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.
One afternoon Jim had a taste for Italian food. I told him that my bowling buddies, “The Pin Pals,” found a place in South Barrington that we enjoyed. Us girls work up quite an appetite since our bowling skills leave a lot to be desired. We hardly get any strikes and a three-game series usually takes about three hours. We feel like it’s not our fault since the bowling alley refuses to put up the bumpers for us.
When checking the restaurant’s menu online, we discovered that they have another location in Crystal Lake. We decided to try that location and off we went in our Mini-Mobile to Georgio’s Pizzeria and Pub.
Georgio’s Pizzeria and Pub
75 E. Woodstock Street
Crystal Lake 60014
(815)459-8888
www.georgiospizza.com
Directions: Take Route 47 North to Rte. 176 East to Walkup Avenue, turn right, then left on Woodstock Street to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 23 minutes
It’s located in downtown Crystal Lake across from the train station parking lot. This venue has only street parking so be advised that handicap accessibility can be tricky. Nancy prefers the South Barrington Arboretum venue since they do have a parking lot with handicap spots available. This makes parking much easier.
The inside is much larger than you would expect, and has a two-sided fireplace in the middle of the dining area. There’s a large bar towards the rear, and tons of seating of all types.
We started our Italian lunch with the Tomato Bruschetta ($10.25). This was a deconstructed appetizer which consisted of 11 buttery garlic crostinis and a large bowl of finely diced seasoned tomato topping. We don’t know what they put in the tomato mixture, but we tasted basil and a sweet balsamic vinegar. This was really good and there was enough topping to generously cover all the crostini on our platter.
Jim noticed a lunch special that caught his eye. They offer a six-inch individual cheese pizza with a salad ($12.25). Each additional pizza ingredient cost $1 extra. He decided on sausage and bacon for his toppings. He had a choice of either a tossed or Caesar salad and he chose the Caesar salad. This was the first to arrive. The dressing was delicious, it had grated parmesan cheese mixed in it and the salad had parmesan cheese shavings mixed in also. What followed was the smallest pizza he has ever seen. However, it was loaded with ingredients from edge to edge and it was very tasty. Nancy looked at the size of the pizza with a surprised expression on her face. I said, “I always told you size doesn’t matter…”
Nancy didn’t even have to look at the menu since every time she went with her bowling buddies, she always got the Broccoli Bowtie Pasta ($15.75). This is bowtie pasta with broccoli, grilled chicken, and parmesan cheese tossed in a butter, garlic, and olive oil sauce. It comes with two triangles of garlic bread. This is absolutely the Pin Pals favorite dish at Georgio’s. Nancy took half her meal home in a doggie bag, but it was for her, not Rosie.
The menu is limited, but everything we have had has been delicious. Try it, you’ll like it.
The price for our Italian lunch was $50.36, proving to Nancy “size doesn’t matter,” priceless…
Jim’s take: My pizza and salad combo were delicious, and just the right amount for lunch.
Nancy’s take: Loved the bruschetta, but I prefer a bigger “pizza”…
Dining Duo Correction: In our last article on Checkers II in Union, we mistakenly said it was not handicap accessible due to only street parking. A loyal reader informed us that they do offer additional parking in the rear that includes handicap parking and a ramp for easy access.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com
