Country Cafe

The restaurant in Harmony has seen several owners over the years, and has been vacant for a while. But it just re-opened two days ago as the Country Cafe, so I decided to stop in and see what's cooking. This is the second restaurant for this owner; his first is the Hi Ho Cafe on N. Cicero in the city. The building has been thoroughly refurbished on the inside, and everything is nice and clean. It's conveniently located about five miles from the Museum on the way to the toll road interchange.

The menu is quite extensive. There are appetizers and sandwiches, burgers for $7-$8, steaks are about $15 to $22 for New York strip, chicken of various sorts for $9-$11, daily specials, Greek specialties, pasta, kebobs, and pizza. And they serve breakfast all day. Hours are 11AM to 10PM M-F, 7AM to 10PM Saturday and Sunday. That's important because several places in the area are closed on Sunday evenings. I had roast chicken with artichokes, and it was quite good, as was the baklava. Service was good, and the place seemed quite busy.

They are also going to have a full bar in operation in about two weeks when the license comes through, they say.

I wouldn't have recommended some of the earlier operations here, but let's hope this one is a success. The population in the area is increasing, of course, so that helps. I always thought it was kind of sad that so few people were willing to live in Harmony with the neighbors.

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Lukin for Good Food?

Al Reinschmidt reports from London that one of our long-time members now has a second career. Looks like a great place to visit next time you're over there!

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The Red Ox

The Red Ox is a steakhouse-type restaurant located about ten miles straight south of the Museum in Hampshire, along route 72. It has a very extensive menu. Entrees are generally in the $15 range, somewhat more for some steaks. This includes soup or salad, vegetable, and potato or rice. I had the broiled grouper with parmesan crust, which was excellent. Next time I'll have to try a steak. Service was excellent, and the ambience is quite pleasant.

Here's a view of the outdoor patio; the air was rather humid, so it was more pleasant inside. There's also a full bar. The Red Ox is highly recommended.

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Del Toro's Tex Mex Grill

Our restaurant review feature continues with Del Toro's Tex Mex Grill in Huntley, a favorite of the Car Shop Sunday gang since it's open on Sunday evenings. The food is mainly Mexican and is quite good, though a bit pricier than some of the other local joints at about $10-15 for most of the entrees. The fajitas and enchiladas are highly recommended, as is the salsa served with tortilla chips before the meal. We'll usually go through several baskets of chips and a couple of bowls of salsa before the meal arrives even though the service is reasonably fast! The servers tend to be quite good at keeping everyone well stocked with salsa, drinks, etc. There's also a bar area next to the dining room.

Del Toro's is located on Route 47 on the north side of Huntley in the Huntley Center shopping mall; visible in the above photo is the Huntley water tower right behind the mall. But beware when you go: the parking lot in the mall has a large light pole in the center of it that has a reputation for having jumped out in front of a particular member's truck, giving Del Toro's its IRM nickname: Andy's Truck Stop.

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Arrowhead Restaurant

The Arrowhead Restaurant is located at the interstate behind the Citgo station. All three of us recently ate breakfast there and can recommend it. The food and service are good, about what you'd expect for a truck stop. Frank was disappointed in the biscuits and gravy, but he should know better -- we have never found any restaurant where it's nearly as good as home-made! We have not yet tried this place for lunch or supper.

We should note that the Arrowhead is now open 24 hours a day except 9PM Sunday to 5AM Monday. (Unfortunately, 9PM Sunday is just when IRM members are often looking for someplace to eat!) As always, anybody who has more comments on any places reviewed here is urged to submit them.

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RR Steakhouse

The "RR Steakhouse" is a small supper club-type restaurant located on Rt. 20 about three miles from the Museum, just west of the intersection of Coral Rd. and 20. (I.e. south on Olson to Coral, west on Coral to 20, turn right, and it's on the left.) This place has been there since at least the seventies under various owners.

Various types of steak are available at $18 to $22, including salad, potato, and rolls. Seafood generally runs about $14, apart from lobster. We tried the prime rib, New York strip, and steamed salmon, and all were very good. The menu also includes burgers, pasta, appetizers, etc. Drinks are very reasonably priced. You can eat either in the main dining area or at the bar, and the informal atmosphere should appeal to working members, or even rich lawyers. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Definitely recommended.

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