I am so jonesin' for a gyro from Tom & Jerry's right now. I think I pretty much ate my body weight in Tom&Jerry's gyros while attending NIU.

Nothing better for that long walk from McCabes/The Uprising back to Douglas Hall on a freezing February Saturday night at 2 a.m.

And, no - we weren't really on our way back from The Paperback Grotto.

Tom & Jerry's
215 West Lincoln Highway
DeKalb, IL 60115
(815) 758-1675
http://tomandjerrysdekalb.com‎

Does anyone remember the small Thai restaurant that was near the campus main entrance? Not the two Thai places in downtown DeKalb that are there now. There was a funky little place near the intersection of Lincoln Highway and Normal. I think it opened in 1982 or 83. Awesome stuff.

Thai food in DeKalb was quite a dining leap in 1982!

Being a "lifer" from this area, yes there was a small restaurant at the location that you speak of. It was more vegetarian than Thai, but unusual and good for the day. Alas, there is nothing there but an empty space, slated to have DeKalb's next Police station built there. Have you ever tried Ying Chen's or Bea's Wok and Roll? I'd be interested on your take. The Thai Pavilion downtown DeKalb is still there...some dishes are OK. A new Mediterranean type restaurant opened across the street from them. Right now I'm really into the egg plant sandwiches and Mediterranean salads. Tom & Jerry's kicks out the best gyro in town, although the one they make at the Mediterranean restaurant is pretty good. How does Tom & Jerry's gyro stack up to the ones available in Chicago? Tonight, I'm going to my favorite Mexican restaurant (Taxco) see up thread. I love that mole sauce.

I had forgotten just how rare those steaks at Sorrento's are. That picture you've posted looks like the cow wandered into the restaurant and sat down on a plate.

Yes, when you order prime rib rare, better make sure the person sitting next to you can take it.

Lothson's Karry Out "Where Chicken is King". Up thread I made the statement that Lothson's had closed 20 years ago, and I had hoped that it would re-open again someday. Guess what? They never closed! All that time I wanted to taste the fried chicken of my youth...I could have! In my defense, they do have a somewhat limited open to the public schedule. The hours are Weds. - Sun. 4:30 - 8:00 PM (last orders taken at 7:45 PM). As I live further out into the country, I just don't get to downtown DeKalb during those hours very much. Still....20 years....you think I would have caught on before this! So I made my first solgerin to Lothson's in 20 years. It was if time had stood still. Nothing had changed. They even used the same heavy cardboard paper plates to put the chicken on. Then they put another plate on top, staple it all around, and you are good to go! You can have any part of the chicken and as many pieces as you want. As sides: they offer Livers, Gizzards or mixed (deep fried of course), Cole slaw, Potato Salad. fries and rolls. They also serve Perch and Chicken Dinners. The dinners include fries, cole slaw and a roll. My advice...skip the dinner extras. The fries are just limp things soaking up chicken grease, the roll (me thinks) is store bought, and the slaw is just a simple vinegar/sugar/cabbage mix.

Now, you know how people review deep fried chicken places, making the claim that the chicken isn't one bit greasy? I wouldn't even try to say this about Lothson's chicken. It is greasy...it leaves big grease spots on the cardboard paper plate carriers. The coating on the chicken is thick and crunchy. I think I detect a slight hint of baking soda in the mix. It really is nothing like any other fried chicken I've had over the years. It brought back lots of childhood memories of squabbling over who got which piece. When you got the piece you wanted...it was all that more delicious! So I am one biased reviewer here!

Tonight I'm going back for a second helping of the deep fried livers. They have a nice crunch to them, and are still tender inside. (Moderators...we really need a smilie face with a tongue hanging out...as in I can't wait to eat!). I took a lot of photos, and will upload them when I get a spare minute. If you’re in DeKalb, you might want to give it a try. There are some nice parks where you can take your "Karry Out" and enjoy.

Lothson's Karry Out
644 E Lincoln Hwy
DeKalb, IL. 60115
815 756-4303

razbry wrote:

Now, you know how people review deep fried chicken places, making the claim that the chicken isn't one bit greasy? I wouldn't even try to say this about Lothson's chicken. It is greasy...it leaves big grease spots on the cardboard paper plate carriers. The coating on the chicken is thick and crunchy. I think I detect a slight hint of baking soda in the mix. It really is nothing like any other fried chicken I've had over the years. It brought back lots of childhood memories of squabbling over who got which piece. When you got the piece you wanted...it was all that more delicious! So I am one biased reviewer here!


Lothson's Karry Out
644 E Lincoln Hwy
DeKalb, IL. 60115
815 756-4303

sounds like a winner, Im gonna be up that way in May, and hope to check it out. Sounds like what I want from a fried chicken spot.

thanks for the address/info.

jim,

When you are in DeKalb I'd suggest you make a trip to Inboden's if possible. It's a great old school meat market with lots of other treats as well. I think you'd appreciate this place if you haven't been yet. Besides the meat, a surprisingly nice selection of bread and cheese along with quality looking seafood. I usually get some of their brats, maybe some apple/cranberry pork sausage, a few pounds of outer cut skirt steak and maybe a tri-tip or two.

Inboden's
1106 N 1st St
Dekalb, IL 60115
(815) 756-5852

A couple of my son's Inboden's favorites...cajun sausage & bacon cheese burgers. The tiny little store is packed with goodies.

thanks for the tips on Inbodens folks, sounds like my kind of place.

My wife, brother, and I are heading to DeKalb this weekend for the MS 150 Tour de Farms bike ride. Any recommendations on good places to eat in DeKalb and/or Sycamore? Your thoughts are much appreciated.

-Dan

search "dekalb" in the beyond chicago section.

glad to add something to this thread, Dekalb county so I believe it applies.

The Welcome Matt in Hinkley was our stop tonight after the turkey farm.

Pretty good fried chicken, not to the heights of Ripps, Johns North Star, Smitty's or Cherry Supper Club, but much better than anyplace in east of here or in Chicago. Lasalle County & Bureau County are still king.

Also King crab leg night,. about a pound for $17. Drinks were cheap, PBR draft and Jim Beam rounds ran $5.25 per round....







The Welcome Matt
149 W. Lincoln Highway
Hinckley, IL.

http://www.thewelcomematthinckley.com

I will second the original post of Sweet Dreams for lunch, the Chicken and Biscuts have been on the special every Tuesday.

Also, if you do not mind a 15 minute drive east, go to Niko's Lodge in Wasco, on IL-64, very good wood rotissere chicken, ribs, and almost everything else. You can also make your own after dinner s'more over their fire pit(s).

I stopped at the Tom & Jerry's in Sycamore earlier this week for the gyros. I would rate them good but not king. I thought they were a little on the small side and the tzatziki seemed to be made with sour cream instead of yogurt. I'll give the Dekalb restaurant a shot the next time I'm out that way.

The other place I stopped in on was Thai Pavillion. I ordered the Pad Kee Mao lunch special. It came with vegetable soup and Shumai for around $7. Spicing was good if on the mild side for a dish ordered "spicy" (did not ask for Thai hot). My only issue was that the noodles were a little on the mushy side. Again, not enough to keep me from giving them another chance.

Interesting post jpreiser. The Thai Pavillion just came under new management (and has a new name). I haven't checked it out yet.

I'm trying to remember the name of a restaurant that had beer nuggets when I went to school in DeKalb, back in the 80s. I think there were two main places to get them. J P Hannigan's, which I believe was back around Greek Row. The other one was on Annie Glidden Rd and Lincoln Hwy, in that strip mall as you came into town off of I88. I'm pretty sure it was a pizza joint. Anyone remember the name? And is it still there? I remember Lukolo's for their great sandwiches, but don't recall beer nuggets being available back then. Now I'm wanting a Lukolo's turkey sandwich!

Quirkster wrote:I'm trying to remember the name of a restaurant that had beer nuggets when I went to school in DeKalb, back in the 80s. I think there were two main places to get them. J P Hannigan's, which I believe was back around Greek Row. The other one was on Annie Glidden Rd and Lincoln Hwy, in that strip mall as you came into town off of I88. I'm pretty sure it was a pizza joint. Anyone remember the name? And is it still there?

I think the other place you are referring to is Sgt. Peppers. Not sure if they're still there but they did have great beer nuggets!

Blown Z wrote:

Quirkster wrote:I'm trying to remember the name of a restaurant that had beer nuggets when I went to school in DeKalb, back in the 80s. I think there were two main places to get them. J P Hannigan's, which I believe was back around Greek Row. The other one was on Annie Glidden Rd and Lincoln Hwy, in that strip mall as you came into town off of I88. I'm pretty sure it was a pizza joint. Anyone remember the name? And is it still there?

I think the other place you are referring to is Sgt. Peppers. Not sure if they're still there but they did have great beer nuggets!

Thank you! I've been driving myself crazy trying to recall that name. Sgt. Peppers...I loved those beer nuggets! It's been quite a while since I've gone back to DeKalb -- I think I need to take a little road trip and see how much it's changed over the years.

HI,

Since there seems to be a Swedish population west of Chicago. Do you know of any Lutefisk community dinners? Last year, I started thinking about this in late November to find they had already taken place. I was looking in Wisconsin more than Illinois.

Regards,

Quirkster wrote:

Blown Z wrote:

Quirkster wrote:I'm trying to remember the name of a restaurant that had beer nuggets when I went to school in DeKalb, back in the 80s. I think there were two main places to get them. J P Hannigan's, which I believe was back around Greek Row. The other one was on Annie Glidden Rd and Lincoln Hwy, in that strip mall as you came into town off of I88. I'm pretty sure it was a pizza joint. Anyone remember the name? And is it still there?

I think the other place you are referring to is Sgt. Peppers. Not sure if they're still there but they did have great beer nuggets!

Thank you! I've been driving myself crazy trying to recall that name. Sgt. Peppers...I loved those beer nuggets! It's been quite a while since I've gone back to DeKalb -- I think I need to take a little road trip and see how much it's changed over the years.

I was at NIU in the late 80s and early 90s, and I recall getting beer nuggets from Pizza Villa. While I also remember Sgt. Peppers (which likely had beer nuggets on its menu, too), I believe that Pizza Villa was known specifically for its beer nuggets, and was the place that everyone ordered from. It is located by The Junction on Lincoln Highway, just east of Annie Glidden.

FYI, I went back to NIU a few years ago, and the campus and Greek Row area, in particular, has not aged well, IMO (though some parts of the campus still look nice).

electric mullet wrote:jim,

When you are in DeKalb I'd suggest you make a trip to Inboden's if possible. It's a great old school meat market with lots of other treats as well. I think you'd appreciate this place if you haven't been yet. Besides the meat, a surprisingly nice selection of bread and cheese along with quality looking seafood.

Inboden's
1106 N 1st St
Dekalb, IL 60115
(815) 756-5852

finally..... I'd been trying to get up to Dekalb all summer to go to Inbodeen's. Hit there on Saturday. Nice place, big deli section, as well as cheese and other specialty items. Butcher counter is organized and well run. Competitive prices on a wide variety of meats. Some dry aged items as well.

For $20 I got: 8 2011 Grand Champion brats, 1.5 lbs ofreally nice beef stew, & 3 sandwich pork chops. Tried the chops and the stew meat already and it was all good.

Looking forward to those brats tonight.













Inboden's impressed.

Inboden's 2011 Grand Champion Brats were fantastic(as was the beef stew meat & pork chops). Thanks to the folks who recommended them.

Tough choice for me between Inboden's, Ream's, or Wurst Kitchen for great sausages in the area out west. Good thing is you cant go wrong with any of the three.

Cathy2

Depending on how open your schedule is for last minute events, and how quickly you can commit, there is a lutefisk supper on 10/15 about 40 minutes NW of Madison.

Take a look...

http://www.sofn.com/Events/public/show/741

need to act fast if you want to go

good luck

Headed back up north Saturday for a stop @ a butcher shop a little west of Dekalb in Creston, IL. : Saw that "likestoeatout" made mention of them a while back.

Headon's Fine Meats
103 S. Main Street
Creston, IL.

http://www.headons.com

A small town, full service, real butcher shop(not some boutique butcher),a little expensive, but really nice looking cuts. Of course I grabbed up a sampling of their brats to try(doing them tonight).

Est. in 1970, They say thet source their pork and beef locally, as well as process game animals.

Note: I did see a notice that said the butcher shop was up for sale.

fishfryguy wrote:Cathy2

Depending on how open your schedule is for last minute events, and how quickly you can commit, there is a lutefisk supper on 10/15 about 40 minutes NW of Madison.

Take a look...

http://www.sofn.com/Events/public/show/741

need to act fast if you want to go

good luck

I cannot make it this year. A friend from Madison endorsed it enthusiastically. I will try to get there next year.

Vermont Lutheran Church Lutefisk Dinner

Vermont Lutheran Church, located off State Road 78 six miles north of Mount Horeb, will host their Annual Lutefisk and Meatball Dinner featuring lutefisk, meatballs, potatoes, gravy, green beans, lefse, rolls, cranberries, relishes, rommegrot, Norwegian goodies, coffee, and milk.
Adults $16, Children 12 and under $8
Serving from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. reservations are required.
Reservation request contact Don Parrell at 4543 Blue Mounds Trail in Black Earth, WI 53515 or call 608-767-2427.
No reservations by mail after October 8, 2011.
Seating cannot be guaranteed for late arrivals.
Date(s):10/15/2011 - 10/15/2011
Time(s):11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Location:Vermont Lutheran Church


Black Earth , WI 53515 USA
Phone: 608-767-2427
Email:
Web Site:http://www.vermontlutheran.org

Glad you found Headon's Jim! I haven't tried their brats but I really like their pork products.

While out that way Jonamac Orchard is very close by in Malta.

http://www.jonamacorchard.com/

LikestoEatout wrote:Glad you found Headon's Jim! I haven't tried their brats but I really like their pork products.

While out that way Jonamac Orchard is very close by in Malta.

http://www.jonamacorchard.com/

Did Jonamac Orchards before Inboden's & after Headon's(came east on 38 from I-39). Fun place for kids and adults.

Didnt get around to eating the brats from Headon's, but they looked really good. Added them to my freezer full of brats I have gathered this summer from Illinois, Wisconsin & Iowa, fixin to have a taste off.

Some pics of Headon's:

Headon's brats were top notch, really nice flavor and popping casings. They placed really high on list of brats I tried this summer.

I've been teaching night classes out at NIU this semester, which lands me in Dekalb right about time for an awkwardly early (or late) dinner. I've mostly been brown bagging it since burning out fast on Chipotle burrito bowls and the occasional decent kebab at Mediterraneo. I had completely overlooked the chatter about Lothson's upthread, but one day got around to tweeting at @GrubSeeker about fried chicken recs. in the area. I was glad I did. My early dining schedule timed up well with a trip to Lothson's (They're only open from 4:30-8)

razbry wrote: It was if time had stood still. Nothing had changed. They even used the same heavy cardboard paper plates to put the chicken on. Then they put another plate on top, staple it all around, and you are good to go! You can have any part of the chicken and as many pieces as you want. As sides: they offer Livers, Gizzards or mixed (deep fried of course), Cole slaw, Potato Salad. fries and rolls. They also serve Perch and Chicken Dinners. The dinners include fries, cole slaw and a roll. My advice...skip the dinner extras. The fries are just limp things soaking up chicken grease, the roll (me thinks) is store bought, and the slaw is just a simple vinegar/sugar/cabbage mix.

Preserved in amber, indeed. I got the skinny from the very cordial woman working the fryers: the owner and sole employee, daughter-in-law of the original owner, and second only to work those fryers, in fact. She openly contemplated that there might not be an immediate successor to her position and I nearly handed her my CV. She also ruminated about the aging of her clientele base and how the kids from campus never trek that far east. The menu shed light on a bit more of their legacy: opened by poultry businessman, Keith Lothson, in 1949, moving in to the storefront on Lincoln Ave. in the mid-50's, then a sit-down restaurant, eventually opening up 5 more shops around the area, and finally downsizing to just the single shop on Lincoln Ave. with Karry Out business only.



Heavy paper plate on top and bottom, check, no stapes though. I had to dispatch of my order of 3 pc. dark with enough time to get to class, so eating off the arm rest in the car it would have to be. For some reason, I assumed they wouldn't offer it, so I neglected to ask for hot sauce. I hit up the convenience store across the street for a bottle of Louisiana and partook of their parking lot's accommodations. The chicken was great ~maybe not as good as a recent special at Analogue~ but very juicy with a crisp breading that I did not find heavy at all. The proprietor had bragged that she buys her bird right outside of town, I could taste that. Gotta try some gizzards and livers next time. Fries looked good, cut in house, but were indeed soggy. The rolls, she told me, are baked to her specs at a local baker. It was fluffy, but had a bit of a fake butter thing going on. And I actually loved the simple slaw, which I saw her prepping in the back from whole heads of cabbage. She told me the recipe was over 100 years old, the mother of the owner's recipe.

Lothson's is a historical gem. The grub, itself, might not be worth the haul out to Dekalb, but spots like these are a dying breed.

Lothson's Karry Out
644 E Lincoln Hwy. DeKalb, IL. 60115
815 756-4303

Mediterraneo Grill
122 E Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115
(815) 758-8450

Chipotle Mexican Grill
1013 W Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115
(815) 756-3715