Here’s the Best Bites column that appeared in yesterday’s edition of The Daily Journal.

Patrons at Ryan’s Pier (112 E. First St.) in Aroma Park can now eat and drink outdoors while enjoying a view of the Kankakee River. Construction of a new patio at the front of the restaurant was completed last week.

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Other area restaurants that I know of with outdoor seating are:

* Brickstone Restaurant & Brewery (557 William Latham Dr.) in Bourbonnais.

* Buffalo Wild Wings (2012 N. State Route 50) in Bourbonnais.

* Bull’s on Broadway (1010 W. Broadway St.) in Bradley.

* Eddie’s Bar & Grill (1875 W. Station St.) in Kankakee.

* The Landing (575 S. Schuyler Ave.) in Kankakee.

* One-Sixty-Four North (164 N. Schuyler Ave.) in Kankakee.

* River Bend Bar & Grill (6070 E. State Route 17) in Kankakee has a covered deck overlooking the Kankakee River.

* Roo’s Rib & Philly Shack, inside the Route 50 North bar (178 N. Locust, aka N. State Route 50) in Manteno.

* La Siesta (180 N. Kennedy Dr.) in Bradley has an enclosed porch.

* The Peotone Bierstube (306 N. Harlem Road, aka North State Route 50) in Peotone.

* Tucci’s (1560 N. State Route 50) in Bourbonnais.

Not every restaurant listed has opened its patio yet, but patios should be soon. Also, French Toast (161 E. Bethel Dr.) in Bourbonnais and Family House Restaurant (312 S. Kennedy Dr.) in Bradley are both in the process of adding patios. I’ll let you know when they’re complete.

If I missed any restaurants, please e-mail me or leave a comment on the Best Bites blog, which is online at blogs.i57life.com/dining.

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Thanks to a reader named Joyce, who called me recently with this recommendation: “One of the best places to eat is Fran’s on 17. … Their barbecue ribs are the best in the state. Their prime rib is also great. … This is their 16th year in business. Give them a try.”

Fran’s is at 7096 W. State Route 17 in Kankakee. The kitchen is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and the bar is open until 2 a.m. There are daily lunch specials, and every Thursday is Mexican food day. For more information, call (815) 932-6986.

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If you’re a fan of Monical’s Pizza, you can now get the same taste (or at least close to it) from your freezer. A reader named Jackie called to tell me that the new oven-ready, frozen version, available at all area Monical’s locations, “is wonderful and tastes just like the real thing.” Another reader named Deb said, “it was very good; very close to being in Monical’s.”

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With Memorial Day approaching, I’m gathering the names of area restaurants that offer discounts to veterans. So far, I know of Savannah’s Southern Bistro (2005 W. Court St.) in Kankakee. If you know of others, please let me know.

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I would like to welcome Marcotte’s (118 E. River St.) in Momence to our Let’s Eat Out online menu guide. If you haven’t been to Marcotte’s yet, I highly recommend it. I stopped in last week for lunch and had a fabulous pot roast dinner for $5. Coupons, a menu, a map and more are online at www.i57life.com/letseatout.

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Speaking of Let’s Eat Out, at The Daily Journal, we’re working on our third annual Let’s Eat Out Restaurant and Delivery Directory, which will come out in July. If you’re a restaurant owner who would like to be included, please call me at (815) 937-3374.

Denise Renckens Olszewski is general manager of online operations for The Daily Journal. She can be reached at (815) 937-3374 or at drenckens@daily-journal.com.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 21st, 2010 at 8:58 pm and is filed under Print columns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.