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.
Some people have a green thumb. Jim and I have the black thumb of death. Every Spring we go to our local nursery, buy some perennial plants, and by the end of summer, they commit suicide. Our landscaping is what our neighbors point to and use as a bad example. This year our lawn caught a bad case of fungus. Along with that, some cute striped little critters, aka Chip and Dale, set up camp under the sidewalk leading up to our house. Thankfully, they are not a problem now since the snakes took over their residence. We decided to go to Blain’s Farm and Fleet in Elgin to get some heavy duty chemicals. Hopefully, these chemicals will solve our outdoor problems by turning our lawn into a toxic dump which will cure the fungus and drive the snakes away. Where’s Saint Patrick when you need him? As long as we were there, we traveled a little further to try the new Wahlburgers in St. Charles.
Wahlburgers
825 S. Randall Road
St. Charles 60174
(331) 235-5200
wahlburgers.com
Directions: Take Route 47 South to I-90 East to Randall Road Exit, South to Rte. 38 to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 34 minutes
On this Friday afternoon, we were pleasantly surprised that we only had a ten minute wait for our table. They comply to the absolute letter of the Covid-19 law. There are plastic shields between the booths, the use of masks was strictly enforced, and they did a thorough sanitation of the tables after each guest.
When you walk in, to the left is a small gift shop followed by a huge dining area on the right. Booths are located in the front of the restaurant. In the rear of the restaurant are tables and chairs, high top tables with “director” chairs, and a decent size bar. They also have outdoor seating available. To show you how old and out of touch we are, we only knew Donny Wahlberg from the TV show Blue Bloods. We were clueless to the fact he was in the boy band, New Kids on the Block until we saw the gold records hanging on the wall. We really should get out more…
On to the good stuff. We started off with an appetizer of Cheese and Bacon Tots ($5.95). This was crispy tots, Paul’s signature Wahl sauce, pickled red onions, bacon, spicy cheese sauce, and Parmesan cheese. If this appetizer was any indication of what was to follow, we were in for a real treat! These tots were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and the cheese sauce had a slight kick to it. When you get to the bottom of the tray, you discover the pickled red onions which were a perfect complement to this dish. Let me explain. The acid from the pickled red onions cut the heaviness of the cheese sauce (did someone cut the cheese?) to make this an awesome appetizer. You must try this, you will be hooked!!!
Jim wanted to try the BBQ Bacon Burger ($11.95). This was a third pound burger, white cheddar, bacon, fresh jalapenos, BBQ sauce, and avocado spread. All burgers come with your choice of french fries, onion rings, or tater tots. He upgraded for $1 and substituted bacon mac and cheese for his side. This was a tasty burger with a twist. The avocado spread brought everything together.
Nancy tried the Our Burger ($10.95). This was a third pound burger, government cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and Paul’s signature Wahl sauce. Nancy asked for grilled onions on her burger for a $1 upcharge. She had to add this since she smelled the onions being grilled when we were outside waiting for our table. She chose the onion rings as her side and went bonkers when she saw the onion rings were actually thin, crispy, onion strings. The burger was seasoned to perfection and oh so delicious.
To sum it up, the menu is small, but the restaurant is worth the wait to get in. Service was excellent with food to match.
The price to see the “New Kid on the Block” was $39.34. Donny not being there this day, disappointing…
Jim’s take: If I only had one food to live on for the rest of my life, it would be those Spicy Cheese and Bacon Tots. Incredible!!!
Nancy’s take: Jim doesn’t like potatoes, but these tots won him over. I see why, I loved them too, they were awesome!!!
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com
