I've driven past the a place in the northern Chicago suburb of Glenview a few times - Valley Lodge Restaurant - and it's sort of piqued my interest. I was in the area one afternoon and decided to stop in and check out this unique little place to see what it was all about.
Valley Lodge Restaurant began in 1969 when brothers Taki and Peter Adamis bought a small house on Waukegan Road and converted it into a small tavern - the Valley Lodge. Its center piece was an old fire place that people would sit around to enjoy the burgers and ribs that the Adamis brothers made. Eight years after they opened, they made a significant addition to the front of the building expanding their seating area while making sure to keep the signature fireplace intact.
Spero Adamis - the son of Peter and nephew of Taki - eventually took over the business and he added a partner, Bill Stavrou. The two renovated the bar area and continued the tradition that Spero's father and uncle began in the late 60's with good food in a comfortable setting. Today, Bill Stavrou is the sole owner of the Valley Lodge Restaurant with his son, George, helping out as the restaurant's general manager.
Along busy Waukegan Road, if you're coming from the north you have to really know where the Valley Lodge is as it just sort of pops up just south of Winnetka Road on the west side of the street. (see map) I passed it on my first drive-by and had to double back to get back into the parking lot that extends behind the building. I walked in and was greeted by a guy who asked me if I wanted a table or booth, or to simply sit at the bar. I told him that I'd take the booth in the bar area.
It was about 1:30 and there were a number of people in the place finishing up their lunches. A smattering of golfers were at the bar discussing their game they had just finished at one of the area golf courses. My server for my visit to Valley Lodge was an older lady by the name of Roberta. And she looked like a Roberta - and I'm not trying to be mean. She was pleasant, calling me, "Hon" when she asked me what I wanted to drink. I noticed that they had Old Style on tap and I ordered a glass of that.
The menu at Valley Lodge Restaurant is mainly traditional American food with burgers, ribs, steaks, chops and chicken dishes. But they also have some Greek specialties including the Saganaki flaming cheese, a Greek salad with imported olives and feta cheese, gyros and lamb chops. I was concentrating on the burger and sandwich side of the menu. They had an Italian beef sandwich topped with mozzarella cheese and served with a choice of sweet or hot peppers, but I'm sort of particular to the Italian beef sandwiches at Portillo's. Their reuben also caught my eye as it was made with thin-sliced Vienna corned beef, topped with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut, and served on dark rye bread.
But their burgers sounded pretty good, too. They feature all beef, hand-pattied 1/2 pound burgers at Valley Lodge. And they have a "build-your-own-burger" in addition to some of their signature burgers that they have on the menu. I was pulled between the reuben and the burger. When Roberta came back to take my order, I ended up telling her that I'd get the burger - medium - topped with Swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms and bacon. I had my choice of fries, cole slaw, veggie of the day or homemade potato chips. I ordered the French fries, fully thinking that I wouldn't eat more than one or two.
Roberta brought my burger out to me and it definitely wasn't small. A large chunk of Swiss cheese covered the top of the misshapen burger patty. Sauteed fresh mushrooms - a major plus - and pieces of crispy bacon topped that. Cut rings of red onion were sitting on the bun crown - also a plus for any burger. The fries were piled off to the side and I got a thick dill pickle spear and - for some reason unknown to me - a small container of cole slaw.
The bun didn't look like it was anything special, but my first bite into the burger told me different. It was light and flavorful, making for a wonderful addition to the multiple taste sensations that were going on with the bacon, Swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms. It was one of those burgers that made me go, "Mmmmm..." at the first bite. None of the toppings overpowered the fresh taste of the flat-grilled burger patty. It was juicy, cooked to what I call a perfect medium with a bit of pink in the middle. When Roberta came back to check on me, asking, "How's burger, hon?" I couldn't lie to her - it was a very good burger.
Surprisingly, the French fries were also very good. They were crispy on the outside, yet light and flaky with a good potato taste on the inside. I normally don't eat many French fries if they're served to me - if at all. But the fries at Valley Lodge Restaurant were well above the norm in taste and quality. I ended up eating nearly all of the fries in addition to finishing up my delectable burger. The cole slaw, however, was sort of bland. One taste told me that it was the weak link to the lunch. And that's all right - there wasn't a lot of it and I was very happy with the burger and fries.
I immediately liked the Valley Lodge Restaurant, not only for the classic supper club style and cozy nature of the place, but for how good their burger was. I made a mental note to come back some time for a steak dinner, but I also realized that it's probably a very popular place in the evening. Nonetheless, I was glad I finally pulled into Valley Lodge Restaurant and gave it a try and can't wait to make it back for another meal at some point. (Picture at right courtesy City Data.)
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