The owners of Cheeser’s Pizza in Bourbonnais received their permit yesterday (Oct. 13, 2009) to begin construction of their new restaurant.

Cheeser’s Pizza Buffet will be at 906 N. Convent St. in Bourbonnais. That’s in the newly build retail complex in front of their current restaurant at 161 Bethel Dr.

Interior construction of the space could begin immediately, with an opening date expected sometime in December or January.

The buffet will include salad bar, soup, pasta, at least 10 different pizzas, a dessert bar, and kid-friendly food, like macaroni & cheese and French fries. Carryout will still be available.

The owners, Cindy and John Karasiewicz, have owned the local Cheeser’s Pizza restaurant for 20 years. Earlier this year they announced plans to open a Cici’s Pizza Buffet franchise. They later decided against it, but they continued with their plan to expand into a buffet-style restaurant.

The new space will have seating for 100 and have a 50’s diner-themed decor. The current store is still open but will eventually close.

Cheeser’s Pizza Buffet will be open for lunch and dinner all day every day. Specific hours are yet to be determined. The phone number — (815) 939-2229 — will remain the same.

I received this report from a reader named Hank:

“Carmen’s Bakery & Deli at 33 South Oak in Herscher will be opening later this month. Severing freshly made bakery items and coffee for breakfast and deli style sandwiches with homemade soups and salads for lunch along with a hot lunch special every day.”

I’ll post more details when I can.

Hawg Dawg’s Eateries (16 S. Locust St.) in Manteno has reopened.

New owner Clarissa Anagnos opened for business on Saturday. The menu still features “dawgs”, burgers, sandwiches and sides, and “they still have the best fries,” a happy customer told me when I stopped in on Monday.

The restaurant had been closed for about 2 months.

Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. They are closed on Sundays. They can be reached at (815) 468-3400.

(Thanks to a reader named Steve for that tip.)

Bull’s on Broadway posted this information on their Facebook fan page on Sunday:

“We’ve added a couple of menu items to our Bradley menu that seem to be going over great:

First, try our cheeseburger balls…yup, you heard it right…cheeseburger balls (insert joke here). We start with 1/4 pound meatballs, and stuff them with your choice of cheese. Then we deep fry them to perfection! When you bite in, the melted cheese oozes out. These are already a big hit!

Next, we’ve added the “volcano burger” for those who like it hot and spicy! We take our traditional oversized 1/2 pound hamburger, add a selection of fire-breathing peppers, then top it with a special hot sauce. The fire department has asked that you not eat this burger while seated under the heat detectors due to the multiple alarms that get set off!

As of today (Sept. 27, 2009) six people have tried to conquer the five pound Impossi-Bull burger, and to date, only one has made it. Are you game?

And a reminder…the dining area at Bulls on Broadway, in conjunction with our friends at The Spot, is ready, willing, and able to host your next event. Civic club, social group, sports banquet, or just a bunch of folks wanting to get together for a Bears party, keep us in mind. We do the work, you eat, drink, and enjoy!

See ya soon at Bull’s on Broadway, located in The Spot, 1010 W. Broadway (corner of Broadway and Forest) in Bradley.”

A reader named Kelly sent me this recently via email:

“Were you aware that Niro’s Gyros on Kennedy drive in Bradley has been serving falafel for a month or two? It is delicious! Possibly the best I have ever had. The owners of the restaurant told us they were creating an entire Mediterranean menu.”

I’m a big fan of falafal, which are kind of like hush puppies, but made with ground chickpeas (or sometimes fava beans) instead of ground corn. Herbs and spices are added to the batter, which is formed into balls and deep-fried. I like mine dipped in tahini, which is a sauce made with ground sesame seeds.

I tried the falafal at Niro’s a few weeks ago, and they were very good. If I remember correctly, they came wrapped in flatbread and drizzled with sauce, so it was like a sandwich.

If you go, be prepared to wait. I lucked out and they had just finished a batch when I pulled into the drive-through, but the falafel must be made fresh to be good, and that could take about 15 minutes.

Niro’s is at 545 S. Kennedy Dr. They’re open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. To order, call (815) 935-1790.

As a side note: I had a falafal craving several months ago, before Niro’s began offering them, and I went in search of a Middle Eastern restaurant. The closest one I found was Al Basha in Palos Heights, about 35 miles from Bourbonnais. The restaurant is in a strip mall at the northwest corner of 119th Street and Harlem.

Armenise’s Eighteen 75 in Bourbonnais will close on Oct. 11 to undergo remodeling. The work is expected to take 10 days to two weeks, and when the transformation is complete, it will be a new restaurant, complete with new name and new menu.

I’ll post more information here when details of the changes are finalized.

One thing that will not change is the owners. Joe Armenise and his wife, Patsy, first opened Armenise’s Eighteen 75 nine years ago in Kankakee. The address — 1875 W. Station St. — was the inspiration for the name, which followed the restaurant when it moved to Bourbonnais in October of 2004.

If you’ve got an Armenise’s gift certificate stashed away, get it out and use it. All gift certificates must be redeemed before the 11th.

From a reader named Mary Ann:

I’ve read the write-up on the Kempton Restaurant (been there) which is good, but if you go 5 miles down the road to Cullom, you will find a great place to eat at Sling Shots Saloon.

Most people say they serve the best pizza around all week long.

They serve a menu of sandwiches, wings, and appitizers all week. Lunch specials Wednesday thru Saturday.  Evening specials are   Wednesday nite Fried Chicken, Thursday nite Tacos, Friday nite Cod or Prime Rib, and Saturday nite Prime Rib or Ribeye Steak.

It’s worth a trip to the country to savor some good food. Their phone is 815-689-2193.”

Sling Shots Saloon is at 119 W. Hack St. in Cullom.

Monical’s Pizza opened Monday in its new home at 199 Southcreek Drive in Manteno.

Formerly located at Illinois Route 50 and Locust Street, the new location has more seating inside and more parking outside.

The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. daily and closes at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Call (815) 468-7409 to order.

Squeaky’s is closed again. The barbecue restaurant on East Court Street was open for a few days at the beginning of August, closed, was supposed to reopen on Aug. 14, and then closed again.

I stopped in between the two openings. (I think it was Aug. 12.) I spoke with the manager in person, and I spoke with the owner by phone. They told me they would be reopening on Friday, Aug. 14, which I published in my print column. I don’t know if they opened that day or not, but I do know they were closed when I stopped in again on Aug. 28.

A phone call to the business has not been returned.

Here are several updates from Jim at Jimmy Jo’s BBQ in Bourbonnais:

“We now offer delivery through the “To Your Door” service. Guests can call us and order or call To Your Door direct.

We have expanded our kids menu to include mac and cheese and PBJ sandwiches for the young ones who have not acquired a taste for bbq yet.

We offer 3 early-bird specials Mon-Fri between 2-5 for under $5.

While we are not open on Sundays, we can arrange for guests to pick up catering orders between 12-4. Orders need to be called in by Saturday at 7PM.”

Jimmy Jo’s is at 665 N. Convent St. in Bourbonnais. To order, call (815) 933-7500.

To Your Door can be reached at (815) 614-3456.