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.
Once upon a time, the Dining Duo received a recommendation from one of their loyal readers requesting us to review a specific restaurant. Honestly, we have never heard of the restaurant he requested. Nancy added it to our long list of potential articles. Not being in the mood for anything ethnic, we decided to give this good old fashioned family restaurant a try. One Monday afternoon we headed off to check out Paul’s Family Restaurant in Elgin.
Paul’s Family Restaurant
1300 Lawrence Avenue
Elgin 60123
(847)695-8687
www.paulsofelgin.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 to I-90 East To Randall Road, South to Big Timber, East to N. McClean Blvd., South to Restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 18 minutes
The restaurant is a large, free-standing building, and when we pulled into the parking lot, we noticed it was completely deserted. We then remembered it was closed on Mondays. So much for our senior memory. Not to be discouraged, we returned the next day and found a fully-packed parking lot.
When you walk in, the first thing you see is their display case of fresh baked desserts. On either side of the display case are booths and tables and on the back wall is where they have their counter seating looking into the kitchen.
To say this restaurant is unpretentious is an understatement. We sat down and looked over their vast menu which consisted of sheets of paper in Office Depot sheet protectors. This type of menu was a first for the Dining Duo.
Nancy saw their Jumbo Fried Shrimp (5) dinner for $16.95, and went with that. This was served with soup and salad, and she chose the vegetable soup and creamy garlic dressing for her salad. The dinners come with a choice of potato, and she went with the skinny (extra crunchy) French fries. She also got to choose from green beans or mixed vegetables, and she chose the green beans.
Jim wanted the Chopped Steak with Grilled Onions ($15.95), which was served with whipped potatoes, vegetable, soup, and salad. He went with the green beans, then chose the clam chowder soup, and since I was having creamy garlic dressing, he retaliated with the same.
After ordering the meals, the waitress brought over our soups, salad, and a basket of French bread and rolls. Nancy loved the sesame seed French bread which brought back memories from years gone by. Nancy’s vegetable soup was chockful of veggies, and my clam chowder was rich and tasty. Nancy loved the creamy garlic dressing for her salad.
When our meals arrived, we took a look at our plates and we both had a terrifying flashback to our childhood. Sitting there in all of their glory were canned cut green beans. WOW!!! We haven’t seen these for over 50 years. Isn’t that the shelf life of canned green beans? We took a pass on those so as not to bring back repressed memories…
Nancy did, however, enjoy her jumbo fried shrimp. She fell in love with the skinny (extra crispy) fries, and decided it must be the oil they used in frying since they were really tasty. My chop steak was huge and tasty. It seemed like they poured au jus on it and that made it tastier and juicier.
Jim was in eyesight of the dessert display and had another flashback from his childhood. He spotted the good old-fashioned apple slices ($3.25) and we both decided to split one. OMG!!! They were exactly like we remembered them. What a treat, served cold from the display case with real apples inside, not the apple pie filling in a can. The sweet slab of white icing on top completed the memory.
The food was delicious (except for the cut green beans), the portions are huge, and they prepared our food exactly to our liking.
The cost for our trip down memory lane, $45.80, nostalgic apple slices, priceless…
FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible. Don’t forget they are closed on Mondays.
Jim’s take: Next time I’m bringing some apple slices home with me.
Nancy’s take: Best French fries ever, they weren’t coated with cornstarch to make them crunchy, they were just all potato.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at: thediningduo@gmail.com
