Catalina’s opened last month inside D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F.’s bar at 226 W. Broadway in Bradley.

The tip came from an anonymous reader via email. “I’ve gotten carry-outs of pizza and it is delicious!” the reader wrote. “Lots of cheese! They also have sandwiches and appetizers, but I like the pizza so well that’s all I have ever gotten.”

When I stopped in on Monday, a regular customer also recommended the tenderloin sandwich. It’s “real thick, really good,” he said. “Better than any I’ve had at any restaurant in town.”

The pizza is an “old, secret recipe,” according to owner and sole chef Catherine Mau-Corona, who goes by the nickname Catalina. She starts with a made-from-scratch, never-frozen crust, brushes on garlic and homemade pizza sauce, then tops it with provolone and mozzarella cheese, plus the fresh toppings of your choice. On Sundays, large one-topping pizzas are only $6.

Catherine said she plans on expanding the menu in the fall and adding homemade pasta dishes, including lasagna.

On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, Catalina’s is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Sunday, hours are noon to 7 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Tuesday.

The food is available for dine-in, carry-out or delivery, which is provided by To Your Door for a $3 to $5 fee, depending on where you live. Cash is the only form of payment accepted at the restaurant.

Call (815) 936-9944 to place an order or for more information.

Catalina’s is also on Facebook. Become a fan to receive updates and specials.

Here’s the Best Bites column that appears in today’s edition of The Daily Journal: (more…)

Express Fish & Chicken is now open at 925 E. Court St. in Kankakee. It’s open 24 hours. The phone is (815) 614-3789.

Jimmy Jo’s BBQ (665 N. Covent) in Bourbonnais is offering grilled or blackened salmon and grilled or blackened shrimp skewers during Lent.

They also will be serving smoked corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day.

For coupons, visit Jimmy Jo’s Let’s Eat Out page.

French Toast, a new breakfast and lunch restaurant, is expected to open next month at 161 E. Bethel 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 homemade on site.

Hours will likely be 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lavine hopes to open sometime in April.

An anonymous 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.

Luconi’s Pizza (496 S Kennedy Dr.) in Bradley is celebrating Customer Appreciation Week and has knocked $1 off the price of their lunch buffet. From today (Monday) through Friday, the buffet is only $3.99 per person instead of $4.99.

The buffet features pizza, salad bar and desserts. It’s served from 11:30 a.m. to 2  p.m.

Firehouse Twenty-Eight Cafe (28 N. Dixie Highway) in Momence will be open for dinner on Fridays during Lent.

They will offer their regular menu, plus a Friday night fish fry for $7.50. It’s “a healthy portion of fish hand-breaded in our famous breading” and is served with fries and cole slaw, according to owner John Sokol.

Dinner hours will be 4 to 8 p.m. Carry-out is available.

The Friday night dinner service is new for the cafe. Breakfast service has also changed. It is now only available Friday through Sunday beginning at 7 a.m. Lunch begins at 10:30 a.m. daily.

Anything that’s offered at the cafe, including the fish, is also available in the adjoining bar, Border Town Pub (22 N. Dixie Highway). Food is always available in the pub until at least 8 p.m., even when the restaurant is closed.

Both businesses can be reached at (815) 472-4340.

Firehouse Twenty-Eight Cafe participates in our Let’s Eat Out program. Click here to view their merchant page, which includes a downloadable menu, map, coupons and more.

A reader named Gina likes the Friday night dinners now being served at American Legion Post 755 in Manteno:

“I’m not sure if you’ve mentioned them yet, but the Legion in Manteno has DELICIOUS and affordable meals every Friday night.  For just $10, diners have their choice of five entrees (pecan crusted tilapia is a favorite…the choices change each week).  The price includes a hearty salad bar with fresh fruit, several salads, soup and a dessert.  Not only do the meals taste great, they look like something you would be served at a downtown Chicago restaurant.

I believe they serve from 5 – 8 PM. Chef Ryan Jackson runs the kitchen, with help from his family in the dining room.”

I did share some information about the Legion’s Friday night dinners in July. Click here to read the post.

American Legion Post 755 is at 117 N. Walnut St. in Manteno. Call (815) 468-8324 for more information.

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

(more…)