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.
Our son and his family were coming to visit us from Florida for the Fourth of July holiday. This traditionally is a day of parades, fireworks, and barbeques. In anticipation of this, we travelled to that well known sausage and butcher shop in Elburn. Now to stock up on hot dogs, bratwursts, and thuringers. The trick is to stop Jim from buying a shopping cart full of beef jerky and salami sticks. I have to admit, they have the best pre-cooked pork schnitzel you have ever tasted and we usually buy out the display. This shopping spree worked up quite an appetite for us. We decided to check out a nearby breakfast/lunch café that we heard about on social media that was only ten minutes away. Off we went to the Sugar Grove Café in, where else, Sugar Grove.
Sugar Grove Café
1942 US-30
Sugar Grove 60554
(630)277-8380
No Website
Directions: Take Rte. 47 South to US-30, Right to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 47 minutes
The restaurant is a huge stand-alone venue in a field right across from a small local airfield. We were greeted by a friendly waitress who sat us at our table. She seemed to know all of the other patrons, even to the point of bringing out a customer’s bowl of soup before he even ordered it. Either she has ESP or that customer is very predictable…
After being around all those sausages and schnitzel, Jim wanted breakfast in the “wurst” way. He decided on the German Benedict ($12.95). This was two large potato pancakes topped with three poached eggs, bacon, and hollandaise sauce. He chose hashbrowns for his side. Everything was cooked perfectly and the star of the entrée was the “hollandaise” sauce. He has never had hollandaise sauce like that. It seemed more like a cheese sauce. Whatever it was, it was awesome, better than the traditional hollandaise sauce we all know and love. He ate the whole thing and sat in his chair in a food induced coma.
When it comes to saving money, Nancy will admit she is a senior citizen. She decided on the Create Your Own Omelet ($14.95) under the “Breakfast for Seniors” section of the menu. She was entitled to four ingredients and she chose bacon, onion. jalapeno, and American cheese. For her sides, she chose potato pancakes with apple sauce and hash browns. She also got a free drink with the senior special, which saved her $3.25. The omelet was at best average and could have used more of the chosen ingredients. Next time she’ll spend the extra dollar and not get the senior special in hopes that they put more ingredients in the omelet. She fell in love with the potato pancakes. Their prices are reasonable, for example, (4) potato pancakes are $11.95 as opposed to the “Angel”ic restaurant that we walked out of where the price was $13.50 for four of them. Nancy took half her meal home in a doggie bag.
If you happen to go to that sausage shop in Elburn, be sure to give Sugar Grove Café a try. This is now on our itinerary. Like they always say, “Eat where the locals go.”
FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.
The price for breakfast after stocking up for the July 4 picnic was $35.23. More bang for your buck, priceless…Don’t ask what we spent at the sausage/butcher shop. Dining Duo Tip: Don’t go there while you are hungry.
Jim’s take: This breakfast combination was excellent. It is now my “regular” order whenever we go there.
Nancy’s take: These are now the best potato pancakes that I have had at a restaurant. They were seasoned to perfection.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com
