Best Bites column (March 4, 2010)
Here’s the Best Bites column that appears in today’s edition of The Daily Journal.
French Toast, a new breakfast and lunch restaurant, is expected to open next month at 161 E. Bethel Drive in Bourbonnais, in space formerly occupied by Cheezer’s Pizza.
It will be “a gourmet cafe without the gourmet price,” according to owner Heather Lavine. The breakfast menu includes waffles, crepes, pancakes, omelets and French toast, of course. Omelet fillings include fresh crab or smoked salmon.
Specialty breakfast items high on my must-try list are the spinach and feta hash browns, creme brulee French toast, and verde chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican breakfast dish made with corn tortillas and green salsa.
Lunch offerings include a roasted portabella ciabatta sandwich and a croque-monsieur, a ham and cheese sandwich that’s dipped in batter and then grilled.
Lavine’s vision is for a restaurant similar to Toast, her favorite Lincoln Park cafe. She’s hired chef Justin Daniels to help develop the menu and lead the kitchen.
French Toast will lean toward the healthy, with some gluten-free and some organic items, and focus on quality, homemade ingredients. Dressings and sauces will be made from scratch, Lavine says, and pastries, breads and granola will be made on site.
Hours will likely be 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Lavine hopes to open sometime in April.
For updates, check my blog (blogs.i57life.com/dining) or e-mail me (drenckens@daily-journal.com) and ask to be added to the Best Bites e-mail list.
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A reader called to recommend the fish fry at Knights of Columbus (187 S. Indiana Ave.) in Kankakee. Every Friday during Lent, they serve all-you-can-eat fish for $10 and all-you-can-eat shrimp for $12. The dinners include a salad bar and dessert. Kids aged 6 to 12 are $5, and kids under 6 are free. Hours are 5 to 7 p.m. For more information, call (815) 932-2031.
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This week is customer appreciation week at Luconi’s Pizza (496 S. Kennedy Drive) in Bradley, and they’ve knocked $1 off the price of their lunch buffet. That makes it $3.99 instead of $4.99 per person. The special offer began Monday and continues through Friday. The buffet is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and features pizza, salad bar and desserts.
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Congrats to Jimmy Jo’s BBQ (665 N. Convent St., Bourbonnais) on one year in business. To celebrate, they will have $1 rib bones and $1 barbecue sliders next week, and they’ll be giving away concert tickets and other prizes. Stop into the restaurant between March 8 and 14 for more information. For coupons, go to LetsEatOut.i57life.com.
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Here’s a recommendation from a reader named David: “China Wok in Momence is perhaps our town’s best-kept secret. There is not much room for dining in, so they do a brisk carry-out business. … My favorite dish is General Tso’s chicken. There is enough heat in the sauce to be spicy, but not enough to set your mouth on fire. My wife enjoys their sesame chicken. The hot-and-sour soup is also good, with the perfect balance of hot and sour. Their pork and shrimp egg rolls are the best I’ve had. An added healthy bonus is that they use neither MSG nor trans-fatty oils in their food.”
China Wok is located at 107 N. Locust St., across from the rear of the Momence Post Office. Their phone number is (815) 472-9938. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Best Bites appears every Thursday in The Daily Journal. Denise can be reached at the phone number above or at drenckens@daily-journal.com.
