Timothy O’Toole’s Pub- on to Number 4 in Lake Villa

Highly Recommended **** In our strange economy, where it often appears that everything worth anything, will only be available online, it is great to see that we are still dining out. Watching family owned restaurants expand means a great deal to me. The chains and franchises are easy, but there is nothing like a local business where a family builds it and nurtures it along the way. Years ago, when I lived down n the Gold Coast ( Chicago, Ontario and Michigan Avenue area), there was a lively little pub, Timothy O’Toole’s Pub across the street. It was filled with younger people, having a great time, and enjoying their time away from work and /or home. I enjoyed their appetizers, never having a meal there. I did have a burger every once in a while, and it was juicy.

Two years ago, we did a look-see at Timothy O’Toole’s Pub in Libertyville. This family continues to grow. They then added Gurnee ( right by Gurnee Mills Mall) and now they have added a fourth, just west of Gurnee in a little village called Lake Villa. As I recall, from my yellow page days, Lake Villa is close to what they used to call “The Chain Of Lakes”, and taking the longer drive to get there, we were able to see that land and water masses that still remain in Illinois. By the way, Lake Villa is pretty close if you take Route 83 North to Grand Avenue ( route 132) and turn left. From Vernon Hills, only 21 minutes, and worth the drive.

This Timothy O’Toole’s Pub is larger than the others with loads of parking ( valet parking at no charge is available). We were there on a Friday night, which as it turns out is almost like two different nights. We arrived at 6:30 and sat in the main dining room. They do have outside patio space and a private party room as well. Being a sports bar atmosphere, the walls are lined with flat screens and we could pretty much keep up with any sport we might like to watch. Since the Cubs had already won, we watched a little White Sox versus The Red Sox and they also had the Milwaukee Brewers on ( they are close to Milwaukee, so it makes sense) and since the Cubbies are trying to overtake the Brewers, we watched.

As the evening progressed, the families that had been dining started to move on home. This was about 7:45 p.m. and the restaurant quieted down some. The sports remained, but the seats were now being filled by young couples ( perhaps date night) and groups of young singles as well. They had finished their work or school days and were ready to end the week with some tasty vittles and a drink or two. FYI-when we were done with our dinner and dessert and coffee, and on the way out, we noticed yet another crowd coming in. The 30 plus crowd, ready to start the week-end. No matter the age or ethnicity, we never saw a face that was not smiling or a belly that was empty.

We drank our beverages as we looked at the vast menu. Alan and Vickie were our partners in calories tonight, and they brought their appetites ready to try new things. For starters, the deviled eggs (filled with Boursin Cheese, Tobiko Caviar and snipped chives, they yolks were whipped to a perfect smoothness and made these a delightful way to start the evening. You cannot go to O’Toole’s without enjoying their Famous Wings- and we did not miss those. We skipped the mild traditional and tried the Irish Ghost and BBQ sauces ( they have many more options). I will say, while the BBQ was delicious, my bald spot began to steam, so they were HOT!!! Our last starter was Jane’s always favorite Chips and guacamole ( house made). great stuff!

For our entrée orders, we selected 1/2 slab of Wichita baby back ribs smothered in Chicago-style sauce. The sides are plentiful, but we selected some well done fries. We did have one salad, the Cobb with chicken, Arcadian greens, bacon, bleu cheese crumbles, avocado, heirloom tomato and hardboiled eggs mixed with scallions. Delish! Certain items are known in certain restaurants as “signature” which means that they are known for this particular plate and that everyone loves it- we did not get all “signature” plates, but did get their wonderful Shepherd’s Pie ( a truly Irish dining experience) -ground beef, vegetables and served in a parmesan potato crust, as solid as I remember from my visit to Ireland and to my former visit to Timothy O’Toole’s Pub in Libertyville.

The last two items that we enjoyed were the ChickenKabob- skewered grilled chicken and vegetables on a bed of brown rice. Very tasty and very healthy. Our last entrée was the Bayou Mac & Cheese; IPA chicken, sausage, mushrooms, four types of cheese peas andcrostini- I love Mac & Cheese and this was no exception. We also did a side of their Chili and while it was tasty, it was not my style and I probably would skip this in favor of  the French Onion Soup ( the table behind us was truly enjoying theirs). The staff is attentive and they know the menu.

There were a great number of sandwiches on their menu and burgers galore. Of note they have a burger called the Big Timmy Challenge (As Seen On Man Vs. Food) – Two 1/2 lb. Burger Patties, Cheddar, Jack, Mozzarella, Swiss, Bacon, Onion Straws, BBQ, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickle, & Red Onion Served with Irish Nachos.  Anyone who finishes it wins an O’Toole’s T-shirt.

We were not up for this plus we saw the desserts-

warm chocolate brownie (vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce & whipped cream.   to share or just for one

pretzel bread pudding- vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and whipped cream. They sub pretzel dough for the bread- makes for an interesting ( and delightful) experience.

The third choice ( yes, we did them all, thus we passed up the Big Timmy Challenge) apple crisp- vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce and sliced apples in a dough. Like apple pie à la mode “on steroids”.

By the way, although you can have the kids enjoy off your plates, they do have a kids menu and on Wednesday evenings, Holly the balloon lady does balloon art between 5 and 7 p.m. The kids will have a ball(oon).

Timothy O’Toole’s Lake Villa is located at 10 West Grand Avenue ( route 132) in Lake Villa seven days a week. Their hours are:

Sunday and Monday  11 a.m.- 10 p.m.

Tuesday-Thursday   11 a.m.- midnight

Fridays and Saturday  11 a.m.- 1 a.m.

Private room available, for that intimate special event

On a pleasant evening, enjoy the spacious patio with your meal

call 847-979-0600  to make reservations

 www.timothyotooles.com  where you can view all locations and menus.