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.
Nancy and I were sitting in our screened in porch the other day smoking cigars – yes, Nancy smokes them too. We looked around and noticed the season is now changing to fall. The leaves are turning brown, just like Nancy’s roots, and there was a chill in the air, much like the look I just got from Nancy. Being the Dining Duo, our thoughts immediately turned to Octoberfest and German food. After one last puff on our cigars, and with our stomach’s growling, we headed off to Checkers II in Union.
Checkers II
6524 Main Street
Union 60180
(815) 923-2000
www.eatatcheckers.com
Directions: Take Sun City Blvd. To Countryview Blvd., turn right, then turn left onto Hemmer Road (which becomes Harmony Road then Harmony becomes Marengo Road), turn right onto S. Union Road, turn right onto Jefferson Street, then take the 2nd left onto Main Street to restaurant.
Those of you who have lived in this area for a while, may remember Deeters Restaurant in Woodstock. The owners, Alex and Nadine, downsized and brought their cuisine to this quaint local eatery. Unforturnately, it is not handicap accessible, and they only offer street parking.
When you walk in, they have a large bar, five booths and six tables in the front of the restaurant, with additional seating in the rear. Outside seating is also available in season.
To start off our German feast, we ordered the Jumbo Bavarian Pretzel ($8.95), which was served with cheese dip, garlic aioli, and German beer mustard. This was a monstrosity of a pretzel and the aioli had enough garlic even for me. Jim preferred the spicy German beer mustard. This brought back memories of when we went on a Bavarian River Cruise and lived on giant steins of beer and jumbo Bavarian pretzels.
Nancy chose for her entree this evening the Pork Schnitzel ($18.95). This was breaded boneless pork loin sautéed in butter, and served with German fried potatoes and fresh vegetables. Nancy sweet-talked the waitress into substituting one of her favorite side dishes, spaetzle, instead of the German fried potatoes. Since all entrees come with either soup or salad, Nancy went for the salad with Swiss dijon dressing. Her entree was a real eye opener. The pork schnitzel covered the entire plate with the spatzle and vegetables hiding underneath. She wished there was some brown gravy to complete the dish. The waitress offered to bring her some, however, it contained the dreaded “fungi”, so Nancy took a pass on it. The spaetzle was just as good as she remembered from Deeter’s.
Jim had his favorite dish, which was the Jaeger Roast Braten ($27.95). This was pan-fried strip steak with cracked peppercorns, sauteed bacon, and mushrooms, all in a red wine sauce topped with toasted onions. This came with German fried potatoes and vegetables. He had the French onion soup instead of a salad. This entree is incredibly tasty, and one of his all time favorites.
For dessert, we wanted the Homemade Apple Strudel ala mode ($7.95). Honestly, we were disappointed with it. The crust was flaky and delicious, but the inside filling was dry.
In conclusion, this is a nice neighborhood restaurant that serves both German and American food. They are not stingy with their portion size.
The price for our fall trip to Germany, $74.60, oompapa, oompapa…
Jim’s take: There’s nothing like a nice light German meal for fall, ask Sargeant Shultz.
Nancy’s take: Of course I took a doggie bag home with me. The next day I made some gravy for my leftovers, and they were wunderbar!!!
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com
