Senor Pan By: Jerry

Jerry Weber is a Senior Contract Buyer from New Lenox. He is an ultimate Check, Please! fan as Jerry says he's watched every single episode over our 11 season history. While it can be an expensive hobby, Jerry loves checking out as many of the Check, Please! reviewed restaurant as he can. He even created his own Check, Please! database to help him find the perfect dining spot for any occasion.

Finally it was time for my birthday family meal, it is only over a week late! Well I will say things have been quite busy around the old family home lately. This is the first free day when we could all get together.

I decided on Senor Pan, since we are a Cuban household. This restaurant came highly rated on several of the different Internet websites. The ratings have been very high for this restaurant. So we head up north to pick up our oldest daughter and then head over to Fullerton. There is a parking lot right in front of the restaurant. There is a pretty good crowd for a late Saturday lunch, early Saturday dinner.

We start out ordering two orders of the Croquetas De Jamon (Ham Croquettes). They were very good. All the Cubans at our table agreed these tasted like a true Cuban made them and reminded everyone of the home made version. We also ordered the Mariquitas Con Mojo (Homemade Plantain Chips with Garlic Sauce). These were also good. It was strange that the Plantains were cut with ridges (just like Ruffles have ridges). So they were not as thin as they could have been. Also they could have used more salt.

For our main orders I started with the Senor Pan Trio (3 mini sandwiches of my choice). I got the Sandwich Cubano (sandwich with Ham, Roast Pork, Cheese and Pickles, this was very good and I am not a big fan of ham or pickles), Sandwich De Boliche (Roasted Beef, Lettuce and Tomato, this one was even better), and finally the Sandwich De Ropa Vieja (Shredded Flank Steak in Tomato Sauce, this one was truly the BEST). I will say two of my favorite Cuban dishes have to be Ropa Vieja and Boliche and in that order too. Oh I almost forgot I also ordered a Mango Batidos (milkshake, very, very delicious).

Well my wife and my youngest son both ordered the Bistec Encebollado (Grill Onions Steak). Of course I tasted their steak and it was very good. They both thought the steak was very good but the rice, black beans, and plantains were just average. My oldest son and youngest daughter both ordered the Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef, my favorite Cuban dish). Dad had to try some (remember it is my birthday meal and my favorite dish) and I thought it was truly outstanding. They both agreed on the beef but again just thought the rice, black beans, and plantains were just average. Finally, my oldest daughter order the Boliche (Roast Eye of Round Cuban Style, my second favorite Cuban dish). I also was allowed to sample this one and again thought it was one of the best I have ever tried. My daughter agreed on the meat, but also thought her sides were just average.

For dessert, my wife and two daughters all ordered the flan. They really liked it a lot. Usually they order flan and say afterward that it was too jello like, however this flan was firmer and tasted very good. So this time at Senor Pan they all LOVED their flan and thought it was just like a true Cuban would have made.

Oh I almost forgot, (remember I am older now) I also ordered another Senor Pan Trio to go. My sandwiches were just sooo good that I had to place another order to go. I figured I had another yummy meal for the next day.

So all this food and with drinks, our total bill came to roughly $85 dollars. Actually it was a bit higher with a tip that our waitress did not want to accept (I left her a tip anyway). Since it is a family run place I think they don't want to accept tips. But the service was just sooo friendly and helpful.  
I would highly recommend Senor Pan to everyone and we do plan on heading back to Fullerton for another yummy Cuban meal.

Senor Pan

 Not true? Show all edits Not true?

Placement on map is approximate

4612 West Fullerton Avenue

Chicago, IL 60639

Get directions

‎

(773) 227-1020

Pannenkoeken Cafe By: Jerry Weber

Jerry Weber is a Senior Contract Buyer from New Lenox. He is an ultimate Check, Please! fan as Jerry says he's watched every single episode over our 11 season history. While it can be an expensive hobby, Jerry loves checking out as many of the Check, Please! reviewed restaurant as he can. He even created his own Check, Please! database to help him find the perfect dining spot for any occasion.

It's a cool Sunday morning and my wife and I are driving our oldest son back up to his college. We swing by and pick up our oldest daughter who lives up in the Lincoln Square area. We all agree on heading over to Pannenkoeken Cafe for breakfast. My wife and daughter have been raving about this place for a while. They have wanted to take us there, so we decide to go.

Well the place is tiny, even by Chicago breakfast standards. There are only seven tables. They also have one bathroom, so this place is small. We are told there will be a 40 minute wait. So we decide to wander around the Lincoln Square area. Pannenkoeken will call us on our cell phone when a table opens. Well 45 minutes go by and no call. So we head back over to Pannenkoeken. We wait another 20 minutes or so (65 minutes in total) before we get a table. Boy I really hope the food is good in this place!

I order the quality Bacon and Cheese Pannenkoeken (a Dutch pancake) with an extra of quality Sausage. There is also a quality Sausage and Cheese Pannenkoeken, which I could add quality Bacon too, but it costs more. The cheese is Havarti, some of the creamiest and smoothest cheese I have ever had. I also saw a Chocolate Banana Pannenkoeken that includes hazelnuts and whipped cream that sounds totally good but probably way too fattening.

My wife and daughter both ordered the Sausage, Mushroom, and Cheese (again Havarti) Pannenkoeken. My son ordered a Belgian Waffle. He also ordered a side of bacon, he usually does.  Well everyone loved their orders. I; of course, sampled everyone's and would have to agree they were all quite tasty. The thin Dutch pancakes were very good. The price for all four of us, including drinks was around $44 dollars.

The only negatives from our experience besides the incredible wait was Pannenkoeken only takes cash (and the ATM was broken), we think they forgot the side of bacon my son ordered as we had to remind them and even then it took a while to get to us. The plates did take some time to get to us after we ordered (again there are only seven tables) and I would agree with my son that his chocolate milk did taste real funky.

So do we recommend Pannenkoeken for their thin and tasty Dutch pancakes, YES, but be prepared to wait!

Pannenkoeken Cafe

4757 North Western 
Chicago, IL 60625
(773)769-8800 

http://www.pannenkoekencafe.com

Rocco's Little Italy keeps me coming back: Patti Mullen

Patti is an administrative assistant that lives in Frankfort. She loves going out to Italian restaurants and says her favorite dish is the Baked Spinach Ravioli from Rocco's Little Italy. Patti says she knows her food as her friends are always asking her for restaurant recommendations on her train ride to work.

Our favorite place to share good food with friends is Rocco’s Little Italy. Each table has the olive oil and parmesan cheese for dipping the basket of bread while sipping a fragrant merlot.  Our perfect beginning to the meal is a bowl of homemade pasta fagioli that warms the soul, or the house “garbage” salad tossed with gorgonzola which pairs perfectly with garlic bread for sopping up the tangy house Italian dressing.  My favorite entrée is the house specialty of baked spinach ravioli in gorgonzola sauce.  The spinach ravioli comes to the table smothered in a gooey delicious gorgonzola sauce browned on top being after being baked.  My husband’s favorite dish is blackened pork chops, which are blackened to perfection, and accompanied with silky garlic mashed potatoes and strips of grilled zucchini.

A sweet tooth begs to order the mouth-watering tiramisu or for something less heavy, any of the sorbets, which are each served in their own piece of fruit.

The Greco family is well known in the restaurant business, and Rocco has superbly followed in his legendary father’s footsteps. The wait staff is knowledgeable, and always happy to make a recommendation. You absolutely cannot go wrong at Rocco’s. 

Rocco's Little Italy

7907 West 159th St.
Tinley Park, IL 60477
(708) 444-8259
http://www.roccoslittleitaly.net/

Chicago Fire House By: Jahan Kashani

 

Jahan is an executive assistant who enjoys savory comfort food. Jahan will drink a suggested complimentary wine with her meal but otherwise she chooses water or tea. She is also willing to drive pretty far for quality food; sometimes she takes the two-hour trip to Lake Geneva to get a great meal. She thinks that the food is what eating out is all about. She says great food can come from the scariest looking restaurant. 

It was 2007 when I had to host a regional conference for the company I was working with. I had to set up an exclusive dinner that night for the panel of executives that were attending. I chose to choose a place special to Chicago that was not the same old chain steak house… Where?  Chicago Fire House. I called them handled the logistics of the dinner and attending a menu tasting to make sure our companies guests would be satisfied. That great thing about CFH is that their food is so luxurious but not their setting. It is cozy, warm and comfortable. You’re treated well and fed even better. My experience was so great that I hosted a private party for my family.

My family is easy to please, I can say, Old Country Buffet has my family on their VIP List. Bringing them to CFH was going to be an event. I booked “The Mayor’s Room” which is warm and elegant room containing floor to ceiling mahogany panels with large windows and hardwood floors and created a pre-fixed menu. They were extremely impressed with the environment but excited for the special Chicago Fire House Chilled Seafood Display that included crabmeat, oysters, large cocktail shrimp and plenty of mignonette sauce.  Next was the lobster bisque. Yes, a heavy soup but salads are salads and I wanted them to enjoy drinking the rich smooth savory flavor that CFH creates in the Lobster Bisque. I could bathe in that soup. As that is not possible, I tried my best to enjoy every last drop without bathing the bowel with my tongue.  Main course was varied, lobster for my mother, steak for my father, salmon for my sister-in law and so on. Everything was cooked perfectly. Smelled decadent and tasted flawless. They serve the best quality food and you can taste it.  Lastly, (yes, we Kashani’s had enough room) we opted for cheesecake with the savoriest fresh raspberry sauce. It had a great tartness that did not make the dessert overly sweet. The entire meal was overly satisfying to the point I have started a tradition for myself with Chicago Fire House.

 Every Christmas Eve, I reserve a half-circle booth in the main dining area and treat myself to a great Christmas feast. It is a time for me to reflect on the holiday. Enjoy a meal with someone I care about and spend time reflecting on the past year. I usually dine for three hours. Enjoying each course and watching the other families dine in delight. I am coming up on my 5th Christmas Eve dining experience at CFH and looking very forward to it. I am often asked why I do not choose another place. Simply put, would you sample another grandmother’s pumpkin pie? No, tradition can be spruced up yes, but always stay in the end I prefer to stay with the one who welcomes me home.

Chicago Fire House

1401 South Michigan Avenue

Chicago, IL 60605-2810

(312) 786-1401

www.mainstayhospitality.com

The Downtown Family, and the Uptown Cafe By: Gina Witt

Gina is a dental hygienist and food blogger who enjoys running, sewing and fantasy and baseball nerding. Gina is picky about her food and restaurant choices. She says, the must be prepared flavor-fully with care, from scratch and considers herself to be a snob about these requirements. Time is too precious to squander on a mediocre or bad dining experience for this busy mom.

Throughout my life, I’ve occasionally been noticed for my quirky style, but never my expensive taste. I have always earned a look of disdain when, on receiving a compliment on an outfit, I’ve blurted proudly, “It’s second-hand. Two bucks! And I sewed the top!” I admit, I think that good things don’t have to cost a fortune.

Now, I have two kids under the age of three that I love to share meals with. However, I don’t believe in bringing our kids along to fancy restaurants, because I feel that a $32 steak is a waste of money when served with a side of screaming.

My life doesn’t happen at five-star venues. My life happens at the Uptown Café in Arlington Heights.

We can all have fun at the Uptown, and I don’t have to eat something that’s pressed into a nugget shape. The food is fresh and delicious at Uptown, the service is friendly, and the prices are incredible.

The Uptown Café has been owned by a Greek family for decades. Georgia greets us at the door. She is a tall woman with tall hair and a tall personality. She has shown my toddler how to stack the creamers to help keep her amused, or she has fed her jelly off the end of a spoon. She calls her “kukla,” or “doll.” The Uptown staff is always accommodating: crayons and coloring paper, saltines, and a kiddie cup are available promptly at the Uptown. Phew!

The décor is the low-point at the Uptown, but I find it endearing. It includes Miami-style pinks, palm fronds in the upholstery, and frosted glass partitions. Things get even more convoluted with lots of ceramic figurines, and hanging seasonal paper decorations. If you can’t find the warm heart (or at least the kitsch factor) in these types of surroundings, then I would humbly suggest that the Uptown is not for you.

The French fries at the Uptown are some of the very best anywhere, always served hot, with a shattering crunch. Breakfast selections include enormous omelets and perfect pancakes. (The Mickey Mouse pancake is a festival of cherries, sprinkles, and whipped cream so over-the-top that your kid will think it is her birthday.) The sandwiches have ingredients like hand-carved turkey, cranberry mayo, crispy bacon, and always perfect avocado. You will obsess about their chicken salad, or their thick and gooey grilled cheese. Specials never disappoint, whether a burger or an entrée salad. The grilled chicken is incredibly flavorful: my favorite special has been their broccoli, chicken, and cheddar crepe that I have requested specially-made many times.

The prices at Uptown are fast-food low. Our family can eat for just above $20 on real food, creatively prepared, with quality ingredients and fresh produce. I can bring my family to the Uptown, and still leave a hefty tip after my kids trash the immediate area around our table.

I’m happy to admit that the Uptown Café is where my family is right now. And like my family, it is always fresh (and oh, that toddler is a fresh one), comfortingly routine but never boring, just what I wanted, and where I’m always very glad to be.

Oh, and a little tacky and loud sometimes.

Uptown Cafe

24 East Miner Street

Arlington Heights, IL 60004-6012

(847) 398-1720

Turquoise: A Delicious Gem By: Tom Gull

Tom Gull is a sales manager who enjoys singing, bike riding, travel and of course cooking. Tom thinks that good food, unrushed service, and a knowledgeable wait staff makes a restaurant worth going to. He watches Check, Please! to see how others view the restaurants that he has experienced already.

I was introduced to Turquoise Café by a friend who is Turkish. My initial impression was how clever the name is. In subsequent visits with friends for whom it is their first visit, they too were surprised by the name that points to the cuisine – maybe everyone first thinks of the rare gemstone. 

This was one of the only restaurants I know of where I didn’t know what to expect. I figured the menu would be a cuisine that would be similar to Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants. Greek restaurants to me all taste too similar to each other and Middle Eastern restaurants also seem to be a slight variation on a theme – shawarma and kebaps. I couldn’t have been more wrong. 

Sure, there are kebaps and hummus but even these well known dishes took on a flavor all their own. The hummus, when served as an entrée is accompanied by all sorts of vegetables (wild mushrooms, carrots, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, broccoli) each cooked perfectly.  Each dish is unique unto itself. One of the kebaps I’ve tried is served with a reduced pomegranate sauce.

There were a dozen people at my first dinner at Turquoise. We went with a group of twelve who were in Chicago from all parts of the U.S. for a conference. It seemed like most had some food restrictions – gluten-free, dairy free, vegetarian, diabetic. The server was knowledgeable and easily directed everyone to appropriate choices or asked the chef to alter the dishes to accommodate their needs. I do not have any food restrictions so I chose the sampler platter. I try not to overeat but I figured the sampler platter would be a great introduction to the restaurant. It was filled with shrimp, salmon, chicken, beef and scallops all on a delicate bed of rice pilaf. It was so flavorful that I knew I would soon return.

On future visits, our group has been six or fewer persons. Upon a recommendation from the sole male waiter, who will proudly tell you he is not Turkish, but Kurdish, we always order 2 appetizers and one less entrée than the number at the table to share. There is always plenty to eat. The appetizers tend heavily toward seafood (diver scallops, calamari, mussels, salmon carpaccio or vegetarian – think zucchini pancakes, or spreads made from roasted eggplant) all served with delicious warm, homemade bread. At Turquoise, each dish I have tried tastes completely different from the next. Each entrée is served with uniquely perfect sides – rack of lamb with roasted vegetables, braised beef short rib with a creamy polenta, grilled salmon with gnocchi in a light tomato sauce, gorgonzola chicken with roasted red peppers, salt crusted Mediterranean white fish with steamed vegetables.

With the waiter’s recommendation, I have literally had over 50% of their entrees. With each dish, I feel like I am experiencing eating for the first time with new taste buds being awakened.  Unlike many other ethnic restaurants where the moussaka, pasta marinara or Wiener schnitzel all taste the same, the chefs at Turquoise have created a menu where there are no similarities. The accompaniments to each dish are as unique as main dish itself.

Dessert tends to be traditional, offering crème brulee (odd for the region), baklava, gelato and cheesecake but then they surprise you with an almond parfait that is flambéed tableside and drenched with a warm chocolate sauce. Also available is Kazandibi, which according to the menu is a mixture of caramelized butter, sugar and custard served with vanilla ice cream. It is a dense custard but the caramelized top is reminiscent of the flavor of toasted marshmallows.

For the past twenty or so years, I have taken three of my nephews, who are brothers, out to lunch or dinner a few days before Christmas. This tradition began when the oldest was 9 or 10 to give my sister an afternoon to finish her Christmas preparation. Each year, I choose a different ethnic restaurant for our meal. Each year as we get into the car, I ask the boys “why are we doing this?” They respond in unison “so we learn to appreciate other cultures.” As a native Chicagoan, I enjoy taking my friends, visitors, and nephews to the many ethnic neighborhoods that make Chicago a world-class city.  Through the years, we have “visited” Mexico, Guatemala, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Ethiopia, Japan, China, Korea, India, Lithuania, Peru, Russia, and Thailand. As we drive, I give them clues to where we are going and along the way I detour through different neighborhoods to throw them off the track. In 2010, I took my nephews to Turquoise. When the meal was finished, they all proclaimed that it was the best restaurant yet.

Turquoise Restaurant

2147 W.Roscoe
#1W
est Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 549-3523
www.turquoisedining.com