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.
Those of you who grew up in the Chicago area will probably remember a TV show on WGN that was a staple of our childhood. We are referring to the show of all lunchtime shows, Bozo’s Circus. We ordered tickets when Nancy got pregnant, and we received them when our daughter was seven years old. One of Bozo’s sidekicks was Ray Rayner posing as the clown, Oliver O’ Oliver. The reason why we are babbling on about this show is because one of our loyal readers suggested Oliver’s Bar and Grill in Woodstock and we had no idea how to start this article. The best we could come up with was this lame Bozo’s Circus reference.
Oliver’s Bar and Grill
228 Main Street
Woodstock 60098
(815) 527-5222
oliversbargrill.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 North to Lake Avenue to East Church Street, Left onto Main Street to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 24 minutes
Parking in downtown Woodstock off of the square can be challenging due to the multitude of venues in the area. There is handicap street parking available across the street from the restaurant. Surprisingly, you still have to step over a high curb to get to the sidewalk. There’s additional parking in the rear of the restaurant if needed (again street parking).
There’s nothing special about the restaurant’s inside décor. As is typical for a downtown restaurant, there are brick walls with wood accents. Unfortunately, there are twice as many high-top tables as opposed to regular tables. There is a huge bar towards the rear of the restaurant.
Now for the good stuff, food!!! We started off with an appetizer that Jim never had, the Irish Nachos ($13.50). I had them in Vegas years ago and washed them down with a pint of Guinness. These were waffle fries topped with seasoned ground beef, nacho sauce, tomatoes, black olives, jalapeno’s, shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. We didn’t notice any shredded cheeses, instead it was served with a delicious cheese sauce. It also came with sour cream and salsa. What arrived at our table was the largest bowl of nacho’s we have ever seen. It was a mountain of deliciousness because of the abundance of all the toppings. The two of us could have made a meal on this, but we took half home with us instead.
After the calorie-laden nachos, Nancy thought it would be a good idea to have a salad. She found the calorie conscious (NOT) Crispy Chicken Salad ($13.50). This was crispy fried chicken, shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, crisp bacon, diced tomato, cucumber, and romaine lettuce topped with ranch dressing. To Nancy’s dismay, the salad portion size was a disappointment. After being served a huge bowl of nachos, she expected her salad portion to be the same. It was tasty, but skimpy.
Jim chose the Steak Fajita Wrap (15.50). This was a wrap made up of marinated steak, sauteed onions, red and green peppers, and mozzarella cheese. It came with sour cream and salsa and a side of skinny fries. This was an unexpected treat to have a steak fajita rolled up in a wrap. The fries were skinny, crispy, and tasty.
Thanks to our loyal reader for the recommendation, and after those nacho’s, we’re not stepping on the scale for a while. We’ll have to do some heavy duty walking with Rosie to work off the calories.
The price for our tasty lunch was $51.30, finding a parking space, priceless…
Jim’s take: I would go back and make a meal of just the Irish nachos.
Nancy’s take: I would definitely go back for those irresistible Irish nachos, but I would also order a Guinness to go with it. I didn’t know they had Guinness on tap until halfway through my meal.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com
