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.
When you go to a Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant you expect chicken. When you go to a Burger King Restaurant you expect burgers. When you go to a Hooter’s Restaurant you expect … er, maybe that’s not a good example, never mind. We recently went to the Burnt Toast Restaurant in Algonquin and did not see or smell one piece of burnt toast. This is clearly false advertising!
Burnt Toast Restaurant
2520 Bunker Hill Drive
Algonquin 60102
(847) 854-9552
www.btrestaurant.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 North to Algonquin, East to Randall Road, South to Bunker Hill Drive, West to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 17 minutes
We were pleasantly surprised how large the restaurant was on the inside compared to how it looked from the outside. It was amazing how many booths they could fit into this restaurant, along with tables for larger parties, plus a huge 16-seat counter. Even on a gray day, the bright lighting and the yellow awnings outside made this restaurant look bright and cheery on the inside.
We arrived about 11-ish and were undecided about what to order. Should it be breakfast or lunch. We decided to study the menu and see what piqued our interest. As usual, since Nancy likes lunch more, she went with the Trio Salad Platter ($9.99). This was one scoop each of chicken salad, egg salad, and tuna salad, served on top of a bed of lettuce with her choice of dressing. To her dismay and my relief, they didn’t offer creamy garlic dressing, so she went with the poppy seed dressing. This was a deal since she brought half of it home for lunch the next day.
Jim spotted the Chicken and Bacon and Waffles ($12.99) on their Seasonal Special Menu. This was one waffle topped with crumbled bacon, then topped with a rosemary fried chicken breast, and then topped with two slices of thick cut bacon. For those of you who have never had chicken and waffles and would say, “eeewww” at the thought of that combination, the only thing I can tell you is, “try it, you’ll like it.” Once you taste this dish slathered in maple syrup you will be hooked for life. Honestly, I thought this was a bit pricey so I didn’t order it. When Jim’s meal arrived and I tasted it, I then changed my mind; it was worth it.
Again, this is one of those restaurants we passed by time and time again, and for some reason we never stopped in. It is a great place with a varied menu for either breakfast or lunch. This is definitely on our go to list for brunch. I know Jim feels this way since he cleaned off every speck of food on his plate, the pig!
The price for our brunch was $30.13 and well worth it.
FYI: This is a handicap accessible restaurant.
On our way home we realized we needed a dessert and we remembered that Manny’s Handcrafted Gelato and Cafe recently opened their doors on Main Street in Huntley, so we thought we’d give it a try. OMG, both the gelato and the sorbetto we had was out of this world. They have 22 flavors to pick from and they gladly offer free tastes to aid in your decision. Other items on their menu are paninis, milkshakes, and a coffee bar.
FYI: Manny’s is not handicap accessible and parking is difficult.
Jim’s take: The crispy fried chicken, salty bacon, and sweet syrup is the greatest combination ever.
Nancy’s take: Jim won, his chicken and bacon and waffles were the best I’ve had around here. The chicken salad was the tastiest in my Trio Salad Platter.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.
