Hot off the Grill – Page 16

JJ Fish and Chicken Review, Rockford, IL

I’ve been on a tear for fried fish lately. Is this genetic? My dad was a nut for fish of all kinds. He came to visit when I was living in Hong Kong and we had seafood morning, noon and night. Having lived in Chicago twice before, I was never aware that “fried shrimp” was… Continue reading JJ Fish and Chicken Review, Rockford, IL

Jamesons Original Charhouse Review – Crystal Lake, IL

Jamesons Original Charhouse is a micro chain with eight locations, six in Illinois, along with a two in South Carolina. They operate some Greek restaurants under different names in South Carolina as well. I imagine Jamesons is what passes for “fine dining” in the ultra-casual world our culture has become (but not in price, for… Continue reading Jamesons Original Charhouse Review – Crystal Lake, IL

Navigating the Iowa Tenderloin Trail

The “pork tenderloin” is a sandwich unique to Iowa……and also Indiana. Go figure. You take a boneless pork chop, hammer it thin-like with a mallet, dip it in batter, serve it on a hamburger bun one-tenth the size of the meat. Restaurants vary the batter recipes and seasonings. The “trick” seems to be to get… Continue reading Navigating the Iowa Tenderloin Trail

Quad Cities Style Pizza Review

How do you live in a place and not know there’s a “special dish” out there that everybody raves about? Apparently, it’s not that hard. I lived in the Quad Cities for two years and choked down Little Caesar’s and a local Happy Joe’s pizza regularly, but nobody ever let me in on this secret.… Continue reading Quad Cities Style Pizza Review

Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Pork “tenderloins” are an Iowa thing. And Indiana thing. We’ll leave it at that. It’s a boneless pork chop, hammered with a mallet to make it larger and thinner, dipped in batter and deep-fried, served on a hamburger bun about 1/10th the size of the ‘loin. You might also call it wienerschnitzel, of a sort.… Continue reading Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Finding Nemo – Fast Food / Chain Lent Menus

We’re two weeks away from Mardi Gras, which also means we are two weeks away from the start of Lent, the 40 day period leading up to the Christian celebration of Easter. A type of fasting is a customary observance for many Christians during this period, with a particular rite being the substitution of fish,… Continue reading Finding Nemo – Fast Food / Chain Lent Menus

Libby Gravy Review

I like biscuits and gravy. (B&G). Not enough to order it as a sole breakfast entree at restaurants, but if they offer diminutive sizes on the side dishes menu, I’ll give it a taste. I also like it at home, but also not enough to make it from scratch. So I spotted a can of… Continue reading Libby Gravy Review

Spartan Brothers Greek Grocery Review, Chicago, IL

One of the joys (for me) of living in Chicago (or any big city and I’ve lived in a raft of them!) is having access to a preponderance of ethnic supermarkets. Within 20 minutes of me, I can partake of markets dedicated to Italian food, Indian, Asian, Polish, Ukrainian, Spanish, Middle Eastern, and Greek. It’s… Continue reading Spartan Brothers Greek Grocery Review, Chicago, IL

Berghoff Restaurant and Bar Review, Chicago, IL

1870 was the year Herman Berghoff immigrated from German. He worked on plantations and at other jobs before opening his own brewery in Indiana. When the World’s Fair in Chicago came along in 1893, Berghoff set up a booth to sell his beer to fair patrons. He met with such success, he figured he better… Continue reading Berghoff Restaurant and Bar Review, Chicago, IL

Big Boy Breakfast Buffet Review – Hamilton, OH

Neither you nor I have enough time to go into the history of Big Boy restaurants. Suffice to say, started in California in the 30s, oldest one still standing is Burbank, CA (pictured below), chain went thru several owners and now is a “chain of chains,” in that while they share menu, decor, and marketing,… Continue reading Big Boy Breakfast Buffet Review – Hamilton, OH