July 31--About 100,000 Chicago Bears fans are trekking to Bourbonnais over the next two weeks for training camp -- and they're going to be hungry (and not just for a good season).
The Bears begin preseason training camp at Olivet Nazarene University on Thursday (though in-pads practices don't begin until Saturday) and, with the exception of a few off days, continue daily through Aug. 16. Morning practices, which mostly start at 9:35 or 11:15 a.m. (check the schedule at www.chicagobears.com ), are free and open to the public.
There's about an hour of fan activity after each practice, and practice is closed at 12:30 or 2 p.m. Which raises the question: Where does a hungry Bears fan get a bite to eat?
As it happens, the Bourbonnais area (including adjacent Kankakee and Bradley) has quite a few options, among them two serious barbecue places, an award-winning brewpub, a couple of breakfast/lunch spots (one of which offers housemade pies), a place whose most famous dish is a "sauce sandwich" and a beautiful sushi restaurant.
Visitors accustomed to Chicago-dining prices are likely to be pleased with the cost -- and portions -- of the food here. Following is a list of restaurants I visited a week ago, along with restaurants I visited for last year's Bourbonnais-dining story:
Blue's Cafe The gates open at 9 a.m. at Bears camp, so treat yourself to a pre-camp breakfast or post-camp lunch at this classic (opened in 1954) diner, where doors open at 6 a.m. and a weathered Pepsi chalkboard sign lists the varieties of homemade pies available that day (as many as 12). The pies are the best reason to visit here -- no disrespect to the biscuits and gravy entree, which features housemade sausage and house-baked buttermilk biscuits. The restaurant is cash only, but as the biscuits and gravy cost all of $4.79 and most pie slices are just $2.79 (one or two occasionally higher), you won't need much. Open for breakfast and lunch (until 7:30 p.m.) Monday to Saturday. No alcohol. 1190 W. Station St., Kankakee, 815-933-5315.
Brickstone Brewery You'd swear that this restaurant was part of a chain, given its neutral name, slick multipage menu, souvenir offerings and American pub food menu, but this is a one-and-only, and it's so close to Olivet Nazarene that the restaurant adds extra staffers during Bears camp. The brewery half of the concept offers at least eight homebrews each day, nearly all of which have taken home prestigious awards. The summer feature, Shady Summer, is a wheat beer infused with lemon; think shandy, without the sweetness. If you find a favorite among the beers, you can buy a 64-ounce growler to take home. The large menu includes a variety of burgers, including a particularly good bacon-jam burger with cheddar cheese ($10.79). During camp, the restaurant opens at 10:30 a.m. for lunch and dinner daily. 557 William Latham Drive, Bourbonnais, 815-936-9277.
Bull's Pit Smoked Barbecue You know you're in a serious 'cue place when you can smell hickory smoke throughout the dining area. The soot-blackened exterior brick walls are another good clue. Bare-bones dine-in furniture and nonstop country music add to the authenticity of Ryan "Bull" Wilder's low-and-slow cooking (dry-rubbed ribs spend 14 hours in the smoker). Try the piled-high BBQ Sundae ($6.99), two meats nestled between layers of pit-smoked beans and coleslaw, or the two- or three-meat combo platters ($14.49 and $17.49, respectively). Menu highlights include back ribs, thin-sliced brisket and juicy pulled pork, abetted by a sweet-and-tangy sauce you can buy by the jar. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Sunday. No alcohol. 125 W. Station St., Kankakee, 815-932-2399.
Flight 102 Unfortunately, this smart and sophisticated wine bar doesn't open until 4 p.m., so its appeal is limited to those Bears fans who are spending the night in the area. Flight 102 offers 13 three-pour wine flights ($9 to $20) and more than 55 wines by the bottle or glass. The sophisticated menu, featuring small plates and charcuterie-and-cheese boards, would seem right at home in Wicker Park or any other restaurant-rich neighborhood; I particularly like the flatbread pizzas. Open for dinner Tuesday to Saturday. 565 Main St. NW, Bourbonnais, 815-556-9463.
Homestead The red-and-white, wood-sided building is a local treasure, family-owned since 1906. The American menu is a something-for-everyone lineup that includes bruschetta and quesadillas along with myriad chicken, steak, pasta and seafood choices. The Homesteader I ($7.50), a steak sandwich on a toasted garlic roll (mozzarella cheese and grilled onions are an extra 50 cents and worth it), is a good bet, and there's a kids menu of predictable dishes, each order including an ice cream sandwich. The restaurant is dark and dim in an old-timey, polished-wood way, furnished with captain's chairs. Open for lunch and dinner daily. 1230 S. East Ave., Kankakee, 815-933-6214.
Jaenicke's Drive In One of the first signs of spring in Bourbonnais is Jaenicke (YAH-nick-eez) awakening from its winter slumber. Order at the walk-up window, and grab a seat on the patio (there are no indoor seats), set with picnic tables and shaded by four maple trees. The chili sauce, a bean-free, slightly sweet meat sauce, is so popular that locals tend to order the "sauce bun," which is a hot dog bun drenched with the sauce and nothing else. It sounds peculiar, but for just 99 cents ($1.09 with cheese), you have to try one. Also can't-miss is the housemade root beer; it's excellent, particularly if you favor a high vanilla-to-wintergreen ratio. Other options: Italian beef (housemade), meatball sandwich and plenty more. Hot dogs range from $1.79 to $1.99 unless it's Wiener Wednesday, in which case they're $1.49 to $1.59. Look for the sign with the smiling hot dog holding a root beer mug. (Another location, Jaenicke's Root Beer Stand, in Kankakee, has different ownership.) Open for lunch and dinner daily. 605 Armour Drive, Bourbonnais, 815-932-2884.
Jimmy Jo's BBQ A no-frills, counter-service barbecue place suitable for dining in or carryout, Jimmy Jo's has a wide menu that includes brisket, pulled pork, hot link sandwiches and St. Louis-style spare ribs. Jimmy's favors dry-rub ribs, served without sauce (though tangy, spicy and vinegary sauces are free for the asking) and smoked for upwards of 12 hours over hickory and apple wood. The meat has that distinct, red ring that confirms careful smoking, and is cooked with enough moisture that the meat falls clean off the bone. I'm a stick-to-the-bone fan myself, but I can't quibble with the flavor of the 'cue here. Inside seating is fine, but the outdoor patio is much more pleasant. Open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday; closed Sunday. 665 N. Convent Drive, Bourbonnais, 815-933-7500.
Koi's Asian Bistro This is a real find, a beautifully decorated restaurant with black, pressed-tin ceilings hung with draped fabric, bamboo and parasols along the far wall and some flagstone elements to remind you that you're in the Midwest. The Asian menu has some Chinese and Thai dishes, but Japanese is the main thrust; there's a lot of sushi available here including some playful maki rolls. I couldn't resist ordering the Chicago Bears roll ($13.95), made with shrimp tempura, spicy lobster and eel sauce; it's a good roll, but it's draped with avocado slices, which of course are green and yellow. Packers colors on a Bears dish? I almost booed the roll out of force of habit. Open for lunch and dinner daily. 906 N. Convent St., Bourbonnais, 815-523-7266.
La Siesta One of your best chances of spotting Bears players in the evening is this spacious Mexican restaurant, a short distance south of Olivet Nazarene's campus. Bright-green and brick walls, framed Mexican art and Mayan-patterned tablecloths make up the decor. At lunch, look to the menu specials offered between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays, a dozen or so hefty dishes priced under $7. The taco sombrero ($5.99) consists of two tacos piled with steak, bacon and chorizo; the spice kind of sneaks up on you, but it's there. Beans and rice are included, of course. Open for lunch and dinner daily. 180 S. Kennedy Drive, Bradley, 815-939-0074.
Martinez Taco Store The simple exterior of this building (which includes an attached grocery) belies the spacious and cheerful interior. The menu is very tourist-friendly (fajitas, carne asada, gorditas, even chimichangas, for Pedro's sake) and includes pick-your-protein tacos ($1.95 each, and they're good). But locals line up for the lunch buffet, which not only is laughably inexpensive (just $7.75 until 4 p.m.) but also is where you'll find the kitchen's most sophisticated dishes -- rajas con crema, nopales in tomatoes and onions, caldo de res and pozole among them. Martinez is also a fixture at Kankakee's farmers market every Saturday. Open for lunch and dinner daily. No alcohol. 322 E. Station St., Kankakee, 815-939-7817.
Rigo's Cafe Cute Italian/Mediterranean done in neutral tones and a flagstone-wrapped corner fireplace. Robust menu with specials, including eight pastas. The kitchen is justifiably proud of its rich Champagne cream sauce, the main source of support for its popular sea cakes (a mix of crab, shrimp and fish, nicely crisped). The same sauce graces the crab crepe, sauteed tilapia and, the day I visited, a chicken breast special. You'll also find a breaded and sauteed sea bass, though it's topped with a too-sweet honey mustard sauce. You know what would be good with that sea bass? Yup. Open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday. 2005 W. Court St., Kankakee, 815-802-1200.
Sammy's Pizza This long-established (1953) pizzeria has four downstate locations, including Kankakee and this one, less than a mile from Olivet Nazarene's campus. The specialty of the house is the thin-crust, square-cut pizza familiar to Chicagoans, in versions such as barbecued chicken and Meat Head (sausage, Canadian bacon, Italian beef, ground beef, bacon, and yes, I said bacon twice). Also on the menu: burgers, sandwiches, wraps and appetizers such as chicken wings, jalapeno poppers and pork fry (fries and pulled pork with cheese sauce, barbecue sauce and bacon, sort of a downstate poutine). Open for lunch and dinner Monday to Sunday. 12 Heritage Plaza, Bourbonnais, 815-936-1111.
Taco's Del Norte Tacos are the specialty of this strip-mall Mexican restaurant, although there are plenty of other options on the 71-item menu. Tacos, about $2, are generous with ingredients, even if the waitress neglected to include any limes with my order. Open breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 7 Village Square Shopping Center, Bradley, 815-939-0074.
Yolks Berries A sunny and clean breakfast/lunch place with hefty, laminated menus, cheerful servers in logo polo shirts and enormous portions; a half-portion of biscuits and gravy would be enough for most people. Fluffy pancakes, waffles, omelets and specials such as bread-pudding French toast ($7.99) and crabcake Benedict ($8.99) crowd the breakfast half of the menu. Locals like the cinnamon roll cakes; I was too full. Open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, this is a good option for those arriving before training camp opens for the day. 505 N. Kinzie Ave., Bradley, 815-935-1501.
pvettel@tribpub.com
