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.
If you remember FDR’s Fireside Chats, then you are living in the right community. We recently had our own fireside chat with our friends Janet and Rene at the Fireside Grille in Sugar Grove.
Fireside Grille
49 Sugar Lane
Sugar Grove 60554
(630) 466-4557
www.thefiresidegrillesugargrove.com
Directions: Take 47 South to restaurant
Travel Time: 41 minutes
Get this… When you walk in, the bar is in the “center” of the restaurant and not the usual right side, miracle of miracles!!! The dining area on the left can accommodate larger parties if necessary, but the main dining room is on the right. There is, however, a large stone fireplace in each dining area that you can sit, eat, and chat by, hence the name, Fireside Grille.
For a starter, we decided on the Loaded Fries ($6.99). These were topped with melted Monterey Jack, Cheddar, chopped bacon, and served with a Fireside sauce (Chipotle Ranch). We picked this appetizer because we knew our friends would mooch off of us, and we were right. Thankfully, this served four people easily. The Fireside sauce was the perfect dip to spice up this low calorie appetizer.
Jim perused the menu and finally decided on the French Onion Meatloaf ($15.99), which came with either soup or salad. This entree was a healthy combination of grilled meatloaf topped with smashed potatoes and drenched in French onion soup. For a $1 up-charge, he had his smashed potatoes loaded with cheese, bacon, and scallions. This heart attack on a plate was served with a steamed vegetable medley. This counteracted the rest of the meal and made it a “push”. Also thinking along these lines, he decided to have the salad loaded with creamy garlic dressing, again a “push”.
Nancy was not our waitress’ worst nightmare this evening. They have an in-house Pick Two ($19.99) or Pick Three ($24.95) section on their menu. This enables you to pick from 9 of their more popular main courses. Nancy went with the Pick Two consisting of Fried Shrimp (3) and a 10 oz. Grilled Pork Chop. This was served with the steamed vegetable medley, and she also went with the loaded smashed potatoes for the $1 up-charge. As usual, she chose the salad with creamy garlic dressing (duh!). Unfortunately, we may never see our friends again due to the double dose of garlic between us.
When the waitress asked if we wanted to order dessert, Jim looked at me pathetically with his big brown cow eyes. I suddenly turned into the “Dessert Nazi” and said, “no, you didn’t finish your dinner, no dessert for you”. Seriously, the portions are huge and we could barely carry the doggie bags to the car. Hooray for me, one less night of cooking!
FYI: Handicap accessible and they are closed on Monday.
The price for our dinner for two nights was $54.32. Considering the amount and quality of the food, it was a steal.
Jim’s take: A mountain of meatloaf and potatoes all drenched in onion soup, I must have died and gone to heaven. Our friends loved the “free” appetizer!!!
Nancy’s take: After what Jim ate, his thoughts may come true. I loved the appetizer, and the “smashed potatoes loaded” was an option that I think should be on every restaurant’s menu.
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