****When one thinks “Supper Club”, one automatically thinks Wisconsin. Yes, they are known for these friendly, entertaining spots in the woods or near the water, and they always serve cheese curds as well as great “Old Fashioneds”, but guess what? Illinois has some of these dining spots as well. In fact, there is one just a few miles from O’Hare with a name that will make sense once you hear it. It is “The Great Escape Restaurant, located at 9540 West Irving Park Rd. ( this is not to be confused with the retail stores called The Great Escape, where they sell pools and spas).
I imagine they were called this back in the day, because of its proximity to the city, and once you get west of Cumberland and the Forest Preserve, you might feel that you have left all of your problems behind you, so why not head to The Great Escape, where timeless hospitality meets exceptional food ( and portions that will astound you). Our server Frankie was a delight ( as were all the staff members) and she went ove the menu with us in order to make sure that we would be exposed to many different types of dishes. Being a Friday, of course one of the specials was the Mustard Crusted Bass, sauteed with dijon, thyme & breadcrumbs and served with rice and veggies ( this particular dish has been called by the Sun-Times “one of the 55 dishes you must try before you die”. Based on that, you know we ordered one of those!
While we were waiting to finish ordering the entrees, we did a few appetizers. The choices are great, but with only 4 of us, we had to limit our items, so we did The Greatest which is a combination platter with their ribs ( amazingly tasty), fried shrimp, onion rings, chicken tenders, stuffed mushroom caps, and some veggies ( along with sauces) ( easlily enough for the table) and we added the fried calamari just because we saw an order go to another table and our eyes told our stomachs that we must try this!
Three of us enjoyed a cup of their Clam Chowder, while Jane did a dinner salad, before the bass arrived, along with an order of Broasted Chicken and broasted potatoes ( if you have never tried Broasted chicken before, you do not know what you are missing and you need to put this one your “bucket List”. I for one, love this dish and I found this to be a delight, and it brought back a lot of memories from the old Mister Adams Restaurant on Broadway and Wilson from the 1950’s.
We also enjoyed the Chicken Pot Pie ( white meat, carrots in a creamy sauce, and placed in a flaky puff pastry shell. WOW! This too was an item that we enjoyed as kids and very seldom find on a menu in the area restaurants. It is an item that is found in the Wisconsin dining spots, so of course, our local “supper club” would have this marvelous dish. Our last item was a pasta- rigatoni in a vodka sauce. For dessert, Beignets that were tasty as if we were in New Orleans..
The restaurant is known for classic American comfort food ( steaks , seafood, and Italian-inspired dishes). They have a wonderful bar ( they make a great Old Fashioned), and the coffee is perfect. They also have lots of sandwich choices, and because they appreciate families, they offer children’s menu items as well as Dinner Specials Daily.
They are open daily:
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday 11 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The address is 9540 West Irving Park Rd. in Schiller Park- they have plenty of free parking.
For reservations: 847-671-7171
They also have a banquet room for private parties and if you check on their website you will find that they do add some entertainment from time to time ( I told you they were a Wisconsin Supper Club!)
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