Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.
Looking for an entertaining evening? Look no further than your Sun Day newspaper. A perfect scenario would be as follows.
Step One: Read “Reel Time with Tom” for movie recommendations.
Step Two: Go to the South Barrington 30 Movie Theaters to watch the movie.
Step Three: Get Lucky! Get your minds out of the gutter people, we’re referring to the Lucky Monk restaurant right next door to the show.
When you walk through the revolving doors, the first thing you see is a hostess stand. The next thing you will see is a section of tables behind it that act as a buffer zone between the dining area on the left, and the huge u-shaped bar on the right. Next to the bar there is a floor to ceiling glass wall with a working brewery on the other side.
Lucky Monk
105 Hollywood Boulevard
South Barrington60010
(847)898-0500
theluckymonk.com
Directions: Take I-90 East, to Rte. 59 North, to Rte. 72 East to Barrington Road North, to Hollywood Boulevard West to restaurant.
Travel Time: 27 minutes
There’s no better way to start off a meal in a brewery than with the Warm Pretzel Trio ($10.95). These were three giant pretzels served with three dipping sauces, namely Wisconsin cheddar beer fondue, tomato Parmesan and grainy mustard butter. OMG!!! They were dark, dark brown on the outside and salted just right. The insides were soft and moist to soak up the dipping sauce. We picked the right appetizer tonight.
Nancy wanted to try their Waldorf Salad ($11.95). This was mixed greens, pulled chicken, green apples, candied walnuts, grapes, dried cranberries, celery, and Blue cheese crumbles served with creamy honey-lime dressing. This day will live on in history because she didn’t have her usual garlic dressing. She even said the honey-lime dressing was the perfect complement to this salad.
I found an entree for Jim this evening. I spotted the Grilled Cheeseburger ($14.50), which had his name written all over it. I wonder why Jim didn’t see it…. Buckle up while I describe this monstrosity. It was a half pound prime beef patty with lettuce, tomato, and onion between 2 bacon-stuffed grilled cheese sandwiches. It was an unbelievably, eye popping, huge creation. When the waiter put it down in front of him, he chuckled and said, “Good luck.” This was served with fresh-cut fries. For those of you who remember Gene and Jude’s in River Grove, these fries were identical, but without all the grease. That was a blast from our past!
I was so proud of Jim because he only ate half his burger, till I found out his true motive. While I was looking for his entree, he was drooling over the desserts! He found one that was too good to pass up, namely the House-Made Sticky Donuts, ($5.95) for 5 of them. These sweet, sticky little hockey pucks have a vanilla glaze and come with a trio of dipping sauces – raspberry, chocolate, and caramel. You have to try these evil little treats, especially with the caramel sauce. We guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
This restaurant is perfect either before or after a movie, since they specialize in “bar food.” They offer great appetizers, burgers, pizzas, taco’s, salads, and a few entrees thrown in for good measure.
FYI: Handicap accessible. The total bill for our “lucky” night out was $54.42. Cheers!
Jim’s take: This was the burger of my dreams. Like they say, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” I really didn’t pay attention to Nancy’s salad, sorry.
Nancy’s take: I should have ordered one of their craft beers to go with the pretzels. Jim’s burger was to die for, literally! I didn’t feel guilty having a dessert since my salad canceled out the donuts.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.
