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February 9, 2017

Dining Duo

“Georgia’s” on my mind

Purchasing tickets for Bingo in Del Webb is akin to planning a secret military operation in a Third World Country. You have to get up at the butt crack of dawn, have all the troops for your table assembled and ready, and all paperwork must be filled out with your I.D. card and money in hand.

Woo-hoo for “Woow”

Shame on us. Woow Sushi in Algonquin opened its doors in 2013 and even though he repeatedly drove past it, Jim being the moron that he is, never gave it a second thought. It was only after repeated recommendations that he came up with the brilliant idea to check it out. Welcome to my world…

All aboard for burgers

Our “station” in life is to be the best restaurant critics for you, our loyal readers. We “engineer” our articles and try to keep them “on track” even if we have to “blow the whistle” on some of the restaurants. Our “next stop” will be the Cary “depot” and the Tracks Bar and Grill.

A confused Confucius

What do you get when you cross Jimmy Buffet, Jackie Chan, and Disney’s Tiki Room? Give up? You get the Breakers Restaurant in Crystal Lake.

A trip to Tony’s Cafe

While sitting in the Drendel Ballroom engrossed in a heated game of Bingo, we got a hot tip on a new breakfast joint. One of the “Bingo Queens” told us about Tony’s Cafe in Crystal Lake.

A homestyle ‘Heritage House’

Jim’s grandparents emigrated from Bremerhaven, Germany. When Okoberfest draws near, this old man’s fancy turns to thoughts of Sauerbraten and Sauerkraut. Being the ever-vigilant food critics who anticipate our readers’ needs, we wanted to celebrate early so that you won’t miss out on this artery clogging festival.

Nearby: “Nat’s on Maple”

Is Nat’s on Maple a new infestation for Maple trees in Sycamore? No, it is a restaurant in their quaint downtown area. How do we find these out of the way restaurants you ask? All right you twisted our arm so we’ll tell you.

HI-YO (shi) – SUSHI

Back in our archives is a restaurant we frequently visited for Japanese cuisine named Rice Fusion Sushi in the Algonquin Commons. Sometimes, restaurants let their guard down and before long they are out of business. Such was the case with Rice Fusion Sushi.

Open to the “Public”

For most people, going to a courthouse ranks right up there with getting a colonoscopy or having a root canal. Fortunately, the Woodstock Courthouse has been transformed and the lower portion is now a restaurant called the Public House of Woodstock.

A Grand Slam Breakfast “Slam”

There is an old saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” As we get older, doesn’t that seem to be the case? It is a proven scientific fact that time does seem to go faster as you get older. Having said this, welcome to our post Fourth of July article! We are celebrating it at our new Denny’s Restaurant aka “America’s Diner” at Drendel’s Corner.

Headline: “Wok” on the “fire” side

We were in Hoffman Estates shopping at Mariano’s, aka The Dining Duo’s “Disneyland,” one late Saturday afternoon and decided to have dinner out that way. Jim was craving Asian cuisine, so I suggested, how about that restaurant in the South Barrington Arboretum that is across from the Mago Grill called Wok ‘n Fire? So we “wok”ed on the wild side and gave it a try.

Mimi “Lumes” over breakfast

When Nancy opened up some mail, out popped a handy dandy 10% off coupon for Lumes Pancake House in Algonquin. Yes, we know our last article was about a pancake house. This is a new restaurant in the old Mimi’s Cafe building.

Not Your Mother’s Pancakes

We could review a typical breakfast joint, but we are sure you would fall fast asleep before you finished reading the article. In an attempt to shake things up a bit, we traveled to Crystal Lake to try Richard Walker’s Pancake House.

Sweet Caroline, ba, ba, baa

You hear Neil Diamond singing the song “Sweet Caroline” and everyone in the audience chimes in with “Ba, Ba, Baa.” Are you at a Neil Diamond concert? Are you at a Denny Diamond Concert in the Drendel Ballroom? Or are you at a Boston Red Sox game in Fenway Park? The answer to all of the above is “yes,” but you also could be at Sweet Caroline’s Crab-n-Que in Hoffman Estates.

Cinco de Mago

As the Dining Duo, we have a responsibility to the good citizens of Del Webb to ensure that our articles are in sync with current celebrations. Keeping that in mind, we realized that Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner.

Hear ye, hear ye … dinner is served

As you drive down Northwest Highway in Crystal Lake you see what seems to be an impregnable castle. Visions of damsels in distress, and the age of chivalry with jousting knights comes to mind. What could this be?

It’s hot in heaven

We recently received a letter from one of our loyal readers inquiring if we knew of a restaurant that served authentic Red Beans and Rice. After an exhausting search, we stumbled upon a little bit of the bayou in Naperville called Heaven on Seven. Nancy and I checked out their menu online and decided to travel down south to give them the once over.

A perfect pizza and pastaria place

One night our phone rang and our friends Tom and Linda said they just dined at a restaurant we recently reviewed. This reminded them that we haven’t seen each other for a while and suggested we get together.

Peggy’s puddin’ surprise

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. It’s that “magical” fun-filled holiday that fills the void between Valentine’s Day and April Fool’s Day. This year we celebrated at Peggy Kinnane’s Irish Restaurant and Pub in Arlington Heights.

Margaritas with Mariachi music

Nestled in the heart of downtown Geneva is a little piece of Mexico, and we do mean little. We received an email recommending this restaurant from a Mr. Pon, first name Grou. It was a Groupon, get it? We crack ourselves up! The name of this place is Sergio’s Cantina.

Got a Yen for Chen?

The Chinese calendar has 12 animal signs and this year is very special since it only occurs every 60 years. This is the year of the Fire Monkey. So Nancy and I decided to join in the celebration and take in lunch at Chen’s Chinese Cuisine in Crystal Lake.

Food you can take for “Granite”

Jim and I (aka Fred and Wilma) jumped into our prehistoric “Mini”-mobile to head out for a late Saturday afternoon lunch. Jim got his size 14 clod-hoppers all revved up, his feet hit the pavement, and off we went to Granite City Food and Brewery in Schaumburg.

Up Woods Creek without a spoon

As the Dining Duo, we are ever watchful and ever vigilant. We try to keep the good citizens of Del Webb informed of any new establishments that would further enhance their dining adventures. Honestly, we found this place by accident, and since we had a taste for a sandwich, we thought we’d give it a try. We won’t keep you in suspense any longer. The name of this eatery that just opened its doors on August 31 is Woods Creek Tavern in Lake in the Hills.

The Dining Duo’s Best of 2015

We’ve noticed that most of our loyal readers don’t actually look at our adorable picture in the paper. Tell the truth, did you ever look at it closely??? When people meet us for the very first time and they realize who we are, the most common question we are asked is, “What is your favorite restaurant?”

Land of the rising yum

Remember all those science fiction movies where the monster Gyoza tramples the Japanese city of Kyoto? No? Maybe it was the monster Godzilla trampling the city of Tokyo…Oh well, whatever it was, Gyoza is an appetizer and Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar is a restaurant in Crystal Lake.

Déjà vu all over again

People often ask us if we will ever run out of restaurants to review. We don’t think so, and let us explain why. The very first restaurant we reviewed two and one half years ago was “A Touch of Italy” in McHenry. Unfortunately, they are no longer in business. That seems to be the fate of some of the establishments that we favorably reviewed. Coincidence? Hmmmm…