The Restaurant That Keeps Me Coming Back By: Michael

 

Michael Wieland is a Property Manager from Oak Park. He enjoys a great burger and loves craft beers. When restaurants include beers in their menus that compliment their entrees, its a slam dunk for him! He loves trying new things and when it comes to strange dishes, he has learned from his sister to trust the chef. He likes watching Check, Please! to learn about new restaurants and appreciates Alpana's wine knowledge; especially when she pairs it with particular food he may not have considered.

There are few things in life that make me happier than a good burger and a beer.  The Bad Apple in Lincoln Square has both of these in abundance.  Their menu is fantastic, and they have something for everybody.  I have gone there with the guys, both late night and at lunchtime.  I have gone there with my wife and kids.  I’ve gotten carryout for my co-workers, who now request it every time we have a meeting after 5:00.  It’s high-quality food at reasonable prices in an atmosphere that is far from stuffy.

I try to choose a different burger each time I go (they have approximately 15 on their ever-evolving menu), but on my last two visits I found myself ordering the same burger; “El Chupacabra”.  The burger is topped with braised goat chili, avocado, goat’s milk cheddar and a garlic puree. It is a massive amount of flavor with just the right amount of spiciness.

The burgers come with great fries that can be kicked up with seasonings like curry, minced garlic, and chipotle.  My personal favorite is the Old Bay seasoning; great on seafood, even better on fries.    

Their draft beer list is impressive without being imposing.  For the uninitiated beer drinker, they have great descriptions under each beer so you know exactly what you’re getting. The wonderful bar staff will even allow you a little taste or two if you can’t decide.
They represent most, if not all of the local breweries, including Half Acre located across the street, but they also have rare, small batch beers that can be found in only a small number of bars/restaurants.

During my last visit, I was fortunate to try two beers by the Danish brewery Evil Twin. I enjoyed them so much that I have been searching for them all over town.
I guess I’ll just have to go back for more…


The Bad Apple 
4300 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL.60618
(773) 360- 8406
http://www.badapplebar.com/ 

Chicago Brauhaus By: Samantha

Samantha has traveled as far as Vegas to eat at B&B and driven to Cleveland to go to Lola. Although she loves cooking, she loves the ambiance, service, creativity, and of course the wine of a dining out experience. Originality is something she looks for in a restaurant and has Check, Please! on her DVR so she can find new places to try. Samantha also writes Yelp reviews and tries to pinpoint what she looks for from a dining experience. Her boss even calls her a pretentious foodie!

I have such a huge love for food in general, it really is difficult for me to pick my favorite restaurant, food item, etc. Thus, I think I’d like to start with the restaurant that keeps me coming back, because to me consistency is really key. While I adore fine dining, I also like different types of places.

My favorite spot to keep going too and to take people to who haven’t experienced it is Chicago Brauhaus (yes, I realize this has already been on). First of all, it’s the first place I ever had beef tartare (Hackepeter) so it obviously holds a special place in my heart, but that place also has great food other than the raw meat (imagine that). I am going to Oktoberfest in September so perhaps I’d be in a better position to report on the authenticity after that, but I love all of their dishes (liver dumpling soup is a fave).

What makes this place so special, other than being one of the four places in the city that I know of that carries BBK Pils (delicious beer, nom nom nom), is the entire experience. It’s a very random group of people you’ll see, but you do see a bunch of German families in there. The band is awesome. I sometimes forget about my food and drink because I’m just soaking it all in.

What is just great is you see these little old women dancing and partying like they’re 21. People are all genuinely having a good time, and that enjoyment is contagious. I don’t think you could possibly not have a great time here! Anytime someone says how they aren’t impressed by German restaurants I always immediately ask if they’ve been here and, if not, make plans right away. It sets the bar (don’t get me wrong, Edelweiss is solid as well) for all German restaurants in Chicago.

I’ve gone with just my husband or a huge group of people. This is somewhere you want to take people who like German food or who like to have a good time. No one has ever asked for their money back.

Chicago Brauhaus

4732 North Lincoln Ave

Chicago, IL 60625

(773) 784-4444

http://www.chicagobrauhaus.com

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