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.
It’s that time of year again when Americans have to “pay the piper.” We’re referring, of course, to income tax time. Time to drag out that old shoe box with a full year of bank statements that have never been opened and mysterious receipts for unknown items. These all have to be categorized and cataloged, and because Jim’s an idiot, I had to take over this job. Maybe he’s not such an idiot after all.
After many painstaking long hours of pulling out her blonde hair by its brunette roots, Nancy declared we were good to go. We jumped into the Mini-mobile and went to the accounting firm of “Dewey, Cheatem, & How” whose motto is “we make taxes fun.” When the nail biting half hour was over, we were relieved to discover we were not going to jail or the poor house. To aid in the celebration, our accountant told us about the Around the Clock Restaurant and Bakery in Crystal Lake.
Around the Clock Restaurant & Bakery
5011 Northwest Highway
Crystal Lake 60014
(815) 459-2100
www.aroundtheclockrestaurant.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 North to Algonquin Road, East to Randall Road (this turns into Rakow), North to Pyott Road, West to Northwest Highway East to restaurant
Estimated Travel Time: 29 minutes
We had to drive “around” the Around the Clock Restaurant before we found a parking spot. Looks can be deceiving, and this restaurant is much bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. When you walk in your eyes are immediately drawn to their bakery counter. You start thinking of dessert before you’re even seated. You ask yourself, “should I have the strawberry whip cream pie or the cute little Minion cupcakes?” Everything looked delicious.
Jim was undecided whether or not to go for breakfast or lunch, when he suddenly saw something he never had before, namely the Chicken Souvlaki Sandwich ($8.75). This was marinated chicken with lettuce, tomato, onion, and parsley on pita bread. All their sandwiches are served ala carte. You can upgrade to a “deluxe” version ($1.99) which entitles you to a cup of soup and your choice of French fries, seasoned fries, onion rings, or fresh fruit. He chose onion rings for his side and he also had a choice of three soups, and he went with the French onion. The waitress asked if he wanted baked cheese on top for no extra charge. Duh, that’s a no brainer! His meal was just like a gyro sandwich, but with chicken, and he said it was tasty. The cup of French onion soup was an awesome addition.
Nancy never gives up. She saw a Patty Melt on the menu that was supposedly served on rye bread. For some reason, marble rye seems to be the “new” rye bread. Nancy asked the waitress to swear on “The Good Book” that this was served on traditional caraway seeded rye bread. The waitress said it was, so she ordered the Patty Melt ($6.45). She upgraded to a deluxe for $1.99 up-charge and asked for fries and a cup of chicken noodle soup.
The moment of truth arrived, and she was pleasantly surprised, when the waitress brought over exactly what Nancy had asked for. Her patty melt was a third pound beef patty on grilled rye bread, with grilled onions, and melted American cheese. She exclaimed, “OMG, I haven’t had one of these in years!”
Around the Clock will remind you of your favorite neighborhood family restaurant. They even have a salad bar for $3.95 with any sandwich. It’s just green salad with all the trimmings, but it looked good.
FYI: The restaurant is NOT open 24/7. It is handicap accessible and you can even order their pies online.
The price for our tax day celebration was $25.49. This was a very “taxing” day…
Dining Duo News Flash … Effective April 2, Allen’s Corner Diner in Hampshire will be closed on Sundays. Yeah, it doesn’t make sense to us either.
Jim’s take: I didn’t expect much from the soup, but it was absolutely delicious. Nancy spent ten minutes picking the left over baked cheese from the side of the cup.
Nancy’s take: I wanted dessert so bad since everything in the bakery section looked wonderful. Unfortunately I was too full…I finally got my patty melt!
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.
