Flatlanders is a derogatory term used by people in hilly Wisconsin to deride people from glaciated Illinois. Flatlander's is an establishment with great brews and very good food located down on the plain in Lincolnshire, Ill. Sample across the menu, because their wares are top notch.
This is another of the Chicago area's finest brew pubs. The nitrogenated stout (called the Locomotive Stout) is made in the style of Guinness without the enormous production quantities, and it tastes very, very good. It's cappuccino notes are cleansed nicely by the creamy texture of the frothy nitrogen. The Abe's Honest Ale is a clean beer with a delicate sweetness and a hint of flowery hops that balance the flavor profile.
The brew pub also offers great seasonal beers that change regularly. The 90 Shilling Ale and the Grand Cru were both excellent. The building is enormous, with a bar area with multiple tables, patio seating and a cavernous dining area equipped with fireplaces and nicely appointed areas that are completely separate from the bar area.
The pub is located just north of Half Day Road (so named because of it's distance in a horse-drawn carriage ride back in the day to Chicago) on Milwaukee Avenue. I could walk there from my hotel facility while drinking tasty beer and eating good food, so the horse-drawn carriage was not necessary.
They do serve their full menu very late, so you can enjoy the food with it's clearly marked vegetarian selections (I love it!) and order on your first beer or your 14th. The bar also features a great whisky and whiskey selection, alongside a nice range of mixed drinks that includes an entire menu of Big Ten school martinis.
This is a fantastic restaurant with great beer, so it's a great place to eat and drink at any hour before 2 a.m. It is located slightly north of the mainstream of Chicago, but offers options that are well worth sampling if you get the chance.The bands can run the gamut from terrible to not so terrible, so reading the local media might help determine if the entertainment will ruin your evening. Aside from these warnings, if you like beer and well-crafted American dining options, Flatlander's should work for you.
I spent my second day in Illinois checking out the area around the resort I was staying in and the surrounding communities by the resort. All of the exploring made me hungry, and hunger made me eat.
Lunch was at Himalayan Restaurant in Niles. They offer a ridiculous $7.95 lunch buffet that has eight or more vegetarian options as well as dessert. Indian food is conducive to vegetarian dining, but the cuisine also provides carnivorous options. The buffet at Himalayan is shaped like the letter 'L', with the long portion of the L being vegetarian and the short part having the veggie-hater entrees and veggie-friendly desserts. The buffet comes with free naan, while drinks are extra.
The buffet consists of about four staples and four rotating items that change at least daily. Chana masala, the traditional chickpea dish, is a regular item, alongside palak paneer (cubed cheese in spinach) and other items. The specials this day included a divine mushroom curry with multicolored peppers, and a creamy dumpling with earthy vegetables and a mildly sweet finish. The chana, the creamy dumpling and the mushroom curry are visible in my photographs.
Rice pudding and the Indian doughnuts are on the after dinner options list. The sauces and chutneys are rich and flavorful, and the super cheap price makes the meal a steal.
Dinner was at Simon Lin's (pictured above), about six or eight golf strokes from the resort. The restaurant offers some interesting tropical drinks including one made with candied pineapple garnishes, as well as the more adventurous Saketini. My starting appetizer (vegetarian pot stickers) had a great presentation, both in my photograph and on the Web site for Simon Lin's.
My entree was the chef's spicy tofu, which is the photograph that tops this post. It is served with your choice of basmati and brown rice. The menu also has 80 million sushi options that are served in large portions and do include a vegi-roll. The chef of the Asian Bistro being reviewed in this post also owns Little Szechwan, an everyday takeout Chinese place. Simon Lin's displays a greater Pan-Asian flair than does Little Szechwan.
I'll post the Picasa slideshow link below. You can scroll through and find the pictures linked in the article and more in the gallery.
