick serve burrito" was supposed to taste like Chipotle. Too bad for Elmhurst.  Too bad for the folks who worked there, too!

Last night, we went out to the new burger joint down on York Road called HB Jones.  After waiting for 10 or so minutes to get a table, we found ourselves in the front room in front of the fireplace.  The restaurant is made up of three rooms.  The back greenhouse room - where you enter.  A middle bar area with high-top tables and a smallish front room that has windows out onto York Street. We had a great table and a nice enough guy for our waiter.  On both sides of our table were families with multiple kids, so we fit in just fine.  It *was* 5:45 on a Saturday, so it wasn't like we were competing with date night for seats. We'd heard good things about this place. As we were leaving, Nat asked me a question:  "Are we too picky?" That's how I'd sum up our experience. Now, granted...neither of us had a beef burger.  We both had turkey burgers that were topped with huge amounts of various toppings.  It almost seemed like they were trying to cover up an

See that storefront right where Fresco's used to be - next to Chipotle?  As we learned this week from the State of the City address, we're getting a Meatheads Burger joint. That will be (by my count) our fourth higher-end burger place.  First there was SmashBurger on St. Charles.  Then Back Alley Burger opened across the street.  Then Hamburger Jones opened up down on York Road near the Prairie Path.  And, now Meatheads. Don't get me wrong, I don't have any problem with burger joints and if someone is willing to take the risk to open a business, especially in our downtown City Centre, I applaud them and wish them well.  I'll likely even go a bit further with Meatheads and try to support them with my business.  Unfortunately, it appears that their menu doesn't include Turkey Burgers (nor veggie burgers), but they do have chicken sandwiches.  If they had a strong Turkey Burger, both Nat and I would be all over them. When I walked by on the way to the trai

I was at El Pollo Vagabundo a while back and saw this on the back of the menu.  Didn't really ever think that "Like us on Facebook" would be translated to "Me Gusta en Facebook", but it makes perfect sense, I suppose.

After the news of the closing of Elmhurst's Bleeding Heart Bakery, I assumed that there would be a void in the cupcake/baking scene in Downtown.  But...that didn't last long.  In what was the Serene Teaz location on Park Avenue right on the tracks is a sign for "Courageous Bakery".  They bill themselves as home of Cupcakes for Courage which is a cupcake truck that we've spotted parked in town.     Hopefully they'll get the doors open soon and we'll find out if they're better than Heavenly Cupcakes which we didn't love the first time we went there.

It was almost exactly a year ago that I posted the sad news that Fontano's closed on First Street in Downtown Elmhurst (April 22, 2011 ).  This morning, on the way home from Courts Plus, I spotted this bright red sign in Fontano's window that announces some good news:  We're getting an Italian Deli called Zanzi's.  From the listings, we'll be treated to Paninis, subs, salads, soups, espresso, cold cuts and....wait for it....Daily Specials!  Hooray!   The place isn't too terribly big, so I'm guessing that they'll focus on the deli counter/sandwich making, but we *could* use a good Italian Deli that sells some packaged goods.  I have to travel to either Addison or Westmont to pick up my Scamorza Cheese when I want to make pizzas.  Would be pree-tay pree-tay nice to be able to buy that (and other things) right here in Elmhurst.

Last week, Nat and  I went out to celebrate my birthday (and the big Polomsky for City Council win!) with a meal at the Girl and the Goat .  As most of you know (and I just came to realize!), this restaurant is very happening and for good reason:  the chef is a *celebrity* , the place has a great vibe, and the food, well...isn't what I would call "in my comfort zone", but it was pretty great. While we didn't get the roasted pig face (seriously...that's on the menu), we did get some pork and here's me smiling with a VERY full belly and playing with a pork shank bone. The meal was quite the experience - especially for a guy like me who lives in the suburbs and eats pizza and chicken wings.  From the green beans with fish sauce to the chickpea fritters to the seppia (fish), it was all quite interesting and for the most part, delicious.  And, we got a wonderful surprise at the end of our meal from a friend/neighbor of ours (Thanks if you are reading this!) whic

I know this may be hard to believe, but Nat doesn't like pizza as much as I do. Because of that fact, we (unfortunately) have to go to restaurants OTHER than pizza joints. One of those was Tom & Eddie's in Lombard . Tom & Eddies is an upscale burger place that was developed by two long-time McDonald's execs.  Their story has been covered elsewhere and it, indeed, is an interesting story line.  These two guys are going after the fast, upscale casual restaurant dollar.  Fancier than Chipotle, but as fast and casual as Panera. The burgers were good, but not extraordinarily memorable - as noted because I can't quite remember what I had to eat.  Nat had a Turkey burger and loved it.  We'll go back, but the burgers are only a small reason why. The place is sleek, welcoming, and bright.  And the folks who work there (Who I think(?) were actually Tom and Eddie) were great and warm. The pieces of the place that are the most fun (for me, at least) were how

Over the weekend, we took the Babe out in her stroller and went for a walk to get some air.  Somehow, we ended up checking out a new place on York Street named Rosalia's Deli. Rosalia's is an annex Angelo's Ristorante - a long time fixture in Elmhurst which recently underwent a facelift.  The exterior of the place looks great and I, for one, welcome the addition of an Italian deli literally in my backyard. When you walk in, you have a pretty standard Italian deli with breads, cheeses, a big counter full of meats and prepared items as well as a handful of oils and other Italian specialty items.  I wasn't all that impressed with the breadth of their offerings, but it is a small place AND it is just getting started.  I suppose just about everything will pale in comparison to Angelo Caputo's, right? But...when you look to the left - to the part of the store that is connected to Angelo's Ristorante - what do you see? This beauty.  A custom-built wood-fired p

The first time I had pizza in our new house in Elmhurst, we ordered from Pizza Palace .  We were having a painting party with our relatives and had to order something on the spot.  One way or the other, I ended up with getting a few pies delivered and I was happy. I've subsequently started to order from Mama Maria's, but recently decided to head back to give an in-person try to Pizza Palace.  Nat was going out for the night and it was going to be me and the Babe alone for dinner.  What better thing to eat than sausage and pepperoni, right? Pizza Palace is on Addison Street - right behind the main drag called York in Downtown Elmhurst.  The place is a pretty unassuming bar with a dining room bolted on the side.  We sat in the bar in a booth and waited to see if someone would join us in this fun 70's era table. Since my dining companion is 14 months old, we chose to eat at 5:30 pm on a Wednesday.  Aside from one older lady by herself at the bar, we were all alone.  By t

York Tavern 3702 York Road, Oak Brook, IL  60523, (630)323-5090 Pizza Snob Says: The York Tavern puts out (as one would expect with such a name) tavern-cut crackery pies that come out a bit cold, under-cooked, under-seasoned and served on styrofoam plates.  Come for the beer and the Hinsdale "slumming-it" crowd. Rating:   Two "Ats-a-Nice" They list five Speciality pizzas on their menu including "The York's Special" - which is a SMOP (sausage, mushroom, onion and green peppers), "The Hawaiian" - with pineapple, bbq sauce and bacon, a Vegetarian, classic Margherita, and the pie we ordered: The Pizza Bianca: a olive oil-based artichoke/garlic/parmesan combo.  The place is owned by the same folks who own Roberto's in Elmhurst and the pizza menu looks surprisingly similar .  (compare the link to the image below) Unfortunately, I didn't grab a photo of the pie we ordered, but I can tell you that it looked nothing like the on