No holds barred at Bar Louie

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

Nancy and her bowling babes were bummed out when they realized one of their favorite lunchtime haunts, Uno’s Pizzeria in Schaumburg, was closing. They were un-bummed out when they found realized “Bar Louie” was taking over that location. Her bowling babes said, “You’re the trained professional, go check it out.” So Nancy took off her bowling shirt. I put on my loose fitting work pants. We both hopped in the Dining Duo Mini-Mobile, and off we went to Bar Louie in Schaumburg.

What can you say about the décor? If you’ve been to any of the downtown Chicago bar/eateries, you’ll instantly see the many influences here. There’s a huge bar smack dab in the middle of the room with a ton of high top tables, a few booths, and regular tables scattered all around.

Nancy and I were hung up between two appetizers, so when in doubt, ask your waitress for her opinion. You roll the dice when you do this, however. She will either tell you: A) her true favorite, B) the one with the highest profit margin, or C) the most expensive one so she will get a bigger tip. Do you feel lucky? We did, and went with her suggestion, the Bruschetta Pomodoro ($8.99). This was tomato, basil, garlic, olive oil, red onion, and Parmesan cheese served in a martini glass surrounded by 9 Parmesan crostinis. Nancy’s eyes bugged out when she spotted our waitress bringing over the largest, most ginormous, martini glass in the world! The waitress indicated that if we need more crostinis, she would bring more over at no charge. This deconstructed bruschetta was light, refreshing, and delicious. The aroma of garlic arrived at our table before the appetizer did.

Jim and I both spotted the Voodoo Pasta ($14.29) at the same time, which complicates matters for reviewing. Being the understanding sweetheart that I am, I told Jim to have his pick and I will order my second choice. To my surprise, the moron took me up on my offer! You’d think after 43 years of marriage, he would know better. I then added the stipulation that we should share our entrees, and he wisely agreed. His entree consisted of shrimp, andouille sausage, cavatappi noodles, house made spicy voodoo sauce, yellow onion, green and red peppers, garlic, Parmesan, and parsley. His huge pasta bowl was jam packed with shrimp and hit a 7 on his “sweat head meter.” Jim and I both agreed that this dish was absolutely delicious.

Nancy settled for the Luigi Sandwich with Cheddar ($12.99) which was shaved sirloin, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, olive oil, on a hoagie roll, topped with Luigi seasoning and served with tater tots or fries. For a $1 upcharge, she added the tater tots loaded with bacon, cheese, jalapeno peppers, and green onions. These were phenomenal. We both admit this sandwich was a disappointment. In our opinion it lacked flavor and substance for the price.

Their dessert menu has only two items listed on it. They didn’t strike our fancy so, we decided to skip dessert altogether.

As entrees go, Jim was clearly the winner today. As appetizers go, our waitress steered us in the right direction. As tater tots go, put bacon and cheese sauce on anything and it will be delicious.

Because Nancy was unsuccessful in convincing our waitress to make her a chocolate martini in that humongous glass, our “Bar” Louie bill was $48.16.

Jim’s take: My entree was great. The heat from the voodoo sauce and the sweetness from the peppers and onions was a great combination.

Nancy’s take: This is the best bruschetta I’ve had in a long time and the crostini is what made it so. Will Jim ever learn, happy wife, happy life?

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.

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