Under new management

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.

Bocce ball is one of the most strenuous sports in the world. You have to pick up a little white ball, roll it about 15 feet making sure it goes over a designated line. After this, you then have to pick up an even bigger and heavier ball and roll it as close to the little white ball as possible. It is a very complicated game.

Even though Jim and I are trained athletes, after three rounds of this exhausting activity, we work up quite an appetite. Because of this, every Friday we go out with a group of our fellow bocce athletes to refuel at a designated restaurant. The latest post game oasis was Pub 47 in Huntley, which is under new management.

Nancy called the restaurant at 11:30 to give them a “head’s up” that there will be a party of 10 people arriving at about 12:30 p.m. The hostess said we would need a reservation. Nancy replied, “okay, I’d like to make a reservation for 10 people at 12:30.” The waitress took her contact info and said, “we’ll see you in a little while.” It was a good thing we were able to get a reservation.

The inside décor is very plain. Just a very basic pub with very little atmosphere. There was a lot of space between tables, maybe that’s a holdover from COVID???

Our waitress came to our table of 10 wise-cracking senior citizens to take our drink order. We warned her that none of us have been here since the management changed. She said, “welcome, if you like the service my name is Julie, if not, my name is Suzy.” We all had fun bantering back and forth with her during our meal.

For our pre-lunch treat, we decided on the Fried Candied Jalapenos ($7.95). These were sliced candied jalapenos that had a light coating, then deep fried, and served with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. These little morsels proved to be delicious. For some reason, they were served on top of onion strings. This was really off-putting because we thought they were leftovers from the deep fryer since they looked very soggy and unappetizing.

After the morning’s grueling competition, Nancy needed some carbs, so she chose the Build Your Own Mac and Cheese entrée ($9.95). This was penne pasta tossed in a house made cheese sauce topped with seasoned bread crumbs and baked. You can add any pizza topping for a $1 upcharge each, and she chose bacon. I never saw Nancy order mac and cheese at a restaurant before, but she truly enjoyed it.

Jim felt faint from hunger and decided he needed a cup of Beer Cheese Soup ($3). This was really delicious and seemed more like chili cheese soup. He also needed protein to recharge, and he ordered the El Jefe Burger ($14.95). This was a half-pound burger seared with a spicy Cajun rub, topped with pepper jack cheese, candied jalapenos, southwest ranch dressing, and tortilla strips. For his side he chose the homemade potato chips. The burger was just okay, he really couldn’t taste the Cajun rub or the southwest ranch dressing, if in fact it was on the burger.

Everyone enjoyed the post-game camaraderie and food. Special thanks to Julie, our waitress, for putting up with all of us.

FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.

The price for our victory celebration was $45.53, winning all three bocce games, priceless…

Jim’s take: The best part of my meal were the homemade huge potato chips; they were an unexpected treat.

Nancy’s take: Loved the candied jalapenos and I tasted the beer cheese soup; it was awesome.

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

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