Paul Bunyan had a Blue Ox named Babe but what exactly is a Red Ox, you ask? Turns out, itâs a restaurant in Hampshire. Many years ago, the ownerâs father had an establishment in Elgin called the Blue Ox Restaurant, so the Red Ox is actually the son of the Blue Ox. Got it? Iâm glad you do…
Itâs a smaller restaurant by todayâs standards but cozy. When you walk in, to the left, is the bar area with a few tables and the main dining area is to the right. The dĂŠcor is definitely âold schoolâ and the tables are in close proximity to each other so be prepared to rub elbows with your newfound neighbors. There are a few tables that are handicap friendly, and a ramp outside for easy accessibility.
The waitress took our usual iced tea order and brought us a basket of crackers and warm crunchy sourdough bread. We placed our appetizer order of mini chicken kabobs (6) in a garlic oil marinade with au jus on the side ($7.95). Two people could easily split these tasty little treats, but Jim ate them all.
Now, on to our entrees. Jim went out on a limb and ordered the pork chops ($14.45). They turned out to be two huge chops, at least an inch thick, seared on the outside but juicy on the inside. This little piggy â the chops, not my husband â was served with au jus. Jim had the garlic mashed potatoes â yes, youâre reading this correctly â he ordered garlic for a change.
Nancy had the fried jumbo shrimp dinner (5) for $14.95. They were enormous and delicious and served with a mild cocktail sauce. She ordered steak fries, extra crispy, and enjoyed every one of them.
Our entrees came with broccoli topped with a light cheese sauce. To accompany our dinners, we were given a choice of soup or salad. Nancy tasted the appetizer, but she had her heart set on soup and salad this evening. She had a salad with garlic dressing (she could only hold off so long) and spooned out the extra money ($2.45) for a cup of comforting beef barley soup, since it was so cold outside. I also had the beef barley soup. FYI: The cup of soup here is the size of a bowl at most other restaurants.
Did you ever wonder where the stuffed pepper soup that was served at the Walleye Grill wound up? I would swear it was cleverly disguised as this beef barley soup. If you close your eyes, you canât tell the difference. The barley tasted like the rice, and the beef broth had a slight tomato base.
To sum this all up, if you have a hearty appetite for great food served in Paul Bunyan-esque portions, this is your restaurant. We saw a huge slab of lasagna go by as well as an end cut of prime rib that had to be 1-1/2â thick being served to our new âelbow neighbor.â
For everything we ate tonight, the bill came to a mere $48.79. This is a restaurant that keeps on giving. You can order one meal on Saturday night and enjoy it again for lunch on Monday.
He said/She said:
Jimâs Take: I loved the soup and missed it since the Walleye Grill closed. I donât order pork chops when I dine out because, in my opinion, they are usually undercooked. I like my âother white meatâ well done, not pink. These chops were cooked to my liking but were still very juicy.
Nancyâs Take: I also loved the soup, whatever it was. It tasted like the stuffed peppers that I cook, but they called it beef barley …. My shrimp were big and tasty and my fries were done to perfection! I want to go back for the âkillerâ lasagna; it looked awesome.
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The Red Ox Restaurant
129 E. Oak Knoll (Route 72)
Hampshire
(847)683-2300
www.redoxhampshire.com
Directions: Rte. 47 South to
Rte. 72 West
Estimated Travel Time: 14 minutes
