Checkers Pancake House

Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg Illinois is the cute little diner, Checkers Pancake House. 

It looks to be in a remodeled Wendy's building, but they did a heck of a job on it.  The whole place was extremely shiny and clean.  A busboy was walking around polishing the freaking chairs.  He was actually keeping busy instead of smoking in the parking lot and talking crap about fellow employees.  Color me impressed.  In fact, every single employee was genuinely sweet to us.  Must be something in the water...or coffee.

The menu was similar to Family Restaurant in Davenport.  Pancakes, omelets, and a few dishes with a Greek influence. I knew I wanted a big omelet and Richie wanted a lot of food so we were both pleased with the large menu.  After carefully analyzing my choices, I finally decided on the Hawaiian omelet because I have never thought to pair pineapple with egg.

Richie ordered corned beef and hash, 2 eggs, hash browns, and pancakes.  Less than ten minutes later, our food was served fresh off the griddle.

Aloha!  My ridiculously large omelet was stuffed full of goodies, including the sweet and juicy pineapple chunks.  It was kind of a different taste, not unlike that of Hawaiian pizza.  I enjoyed the salty sweet combination but the mixture of textures was off putting.  I ended up eating around most of the pineapple.
The hash browns were freshly shredded from potatoes.  Definitely a step up from the dehydrated ones that I make from the box.  Just add water.  They were lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.

The pancakes were thick and fluffy but the syrup had a strange flavor.  Maybe we got the sugar free kind on accident?

Richie's meal was nearly gone before I lifted my fork.  A testament to the tastiness of his meal and his amazing digestive system.  We noticed that, like the Family Restaurant, his two eggs magically became four.  Must be using chickens on some serious fertility drugs. 

Both of us left full and happy, especially after seeing our paltry bill for our bounty of food. Checkers is open for just breakfast and lunch, which is unfortunate because their food is perfect for a post midnight feast.
We will be back Checkers.  Oh yes we will.

Smashburger

On a recent trip to Schaumburg, we stumbled upon a wonderful discovery called Smashburger.  I realize that Smashburger is old news to everyone every where else in the US, but not to people from small town Iowa.  I had actually heard of the chain before, they boast hundreds of North American locations.

 Walking in, we were greeted by a friendly manager who asked if we had ever visited a Smashburger.  We said No, so he explained the menu to us.  The food is all made fresh and their specialty is the beef burgers they smash and sear on the grill.  They have several options or you can pick and choose your toppings. First you choose the bready receptacle for your beef.  They have my personal favorite, pretzel buns.  Love them buns. Then, choose a cheesy cloak for your beef and amass an army of free toppings.  You can also add several fancy schmancy garnishments for small fees, such as fried eggs, avocado, and garlic mushrooms.
 In addition to burgers, they also serve crispy or grilled chicken, black bean burgers, and hot dogs. Yay, choices!  In my black book of restaurants, this positions them higher than Five Guys.  Sides are offered a la carte and include veggie frites, sweet potato fries, and BEHOLD.. fried pickles.  Be still my heart. 

Richie was stoked to see Green River in bottles.

We ordered and paid at the front counter then found a booth to sit in.  The manager even brought over a high chair for us, which I thought was nice because it's a fast food, serve yourself restaurant.  Try getting that service at Burger King.  About five minutes later he brought us our food.

When they say Smashburger, they mean Smashburger.  Even my chicken was smushed flat.  Smashchicken just doesn't have the same name appeal, but it looked and smelled amazing.  Richie ordered the Barbecue Bacon Cheddar and added a fried egg for good measure and poor health. 
Red ordered the hot dog kids meal but it was a might big dog that I couldn't resist tasting.

The chicken came as requested with spinach, mustard, and pickles.  Everything was fresh and the pickles were especially crunchy.  The chicken was juicy and had a good char flavor.  The bun was great and tasted like an big unsalted Super Pretzel.

Richie eloquently described the burger as very juicy and tasty. Cooked perfectly.  The toppings were harmonious and abundent.  Each bite was composed of all the flavors and textures of the sauce, bacon, egg, cheese, and onion straws. 

We shared a side of fries which were concealed by chili, chopped onions, and melted cheese.  The fries beneath remained crispy and never turned soggy from the chili. 
After our meal, I seriously considered opening a franchise in the QCA, but then I remembered that I have no money.  The nearest location is Bloomington Illinois.  So please, will someone bring Smashburger to the Quad-Cities?  Pretty please?  You won't be disappointed. 

Portillo's

Portillo's is a chain of fast food restaurants in the Chicago area. It's birth in 1963 occurred in an $1100 trailer known as "The Dog House," a small hot dog stand in Villa Park. Over the many years, it has expanded into a a small chain of Chicago-style fast food restaurants. More history can be found in a video here. There are 31 locations in Illinois, clustered mostly in the Chicagoland area. We made a pit stop at the Schaumburg location during the lively Saturday lunch hour.

Each Portillo's has a different motif, Schaumburg's is the 1950s. The large retro mess hall also includes an ordering station for one of the owner's other concept restaurants, Barnelli's Pasta Bowl.

The place was humming with patrons, so I questioned their ability to promptly feed us. As soon as we stepped into line, a worker penciled our order on a a to-go bag. It was a lot of pressure to order so quickly, and I panicked a bit. If I had more time to pore over the menu, I would have noticed the enchanting Chocolate Cake Shake, but that's something to look forward to for next time.

At the counter, we gave our bag to the cashier and paid.
Then we hustled down the long assembly line of surprisingly cheerful workers to the food pick-up area.

Despite the massive wall of people waiting, we had our hot chow in about 5 minutes. Seating was not hard to find, as most of the restaurant is crammed full of booths and tables. No foot of floor was spared a table or chair.

Richie ordered the combo sandwich. A combo sandwich is comprised of a spicy Italian sausage gently swaddled in a juicy blanket of Italian beef. Customers can choose hot or sweet peppers; Richie chose HOT. I noted that he actually savored it, opting not to hoover it down as usual.

I ordered a charbroiled chicken breast on a croissant, with a side of cheese fries. Though my sandwich looks a bit bland, blame the lighting, it was actually the best I've had at any fast food or sit down restaurant. The chicken is very nicely seasoned and has a bit of kick to it, almost to the point of inducing nose running. The lettuce was crispy and the tomatoes were bright red and juicy. Portillo's is certainly no McDonald's.

The cheese fries were crinkle cut, to which I am partial. They provide crispy edges with a good filling of potato. The cheddar was served in a small container so I had full control over the amount of golden goodness I wanted to ooze off of each fry.

Richie also felt his sandwich was spiced well and very flavorful. The bread was a good chewy consistency and a nice bedrock for the moist beef and sausage.

The atmosphere was energetic and loud, but it was fun to people and food watch.
Next time I am within range of a suburb lucky enough to host a Portillo's, I will be visiting and finally sucking down that Chocolate Cake Shake I've been dreaming of.

Meatheads

Trekking outside of our normal eating zone, Richie and I headed to Schaumburg Illinois to purchase unassembled hip Swedish furniture and cheap but trendy Swedish clothes.

Just a block from the massive mall was a smaller strip mall populated with boring overpriced stores and an epic Dick's. (teehee.) Within the parking lot of this plaza stands a small burger joint called Meatheads.

















Meatheads is run by the mastermind behind Potbelly's and Einstein Bros. Bagels, so I would expect rapid growth over the next few years. They started in 2007 and now have 5 locations in Bloomington and a few Chicago suburbs. They seem to be an aspiring Five Guys-type joint, except they offer a few more options.

Considering the Merriam-Webster definition of meathead as a "stupid or bungling person," it may not seem like a smart moniker. Or if you are old or lame enough to remember Meathead as Archie Bunker's annoying liberal son-in-law, the name may not scream appeal. Then again, Potbelly's hasn't seemed to deter anyone from eating their hefty sandwiches.

Meatheads is all about the meat...and fries...and atmosphere. The meat is never frozen angus, fries are fresh cut from whole potatoes!, and the restaurant decor is very sleek, modern, and clean.



























We walked in and gazed up at the giant menu above the counter. It seemed a little daunting and confusing at first, but then I realized they just offer a lot of people pleasing build-your-own burger options.














Richie opted out of choosing his own toppings and went with a Meatheads Signature Burger, the Texas Ranch with a side of Cajun fries. However, he still had the choice of a fried or grilled burger. Pretty neat eh? (He went with grilled.)













I built my own chicken burger with mustard, tomato, and pickles. In hindsight, a pineapple would have been really good on it. Then I went big and requested a side of chili cheese fries as well.













Richie enjoyed his burger. Said it was cooked and seasoned well. However, the fries stole the prize. Medium-cut, perfectly fried, and dusted with Cajun spices. Laissez le Bon temp rouler!


















My chicken sandwich was also spot-on and the toppings were crisp and fresh. The chili-cheese fries were fan-freaking-tastic, as evidenced by this photo of me gorging myself.



























Prices were fair, slightly more than fast food, but with much better quality of food, it is definitely worth it. If you find yourself in the mood to PIMP MY BURGER
















give Meatheads a try. Don't forget the fries! Peep the menu HERE