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/ 

Frontier: By Maggie

Maggie is a special education teacher who enjoys going out to eat, being with friends, crafting, and riding her scooter. Maggie considers a restaurant worthwhile if it has delicious and interesting flavors delivered with consistency. She also appreciates a restaurant that has inventive and thoughtful vegetarian dishes. One of the reasons Maggie watches Check, Please! is to encourage her to leave her neighborhood and try new places.

I recently headed south on Milwaukee and ended up at Frontier, the former Corosh spot. I’ve found myself there multiple times; meeting friends for drinks, stopping by with my boyfriend on my way home for one more IPA, going and leaving because there is a ridiculous wait for a table (and a bar-stool?- not a chance).
The space is cool. There is a great outdoor patio with a bar, TV, and huge fireplace. There is ample seating outside, which makes the restaurant much more accessible to the crowd. Inside there are tables that line the long bar and restaurant, with an additional area above the main room. The music is a combination of great alternative and indie rock that transitions into typical bar tunes as the night wears on. The décor is rustic yet comfortable, showing off lots of wood, stone, and cool metal.
I must admit that the large stuffed bear and frequent delivery of full roasted pigs to tables is a bit off putting, seeing as I am a vegetarian. This is precisely the reason why going there for the food and drinks makes Frontier all the more special.

They have a beer selection big enough to meet any hipster or beer connoisseur’s needs; one of my favorites is the Avery IPA in a can. There is also a decent wine selection given the bar-type atmosphere. On my most recent visit, I ordered the fried green tomato sandwich. While it is one of the only purely vegetarian dishes on the menu, hats off to Frontier for making it outstanding. It is on a delicious, long bun topped with a caponata, arugula,and goat cheese. The fresh green tomato is perfectly seasoned and fried. The balance between the tomato and toppings is perfect and all feel necessary and right to create this amazing sandwich.
All sandwiches come with a side, rather a huge basket of fries that are obviously homemade and fresh. While my stomach said “stop eating, you are full” my taste buds won and I finished my whole sandwich. I had plenty of fries left and could have definitely shared my order with someone else.

I would recommend Frontier, for the unassuming cool spot that it is. It is comfortable and unpretentious, while clearly having become a“scene”. The food and beer are great and the price is right.

Frontier
1072 N. Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60642

(773) 772-4322
http://www.thefrontierchicago.com

The Dining Out Gene By: Lisa Parro

Lisa Parro is a Public Relations Specialist that is a proud new parent of a baby boy. When she can find a babysitter she loves getting together with her good friends over a delicious meal. She's always looking for new restaurants to try with her friends and turns to Check, Please! as her source for interesting restaurants around town.  

I still think about the goat cheese spinach dip. The fish tacos haunt my dreams. I pine for the three-layer chocolate cake with the longing of an addict. If I would’ve known that was to be my last meal out in a restaurant, I would have slowly savored every bite. I would have snuck another sip of my husband’s beer. But little did I know my son would be born less than 36 hours later, which means my husband and I no longer spend our Friday and Saturday nights exploring new restaurants or relaxing in the comfort of our favorite haunts but instead take turns soothing our newborn while waiting for the pizza delivery guy or grabbing takeout from the local barbecue joint. We’re parents now, our lives turned upside-down with all the joy and craziness that accompanies this new stage in life. 

But now that David Michael is one month old, we wonder if it’s time to introduce him to our shared love of dining out. We refuse to be the red-faced couple hopelessly rocking the screaming baby while clamoring for the check just as dinner is served. Therefore the timing must be perfect; he will have to be fed, changed, and well on his way to dreamland when we embark on our maiden voyage. And we’ll likely take him somewhere close and familiar – likely Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora, where we enjoyed our last meal those four weeks ago. 

Two Brothers Roundhouse is easily our favorite restaurant, and not just because it’s less than two miles from our house. When we moved to Aurora seven years ago, the Roundhouse – which opened as Walter Payton’s Roundhouse in 1996 – was easily the top restaurant in town. Situated in an 1850s limestone trainyard (the name reflects the building’s original use as a spot for locomotives to turn around), the Roundhouse was a microbrewery that housed a multi-level restaurant, bar, comedy club, cigar bar, outdoor entertainment space, banquet facility and a museum honoring Payton. The Payton family eventually disassociated from the facility, signaling the beginning of the end of the restaurant’s glory days. A series of management debacles that led to a bankruptcy filing – coupled with the ensuing decline in the quality of the food and beer – caused my husband and I to scout out a new favorite restaurant about a year ago. 

That’s when we discovered the Two Brothers Tap House, a no-frills restaurant attached to the Two Brothers brewery tucked away in an industrial complex in Warrenville. Despite having no signs advertising the hard-to-find building, the place was packed every weekend – a testament to the quality and variety of the beers and the locally grown, largely organic dinner offerings. So when we heard rumblings earlier this year that Two Brothers was interested in purchasing the Roundhouse, it was like learning our two best friends were getting married. 

We were among the first customers when the newly christened Two Brothers Roundhouse opened this summer. Like the Warrenville location, the Aurora restaurant also features delicious food made with sustainable ingredients and complex, expertly crafted beer. It’s once again packed with patrons every time we visit. The dinner menu includes a wide selection of small plates, including pork belly tacos, skirt steak tacos, vegetarian empanada, chili relleno, and spare rib risotto – all of which I can highly recommend. The only dishes I don’t care for are the marrow toast, which was too greasy for my taste, and the beer carpaccio, which featured too many onions. For dinner entrees, you can’t go wrong with the Roundhouse burger (made from organic beef with a generous helping of adobo sauce), the aforementioned fish tacos, applewood smoked ribs, or the daily fish special. 

Soon, our newly expanded family will return to the Roundhouse. It will be the first step in introducing David Michael to our lifelong love of restaurants. Perhaps he’s already inherited the dining out gene, which my husband got from his parents; I apparently absorbed it through marriage. If so, it won’t be long until he’s inviting us to check out his top spot. I just hope he offers to pick up the check. 

Two Brothers Roundhouse

205 N. Broadway

Aurora, IL 60505

(630) 264-BREW (2739)

http://www.twobrothersroundhouse.com