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 My Sun Day News.
It’s that time of year again, when a trip to our ophthalmologist is necessary. My arms weren’t long enough for me to read a book. Jim’s eyes are so bad (How bad are they?), when he went to take Rosie for a walk, he put her harness on backwards and couldn’t figure out why she only had one eye! After our examinations, we hurried off to get our new frames and lenses. Sparing no expense, we went to Sam’s Club. All of this activity worked up quite an appetite so we decided to stop at a nearby restaurant called Around the Clock Restaurant and Bakery in Crystal Lake.
Around the Clock Restaurant & Bakery
5011 Northwest Highway
Crystal Lake 60014
(815) 459-2100
aroundtheclockrestaurant.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 North to Algonquin Road, East to Randall Road (this turns into Rakow), North to Pyott Road, West to Northwest Highway East to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 29 minutes
We had to drive “around” the Around the Clock Restaurant’s parking lot before we found a parking spot. Looks can be deceiving, and this restaurant is much bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. When you walk in your eyes are immediately drawn to their bakery counter. You start thinking of dessert before you’re even seated. You ask yourself, “Self, should I have the strawberry whip cream pie or the Dutch apple pie?” Everything looked delicious.
They have an extensive menu with breakfast items (served “around the clock”), stir-fry’s, sandwiches, salads, and complete dinner offerings with several daily specials.
Today, Nancy felt adventuresome and went with the Philly Beef Sandwich ($14.45). This was sliced roast beef with grilled onions, red and green peppers, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese on a French roll, au jus served on the side. (I nixed the mushrooms since I like fun guys, but not funghi (old joke, sorry…). You can “deluxe” any sandwich for a $2.95 upcharge, and that’s exactly what Nancy did. Making it deluxe comes with your choice of potato, onion rings, or fruit, and a cup of soup. For an extra dollar Nancy went with a bowl of their French Onion soup and wanted the ooey gooey mozzarella on top for 0.99 more. The croutons in the soup made it even better. This is now her favorite place for French onion soup. The Philly steak sandwich was also awesome, even their fries were not coated with cornstarch, as is the trend now in most restaurants, and were delicious.
Jim had a taste for breakfast, but he also wanted the French onion soup. I looked at him and said, “What’s wrong with you? You can’t have soup for breakfast. No soup for you!!!” He begrudgingly decided on the French Connection ($13.49) which was two eggs, two sausage links, two strips of bacon, and two triangles of French toast. He enjoyed his breakfast, even though I wouldn’t let him have soup. It seems to us that lunch and dinner is the way to go at this restaurant.
Around the Clock will remind you of your favorite neighborhood family restaurant. They offer good food and good prices to match.
FYI: This restaurant is NOT open 24/7. It is handicap accessible, and you can even order their bakery items online.
The price for our breakfast/lunch was $43.73. No soup for Jim, bummer…
Jim’s take: It took all of my will power not to order something from the bakery case.
Nancy’s take: I wanted dessert so bad since everything in the bakery section looked wonderful. Unfortunately, I had to take half my sandwich home in a doggie bag, plus I was too full from picking the baked cheese from the side of my soup bowl.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com.
