In the northwest suburbs of Chicago this past summer for a trade show, I decided to get out for some lunch one day to take a break from talking with people. I was looking for a basic burger/beer joint that wasn't far from the venue and I did a quick search on Google to see what may be in the area. A quick review of this place said, "If you want a great burger and cold beer, this is the place." I punched in the address for Brandt's of Palatine and set off to get a burger and a beer.
Brandt's is located at the corner of Northwest Highway and N. Quentin Road in Palatine. (see map) I pulled into the parking lot and spied what appeared to be what was originally an old farmhouse. It turns out that the building has a lot of history behind it - and some of it involves a somewhat shady past.
The original building was built in the 1870's and it was originally on a farm in what would be modern day Inverness, IL known as the Wilson Farm. It was at the start of Prohibition in the United States that a Chicago car salesman and part-time taxi driver by the name of Roger Touhy found that making illegal beer was more lucrative than selling cars. He joined a local bootlegger by the name of Matt Kolb who Touhy had sold a car to. After moving to the northwest suburbs in the 1920's, Touhy and Kolb had the water in the area tested by a chemist and it was found that it was much better than the water found in Chicago at that time and that was critical in making good beer. Touhy found a water supply in a nearby stream from the Wilson Farm and turned one of the barns into a brewery.
Kolb and Touhy's beer became famous amongst the gangsters in the Chicago area and it was said that Al Capone and other gang leaders at the time bought barrels of Touhy's beer to sell at speakeasy's in the greater Chicago area. It was said that at its peak in the mid-20's, the brewery was capable of making 1,000 barrels (55 gallons each) of beer a week and they realized a profit of about $50 bucks each - about $850 dollars in today's money. Touhy used much of the profits to pay off local authorities for protection and to look the other way.
The brewery was discovered in 1928 by federal agents who raided the place. It was said that $50,000 worth of brewing equipment was destroyed in the raid (that's about $850,000 in today's money), but there have been disputes that Touhy may have been able to pay off local authorities before the equipment was destroyed. It was the largest illegal operation found in Cook County during Prohibition.
In 1930, the Maple Grove Inn which stood at the present day site of Brandt's was destroyed by fire. Touhy and Kolb bought the property and moved the farmhouse to the spot of the former Inn. It served as a speakeasy up until the end of Prohibition in 1933 and as a casino after that. Roger Touhy and Matt Kolb were a small-time gangsters compared to the operations Al Capone had in the city and suburbs. The business relationship between the two had soured and Capone started to make a move on Touhy's small operation in the far northwest suburbs. Kolb was eventually killed by Capone's henchmen in 1932 outside his club in Morton Grove, IL.
Touhy was able to convince local authorities that he needed protection from Capone's gang and it was in their best interests to keep Capone out of the northwest suburbs. Several attempts to take over Touhy's operation were made by Capone's squad, but they were repelled each time by off-duty police officers assigned to guard Touhy and his business.
Pictured right - Roger Touhy in his mugshot from Stateville Prison
Capone was finally able to get the best of Touhy by framing him in a set-up kidnapping of Jake Factor whose brother - Max Factor - had become a multi-millionaire with his line of make-up and beauty products. However, Jake was part of Capone's gang and they set-up the kidnapping to make it appear Touhy was the mastermind. After the $50,000 "ransom" was paid by Jake Factor's wife, Capone was able to plant evidence from the kidnapping to make it appear that Touhy was behind the abduction. Touhy was found guilty of kidnapping and was sent to prison in 1934. Capone's gang was able to come in and take over Touhy's operation after Touhy was sentenced.
(Touhy was eventually pardoned and was set free in 1959. He was killed by what was described as remnants of Capone's old gang less than a month after he walked out of prison.)
Federal pressure on gangs, Capone's own conviction on tax evasion and World War II brought much of the criminal enterprise in the Chicagoland area to an end. After the war, Nick and Al's Friendly Inn occupied the building and later on it was known as the Pickwick House and later the Hob Nob Restaurant. It was in 1969 when the Brandt family took over the restaurant.
Joe and Romelda Brandt moved from Detroit to the northwest Chicago suburbs in 1946. The Brandts opened their first restaurant The Highway Inn soon after they moved to the area. The Highway Inn eventually became Brandt's Restaurant and Lounge with their daughter Patricia helping out in the business. In 1964, the Brandts bought the Hob Nob Restaurant and turned it into Brandt's Little Cafe. Patricia Brandt eventually married George Grisco and the couple took over ownership from Joe and Romelda Brandt in the 70's.
Patricia Brandt Grisco passed away in 2001 and it became a struggle for George Grisco to keep up the restaurant. Property taxes in Palatine - which annexed the area around Brandt's Little Cafe in 1987 - were skyrocketing with more people and businesses moving into the area. In the early 90's, property taxes were about $1000 a month. 20 years later, they were nearly $5000 a month. George Grisco got behind in his property taxes and Cook County foreclosed on the business in 2011. It was set to go on the auction block in early 2013 when two Palatine residents stepped up to buy the place.
Jimmy Iuorio and Walt Oswald grew up in Palatine and went to Brandt's with their families starting in the 70's. Both had forged out lucrative careers - Iuorio was a futures trader and Oswald has a longtime executive at Motorola who had just recently opened his own information technology consulting firm. The two paired up to pay the back taxes and other bills that Grisco no longer could take care of and bought the place in January of 2013.
Pictured left - Walt Oswald and Jimmy Iuorio. Photo courtesy Palatine Patch.
Because of George Grisco's situation, the old building was in need of some serious repairs. Oswald and Iuorio renovated and updated much of the restaurant over a 3 month period. They hired back about 70 percent of the staff that George Grisco employed up to the end of 2012, and hired some former staff members who had been there previously. In April of 2013, the rebranded Brandt's of Palatine reopened under the ownership of Oswald and Iuorio. The pair continue to own the restaurant to this day.
I pulled into the parking lot at Brandt's around 1:30 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The outdoor patio next to the main entrance had a wooden roof with plastic roll-down coverings if it started to rain. There was a patio with tables with umbrellas behind the building. In the back of the covered patio was a 7-and-a-half-foot tall bottle cap folk art figure that was built by Walt Oswald's brother and given to him just before Oswald and Iuorio opened Brandt's of Palatine. In the winter months, the large bottle cap figurine holds court in one of the inside dining areas.
Just inside the front entrance is a small 3-sided bar with a small dining area off to the side. The dining areas inside and out were packed as motorcyclists, bicyclists, and everyday people were at Brandt's enjoying lunch on a beautiful day. There was room at the bar and that's where I parked.
One of the bartenders that day was a lady by the name of Linda. She worked part-time at Brandt's, usually on the weekends and at night to help out when they were short-staffed or going to be busy. Linda plopped a menu down in front of me and asked me what I wanted to drink. They had the Revolution Anti-Hero India pale ale on tap and I asked Linda for one of those.
I was definitely in a mood for a burger, but I took a look over the menu to see what else they had to offer. In addition to their burgers, Brandt's is known for their Chicago-style fall-off-the-bone ribs, as well as their chili which is served in the colder months. Sandwiches included a corned beef sandwich and a reuben. They had a handful of chicken wraps on the menu as well as grilled cod tacos. If I wasn't so hellbent for getting a burger that day, I may have gone with the fish tacos. Shareable appetizers such as cheese curds, potato skins, firecracker shrimp (served in a sweet and spicy boom-boom sauce), and bone-in and boneless chicken wings.
The burgers at Brandt's consist of 1/2 pound fresh, never-frozen 75% ground chuck and 25% ground loin beef. You have your choice of six different types of buns or breads to hold the burger, and a lettuce wrap burger is available for people who need a gluten-free option. 8 different types of cheese are available for burgers, as well. Slider burgers are available, as well as a black & blue burger consisting of a blackened patty and blue cheese. The Sunrise burger on the menu comes with a fried egg, bacon and cheddar cheese.
I went with the basic burger with Swiss cheese on a butter bun. I asked Linda to throw some sautéed mushrooms on the burger, but they didn't make it on the burger. I reminded her after I had a couple bites and she offered to get me some from the kitchen. I told her not to worry about it and to make sure I didn't get charged for them. Lettuce, tomato and a choice of raw or grilled onions came with the burger. I got a slice of raw onion with mine.
The sides consisted of a choice of potato - fries, steak fries, sweet potato fries or house-made potato chips - and a choice of either cole slaw or baked beans. Linda talked me into the baked beans and the steak fries.
The burger was outstanding. It had great beef flavor, it was juicy and delectable. It was one of those burgers where I bit into it and went, "Mmmmm...." The butter bun was light and fluffy, yet held together very well. I saw that they had dark rye bread available for their burgers (as well as a pretzel bun or potato bun), but I was happy with getting the butter bun.
I will say that I made a good choice in getting the baked beans. They had a great sweet barbecue taste to them and were very good. The steak fries were OK - not the best I've ever had, but they were fine. But the star of the meal was the great burger.
Brandt's of Palatine turned out to be a great find for me. The Swiss cheese burger I had was outstanding and the sides were good. They had a good selection of beers at Brandt's and the place had a homey and cozy feeling. The people in and around Palatine have to thank Walt Oswald and Jimmy Iuorio for keeping Brandt's of Palatine going after all these years and for hopefully years to come. I'm definitely going back at some point.
Was rudely treated on a Thursday aafternoon,which has never been done before since 1987 which is how long I've been going to Brandt's Little Cafe. A little to much nepotism
Posted by: Ralph | March 28, 2024 at 07:34 PM