Culvers of Bourbonnais, IL

29 12 2008
  • 983 Convent St.
  • Bourbonnais, IL 60914
  • (815) 614-3638
  • Website
  • Menu
Culvers of Bourbonnais on Convent Street

Culvers of Bourbonnais on Convent Street

It’s always fun when you take people some place new.  J and I have been eating at Culvers for a few years and love the food..well, love it as far as fast food goes.  My family had only been to Culvers one other time when we lived in Morton, IL and they just got custard, so lunch was something new…and apparently confusing for them.

J and I were in Bradley because my brother wanted to take a family portrait for my mom for Christmas.  J and I couldn’t get back before Christmas so we did it the Saturday after.  The Sears portrait studio made a huge mistake and took a walk-in of 17 just before our scheduled 12:00 appointment.  It was 1:30 before we even got our pictures started and 2:30 before we got out of there.  By that time, everyone was starving.  Even though everyone was hungry, no one wanted to make a decision.  Everyone my mom asked, “What do you want to eat?” would reply “I don’t care.”  I don’t know what restaurants are in the Bradley/Bourbonnais/Kankakee area, so I left it up to them…even though no one wanted to make a decision.

Finally, someone said Culvers which has just opened within the last month.  My brother didn’t think it was a great idea because it has been packed since it opened.  I just got in the car and started driving.  I noticed it was being built when we were home for Thanksgiving so I knew where it was.  J and I were going to Culvers even if it was by ourselves at that point.  I just wanted food. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : bourbonnais, Burgers, Chains, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews

Brickstone Brewery – Bourbonnais, IL

5 10 2008
  • 557 William Latham Dr.
  • Bourbonnais, IL 60914
  • (815) 936-9277
  • Website
  • Menu
Brickstone Brewery on William Lathan Dr. in Bourbonnais, IL

Brickstone Brewery on William Lathan Dr. in Bourbonnais, IL

After a couple long days at the hospital, I needed some real food.  I grabbed my mom and we headed to Bourbonnais (home of the Chicago Bears training camp) for some grub.  Brickstone Brewery is still one of the hottest places in the Kankakee area.  We went to dinner on a Friday night knowing we could be heading into a wait.  You see, if you get there after 5:00 on a weekend, you will probably have a wait.  We got there about ten minutes before 5:00 and were lucky enough to get a table without a wait.

Brickstone is located where the former Greenbriar Restaurant used to be.  Brickstone is a total overhaul.  Having lived in a couple different cities over the last decade, I’ve gotten used to finding restaurants like this, but Kankakee has never seen any place like this.  Brickstone is a brew pub.  They brew their own brews, but they’re smart enough to have the domestic staples on hand.  In a place like Lansing, you could get away with just having your beers.  Not in Kankakee.  They’d be out of business if they tried that.

That night was also Game 2 of the ALDS featuring the Chicago White Sox.  When we were seated in the dining room, I made sure I sat where I could see one of the LCD TV’s in the corner.  Yes, they had TV’s in the dining room.  The interior design is, again, nothing like anything else in Kankakee.  It’s got the same feel as most brew pubs which is the exposed, dark woods.  We were seated at a booth along the wall.  We were pretty close to the bar, so there was a lot of noise from the game that carried over which was ok with me.  That way, I knew when to look up at the TV. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : bourbonnais, Burgers, Illinois, Kankakee, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews

Bull’s Pit Smoked BBQ – Kankakee, IL

25 08 2008
  • 125 W. Staion St.
  • Kankakee, IL 60901
  • (815) 932-2399
  • Website
  • Menu
Bulls Pit Smoked BBQ in Kankakee, IL

Bull's Pit Smoked BBQ in Kankakee, IL

Kankakee is the closest big town comapred to the tiny town of 750 people where I grew up.  People who live in that small town, work in the Kankakee/Bradley/Bourbonnais tri-city area and they do a majority of their shopping, entertaining and dining out there as well.  For the longest time, I had the same complaint about Kankakee that I did about Lansing.  There was no good barbecue joint.  That finally changed at the beginning of 2008.

A girl I went to high school with and her husband opened up the first BBQ joint in the area that I’m aware of.  They turned an old building near downtown Kankakee into a great Memphis style smokehouse.  I made my first trip to Bull’s just after it opened with my brother.  At that time, I had a few complaints, but loved the BBQ.  My girlfriend and I were heading from her parents in Chicago to mine south of Kankakee for a weekend of drinking and catching up with old friends.  Along the way, I wanted to stop and try Bull’s again to see if the little things I didn’t like had improved.

Like I said, Bull’s is located just off of downtown Kankakee.  Downtown has been run down for years and there’s not much there other than a bank, a liquor store, and a movie theater.  There’s a couple business along the main road, but nothing that you would make a destination.  Bull’s changes that.  The business is located in a pretty non-descript building on Station St.  There is a parking lot, but we found spot on the street in front of the store.  There’s just a sign out front that lets you know you’re in the right place…that is until you get out and smell the smoke.  Once inside, you have to make a left to get to the order counter.  The layout is a little wierd with two rooms downstairs.  One is the kitchen/order area.  The other is the dining room.  There are only a few tables, but there is a bar that runs the whole length of the room with pub stools.  It really gives the feel of a Southern BBQ lunch spot.  The staircase to go to the upstairs dining room is right as you enter the door.  It’s a massive feature and takes up and good portion of the building.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : BBQ, Big Ten Tour, Downtown, Illinois, Kankakee, Restaurant, Reviews