Nice, kid-friendly but preferrably not-theme-chain-type restaurants in northern Lake County?

[eyesroll]

Hi, Illinois people...I'm meeting my parents for lunch on Saturday (early Mother's Day) -- any ideas? The party will include a four-year-old (who is capable of behaving in a restaurant but, as she is 4, still is prone to being loud and/or whiny).

I'm looking for something in the Kenosha-to-Gurnee range. Gurnee Mills seems to be all chains, which I would prefer to avoid. (Good, local chains are OK -- just nothing too Olive Garden-esque.) Ideas?

Thanks.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. no ideas at all.

very few nonchain restaurants around there these days.

[eyesroll]

2. Sigh. Thanks.

Are there any chain restaurants you can recommend over the others? (I specifically want to keep Kiddo out of anywhere with a souvenir shop or meals with licensed toys, or the Cheesecake Factory on general principle.)

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. Is Ray Radigan's (or is it Rattigan's?) still around?

I was on Sheridan Road, just over the state line in Kenosha. A nice, old place where the waitresses looked like they had worked there for about 50 years. Good food, as I recall.

[eyesroll]

4. It's still open, but from what I understand...it skews a bit stuffy.

Might be difficult for Kiddo to sit still there long enough. Hm. Maybe I'll just drive out to Buffalo Grove (where my parents live) and let them pick....(they can't come up here -- J's got an exam and studying and I promised him I'd keep everyone far away).

[Bjornsdotter]

5. Salutos

I've been there a few times, it's kid friendly and the food is good.

http://www.salutosofgurnee.com/

Cheers


Edit to add link of reviews http://travel.yahoo.com/p-reviews-2982469-prod-travelguide-action-read-ratings_and_reviews-i;_ylt=AtLNbxUjpbiKzPMnMIEoSfDpQWoL

[eyesroll]

8. Hm, that looks promising...

Thanks. I'll run that one by my mom.

[eyesroll]

13. Update: We ended up at Salutos! It was very good...thanks for the recommendation!

My parents enjoyed it, AND Kiddo ate an entire 8-inch cheese pizza by herself. Then she ran around Gurnee Mills for an hour and a half. I'm ready for sleep, but she's still bounding around....:D

[never cry wolf]

6. The Brat Stop?

:shrug: Oops, sorry, I had a flashback to 1973. They were very 18 year old Illinois kid friendly back then.

[eyesroll]

7. Heh....I'm pretty sure the Brat Stop isn't 60-year-old mom-friendly, though. :D

Last time I was there was about 10 years ago, though, so who knows....

[greatauntoftriplets]

9. I was at the Brat Stop maybe 5 or 6 years ago....

It's enormous but still not a Mother's Day destination.

[mopinko]

10. flatlanders brew pub?

on milwaukee in libertyville. good food, great beer, big place, laid back.
i don't have to worry about kid friendly any more, but most brew pubs are pretty good that way.

[eyesroll]

11. Hee...my sister used to work there.

It was pretty good, if I remember.

Libertyville is actually a tad farther than I'd like to go, unless I'm going all the way to my folks' house in Buffalo Grove. We're trying to meet in that middle third-of-the-way (if that makes sense).

[City Lights]

12. Stone Creek Grill in Winthrop Harbor. It's on Sheridan.

http://www.stonecreekgrill.net/

Great pizza, and Guinness on tap. :beer: Oh, and their Natural Cheddar Nuggets are to die for. :9

I also recommend Saluto's.

[Bridget Dooley]

14. Hi Stacey

Hey! I just saw this. Hope you're doing well.