Big skillet, small price

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.

We received a letter from a loyal reader recommending the restaurant that we will be reviewing today. This restaurant was recommended to them by a friend, who had a friend who recommended this restaurant, that was recommended to them by a friend, and so on…You get the idea. This highly recommended restaurant is the Big Skillet Restaurant and Pancake House in Elgin.

Surprisingly, it is not in a strip mall, but it is a stand alone building in the Tyler Creek Plaza, so it sort of is in a strip mall. Confused? We’re not. From the outside it looks much larger than it actually is on the inside. The décor resembles your typical neighborhood restaurant that we all know and love.

Nancy put this restaurant on the fast track since the letter we received talked about how good the potato pancakes are, and Nancy is a potato pancake junkie. She was also thrilled when she dicovered that they make homemade creamy garlic dressing. Now she has to make the “Big” decision. Does she have a salad for brunch, or the potato pancakes that she came for? When in doubt, order both, it’s brunch! So, she ordered a side salad ($3.49) to go along with her (4) Potato Pancakes ($7.99). The pancakes were large, but to her dismay, she thought she could taste vinegar in the recipe. She has an allergy to vinegar, so the taste of it stood out and made them disappointing. But, on the bright side, the creamy garlic dressing was a hit.

Being married for 43 years, you know each other’s likes and dislikes. I can always pick what Jim would wind up ordering before he even knows it himself. Today was no exception, when I spotted the Cheeseburger in Paradise Skillet ($9.99). This consisted of hash browns covered with a half pound of crumbled angus beef, smoked bacon, and onions. This was topped with Monterey jack and cheddar cheese and three eggs, any style. He also had a choice of toast or pancakes as his side, and he chose the pancakes since it’s a pancake house. Our server’s wrist was straining when she put down this huge skillet in front of Jim. What a feast he had! He said it was absolutely delicious, and he could only eat half of it, and the other half came home for another breakfast.

Our waitress had a good sense of humor. When I ordered the Cheeseburger in Paradise Skillet, she said I would have to sing the Jimmy Buffett song for my meal. She quickly made a face and stopped me after hearing a few bars. It wasn’t pretty, and Nancy was really getting embarrassed.

Some things at this restaurant are really a deal for the money, some things aren’t so much. If you consider the mountain of food Jim got for $9.99 as opposed to four potato pancakes that I got for $7.99, Jim’s was the deal. We were also surprised when we received our bill and saw the price for a small side salad was $3.49, that was almost half the price of my meal. Buyer beware. All in all, we liked this place and we will be going back.

FYI: Handicap accessible.

The price for our brunch was $27.98.

Jim’s take: I love that their skillets are made with shredded hash browns instead of diced potatoes. They do offer a large, varied menu and daily specials.

Nancy’s take: My girlfriend loves eggs on top of her burgers for lunch, so when Jim got his skillet, I told him I’m bring her here for breakfast. His meal was the winner today!

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com

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