From one extreme to another

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.

The holidays are finally over. Thank goodness the family gatherings are done for another year. All that is left is memories of the spirited dinner table discussions and thoughts of all the wonderful gifts. In all fairness, we should talk, since Rosie has an overflowing toy box already, we wrapped up her dog treats and told her Santa brought them. The best gift we received was a solid glass paperweight with a real crab encased inside. Needless to say, we decided to join the pajama clad, over caffeinated, exhausted people during the after Christmas rush and return this magnificent gift from whence it came and possibly get something else in exchange. To keep our strength up for this endeavor, we Googled restaurants in the Schaumburg area and found something interesting. This family-owned restaurant is JoJo’s Diner.

If you lived in this area, you may remember this site as the Old Bridge Restaurant. New owners took it over approximately 13 years ago and totally revamped the inside. The décor was bright and cheery. There is a lot more room on the inside than you would expect. They have counter service, booths, and tables too numerous to count.

When we were seated at our table, we began looking over their very large and creative menu. After all the heavy holiday eating, Nancy spotted something on the “Mini Specials” menu that caught her eye. They offer a half sandwich and a cup of soup for $10.25. She chose

the chicken noodle soup and, wait for it, the ever-exciting Turkey Club sandwich. The soup was delicious and her sandwich was the perfect size for a lite lunch. Most of the time, if she has a whole club sandwich with fries, she takes half of it home anyway, and the toasted bread gets soggy and the lettuce wilts from the mayo. So, this was the perfect size for her.

Now we go from “one extreme to another.” Jim’s stomach evidently was still on holiday mode when he saw JoJo’s Signature Dish which was the Homestyle Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Lumberjack Combo ($18.75). This monstrosity consisted of three pieces of homestyle cinnamon swirl French toast, two eggs, two slices of bacon, two sausage links, sliced ham off the bone, hashbrowns, and a partridge in a pear tree. His plate was overflowing when it arrived. The French toast was not overly sweet, but clearly the star of the dish was the quarter inch thick ham slice that they grilled to perfection. Even the bacon was thick sliced. Believe it or not, he ate everything. It was not a pretty sight, and not a crumb was left. I don’t know how he does it and stays so slim. I hate him!!!

This was a good start to the New Year. The servers were friendly and made you feel at home. Our waitress found out we lived in Del Webb and was interested in moving there, so we had a lot of questions bounced off us about everything it has to offer. We can’t wait for our commission check! This restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, and it is probably Schaumburg’s best kept secret.

FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.

The price for starting off the New Year was $36.12, watching Jim eat himself into a food coma, priceless…

Jim’s take: In my defense, Nancy ate all of her meal too, so there!!!

Nancy’s take: He’s mature!!! That “Mini Specials Menu” has the perfect sized portions for us women.

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

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