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Eating In/Near Indian Head Park

Eating In/Near Indian Head Park
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  • Eating In/Near Indian Head Park

    Post #1 - September 9th, 2004, 6:09 pm
    Post #1 - September 9th, 2004, 6:09 pm Post #1 - September 9th, 2004, 6:09 pm
    The wife and I are going out to dinner with an old work friend of hers who has bought a place in Indian Head Park. I think that's somewhere in the Western Springs area. In order to avoid a potential bogus choce of restaurant by the friend. I was wondering if any of you SW Suburban Chowists can arm me with some good recomendations of places in that area. I'm looking for something fairly mainstream, given that I'm with the Chow Poodle and her unadventurous friend.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #2 - September 13th, 2004, 8:06 pm
    Post #2 - September 13th, 2004, 8:06 pm Post #2 - September 13th, 2004, 8:06 pm
    Sorry, I was on hiatus. Steve, have you made this run yet? The best choice will be to run a little west and then north up 83 to Westmont. There is a Lao Sze Chuan there. as well as a number of other interesting spots. Then there is Cebu, a somewhat upscale Filipino place that is a little west on 75th. Near there, there is also a decent Bohemian place whose name escapes me at the moment.

    Safest, and most main stream is Country House, a decent burger tavern with a full kitchen (the original one of three, in a mini-chain out here) on 55th street, just west of 83. All these are less than 15 minutes from Indian Head Park - zip out Plainfield Road, then either go west on 75th, or head north on rte 83.

    Or tell me what kind of cuisine you want, and I can make some other suggestions. No lack of places, really, if you are prepared to drive a little bit.

    But this is probably way too late.
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #3 - September 13th, 2004, 9:25 pm
    Post #3 - September 13th, 2004, 9:25 pm Post #3 - September 13th, 2004, 9:25 pm
    We went Saturday night. We ended up eating at a place in Hinsdale called Bella Cucina (I think). It was OK. Nothing special. My pasta dish was good enough, but my wife's fish, while looking quite good on the plate, had little taste. Even the Poodle thought it lacked flavor.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #4 - September 14th, 2004, 9:43 am
    Post #4 - September 14th, 2004, 9:43 am Post #4 - September 14th, 2004, 9:43 am
    Sadly, you were five minutes from Westmont and some decent food choices. Oh well. Next time.

    Someone needs to explain to me why really affluent suburbs are above having good restaurants in them. The Hinsdale paradox, if you will. Clearly the people have the money, and do dine out. But somehow they discourage any really good restaurants from locating in town.
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #5 - September 14th, 2004, 11:39 am
    Post #5 - September 14th, 2004, 11:39 am Post #5 - September 14th, 2004, 11:39 am
    dicksond wrote:Someone needs to explain to me why really affluent suburbs are above having good restaurants in them. The Hinsdale paradox, if you will. Clearly the people have the money, and do dine out. But somehow they discourage any really good restaurants from locating in town.


    I'm not sure if this has changed or not, but it used to be impossible to get a liquor license in Hinsdale. There's a single bar in town, and he holds the only license - when that place shuts down, it'll be a dry town.
    -Pete
  • Post #6 - September 14th, 2004, 5:22 pm
    Post #6 - September 14th, 2004, 5:22 pm Post #6 - September 14th, 2004, 5:22 pm
    The liquor license issue explains a lot of history. Highwood has a good restaurant history because it was about the only place on the North Shore that permitted liquor sales with meals. Evanston and Oak Park were pretty much restaurant deserts until they allowed liquor sales. Surrounding towns that allowed liquor sales had well-established restaurants, so entry by new ones wasn't all that easy at first. Eventually, competition tooks its toll on some of the older restaurants. Look at North Avenue between Austin and Harlem compared to 30 years ago.
  • Post #7 - September 14th, 2004, 5:36 pm
    Post #7 - September 14th, 2004, 5:36 pm Post #7 - September 14th, 2004, 5:36 pm
    I don't know if it still is but Evanston was home to the WCTU.And supposedly related to that the sundae was invented here.
  • Post #8 - September 14th, 2004, 7:18 pm
    Post #8 - September 14th, 2004, 7:18 pm Post #8 - September 14th, 2004, 7:18 pm
    Evanston is still home to the WCTU. Headquarters is right behind the Frances Willard house on Chicago Avenue (tours one Sunday a month). Not much goes on there these day, but they do have a nice, small library.

    A toast to those fine ladies and the glorious Methodist, feminist, prohibitionist history of Northwestern.
  • Post #9 - September 14th, 2004, 8:26 pm
    Post #9 - September 14th, 2004, 8:26 pm Post #9 - September 14th, 2004, 8:26 pm
    Hi,

    The Metra North line has no bar car because Zion does not allow drinking. About ten years ago, there was an article about a Rum Cakes made at a small enterprise incubator in a closed school in Zion. Until this article came out in the Chicago Tribune, the local authorities were unaware of this business, which was rapidly removed.

    Highwood was THE place to have dinner and a cocktail over 30 years ago when we first moved to Highland Park. As the various communities allowed liquor, it was quite a big event.

    I know one Highwood family which became rather wealthy by owning the first bar G.I.'s encountered when leaving Fort Sheridan. The big hay day was when soldiers were dismissed from active duty after WW2. They had men 4-6 deep waiting for drinks to celebrate.

    In Highland Park a few years, we had something which closely approximated a tavern. It was a cigar shop with a liquor license. Quite a few tongues were jabbering over that place wondering how they ever got the permission.
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #10 - September 14th, 2004, 8:40 pm
    Post #10 - September 14th, 2004, 8:40 pm Post #10 - September 14th, 2004, 8:40 pm
    I find this interesting.It may be different wards but I never remember hearing complaints about all the bars on the Chicago side of Howard St.But I believe it was Alderman Stone who objected so strongly to the shopping center where Target is that they had a divider in the middle of the street.It did end up being removed.Same street but it may be as I said different wards.Apparently shopping bad,booze good.
  • Post #11 - September 17th, 2004, 2:39 am
    Post #11 - September 17th, 2004, 2:39 am Post #11 - September 17th, 2004, 2:39 am
    The liquor license issue is also an explanation for the restaurant row in Edison Park, since Park Ridge used to be dry.

    I don't understand why so many suburbs are such culinary wastelands, however. Downtown Arlington Heights is finally getting a few good places, but the area around Rand/Palatine/Arlington Heights Road is all chains, and second-rate chains at that (e.g. Lone Star Steakhouse instead of Outback).

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