An ice cream ‘break’

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.

The golden years are so much fun. Every day is an adventure, you never know what aches and pains the day will bring. Nancy woke up one morning with a sore ankle, which grew worse as time went on. This prompted her to call our orthopedic doctor. Getting a doctor’s appointment is no easy task since you never know which branch office within a 50-mile radius they will be in. This also has to be strategically timed between his vacations. A short two and a half weeks later, off we went to his office in Buffalo Grove to get it checked out.

To ease my pain and suffering, I asked Jim to take me to an old favorite for lunch and ice cream on our way to the doctor’s office. If you are from the Chicago area, you will remember this ice cream icon. We are referring to the nostalgic treat known as the Buffalo Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor in Buffalo Grove.

The restaurant is located on the corner of a now mostly vacant shopping center. This old school family restaurant is pretty much the same as we remembered it from days gone by. The only difference is, in the past there was a line waiting to be seated, and now when we arrived at noon on a Friday, only four tables were occupied.

Jim spotted a new twist on one of his favorite sandwiches and had to try it. This was the Gyro Wrap ($16.99), which was sliced gyro meat, feta cheese, black olives, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla. It was served with coleslaw, a pickle, French fries, and a cup of soup, and he chose the Matzah ball soup. The soup was excellent, but the wrap, not so much. Lettuce on a gyro is just wrong, and the tzatziki sauce and black olives were missing.

Nancy went with one of her favorite sandwiches which was the Patty Melt ($17.99). This was a half-pound Black Angus patty with grilled onions on grilled rye bread. It also came with coleslaw, a pickle, French fries and a cup of soup. She chose the chicken noodle soup and said it was delicious. She did notice the rye bread was much larger than the supposed “half-pound” burger. That being said, it was still a delicious sandwich.

I only ate half my sandwich since I wanted to drown my pain and suffering in a sweet, gooey, ice cream creation. Jim, being the loving husband that he is, developed sympathy pains. I got the boo-boo and he gets dessert???

Since Jim loves Chinese food, he chose for his “sympathy” dessert the Chop Suey Sundae ($7.49). This was mint chocolate chip ice cream covered with strawberries, bananas, nuts all topped with chocolate sauce, whip cream and a cherry. This sounds disgusting, but he loved it!

Nancy went with a traditional treat, the Turtle Sundae ($7.99). This was vanilla ice cream with pecans topped with caramel, hot fudge, whip cream, and a cherry on top. This is her “go to” sundae when she needs cheering up, and it did its job.

To sum it up, clearly the ice cream was just what the doctor ordered. By the way, you were probably wondering what was wrong with my ankle. After numerous x-rays, MRIs, a few doctor visits, and a crystal ball, medical science discovered the problem. After two and a half weeks of walking on my leg, a stress fracture turned into a broken leg, ouch. So, if you see an old lady hobbling with a big black boot and walker looking for ice cream, that would be me!!!

FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.

The price for a lunchtime “break” was $62.71, almost as expensive as my doctor visit.

Jim’s take: I had high hopes for my wrap, but such was not the case.

Nancy’s take: Sandwiches and ice cream $63, really??? That hurt more than my leg!!!

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

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