Favorite Pizza Restaurants – 20 nominations – Top 10
1. Lou Malnati’s – Lakewood
2. Papa Saverio’s – Huntley
3. Maciano’s – Elgin
4. Nick’s – Elgin
5. 3-way tie: Luigi’s – Huntley; Moretti’s – LITH; Rosati’s – Huntley
8. Village Pizza & Pub – Elgin
9. Village Vintner – Algonquin
10. Buddyz – Algonquin
Here are a few readers’ general comments:
From Grace and Mike Turso: “Portillo’s would be our Number 1 all-time favorite; not sure if it’s in the 45-minute range you asked for.”
From Joan Mudd (On lunch at Centegra Hospital Cafeteria, Woodstock): “Great soup and good entrees. My favorite restaurant is Cafe La Cave. Keep up the good work with your column and don’t eat too much.”
From Joan and Paul Souchek: “We feel Papa G’s is the best restaurant anywhere around the Huntley area. The quality and preparation of the food and the excellent service makes this restaurant the best.”
From The Wagners (On Checkers II in Union): “Great chicken dinners with garlic mashed potatoes.”
From Dottie and Gordon Nelson: “We have lived in Sun City over 13 years and have tried most of the eating establishments.” Here are their favorites:
Monterra on Randall Road
Atwaters in Geneva
Benedict’s Eggs & More in East Dundee
La Petite Creperie & Bistrot on Woodstock Square
Emmet’s Brewing Company in West Dundee
From Joan Valdez of Edgewater – “I enjoy Sam’s column and wanted to contribute from Del Webb Edgewater.”
Five favorite restaurants
1. St. Charles Place in St Charles
2. Francesca’s in St Charles
3. Biaggi’s in Algonquin – especially for lunch. They have a great 1/2 pasta with 1/2 salad lunch.
4. Cafe Roma – Elgin
5. Lonestar – Elgin
Three Favorite lunches
1. Red Robin South Elgin – the best (better than the one in Algonquin)
2. Famous Dave’s BBQ – Algonquin
3. Biaggi’s
Favorite fast food is opening soon…Portillo’s in Elgin
Two favorite breakfasts
1. Randall’s Pancake House in South Elgin – number one; the best breakfast anywhere
2. Burnt Toast – Elgin
From Ken (?) – “You didn’t ask for locations, but I thought I would add them to show how really far we have to travel to get a decent meal as well as to identify a specific location when there may be multiples. From my list, it is readily apparent how lacking Huntley is in different places to eat. We need more restaurant choices. Can’t wait to see your list. A great project on your part. Thank you for doing it, as we may all benefit by seeing other restaurants we may not have thought of or visited.”
Well, foodies, that’s it for this year’s survey. I encourage you to get out and try some of the establishments that you haven’t yet visited. Give them a try and let me know about your experiences. Remember, restaurants are run by people who, like each of us, have off days, too. Interestingly, one of the restaurants given many votes was also given negative comments by others, which only proves the old adage, “You can please some of the people all the time, but not all of the people all of the time,” or something like that said by Abe Lincoln. You get the concept, right? Keep those comments coming and bon appétit!
Dining extra: Comments on Dining Out With The Geezers article from December 6, 2012.
On Jan. 18, my wife and I decided to have dinner at a restaurant in Woodstock based on the above-mentioned “Geezers” article.
The restaurant is Two Tails, which is located at 2400 Lake Shore Drive (this is the street where the Social Security Office is located).
As the Geezers article pointed out, although you can see signage for the restaurant from Route 14, the entrance is at the back, or south side of the building.
Two Tails offers prime meats & seafood. We were in the mood for seafood, so that’s what we ordered on Friday.
My wife ordered the Perch seafood platter, and I opted for two appetizers: bacon wrapped scallops and a quarter pound crab cake.
The food was excellent, and the portions were generous.
Aside from the food, I wanted to mention some other attributes of the restaurant.
We were greeted promptly by one of the owners (Wendy) who also ended up being our server. She was very upbeat and bubbly and definitely excited to be involved in this business.
She made sure we understood that this is not just a seafood restaurant. They also have prime meats, and we were surprised to hear that one of the specials that evening was prime rib. I don’t know why we didn’t expect that, but we didn’t. I guess we were just thinking “seafood.”
Wendy also stated that she can get any cut of beef you might be interested in, even if it’s not on the menu. If you ever want a particular cut of meat that is not on the menu, just call in advance, and she will have it for you and prepare it however you like it.
This is a retail store as well, so although the tables are covered with white linen tablecloths, it’s not a romantic atmosphere but is very upbeat and friendly. However, it is connected via hallway to a Starbucks-style coffee house complete with overstuffed leather chairs, and it is a bit more homey feeling. I point this out because if you have a large party and would like to have your own room, they will serve your meal in the nicely appointed coffeehouse, where you will be pretty much by yourselves.
The restaurant is also BYOB. We brought a nice bottle of wine to have with our dinner and were not charged a corkage fee. Wendy provided the wine glasses, and we were good to go.
So, if you’re looking for some great food at a reasonable price managed by folks who love what they do, then I strongly suggest you give Two Tails restaurant a try!
-Ed Fahey
