Editorās Note: Our columnist is not a trained or paid professional, nor does he get complimentary meals from the restaurants visited. He and his party arrive unannounced and do not reveal that they will be doing a review. Comments or questions may be sent to Sam Geati, greengeezer9@comcast.net.
The answer: to get to Checkers II, of course, because thatās where the other good chickens end up! Seriously, we recently were joined by our Grainery Lane neighbors, Bob and Roberta, for a delicious meal at this country restaurant just a short distance from Huntley in the little town of Union.
Ratings Key:
5 stars: Excellent
4 stars: Above Average
3 stars: Average
2 stars: Below Average
1 star: Poor
Food: ★★★★★
Service: ★★★
Price/Value: ★★★★★
Ambience: ★★★
Overall Rating: ★★★★
This is a popular spot that specializes in roasted chicken, but has a full menu of other choices. Three of us opted for the 2-piece chicken dish, called a āsnack,ā but it was certainly enough food for each person who ordered it. Priced at just $7.99 for dark meat pieces or $8.99 for white meat pieces, it came with a choice of various potatoes, a small amount of coleslaw, and rolls. Soups and salad were extra for $2.59. We tried two of the soups: French onion and clam chowder, both excellent. One person had a salad with choice of dressing on the side, and it was freshly made. The rolls were fresh, but not hot. Everyone agreed that the chicken was tender, juicy, and very flavorful. In addition to the snack portion, the other choice was a half chicken for about $12.
Since everyone else was having the chicken, I decided to splurge and get one of three specials: the prime rib dinner. There was a choice of two sizes: King at $23.99 and Queen at $19.99. I ordered the Queen, and it proved to not only be plenty for me to eat, but it was prepared just as I ordered and was as good as any prime rib Iāve had previously. As a side dish, I ordered the sliced red potatoes and onions, made German style. I was expecting a cold potato salad and instead got a large helping of hot potatoes nicely seasoned and the perfect complement to the prime rib. There were also baby carrots and grilled squash on my plate, making it a very filling and delicious meal. Soup or salad came with my meal, and I had a great cup of French onion soup.
Checkers II has a full bar with many choices of wines and beers available at very reasonable prices. We didnāt check out the desserts, as we planned to have that at home with our friends. We found very few reasons for which to knock this restaurant. The service overall was fine, but our server failed to tell us about the specials. The only reason we knew about them was because they were on a board when we walked in. We could have easily missed them. In addition to the prime rib, the other two specials were grilled salmon and a German dish. We all agreed that we would return to this restaurant in the future. You canāt beat this place for great chicken at a great price. They do not accept reservations for less than parties of eight or more. They have a nice back room for this purpose, but it is limited space-wise. They accept most credit cards. We all agreed we would go back again.
