why were you posting about food at 2:30 in the morning? why were you not asleep? is the food there really so good that you could not sleep?

Ha, yes - - Suppose I should have laid off of that delicious coffee..

Anything re: Honey as of late?

It's in the most recent Chicago magazine (the "Best of" issue).

best of what? Western Suburbs? Glen Ellyn? Best place to eat in GE and not have to run into Clamato?

It won best restaurant on Main Street in Glen Ellyn north of the tracks.

From Chicago Magazine:

YUMMIEST WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE
Giant peanut butter cookies
HONEY
499 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn;
630-469-0000

I've been to Honey about 20-times since they opened. We've brought many out-of-town guests here for breakfast and lunch with rave reviews.

I have nothing but praise for what Elizabeth has created from nothing. She also revitalized a corner of downtown that desperately needed it for quite some time. Congratulations on your mention in Chicago Magazine, Elizabeth! Your hard work and dedication are paying off.

Honey was named one of the "Best Neighborhood Gems" in the Chicago Magazine "Best of" issue. I second GER's support of honey. Try the Market Sides....the soups have all been fantastic!

alas, I am still a Honey virgin...

quote:

Originally posted by Amy:
Honey was named one of the "Best Neighborhood Gems" in the Chicago Magazine "Best of" issue. I second GER's support of honey. Try the Market Sides....the soups have all been fantastic!

Had the worst meal of my life there.

Fine, Clamato.....I've said it.

I have eaten there but two times, excluding a pastry visit or two. Found my experiences to be sub-par. Unlike Fan's completely awesome story, my visits were simply unremarkable and and service was off-the-chain bad. Soup was awesome, food miserable. Big deal. So Honey is not for me. I simply feel that the place has gone out of its way to be a ladies destination. This is not a criticism, just what I perceive. The magic that was once Spice and Easy is tough to duplicate and I am neither a fan of the cuisine, nor the room. I hope that the inclusion in Chicago Mag ramps up the number of diners in that place soon because I can't bear the thought of seeing another empty corner.

It is interesting that you never see the homeless, er uh, I mean village guests, parked with their belongings at Honey's window counter.

Clam, as for your "ladies' destination" observation, I will tell you the decor does not appeal to my boy teens.

This lady has enjoyed two meals there - one dinner with the husband and one ladies' lunch with famous Amy.

May I ask what has kept you from returning other than those two times? Is it just that you don't dine out in town that often, or do you mix it up to the point where you haven't made it back yet? Just curious as to why some places click and others struggle. For instance, I have always found the food at Vitorio's to be merely OK, yet there isn't a place in town that I'd rather dine. And then there is Santa Fe, another misunderstood place that people confuse as a Mexican restaurant rather than a Tex-Mex place. Love going there...but will never sit in that back room. THG? Everything on the menu is fried whether it deserves to be or not...and the goofiest set up in town. Every potential owner walks into that place, sees the fireplace and views it as an asset. That fireplace destroys the space. Too hot to sit near when it is on, and disruptive to the flow of the room. Remove that fireplace, open up the room shotgun style and you probably have a desirable place. Great place for drinks in the winter in the bar area.

I've just never gotten past the fact that nobody has been able to replicate RL in the CBD...I think that would work. But I guess you'd need RL's money to do so.

Why can't GE Fan open a place like that?

We really do make an effort to eat out in town whenever possible. My husband and I would have gone back, but our schedule hasn't worked out with Honey's. I do plan to take a few ladies I owe lunch there as well - confirming your impression.

We often have our kids along and the Honey menu just doesn't suit their tastes - but that is a topic for another day.

Honey is closed on Sunday evening, which is another night we often look to eat out.

I do 100% agree with your above take on other local restaurants.

I am, however, quite confident that as soon as the Village is able to replicate North Michigan Avenue, we will have a restaurant for you that will measure up to RL.

With our multiple visits to Honey since they have opened, we have found that there has been great improvement in all areas, such as food and service. We enjoy it mostly for breakfast/lunch and have only dined there twice for dinner. It is not the 'warmest' atmosphere for dinner, but this could be easily fixed by having a change-over for dinner that includes white table cloths on the tables, and oil lamps. Everyday People Cafe in Douglas, MI does this exact thing, transforming from 'diner' to 'high-end restaurant' with minimal effort. I have made this suggestion to Elizabeth.

I really don't quite understand the 'noise' factor, as so many trendy restaurants downtown and in the suburbs have the same acoustic. I personally enjoy the minimalist atmosphere, which showcases the buildings strengths, such as the original tin ceilings and maple flooring.

I do know that Elizabeth went in with a budget and stuck to it, having her and her family/friends doing a lot of the finishing work, which shows great business savvy, IMHO.

Personally, my worst meal/service ever in GE was at Vittorio's. Have I gone back? YES. This is because I spoke with Tony about the experience and he made good on the poor service & food that evening. I still find it to be a very average restaurant food-wise, with Mykha's and Bistro Monet getting top-billing in my book, but we do enjoy 'mixing it up' when it comes to dining and think that we have some really fine choices for a fairly small town.

Well, I keep trying to give this place a chance. Hubby absolutely will not accompany me anymore - he hates the atmosphere, and for him that's key. He'll eat at places with inferior food as long as the atmosphere's cozy and the bartender talkative. But Honey just leaves him cold, with the noise and bare furnishings. (And lack of bartenders.)

So I thought I'd take a houseguest there this past week. Just two girls out for lunch - Honey seems the ideal place for that. Indeed, the menu seems, on the surface, almost too good to be true. Everything looks great on the menu.

Yet, once again, when the food arrived it was subpar. Not just subpar - my choice, the truffled macaroni and cheese - was simply awful. Lots of food, all very fancy sounding and elegant looking - just not very good to eat. Particularly for the price. We only ate a tiny amount, and left the rest.

Service was good, though, I'll give them that. I think, however, I have finally crossed my last bridge concerning that place. I'm glad others seem to like it so. Personally, I can't count myself among them. I don't even like the cupcakes - which is a crime for a pastry-lover like myself. What'd I'd give for a freakin' decent bakery in this town!

Scribb, I agree...sadly.
But, I just had the best cupcakes from Valli. The icing was sooooo delicious. Thank goodness it is just far enough away to keep me from going for one item.

Lack of bartenders isn't necessarily a bad thing when it comes to restaurants. It's an absolutely miserable thing.

A martini will make even the most questionable cuisine palatable. A second martini will make that "city in the suburbs" atmosphere down right appealing. Plus there is sooooo much money to be made on liquor. Just a thought or two to keep that corner space open.

I agree. We tried it(Honey) twice as a family and the wait was incredibly long and the food was...OK. I do think the muffins are good. I tried it one last time with just my kids, this time for lunch and was far from impressed. FIGO is another place that I should possibly give one more chance. When we went the noodles were overcooked and the sauce was average. The Gnocci was a joke!

Three Words: Downtown Arlington Heights.

A friend of mine just moved there, and I am quite impressed with what they've done up there. Makes downtown GE look like a ghost town. Just took the wife and kids up there today to try FUEGO MEXICAN GRILL and Margarita Bar, and let me tell you, it is well worth the short 20 minute trip. THE BEST chips, THE BEST salsa, and THE BEST guacamole MADE FRESH AT YOUR TABLE. All we ordered though were quesadillas (great steak) being that we had the kids and were on limited time, but the wife and I will have to make the trip back up there to explore the menu, and the margaritas. Plus, it's a very nice and inviting restaurant, both inside (nice atmosphere and EXCELLENT SERVICE) and out as the exterior has definite curb appeal. So basically, it blows away Santa Fe.

http://www.fuegomexgrill.com/dinein.html

And then for excellent pizza, there's Armands right down the block. There's also a tapas restaurant, Irish pub, piano bar, etc, etc. Very lively CBD!

Now getting back to Honey, I love their Cinnamon Toast and Blueberry muffins.