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.
Our process for choosing restaurants to review is very complex. We see ads on Facebook, we receive recommendations from our loyal readers, and we google like crazy. But when all is said and done, the restaurant is decided by whatever Jim and I have a taste for. Jim has been whining for days wanting to go to a place for breakfast food. I spotted on Facebook a café in McHenry that serves breakfast and lunch, so off we went to Kim and Patty’s Café.
Kim and Patty’s Café
731 Ridgeview Drive
McHenry 60050
(815)344-5262
kimandpattyscafe.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 North to Rte. 176 East, North to Bull Valley Road, East to Ridgeview Drive, South to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 35 minutes
We followed our GPS and thought it was wrong when it led us to an industrial complex. We parked our car and were surprised to find a flight of stairs leading to the entrance. They do have a handicap ramp in the middle of the industrial building parking lot, so technically it is handicap accessible.
Walking in we noticed a sign telling us to seat ourselves, so we did. We were impressed when we noticed the ceiling had flags hanging from it and the walls were covered with over 350 pictures of military and first responders.
After we sat down, we checked out their menu. As usual, Jim was starving and wanted to try everything, but I held him back. He was trying to decide between two menu items. He was intrigued with the Stuffed Potato Pancake or a special called the Southwest Chorizo Chile Relleno. Since we have had a number of bad experiences in the past concerning potato pancakes, we asked the waitress about theirs. He wanted to know if they were real old fashioned potato pancakes or are they like most restaurants now, basically shredded potatoes. She assured him they were the real deal, so because of this he chose the Stuffed Potato Pancake ($15.95). This was two potato pancakes stuffed with scrambled eggs, diced ham, cheddar cheese, and served with sour cream or applesauce on the side. To his dismay, these potato pancakes turned out to be shredded potatoes formed into a pancake. The inside was stuffed with a huge amount of scrambled eggs, ham, and cheese, but unfortunately the pancake contained a seasoning which we still can’t identify and the rest of the breakfast was over cooked and dried out.
Nancy went with their luncheon special of the week, namely Triple Play ($16.95). This was a scoop each of three homemade salads: egg, tuna, and chicken, served on mixed greens, red onions, cucumbers, black olives, and tomatoes. She went with the homemade ranch dressing. They were generous with their scoops, but the tuna and egg salads were just that, tuna and egg and no onion or celery to season it up. Bland, bland, bland. The chicken salad was tasty with the cranberries, pecans, and apples to give it flavor.
FYI: Again, in case you didn’t see it in the article, this restaurant is handicap accessible, but you have to look carefully for the ramp in the middle of the parking lot.
Jim is still looking for a good breakfast venue. Kim and Patty’s portions were generous, but the food was disappointing.
The price for our breakfast in an industrial complex was $42.65. Getting phony potato pancakes, bummer…
Jim’s take: I had high hopes for my breakfast, but was totally disappointed.
Nancy’s take: My Triple Play turned out to be a single play. Only the chicken salad was a hit.
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at: thediningduo@gmail.com.
