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.
We always appreciate recommendations from our loyal readers. We recently received a letter from Michael telling us about one of his favorite Mexican restaurants, Cheo’s House Mexican Family Restaurant in Bartlett. Since we had a taste for Mexican food, off we went.
Cheo’s House Mexican Family Restaurant
161 E. Lake Street
Bartlett 60103
(630)372-0977
www.cheoshouse.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 South to I-90 East to Rte. 59, South to Rte. 20, East to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 30 minutes
Since Michael even gave us directions and travel time, we didn’t even need our GPS. He indicated that the shopping center looks like it’s seen better days, but we’ve been to worse. Such was not the case when we walked into Cheo’s. It is nicely decorated with murals on the walls and Mexican tchotchke. The restaurant has eight booths and approximately 12 tables of various sizes. The owners took pains with keeping the restaurant spotlessly clean.
A very nice waitress poked her head out from the back and told us to sit anywhere we’d like. When she came up to our table, she brought menus and her arms were laden down with chips and various condiments. The basket of homemade chips was warm. She brought us two salsas, one red (hot) and one green (mild). She also gave us pickled veggies and Pico de Gallo, all of which was complimentary. Nancy tried the red salsa and steam started coming out of her ears and she drank half a glass of water. Since she is a glutton for punishment, she kept on going back for more. I loved the Pico de Gallo and emptied the bowl.
While we were munching on all the goodies, we studied the HUGE menu. To get a taste of this restaurant we both decided to try their combination entrees. Jim tried the Combinacion de Enchiladas ($12.99). This combination contained one cheese, one chicken, and one steak enchilada smothered with the sauce of your choice: mole, green, tomato, or guajillo pepper sauce all covered with melted cheese. He chose something different, the Guajillo Pepper Sauce. His meal was served with refried beans, Mexican rice, and a salad on the side. The chicken and steak enchiladas were delicious, but the cheese enchilada could have used more cheese. There were a couple of special touches on the plate that he had never had before. The refried beans came in a crunchy tortilla cup and the side salad had Pico de Gallo over the salad and it was topped with avocado slices and was drizzled with crème fresh. With the exception of the cheese enchilada, this was truly a delicious treat.
Nancy was in the mood for trying something different. She went with the Combinacion al Gusto ($17.99). With this you get to pick three items from eight choices and she chose the Shredded Steak Quesadilla, the Chile Relleno, and the Shredded Beef Tostada. This was served with rice and refried beans and she nixed the beans for more rice. The tostada was excellent, but the other two items needed improvements. The quesadilla was made in a tiny corn tortilla shaped like a taco shell, not the flour tortillas that we all are accustomed to. The chile relleno was a very, very small pepper which was sorely lacking in cheese. Michael told us in his letter what was good, but of course, Nancy had to try something different…
FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.
Cheo’s has a lot of nice touches that you normally don’t see. The food was good, but next time we won’t get the combination entrees. On the plus side, our waitress was the nicest and most attentive person you could ask for.
The price for dinner at “Cheo’s House” was $36.09. Hearing about a new restaurant from Michael, priceless…
Jim’s take: The guajillo pepper sauce was different and delicious, but be careful; it stains everything it touches including your lips.
Nancy’s take: Next time I’m going with the fajitas.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com
