LTHForum.com

any time Dan,

this is my adopted home turf out here, so I have gone anywhere I have heard was good.

I dont get down to Snug as often as I'd like for some reason, I only live about 5 minutes away, but only went there maybe 4 times this past summer.

I hit The Rootbeer Stand on Saturday when I was out in Oglesby, $4.25 for a bacon double cheeseburger & mug of rootbeer, cant beat it.

Starved Rock in the fall is something to see for folks who havent been out there. Being right on the river the trees really put on a color show you dont see many places in the area.

We always enjoy Hanks, but now tend to drive to John's North Star over in Lay-Salle for chicken, or further on down I-80 to Ripp's or Cherry supper club.

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

I'm taking my mother in law to Ottawa Saturday for a reunion and after looking over the options I'm going to try Tracy's Row House for me and the wife during the stay. The menu looks interesting, varied and reasonable. I found a site, 'Honey Let's Eat' that has an online coupon for $2 off per person, so that makes it all the better.

I'll post back after the experience.

I am definitely interested in hearing what you think. Some of my neighbors have been and liked Tracy's.

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

It's a nice little upscale place that in a previous time was most likely an office and there is a lawyer sharing the other side of the building. Indoors it seats around 20 with lots of seats outside. The menu is not extensive but covers a somewhat eclectic range. It's about equally split between small plates and large ones with about 10-12 choices on either.

I had "moms meatloaf" and the wife the "Whimpy burger". The meatloaf was two elongated hockey puck sized pieces that came with garlic smashed potatoes and some broccoli and carrots and a small cup of brown sauce with mushroom bits and a soy sauce flavor. The meat wasn't very warm and actually cool in the middle but it was tasty and I ate it all.

The Whimpy burger was a half pounder served with either house made potato chips or high end store bought. It also included a small cup of angel hair pasta with a sort of cucumber cream sauce, served cold.

It was all pretty good and I would certainly go back again. The service was attentive but the kitchen was very slow. A few customers were a bit peeved and asked the waitress about the length of time it took to get their food. It's a very laid back place and as I said I had to kill a couple of hours waiting to go and pick up the mother in law, so I didn't mind the slowness.

Oh, the tab for the two meals came in at $19 without drinks. Very reasonable for the quality.

thanks for the report,

here is the website for those interested:

http://tracysrowhouse.net.p4.hostingprod.com/

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Annual day after the Super Bowl day off today, so we hit R-Place again, beat out the haunted 9th street Pub over in Lasalle.

R-Place is a solid spot for breakfast in the area, and today a nice version of chicken noodle soup, all you could eat fried chicken wings for $7.99, $2.99 kids pigs in a blanket, and a nice plate of steak and eggs. For stick to yuro your ribs, truckstop food, R-Place is what it is.

kids pigs in a blanket:



these things were huge, and pretty good, shay shown to provide scale:



killer chicken noodle:





$7.99 a.y.c.e. wings and curly fries, big wings, fried right..:



butt steak and eggs, im still full..:

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Good to see R Place is still rolling, there were some doubts after they changed hands and that truck stop changed management. Good looking steak and eggs!

not bad for $9.99..

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Finally made it over to Monte's Riverside Inn in Ottawa last night after 5+ years of driving past it. I brought my camera, but forgot to put the memory card in so no pics, sorry..

Old school spot with a glowing neon sign out front. Dark decor, large booths, laid back bar area off the dining room. Friendly, small town staff, pretty big menu. My kind of place.

Wednesdays just happened to be $18 for any entree. Most of which are typically $19 and up. Housemade pastas, other Italian dishes, fish, fried chicken, and lots of meat off the broiler. At 7:30 when we arrived there was only 2 other tables occupied in the place.

Complimentary flatbread crackers, and a Merkt's style cheese spread quickly arrived @ the table, I liked this touch. We started with some deep fried mushrooms, these were not Sysco shrooms, but house battered, large white mushrooms, most places out west go that route. These were good with a housemade horseradish sauce.

I enjoyed a bottle of Bud & a shot of Jim Beam while perusing the menu, their Ribeye and NY strip are advertised as prime and 6 week aged. Ribeyes are typically to fatty for me, so I went with the 18 oz. NY strip... Cautious, and hoping for the best. $18 for a 6 week aged, Prime, 18 oz. steak sounded too good to be true. What came out was magnificent. A beautiful cut of beef, flavorfull,juicy and tender. An occasional dash of salt really made this cut of beef shine. This steak is typically $23 I believe so it would be a bargain any nght. I eat alot of good steaks and beef, so its hard to declare any the best, but this steak was right up there as one of the tops for me. Easily on par with any steak I have had at a Chicago steakhouse that would cost 2-3 times as much. Steak was served with a choice of soup or salad, and choice of potato or rice. I went with a salad and was pleasantly surprised it wasnt the typical LaSalle County iceberg salad. Nice romaine salad, with 1000 Island dressing. Baked potato was what it was. I would have preferred hash browns but they are not offered.

My wife ordered the chicken picata served with fettucini alfredo. Chicken was good, alfredo was decent. Just something missing in the alfredo, perhaps more butter and more cream would have done it to my taste.

Overall I have to say even after just one visit, Monte's has to be the best restaurant I have eaten @ in Ottawa since we moved out here(Menu, service, food, atmosphere). Tab was $71 with tip, a little more than we like to spend on a mid-week meal, but the IRS was good to us this past tax year so we had some extra $$$ to spend on some meal(s), and an upcoming trip to Florida.

Monte's Riverside Inn
903 E. Norris Drive
Ottawa, IL.

http://www.rgrub.com/montes

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Wow! Prices are kind of steep so that $18 Wednesday special is a real deal! I haven't been to Monte's in maybe 15 years, my partner's family is from Peoria so every once in awhile we would meet them at Monte's (kind of half way) This was before we discovered Ron's though it's be no means comparable.

I agree, I could see going back on a Wednesday for some drinks and steak for sure. I liked how it was dark with big comfortable booths, kind of reminded me of going to Rascal's in Naperville when I was a kid for a special dinner(no onion loaf though).

I really need to get back out to Ron's, I havent been in quite a few months. Maybe for one of his upcoming, yet to be announced crawfish boils. I got confirmation of what I kind of knew anyway when I went to NOLA, Cajun Connection is the closest we have in CHicagoland to Louisiana food(Ill add Toon's gumbo and their crawfish boils to this statement).

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Finally got over to the 9th Street Pub in LaSalle today for lunch.. Id been wanting to hit here for a few years as it is rumored to be haunted, not that I necessarily believe in ghosts, but it adds to appeal for me.

Pretty large menu for a bar, 10 different burgers, dinner dishes, fried chicken, wraps, etc. Easy on the wallet, nothing over $10.

I am interested in returning on a Tuesday as they have a 1/4 fried chicken special for $1.95 for dark, and $2.95 for light meat. Cant beat that. thats not a typo on the price, Its really a crime what many places in Chicago charge for inferior fried chicken.

$1.75 cans of PBR on special today started the visit off well. Ordered a patty melt, a cup of ravs in broth, a reuben, and one of the days specials... lemon pepper mako shark......Burger and reuben were $5 each, shark was $7.95, and ravs $2.

Ravs in broth, I liked it, actually tortillini, but in a house made chicken broth. Reuben was just ok, prpbably the weakest dish of the binch, but not inedible. Patty melt, really a great buger, cooked perfectly to medium rare, juicy, nice grilled onions, some bacon, and cheesy. Darn good. Mako shark, actually surprisingly nice, simple preperation with some rice and veg on the side. Cooked well, and served with some melted butter for dipping. We liked it alot.

Friendly, small town staff, dive bar, nice Sunday lunch.



$1.75 PBR's:



ravs in broth:



nice patty melt:







lemon pepper mako:



9th Street, another solid option if out in God's country.

9th Street Pub
253 9th Street
Lasalle, IL.

http://www.9thstpub.com

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

I'm driving down to Ottawa tomorrow to help my wife move into her temp housing, as she'll be doing a 6 week clinical rotation at St. Mary's Hospital in Streator for her physical therapy school. My mom grew up in Ottawa and my grandparents lived there until the early 90's, but it's changed a bit since they lived there.

Planning to hit Cajun Connection for lunch tomorrow... any recs for pork tenderloins that'll be open on Sunday for dinner? When passing through in the past, we'd hit the bowling alley for 'em, but will they be open for dinner? Any other recs for Sunday dinner options? Looks like maybe Smitty's Bar & Grill is Lenore is an option...

And I'll have to hit Handy Foods to pick up some frozen Polancic's tenderloins to bring back home for dinners while she's gone.

Also, any suggestions on places for her to try while she's down there for the next six weeks? She'll eat about anything but concerned about places that'd be more hospitable to a single woman dining alone. And places for carry out.

Not in Ottawa, but this thread is kind of a catch-all for the immediate area.

Recent fried chicken crawl pics/results:

1st stop: Verucchi's - Spring Valley, IL.(3rd place):




2nd stop: Rip's - Ladd, IL. (1st Place):




3rd Stop: Cherry Supper Club - Cherry, IL. (2nd Place):



All were really good, Rip's stood out as the best imo. These 3, Smitty's & Johns North Star are the best I have found.

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Hi,

Rip's and Cherry Super Club look very, very similar. I thought it was exactly the same until I compared plates. Does Cherry Super Club dip their chicken in batter, too?

Regards,

_________________
Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

I had to do a double take myself when I was posting,

Cherry's is batter dipped and very good, a close second to Rip's as far as I am concerned.

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

My wife wrapped up her 6 week clinical at the hospital in Streator, so I drove down to Ottawa to help her pack up tonight... tomorrow he head back to Chicago. Tonight, we hit Smitty's in nearby Leonore for pork tenderloins and they did not disappoint. HUGE tenderloins (the pic below shows a standard hamburger bun. The sandwich came with thick, fresh pickles, nice thick tomato slices, lots of onion and fresh lettuce. Damn near a whole side salad on top. And total tab for 2 tenderloins, an order of fries, a Corona and three Diet Cokes came to less than $20 -- $25 with tip.

Another Ottawa discovery... Steve's Bakery doughnuts! My wife said they people brought them in a number of times during her clinical for people's birthdays, etc. and she'd been raving about them -- and she's not even a big doughnut person. So this morning, before we finished packing up the cars and heading back to Chicago for good we stopped in to pick up a few.

We got two chocolate cake doughnuts w/ chocolate icing, a cake doughnut w/ maple icing, a blueberry fritter and a custard filled w/ vanilla icing. Also, a smiley face cookie. All the doughnuts were outstanding -- definitely the best doughnuts I've ever had. Just enough crunch on the outside, moist on on the inside. Deep layer of icing, and not overly sweet. Just a sense of freshness I don't remember from a Dunkin Donut. Granted, I have not yet stopped into the Doughnut Vault in Chicago yet. On the other hand, the all of the above cost $3.03, which is the cost of a single Doughnut Vault treat I believe...

I guess the shop in Streator is where the actual baking takes place. We stopped into the Ottawa shop.

Steve's Bake Shop
301 E Main St
Streator, IL 61364

Steve's Bakery
207 East Joliet Street
Ottawa, IL 61350

We also stopped in for coffee at Jeremiah Joe Coffee to grab some coffee. Kind of a cute coffee shop... more interestingly, it is what's now in the building where my grandparents' dept. store was located. They closed the store in the mid-80's when Wal-Mart killed off downtown and they sold the building a few years ago to a church that operates the coffee shop (sanctuary is upstairs).

Jeremiah Joe Coffee
807 La Salle Street
Ottawa, IL 61350

Steve's Bakery -- IIRC, they also have wonderful cinnamon bread. MMMMMMMMM

nice write up on the Norway Store (mentioned upthread) from a recent newspaper article.

I didnt know they did a "Norwegian Specialties" buffet the first Wednesday of each month & carries lutefisk, kumla, and kringla.

http://mywebtimes.com/archives/ottawa/d ... ?id=448098

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Thanks Jim, I've driven by this place so many times over the years. I will stop next time by.

Enjoyed a couple hours I spent yesterday at a spot on the Illinois River. I had used their parking lot to turn around a couple times but hadnt made it in - mistake...

enjoyed a healthy shot of Jim Beam, and (3) 12 oz. drafts while watching the boats on the river. (1.25 drafts, $2.75 Jim Beam pour)

Cant get out of a place for a $10 bill very often

South Shore Boat CLub
2380 Water Street
Peru, IL.

http://www.southshoreboatclub.com

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Saw this thread today and thought I'd give a shout out to the "Ottawa 2 Rivers Wine Fest." My husband and I drove down last weekend for the fest which was billed as "Wine - Lobster - Jazz."

There was a $15 entrance fee which included seven wine tasting tickets if you bought early or five tickets if you paid at the door. You could be extra tasting tickets for $1 apiece. One ticket got you one taste, so you had to think about your choices. The pours were pretty generous, so my husband and I would share the tastes. The wines were all Illinois wines. For a dry red drinker, Illinois wines don't have a lot to offer, but for those that like whites and fruit wines, there was plenty. Don't get me wrong, there were dry reds, but I found most to be a bit thin.

Lobsters could be pre-ordered at $25 a piece including corn on the cob and perhaps one more side. We didn't partake, but it looked pretty darn good. There was other food for sale on a smaller scale. The Cheese Shop provided Polancic mini pork tenderloins, pot roast sandwiches and cheese plates featuring a variety of crackers and assortment of artisanal cheeses. The pot roast sandwich was a winner. The prices for these ranged from $5 - $7. There were also some mini desserts from Jeremiah Joe's Coffee Shop.

The music was a mixture of jazz and blues. There was a jazz combo that played early Saturday afternoon, followed by a Stevie Ray Vaughn tribute band that was outstanding. The night closed out with Shirley King, allegedly the daughter of B.B. himself. She had great pipes, but wasted a lot of time with nonsense when she could have been singing. Interesting thing though, Kevin Chalfant, previously with the band Journey, appeared to be the point person for all the musicians. Perhaps he owns a music production company now? He got up and sang Sweet Home Chicago with Shirley.

I definitely will go back next year and order the lobster.

_________________
Ms. Ingie
Life is too short, why skip dessert?

I was curious how this event was, thanks for the first hand acoount. I believe this was the second year of the event, first year doing lobsters.

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

been back a few times the past few weeks, fun place to cool off catching a breeze along the river. Usally pretty quiet and subdued. Although 8/4 is the annual bikini contest that can get wild(i have heard)

Had their fried chicken this past Saturday for lunch. Batter dipped, nicely done. $7 for a 1/4 bird, salad and fries.

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Good for ice cold $1 drafts & they had a top notch(kind) Grateful Dead cover band a few weeks ago:



Jeffs Place
3475 E. 2153rd Road
Wedron, IL.

Finally got over to Dayton, IL., and what folks refer to as the Dayton Tap, Sandi's Bar & Grill. Went this past Friday for a few drafts before heading over the The Office in Wedron for supper. Friendly staff and owner. Spied a brat burger on their menu that they top with an egg, made a mental note to return.... Spot has an Ottawa mailing address, but is in Dayton near Chicago Skydiving.



Couldnt find much interesting to eat over in Muscatine, IA. Saturday, so we dead headed back to the IRV for supper @ Sandi's. Saturday special is fried chicken, wento with that and the housemade brat burger topped with a fried egg.

Chicken was a solid version, served with slaw and choice of potato:



BRat burger topped with egg was excellent, bad pic, good sandwich:



Sandi's Bar & Grill
3112 E 1961st Road
Ottawa, IL.

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

A 1/2 day free yesterday, seemed right to head down to Streator and to check out a tavern that's been around for 80 years. Yelpers havent even profiled this spot yet. A grocery store from the 1930's that evolved into a tavern.

Located on the south side of town near the US Foodservice dist. center.

Chalkey's Tavern:



Old Tyme - Cold beer, cheap shots....small kitchen with large simmering pots of chili and todays soup located off the bar. Cheap lunch menu, cheeseburger $3.25 - served with or without pickles and onion. Burger really hit the spot, nothing fancy, just solid, served piping hot, and juicy, soft, almost steamed from the meat cheapo burger bun worked.

lunch menu consisted of other classics like a liverwurst sandwich, grilled cheese, ham & cheese, or a pork sausage sandwich.

No pics of the food, sorry..., interesting crowd Tuesday @ lunch,

I did sneak this picture of this interesting local tradespersons flier posted on the wall:



Chalkey's Tavern
604 E. 12th
Streator, IL.

http://www.chalkeystavern.com

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com

Naplate, IL., on the western edge of Ottawa, discussed briefly here on lth, a town of about 600 folks, I count off the top of my head 6 bars and 3-4 restaurants. Back 40-50 years ago I have heard stories that there were 2 times as many. Fun town to hit for some drinks now, must have been a blast back in its hayday.

Anne's Hide A way, never quite knew where it was, but never found myself curious enough to look around town for it. Dumb... Located about a 1/2 mile south of the main drag(Ottawa Ave). Classic roadhouse with a glowing red sign drawing you in. Particularly welcoming last night:



Place inside is bigger than it looks from the outside, a bar area in front, a couple dinign rooms in back. A fireplace in the main room. Glad we made a reservation, place was packed @ 6:00.

WE had been eating all day so I needed to save some stomach space thus the Lite accompanyment to the shot o' makers:



Fresh baked, warm bread came out soon after we got to the table, ordered up the NY strip with hash browns, and a salad. Went with an interesting creamy cucumber dressing which was a peppery green goddess with a cucmuber kick - worked. Steak was large, guessing 16 oz, for $19. We also got some of their fried chicken, touted by many as one of the best around. I liked their bird, but for my taste buds I found it a little dryer that some. Coating was flavorfull. Last item tried was the lasagna.... tasty, but kind of a deconstructed version, noodles, ricotta, etc... they really should tip folks off that this is not the typical rectangular slab of lasagna.

Overall a really nice dinner, friendly staff, my kind of place. Ill definitely be heading back to Anne's and to revisit some of the other spots over in Naplate

Annes website w/ menu:

http://anneshideaway.com/index.html

_________________
I got a real good mind.

Before Cotton was King: http://www.grubseeker.blogspot.com