Here’s a copy of the Best Bites column that appears in today’s edition of The Daily Journal.

Firehouse Twenty-Eight Cafe opened three weeks ago at 28 N. Dixie Highway in Momence. The firefighter-themed restaurant is currently serving breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday and from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Sunday.

“It is a simple menu, and our most expensive breakfast is $3.50,” according to owner John Sokol, who is also the public relations officer for the Pembroke Fire Protection District.

Starting Wednesday (Jan. 6), Sokol will take over the kitchen currently leased to Soul-da-Soul and begin offering lunch. The restaurant will then stay open until 1 p.m. every day, not just Sunday. He plans to offer dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings sometime in the near future.

Firehouse Twenty-Eight is connected to The Border Town Pub (22 N. Dixie Highway), which Sokol has owned and operated for the last eight years. Previously two separate businesses, he opened up 14 feet of an adjoining wall while renovating the bar and constructing what is now the restaurant. The kitchen and bathrooms also underwent renovation, and a dance floor was added. However, much of the historic interior remains, including the tin ceilings and brick work.

The restaurant and bar have separate entrances, but both can be reached at (815) 472-4340.

Momence is only 8 miles from Bourbonnais. Now that 3000N Road goes all the way through to Momence, it’s an easy drive. Firehouse Twenty-Eight Cafe and The Border Town Pub are on the east side of Dixie Highway, a few doors north of the river.

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I’m told that Soul-da-Soul will be reopening at 559 E. Court St. sometime next month. At least two other barbecue joints have operated from that address since Soul-da-Soul moved out in 2008. The restaurant, well-known for its fish and chicken breading, briefly relocated first to the southwest corner of West Station and South Wall streets, then to 788 E. Court St., which is now closed.

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Ringo’s BBQ, at 559 E. Court St., has closed.

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The new Cheezer’s Pizza Buffet will be opening soon at 906 N. Convent St. That’s in the recently completed Promenade of Bourbonnais strip mall, which is only 100 yards or so from where Cheezer’s Pizza has been operating for the last several years. That location, at 161 E. Bethel Dr., closed Dec. 13.

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Liquor Zone, located across the street from Cheezer’s at 963 N. Convent St., should open in the next week or two.

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As soon as I have firm opening dates and hours for Cheezer’s and Liquor Zone, I’ll post the information on my blog. You can find it at blogs.i57life.com/dining. You can also get the updates on Facebook by becoming a fan of i57life.com. I’ll have all the details in next week’s print column, too, of course.

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A reader named Elizabeth called to tell me about Chatterbox Cafe (140 S. Schuyler Ave.) in Bradley. She says they have great food and service, and her favorite dish is “The Mess.” It’s a combination of scrambled eggs, American fries, onions, green peppers and meat (your choice of sausage, bacon and/or ham), which is then covered in sausage gravy. It comes in full and half portions, and, after trying it for myself, I can tell you that the half order is very generous and plenty for most appetites.

Chatterbox Cafe is “a friendly place to chat and enjoy home cooking at its finest,” according to the menu. It’s open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Delivery is available. Their phone number is (815) 937-4402.

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Happy New Year, everyone!

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Denise Renckens is general manager of online operations for The Daily Journal. She can be reached at the phone number above or at drenckens@daily-journal.com.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at 11:21 am and is filed under Print columns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.