Angela "Susie Homemaker" P.'s Profile

Stopped in here with my sister for lunch yesterday, and let me tell you, when we first walked in, I was skeptical because the place is TINY and I don't know, I just didn't have that great of a feeling.  But then we sat down in one of like 5 booths (and there are like 4 or 5 tables too, that's it!) and were brought over a high chair from the man at the counter which I thought was nice.  We were then greeted by our server who was SOO nice and friendly!  My sister went with the turkey, bacon and ranch wrap while I went with the mushroom swiss burger.  Hers came with an option of fries, onion rings or coleslaw, she chose coleslaw and I ordered fries with mine for $1 more.  I thought everything was very good, my sister wasn't too thrilled with her wrap because it really wasn't anything special, but for some reason I was thoroughly enjoying it!  And my burger...MMM...my burger!  It was DELICIOUS!!!  The hand formed patty, the buttered and toasted soft bun, REAL grilled mushrooms (no canned stuff here) and lots of melted swiss cheese!!  It was YUMMY!!  We really can't wait to go back and have another burger!  If you are in Geneva and looking for a quick, maybe even greasy bite...stop in here...but make sure it's before 2 cause that's when they close, but it is SOO worth the trip!!  YUM!

Think Bed Bath and Beyond meets Babies R Us.  This place is affiliated with the BB&B and Linens and Things chains so the layout is almost identical.  This place had a HUGE selection of just about everything and some of the cutest clothes I have found anywhere!  They even had some things that were a good $5-$10 cheaper than another store I had just been in!!  Also...their stroller section was HUGE!  Just an FYI!  If you love going into baby stores like me...then you must check this place out...it is a MUST!  I love it here and will definitely make the drive out from Elgin to shop here when I need to buy a baby gift! =]

BTW!!  Just stopped in here today to get some things to have a "homeless picnic "(don't ask) with my sister and we found out that they make sandwiches behind the deli counter!!  YAY!!  This is sooo exciting for us...we can now get one of our favorite chicken salads made into a sandwich to take on a picnic!  
                                       I LOVE YOU BLUE GOOSE!!!!!

We stopped in here after eating dinner at Semiramis down the street to pick up some baklava to take home.  The store itself is a typical ethnic grocery store filled with everything that you would need to make an authentic Middle Eastern meal at home!  My friend from Turkey would love it here! =]  We were only here to get sweets so we went into the bakery area and asked about the million different shapes of baklava.  He said that one side was pistachio and the other side was walnut.  We decided to try one of each to try it out cause that's how I roll!  When we got home I tried the pistachio and all I could think of when I bit into it was about the smell of the store because that's what hit my nose first, even before I bit down.  (BTW...the store smelled like a lemony cleaning product which is good because it means it's clean but it's not good when it gets attached to food!)  So I almost didn't bite into it because it smelled so strongly of the store!  But, of course, I did anyways and the taste didn't get much better for me.  The texture was nice but I could not get past the flavor!  So I will definitely not be going back for the baklava which deserves a 2 star rating in my opinion.  But I would probably go back to the 3 star store to get some Middle Eastern items you really can't find many places!

I would actually give this place a 3 1/2 stars because I think it was a bit better than average.  We went there last night (Friday night) at about 7:30 and the place was dead, which was good for us because we got seated right away, but it made me think about why there weren't more people here!  Our waitress was very nice but wasn't our waitress for long, it seemed like all the waitresses share the tables and each do their own things for them.  We ended up ordering the falafel and baba ghannouj, both of which were very good!  I also loved the pickled beets and olives they give you in the beginning.  We then ordered the chicken chawarma and the mixed grill plate that came with beef and chicken kabobs meat and lamb/beef kafta.  The chicken chawarma was VERY good, it just had a lot of flavor and was very juicy.  And the mixed plate was good too, except I am not a huge fan of kafta but I like to try it out anyways, and here, it was very dry and not to my liking at all.  But the rice was very good and flavorful and I asked for a side of house made hot sauce which really complimented everything very well!  We both only ate about half of our meals because we got so full on the apps, so we have some for today to munch on.  Overall, we would probably go back after trying all the other Middle Eastern restaurants around Albany Park, but probably not before that because I want to see what else is over there before saying I would definitely not come back!

PS...IT"S BYOB! =]

This is definitely a "jack of all trades" kind of "mall/store".  They have like a million different rooms filled with everything from gourmet food items to antique looking decorations!  There is even a little cafe inside that smelled amazing...will definitely be giving that a try based on the smell alone! =]  Overall, it's a fun, HUGE place filled with something for everyone and yes...you guessed it...a lot of stay at home moms and older women...but it is definitely worth taking a walk through!

This was a great little lunch spot that I went to with my friend.  We were going to downtown Geneva to do some shopping and decided to try it after growing up seeing it in Yorktown Mall back in Lombard but never trying it out.  We were sat right away and it was surprising kind of crowded for a Monday afternoon, but there are a lot of stay at home moms in Geneva!  We were greeted right away by our server who took our drink order and we ordered shorty after.  She went with the Door County Melt which was a sweet chicken salad that had dried cranberries and apples in it that was toasted with cheese.  I went with the Lobster Salad Melt which was lobster salad (think tuna but with lobster) and cheddar cheese toasted lightly to melt the cheese.  Both were served with a side of greens with poppyseed dressing and mine came with home fries and hers with potato pancakes.  We were both very pleased with our meals...I believe mine could have had a bit more lobster and a bit less celery, but overall, it was good and tasty!  We will definitely be going back to try some of their other interesting items on their menu!  YUM!

We stopped here on our way home from on vacation from hell, and I am so glad that we did!  I had been wanting to try this place for a while now and finally got the opportunity to do so!  We walked in and were told to just grab the table of our choice which I thought was cool, we sat down and were greeted almost instantly by our friendly waitress.  She took our drink order and brought them out as quick as she could considering the business of the place!  We then placed our order, I ordered the Chilaquiles and a side of the Cream of Chicken soup, Fred ordered the Chorizo Skillet, Missy, the Hobo Skillet and Jeff the 222.  I think my meal was the highlight of this experience, fried tortillas mixed with salsa, scrambled eggs and topped with Monterey Jack cheese.  It was also served with beans, rice, sour cream and guacamole.  Missy thought hers came with cheese but it didn't so she didn't order any, so I think she was a bit disappointed because she LOVES cheese!  Jeff said his was good, his over easy eggs looked done just right and Fred's Chorizo Skillet was LOADED with about 1/2 lb of chorizo, no joke!  Overall, a very good experience except for the fact that she forgot my soup and had to bring it with the meal, but it will not stop me from coming back for some more great food!

This place was actually a pleasant surprise in little New Buffalo!  When you walk in you feel like you are walking into a fancier farm house somewhere in the Midwest.  We felt welcome and were seated right away in a back room where there were a few other people eating.  Our waitress came rather quickly to take our drink order and brought them out just as fast.  We then ordered, I ordered the waitresses recommendation between my choices, so I went with the Hot Chicken Salad which was grilled chicken tossed with sauteed veggies, tortellini and a creamy Parmesan sauce over greens, Missy ordered the Spicy Southwest Wrap, Jeff had the Chicken Parmesan and Fred had the Chicken Fromage.  The highlight was definitely the Chicken Fromage...it was a fried chicken breast topped with stewed tomatoes, Bleu cheese and melted Swiss cheese.  It was one of the best chicken dishes I have ever had, the chicken was juicy and the topping was just delicious!  YUM!  My pasta was okay...the pasta was totally flavorless, but everything else worked out okay.  And Missy and Jeff's meals were good, as well, they both were pleased, I actually tried Missy's and it was DELICIOUS!  We will definitely be coming back here when we come back this way!

This place was pretty amazing!!  Especially compared to anything in this area, it was beautiful.  You drive up a winding road for about 3-5 minutes before getting to your destination which from the outside looks amazing!  And the inside is just as nice.  There are I think three different restaurants, a Starbucks and a few little shops to browse if you aren't into gambling like my sister and I.  The guys decided to hit up the casino which was very large and had a TON of games!  It was very clean and the people were friendly, but it was just a bit too smoky for my liking...we realized how spoiled we are here in IL with the smoking ban!  

We ate at the buffet for lunch on Saturday and it was only $14.00, which I thought was a steal when I saw the selection an size of the place!  They had everything you could ever want!  Pasta made to order, salads, Chinese, Mexican, Southern, BBQ, Breakfast, Grilled, Soup, and DESSERTS!  The standouts of the food for me were the hush puppies, fried chicken, pot roast, grilled Polish sausage, and the BBQ brisket.  And the desserts, the best thing was the vanilla bean cheesecake!  It was delicious...and there were about 29 things that we didn't even try!  So I am guessing that there were some other winners in there, as well.  Definitely worth a try!!

We will definitely be looking into staying here when we decide to venture out to New Buffalo again...hopefully the room rates will go down a bit at that time! (This time it was $299 a night, and I thought that was a bit pricey!)  

Another place that is worth the trip from Chicago!