Finally got over to Smiity's last night. Its about 30 mins from Marseilles, and I went straight after work, so no pictures on this visit. A friendly bar with plenty of tables for eating. I sat arrived around 6:00 p.m., and all the tables were full. The bar was pretty empty. As the night progressed there was a wait for tables, and the bar gradually filled. Tuesday, and Thursday are wing nights, and the wings did not dissapoint. Large flavorfull wings served with a garlic butter sauce, mild, hot, or bbq. I ordered 30 wings for $14.95. Served with blue cheese, and celery sticks. These are some of the best wings I have eaten anywhere. I went with the garlic & butter with a side of their hot sauce. I also had a few cans of Miller High Life lite @ $1.75 each as well as a couple shots of tequila. Total tab including a Smitty's souvenier rocks glass for $1.75 & a bag of cheese popcorn for my lunch today... $26 before tip. A darn good deal in my world.

I will be going back for wing night(15 wings for $7.50, 30 wings for $14.95, & 50 wings for $21) for sure, I also need to try the pork tenderloin, and their fish fry on Fridays. The Pork Tenderloin called "SMitty's Prize tenderloin goes for $5.50, and the fish fry(Cod or Walleye) on Friday's is $5.95 - all you can eat... served with a salad and fries. Wednesday & Saturday nights offer all the chicken(broaster chicken) and pasta you can eat for $6.99.

A great place that is going to be on my regular rotation.

Smitty's is only open on Sunday from 1-5 I believe, and it is just fried stuff you can order. I think during the winter months there is no cook there the bartender does it all. Summmer they have a cook in the kitchen and they may stay open later. I will ask next time I am there. We were there last night and we got seated right away normally there is around a 30 min. wait the place is usually packed but we lucked out last night.

kevin100 wrote:Smitty's is only open on Sunday from 1-5 I believe, and it is just fried stuff you can order. I think during the winter months there is no cook there the bartender does it all. Summmer they have a cook in the kitchen and they may stay open later. I will ask next time I am there. We were there last night and we got seated right away normally there is around a 30 min. wait the place is usually packed but we lucked out last night.

I was at the bar, wearing a red White Sox hat.

The bartender confirmed what you are saying about the Sunday hours. They open @ 1:00 p.m.

Cathy2, I believe the cook your own steak place you referred to much earlier in this thread is The Prime Quarter in Princeton. I have never been there, but my parents go once a year with some friends of theirs...it is a little pricey for the Illinois Valley area. http://www.primequarter.com/default.html

jimswside wrote:

kevin100 wrote:Smitty's is only open on Sunday from 1-5 I believe, and it is just fried stuff you can order. I think during the winter months there is no cook there the bartender does it all. Summmer they have a cook in the kitchen and they may stay open later. I will ask next time I am there. We were there last night and we got seated right away normally there is around a 30 min. wait the place is usually packed but we lucked out last night.

I was at the bar, wearing a red White Sox hat.

The bartender confirmed what you are saying about the Sunday hours. They open @ 1:00 p.m.

I just missed you it sounds like, glad you enjoyed the wings I did too! I see on the other post you made, you finally got a tenderlion those things could feed a family!

bunsterj wrote:Cathy2, I believe the cook your own steak place you referred to much earlier in this thread is The Prime Quarter in Princeton. I have never been there, but my parents go once a year with some friends of theirs...it is a little pricey for the Illinois Valley area. http://www.primequarter.com/default.html

Prime Quater in Princeton is a fun night when it is either too rainy, or cold to fire up the grill at home. A devent value, and a good time having a drink in hand around the fire pit grilling up some garlic bread, and you steak of choice.

Looks like we got a new, but old player back in the running for the best fried chicken in northern illinois.

Finally after almost a 2 year hiatus because of a changeover in ownership, etc. we made it back out to Cherry Supper Club in Cherry, Il.

The fried chicken tonight was excellent, beer battered, perfectly fried, crisp, etc. No noticible marinade/brine, just old school. 1/2 mixed served with pasta, hash browns, soup and salad bar...... $9.

Housemade ham and bean soup was awesome as well. Salad bar was pretty much the same as in the past, basic slad mix, but the dressings do not taste housemade anymore.. I guess who cares.. we are here ot eat chicken and hash browns..



Put Cherry up there in the top 3 or 4 spots anywhere within 100+ miles with Rip's, Smitty's, and Johns North Star.

Cherry Supper Club
Cherry, IL.

http://www.cherry-supperclub.com

I spent a Sunday night down at Starved Rock and was able to meet up with the Central IL Fried Chicken Chief for some chicken and beer while down there. Beforehand me and my friend stopped for lunch in Putnam County which isn't LaSalle but it's of my belief that anything on the border or around the Illinois river and extended into the valley is fair game. Everyone does fried chicken down there. Rip's is without a doubt some of the best you can get...anywhere. But it doesn't end there. Here's another spot that I think is worth checking out. We stopped in for an early lunch at Ray's Place in Hennepin, IL right along the river. It's cool old time exterior looked like it was worth a stop for a quick bite and to relax a bit. Even though I knew nothing of Ray's, I knew fried chicken was on the menu.


Hennepin, IL along the Illinois River

Ray's was a really cool spot especially for some drinks. I've been to alot of old taverns and supper clubs where not much has changed and I love Lanuti's but the bar at Ray's Place was straight out of the movies. I felt like I was on set filming. There's also a dining area in a large room to the left. Like most towns around here it's one of the few spots to eat out at and I imagine it gets packed on weekend nights. The menu has quite a few options similar to the rest of the bars and supper clubs including what they call the "best fried chicken in Central IL"


My view at the end of the bar

There were a few regulars including some old ladies who were sitting at a table in the bar section talking about having fun. The other said, that means we need some drinks, so they started to have some fun. The bartender/waitress was a really nice young lady who made us feel right at home. She even handed me the remote to the TV and told me to put on whatever I want. I knew the fried chicken was a go and opted for a basket (leg and thigh) since I knew more fried bird was coming. When I asked the bartender about the onion rings which are listed as hand battered, she told me they were very popular and I needed to try them so that was that. She wasn't crappin' me neither. Some of the best onion rings I can remember.


Ray's Place on the River: Central Illinois best onion rings

I had very high hopes for the chicken after the fantastic basket of rings and as is the case with most of these great fried chicken joints, they fry it fresh to order so it was about a 20 minute wait. It came out piping hot and I finally remembered this time around to let it sit for five minutes so the roof of my mouth wasn't singed. The chicken was very good, perfectly cooked making it moist and juicy with no resistance when eating it off the bone. Although this would be an excellent rendition of fried chicken in Chicago, it was just 'good' for the Valley. I guess I just prefer the beer battered to the other ways when it comes to frying but that's not to say I wont be back at Ray's. Ordering the same thing too I would assume.


Ray's Place on the River: Fried Chicken Basket

One of the older ladies who was an owner came over to make sure everything was ok as we were wrapping it up. She was also the bartenders grandma so it's all in the family over there and they do care. If your ever boating the Illinois River they have a dock for you to stop at with your boat and pop in for some chicken. Along with some amazing onions rings, very friendly service and a really cool bar. Check it out.


The view from the bench across the street from Ray's

jimswside wrote:

Cathy2 wrote: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,

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.

From the Surviving in Ottawa (Illinois) thread.

We met up with the Central IL Chicken Czar for a few drinks at Lanuti's before we headed over to the Cherry Supper Club which is only a few miles down the road from Ladd in Cherry, IL. There was a horrible mining accident here back in 1909 in which 259 men and young boys (no labor laws then) lost their lives. You pass the memorial and gravesite as you enter into town. Nowadays it a quiet place that I wouldn't even call a town. There's less than 300 people but there's also an awesome supper club that serves some excellent beer battered fried chicken with that familiar friendly service you seem to get everywhere down there.


Cherry, IL

I like to take a seat at the bar when visiting local taverns like these so we had a few cold ones at the bar before sitting down. The bartender who's name I forget was a very friendly guy and also the restaurants owner. You tend to see the owners there all the time engaged with the locals enjoying what they do. After a few drinks we headed over to a table for dinner. There were a few other groups there for dinner but service was swift. One of the specials was the fried chicken family style dinner. It gets you three pieces of fried chicken, with a side of hash browns, a side of ravs and spaghetti and unlimited trips to the salad/cold pasta bar which also has a house made soup. The price? $9.00. Even before we ate I felt like I was ripping this place off.


Soup and salad, plate of ravs and spaghetti

The salad bar which is in the dining room has quite a few pasta and potato salads as well as the old timers stuff and of course a bowl of greens. The soup that night was a beef, bean concoction that was a little sweet for me but you don't wanna fill up too much at the salad bar.


View from the table in the dining room

The fried chicken came out after 25 or so minutes and as seen in Jim's photos above, it's identical to Rip's. You have the option to get your hash browns "Al's style" which comes with onions, mushrooms and cheese and they were excellent while the fried chicken was better than that. Crispy, super crunchy exterior, some of the best batter on a chicken you can get. As I snapped this pic the owner came up and asked "hey your not that guy who takes pictures of food and posts them on that site are you?" I said no I think that's him and pointed across to jimswside. He and wife were very thankful for the reviews/rec's and rightfully so, their chicken is great. The Saturday special of prime rib is their big seller we were told. Soon enough. Helluva find here Jim. Thanks for sharing.


Fried Chicken from the Cherry Supper Club

After we ate we had some old fashioned's at the bar and the owner was telling us how his son was the chef and him and the wife look after the place during winter when he heads off to Florida. His wife cant and wont go with because she's got her horses he told us. "Cant ever leave the damn things". He told us his son had worked all over the country in kitchens of all sorts including Ponderosa (gotta pay your dues I guess and those bills too) but man, I wonder if he once worked at Rip's. It's almost identical chicken except Rip's might be a little more heavily seasoned. If Rip's has a line out the door as it most always does, Cherry Supper Club is right down the road and there's other food options aside from the sensationally stellar fried chicken too.


The bar at Cherry Club

Lanuti's, Lanuti's, it's myyy kind of bar. Lantui's has that old school atmosphere, that's for sure. I was first put on there thru the Central IL Turtle Crawl thread and despite a new owner, different from those featured in the pic upthread, they seem to be doing the same as they always have. Open and running Wed-Sun.


Ladd, IL

Sinatra playing on the speakers outside and then inside, the three stooges on the flat screens, which are about the only things that have changed at this tavern since the 40's. I met up with jimmyswside for a drink which turned to four before we headed over to the Cherry Supper Club for dinner down the road. As far as fried chicken goes, I have not had Lanuti's but I think it's been determined who's is best as Rip's Tavern across the street had a full house as they always do while Lanuti's had just a few old timers in for an early dinner. They actually have been busy with people eating on previous visits to the bar. I still plan to try their family style fried and I'd also like to try their tenderloin sandwich which they label "Lanuti's own".


The view at da bar

Marty, the current owner was bartending when we rolled in around 4p on a Sunday. Great guy, he made us feel right at home as if we were regs. It was quiet at first but things started picking up before we left. Marty's family used to own the Ladd Lanes bowling alley down the road and he bought Lanuti's from the original family of owners who are also neighborhood family friends. He said he hasn't changed a thing and the bar is mostly the same as it was in the 40's. It sure does seem that way with all the old Schitz stuff still around as well as the classic old fashioned bartenders uniform which he was in. I asked what the most popular drink was these days and he told us it was what we were drinking, the $1 drafts of High Life. They do sell alot of their ice cream drinks w/ alcohol too. After we ate at Cherry Club it rained so hard we decided to let it pass thru and when it did I was hungry again like I always am. We went back into Lanuti's so I could try some ravs and spaghetti while placing an order of 1/4 dark from Rip's to go.


Homemade Ravioli is mentioned on the menu

As you can see from this pic above and the one at the top they switch up their neon in the windows now and then. Sometimes replacing the chicken with a ravioli one. I think the turtle neon on the other side always stays. Thru LTH I knew "ravs" were a popular Central IL eat and were really tortellini and Marty the owner confirmed this. He said he's never known them any other way. A lifetime Valley guy. I gave the spaghetti/ravioli combo a try to compare how it was to Cherry Supper Cubs. I liked it for the homey taste. It was like my grandma would of made for us as kids. The huge plate was $10 with bread and salad and I ended up taking more than half back to the hotel and finished it off later that evening. Good people, great chat, cheap drinks and an endangered atmosphere for a bar are the biggest reasons to stop here. One day I'll say screw it and try the turtle and a mixed ice cream drink, just to be able to say I have.


Ravioli/Spaghetti combo from Lanuti's

Some quotes below on some Central IL rec's from the Chicagoland fried chicken thread.

jazzman wrote:OK, this Restaurant is just a tad beyond LaSalle County… in Marshall County.

Currys Restaurant & Tavern
PO Box 37, Camp Grove, IL 61424
(309) 493-5112

It's a small mom and pop place with a bar and maybe 8 or 9 tables. Some friends took me here a few years ago, and I had some of the FINEST Fried Chicken I have tasted in years!

I saw a sign for Camp Grove and remembered your rec. Unfortunately it was Monday and almost all the supper club/fried chicken joints and most other sitdown places in the Valley are closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

jazzman wrote:I'll add another to visit while in LaSalle County... .
Maples Supper Club (815) 223-1938
1401 Shooting Park Rd
Peru, IL 61354

Another great place for Fried Chicken... PLUS a great buffet !

http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3714390338/maples-supper-club-peru

I also spied quite a few spots that looked like they deserved a shot at the crown. I snapped pics of them so I wouldn't forget about 'em and I'll post them on here case anybody wants to give them a try. The first one pictured is a bad pic but it's called JT's and its across the street from Cherry Supper. Notice the neon chicken sign in the window.


JT's Bar & Grill (Cherry, IL)


The Big House Tavern (Peru, IL)


Corral Inn Tavern (Cedar Point, IL)


jimswsides old (RIP) favorite Cap'n Jack's, you never know when the rest will close...

It's not all fried chicken in Central IL either. There's some wonderful old towns and great state parks extending all along the Illinois River Road Scenic Byway. It's supposed to be a real treat during the Fall.





Matthiessen State Park. An old steam boat mural, an old abandoned steamboat along the river


The Village of Hopewell

Ray's Place on the River
108 N Front St
Hennepin, IL 61327
(815) 925-7111

Cherry Supper Club
120 N. Main St
Cherry, IL 61317
(815) 894-3520

Lanuti's
302 N Main Ave
Ladd, IL 61329
(815) 894-2124

Every August, a group of folks from the greater Chicagoland area descend upon the lovely Maple Leaf Park in Earlville, IL for a volleyball camp-out weekend. We found Poka's Bar and Grill several years ago after learning the bar at the bowling alley only served frozen pizza. Poka's has since become our Friday night spot for dinner. (We may sleep in tents, but most of us are not diehard enough to cook our meals in the great out of doors.) Since we're there on a Friday, there is always fish on the specials board. I've tried different menu items over the years. The baked cod tends to be dry; the basket of smelt I had this year was overly breaded and uninspired. Burgers are frozen patties. However, there are two dinner items worth getting: the fried chicken and the hand-battered pork tenderloin sandwich. The same batter is used on both and they are fried perfectly. I don't know if Poka's fried chicken ranks as high as the others mentioned in this thread, but it is quite good. Earlville is not far from Starved Rock (Route 34 is just south of "downtown), so it's a possible dinner stop. Call first if you go -- the business is for sale.

Poka's Bar and Grill
137 West Railroad Street
Earlville, IL 60518-3101
(815) 246-7050

nice report Beef, and I am glad I got to come along for a couple stops. Cherry SUpper CLub was on their game that night for sure as far as the fried chicken and old fashioned's.

- J.T.'s in Cherry, I have not been there yet, walked in once and it looked promising, trouble was its is cash only.

- The now closed Capn Jacks in Naplate was really good, interesting town Naplate, maybe 500 people in town, but back in the day it used to be the Calumet City of the Illinois River Valley. 20-30 bars on the 1/4 mile main strip in town. From what I hear it was wild.

- I have to get over to Hennepin to try that Ray's place, looks like a classic spot.

- Also that spot in Earlville The GP mentioned is now on my list.

After a day in the sun, cooking over a hot grill over 100 miles from home Saturday, Cherry Supper Club sounded about right to my family.

Got there around 7:00, quickly had a $3 Jim Beam, and a $2.50 High Life. THen I spied Jim, the owner, and the fella who made me my first and to this date best Old Fashioned. I made my way over to the bar & had him make one up for me. As good as the first one, and what I have been trying to find since. I dont drink much booze anymore, but this hard liquor hit the spot.

Nice housemade vegetarian minestrone, and solid chicken as always.

drinkin':


quick chicken pic:



With Cherry Supper Club and Rip's no more than 5 minutes apart you have two of the areas heavy hitters in easy range for a taste off.

impropmteau visit out to Ladd & Cherry last night for some drinks and grub

Rip's in Ladd knocked out the best fried chicken I have had there last night. Crunchy battered cust, and molten, juicy chicken in. Really top notch.

Made a first stop to JT's in Cherry, chicken was ok, Id like to pay another visit or two before making a final call.

My Illinois Valley Fried Chicken rankings - 11/2011:

1) Rip's - Ladd, IL.
2) Cherry Supper Club - Cherry, IL.
3) Smitty's - Leonore, IL.
4) Wedron Office - Wedron, IL.
5) John's North Star - LaSalle, IL.

made my first trip to rips on sun. also
rips was tops, very crunchy all the way across the chicken.
but the fried musrooms where the best i have had hands down.

lanuti's is a great spot chicken is very good also.

cherry super club is also great spot.

jt 's bar & grill has 2 kinds chicken =beer batter and regular (what the bar tender called it )
i had to try both.
beer batter was very good , but like the best regular the pepper in the crust did it for me .(but was not as juicy)but tops.


loved the area can not wait to get back.
good to see you jim

Da Beef wrote:

jazzman wrote:I'll add another to visit while in LaSalle County... .
Maples Supper Club (815) 223-1938
1401 Shooting Park Rd
Peru, IL 61354

Another great place for Fried Chicken... PLUS a great buffet !

http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3714390338/maples-supper-club-peru

I had had Maples Park Supper Club on my list for a couple years, finally fit into our plans a couple weekends ago.

Decent fried chicken, on par with Hanks Farm if I was to compare. At least on this visit the chicken was not near the heights reached by the Valleys stallwarts.

Buffet was offered this Sat night, fried chicken on the buffet as well as some decent baked ham, and a overcooked beef roast.

Didnt come away to impressed, but didnt hate my 1st visit, friendly staff and bartender. As well as a decent steak.

This Summer/Fall I stayed west of Chicago, and really covered the area between I-88 and I-80 & West of Route 47 to the Mississippi:

A little further west, near Hennepin, IL where Route 71 ends I had heard of a couple solid fried chicken spots, I found one, and am still searching for the other.

I passed by Mark O's in Mark, IL. a few weeks back and passed on dinner there in favor of Wedron Office. When we were back in the area(Princeton, IL.) a week or so later I made sure we went for dinner. Housemade pasta, and of course fried chicken. Gnocchi I had was good as was a dinner salad with more than iceburg lettuce(rare for the IVR). Menu had steaks, fish, etc., standard fare.

Fried chicken was good, one of the more tasty crusts I have had, interior was moist and perfectly cooked. The chicken meat just lacked the flavor pop of some other spots.

Mark O's was solid, Ill go back.



Just a small roadhouse on Route 71:



solid fried chix:




Mark O's
Milwaukee Street @ State Route 71
Mark, IL.

these cats have their own thread, but with them being only about 5-10 minutes off I-80(right north-east of Ottawa) & being one of the best around, figured Id give them some props on this thread as well:

1/2 light(mashed, potato salad, draft, and some bbq sauce(i like to dip):



very few places nowdays where you can get a meal like I had last night: Monster 1/2 light fried chicken(2 breasts, 2 wings), choice of potato, dang good salad bar with daily soup, 2 drafts and a shot of Jim Beam ... all for a crips $20(including tax and 20% tip).

Wedron Office
2005 N. 35th Road
Wedron, IL.

Wedron thread:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=32802

gotta give sip-n-snack in Mendota their props on the catch all fried chicken thread. They have their own thread here:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=35003

Maybe 20 minutes North of Rip's and throught the town of Cherry & off Route 34. After 2 visits I am impressed and on the verge of moving them into the vaunted # 1 spot in the Grubseeker IRV Fried Chicken Rankings.




Sip-n-Snack
10 N. 4250th Road (Route 34)
Mendota, IL.

Jim,

Do you characterize the fried chicken in this region as beer battered?

Regards,

Battered for sure, i dont detect beer though.

My wife got the itch for a fried chicken mini-field trip yesterday, so we invited another couple who are also tasty food-seekers to come with us and left our house around 4:30pm. My wife drives like a demon, and we made great time, getting to Ladd fairly early around 6pm. She had targeted both Rip's Tavern and Lanuti's (we were to try both of them, since we came out all this way). Since there was a bit of a line at Rip's, we started at Lanuti's.



When we entered, we were warmly greeted by both the owner and the bartender. The place definitely has that 40's vibe, with the front room sporting lots of Schlitz memorabilia as well as 3 TV's, which yesterday were all playing Three Stooges shorts (love me some Stooges!). The back room wasn't quite as boisterous, and had pine wood paneling for a more rustic look. Seeing as it was about half full, we decided to stay up front and took a table along the wall across from the bar without a wait.


What time is it? Chicken and turtle time!

They have both Miller Hi-Life and Schlitz on tap, and offer up classic cocktails...our one non-beer/wine drinking friend ordered the special cocktail of the day, a Sloe Gin Fizz ($3). We got a round of Hi-Lifes and checked out the menu. They offer chicken dishes in all shapes/colors like 1/4, 1/2 and whole in both light and dark meat. Ravioli and other dishes filled out the menu, and I had to check out the "famous turtle" dish, which I found under the seafood section of the menu. It's by far the most expensive item at $17, but I figured I gotta try it since my table-mates were all getting 1/4 chicken dishes ($6).

All of these entrees came with a choice of either green salad or cole slaw. My wife got the salad with French dressing and liked it just fine. I went for the slaw, which was oil/vinegar dressed and light and tangy. These were brought out ahead of the fried entrees so as to give us nibbles...and we didn't order appetizers, so that probably made sense.

I got a small bite of my wife's chicken, and it was moist and delicious, but the batter didn't have much seasoning...a little salt and hot sauce brightened it up. My fried turtle was quite delicious, and not being well-versed in turtle (outside of the soup) I found it moist and flavorful, with a taste like a cross between chicken thigh and a pork chop (some chunks were light meat, others dark).


Fried Turtle

All our dishes were served over a slice of white toast, and came with french fries. The fries were tasty, with a batter-esque crunchy exterior.

We reordered a round of Schlitz beers and finished off our fried critters, skipped dessert and got the check. We still had another dinner to eat!

After crossing the street and peeking into Rip's, we discovered the Saturday night crowd was in full force and the wait would probably be an hour. Even though we wanted to try Rip's, we felt we could come back another day...and my wife had backup plans in Cherry. Also, Rip's crowd was pretty dang loud, more bar/pub atmosphere than restaurant...I guess that's why it's called a tavern, right?

We arrived in Cherry about 5 minutes later, intending to go to the Cherry Supper Club. Closed...huh?

J.T.'s Bar and Grill is across the street and the neon "chicken" sign lured us in. This place is pretty groovy too, in the old-school diner/supper club chic. It was about half full just like Lanuti's, and we quickly sat at a table. Not needing much time, my wife and I shared a full chicken "family style" (includes salad bar, pasta and potato) and our friends both got the pork ribs. And a round of Hi-Life...in the bottle, as they have only Miller Lite and Coors Light on draft here.

I didn't indulge in the salad bar (3 entrees ordered) but they said it was just fine and my wife said the 3-bean salad was excellent, and their French dressing was a bit better than Lanuti's.

We waited about 15 minutes for our entrees, and they were excellent. The fried chicken (full breast, drumstick, thigh and wing) was moist and flavorful. We opted for "regular" vs. the beer-battered, and it was pan-fried to a golden brown with a savory/peppery crunchy skin.


"Regular" Fried Chicken family-style dinner

I wolfed down the baked potato, which was excellent and came with butter and sour cream. My wife had some of the pasta (mixed bowl of spaghetti and ravioli) and we took a few pieces of chicken and the pasta home.

Both Lanuti's and J.T.'s are cash/check so bring some green...there is an ATM in Lanuti's, but didn't notice one at J.T.'s...

Oh, and we asked our server at J.T.'s about Cherry Supper Club and she said that they have been having a rough time and thinks that they finally decided to close up for good a week ago. Damn.

Wow... Cherry Supper Club was on jimswside's A+ list amongst others! Sad.

nice report on Lenutis & JT's.

Too bad about Cherry Supper Club, I think that was the 2nd owner since 2005 when I moved out here. Some great memories of some fun Saturday night dinner there back on 2006. RIP.

Hung out in Utica today. Stopped at the Illinois River Winery. They have some pretty good dry wines, including a Sauvingon Blanc and a Claret. Then they have a wide variety of other fruit wines. I tried the Cherry, which was the essence of cherry in a glass. It WAS sweet, but tasted of tart cherries. I also tried the Apple Blossom wine, which was sweet, but tasted like tart apples.

Then I checked out a local potter, Clark Street Studio & Village Pottery. He had some great pieces. He recommended Skoog's downtown for some eats.

But when I got to Skoogs, they weren't serving until 4:30. Apparently Wednesday is wings night, and it gets totally crazy busy. This month's sauce: General Tso. Their menu says they have pork tenderloin sandwiches and fried chicken

So I decided to go to Naplate.

- The now closed Capn Jacks in Naplate was really good, interesting town Naplate, maybe 500 people in town, but back in the day it used to be the Calumet City of the Illinois River Valley. 20-30 bars on the 1/4 mile main strip in town. From what I hear it was wild.

Naplate still looks like it could be a little wild. For a population of 600, there are still 6 or 7 bars/restaurants in town. I ate at Anne's Hideaway. Quarter lite chicken with salad, potato & bread was maybe $7.50. The bread was a nice and crusty -- better than the stupid breadsticks at the place that advertises it's unlimited breadsticks! The chicken was not greasy, and had a flavorful breaded crust. Both pieces were pretty meaty. The menu also offers chicken livers and gizzards, and a pork tenderloin sandwich. You can have the dinners as I described, or "family style", which includes all that plus spaghetti & ravioli. Apparently a local favorite is their Thursday special, prime rib sliders.

Nice day!

Illinois River Winery
723 S Clark
Utica, IL
815-667-4012

Clark Street Studio & Village Pottery
409 S Clark
Utica, Illinois 61373
(815) 667-4098

Skoog's Pub
155 Mill Street
Utica, IL
815-667-5800

Anne's Hideaway
323 Railroad Avenue
Naplate, IL
815-433-9686

I have a couple of stops I never got to make it into in the Illinois Fried Chicken Valley Area to share here. However both of these are off I-88.


Sterling, IL


Rock Falls, IL

The chicken coop wasn't opening for another hour when I passed by it so I was never able to try but it looked and sounded good. Maybe one day I'll be back. The Candlelight Inn was open and we took a ride by but the famous "chicken George" they speak of is just "Chicken Breast Strips served with our famous Jan's special sauce." Eh, I'll pass. Not a bad fallback found on the side of the road in Sterling. Aunt TT's Concessions is a popular place for a quick lunch. She fries some damn fine corn digs with Vienna Beef franks being used.


Found around the Sauk Valley Region

Da Beef wrote:The Candlelight Inn was open and we took a ride by but the famous "chicken George" they speak of is just "Chicken Breast Strips served with our famous Jan's special sauce." Eh, I'll pass.

You missed out on a minor epiphany.
We stopped by there a couple years ago and the Jan's Special Sauce is quite nice, a light sweet and sour that reminded SueF of Lao Sze Chuan's Mayonaisse Shrimp (aka Honey Shrimp or Walnut Shrimp at other places).

JoelF wrote:

Da Beef wrote:The Candlelight Inn was open and we took a ride by but the famous "chicken George" they speak of is just "Chicken Breast Strips served with our famous Jan's special sauce." Eh, I'll pass.

You missed out on a minor epiphany.
We stopped by there a couple years ago and the Jan's Special Sauce is quite nice, a light sweet and sour that reminded SueF of Lao Sze Chuan's Mayonaisse Shrimp (aka Honey Shrimp or Walnut Shrimp at other places).

I wasn't a fan of Jan's sauce, which I thought tasted like it's made from mayonnaise and apricot jam. I don't remember any sour notes. Chicken George was probably the best serving of chicken breast strips I ever had (perhaps not the highest compliment I have paid to a dish).



You missed out on another minor epiphany in Sterling: spaghetti deep-dish pizza from Angelo's.



Probably the best spaghetti deep-dish pizza I ever had.

tcdup wrote: He recommended Skoog's downtown for some eats.

But when I got to Skoogs, they weren't serving until 4:30. Apparently Wednesday is wings night, and it gets totally crazy busy. This month's sauce: General Tso. Their menu says they have pork tenderloin sandwiches and fried chicken

So I decided to go to Naplate.

- The now closed Capn Jacks in Naplate was really good, interesting town Naplate, maybe 500 people in town, but back in the day it used to be the Calumet City of the Illinois River Valley. 20-30 bars on the 1/4 mile main strip in town. From what I hear it was wild.

Naplate still looks like it could be a little wild. For a population of 600, there are still 6 or 7 bars/restaurants in town. I ate at Anne's Hideaway. Quarter lite chicken with salad, potato & bread was maybe $7.50. The bread was a nice and crusty -- better than the stupid breadsticks at the place that advertises it's unlimited breadsticks! The chicken was not greasy, and had a flavorful breaded crust. Both pieces were pretty meaty. The menu also offers chicken livers and gizzards, and a pork tenderloin sandwich. You can have the dinners as I described, or "family style", which includes all that plus spaghetti & ravioli. Apparently a local favorite is their Thursday special, prime rib sliders.


Skoog's Pub
155 Mill Street
Utica, IL
815-667-5800

Anne's Hideaway
323 Railroad Avenue
Naplate, IL
815-433-9686

really makes me happy to see one or two folks getting out of the city & hitting some solid spots out in the IRV.

Skoogs wings are pretty damn good, been there a few times for them, posted about it somewhere on LTH.

I have heard of Annies for the past 7 years I have lived out here, might have to make a trip over there one of these days.

Last Chance Saloon in Millington, just a few minutes north of Route 71 & Newark, IL. My embarassment of riches regarding fried chicken continues.

Word is/was Last Chace does some big fried chicken numbers on Tuesday nights, 250, 300, 360 dinners served. Quantity means nothing if it isnt good so I made a point to stop in last night to check it out on a less busy night. Glad I did.





Located in a former bank building(damn cool) right on the main drag in town. Found myself enjoying a drink and daydreaming out the window thinking and knowing the view had changed little since some bank employee had done the same back in the day.

Bar with some high tops seperated from a small dining room. Nice spot. Cheap, cold drafts of regular guy beers as well as cheap shots of brown liquor. Menu special for the night was frog legs w/ salad bar and soup for like $12. Menu has a little of everything for eveyone, typical roadhouse fare. I snapped up an order of 1/4 light with some mashed to go. Chicken was solid(nice crust, juicy flesh), even after a 20 minute ride home. Definitely going to go back to try some fresh from the fryer.

Last Chance Saloon
102 S. Church Street
Millington, IL.

815-695-5660

Rene G wrote:Chicken George was probably the best serving of chicken breast strips I ever had (perhaps not the highest compliment I have paid to a dish).

That plate looks very similar to this one from the Village Tavern in Schaumburg (who claim to have World Famous Chicken Fingers). They were very good, super moist chicken, comes with honey mustard sauce, though the fries were no big deal, HUGE portion. Batter was a little heavy at times, but still great. If you like chicken fingers, try them.
I found this pic on the net.


Village Tavern and Grill
901 W Wise Rd
Schaumburg IL
847-891-8866
http://www.villagetavernandgrill.com/

There is a bizarro version of this place hidden away in Buffalo Grove.

Village Bar and Grill (located at Buffalo Grove Golf Club) has basically the same chicken fingers, the same sauce, they call them "World Famous" and they even have Village in their name. But one of the owners said they are not the same at all. Yeah, sure... I think they are the same like Il Forno in Highland Park and Deerfield are. They are, but they aren't (subtle differences).

Da Beef wrote: However both of these are off I-88.


Sterling, IL

The chicken coop wasn't opening for another hour when I passed by it so I was never able to try but it looked and sounded good. Maybe one day I'll be back.

hit this place yesterday, no alcohol...... but the chicken was pretty good, not the best of the day nor the worst.. Interesting, extra crunchy batter:



I dig places with a big chicken outfront:



solid 1/4 light:



B & T's Chicken Coop
208 W. 10th Street
Rock Falls, IL.