I'm sitting here watching a cooking show and monkfish being served reminded me of taking my sons to some serious restaurants we took my then young sons to. And then I remembered only going to one restaurant not named Ponderosa, Red Lobster or the local soul food place Queen of the Sea.

My parents and most servers never could understand how my then young sons had such broad tastes. They joyously ate stuff I never had until I was an adult.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

There was this supper club in Green Bay called the Rock Garden that my moms parents would always take me and my brother.

Toast points and liver pate out the wazoo. A salad bar with chilled plates, chicken gizzards and jello salad. And of course all the Brandy Alexanders you could stomach. Extremely chill vibe. Very much miss that place

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Rusty Pelican was our fancy restaurant I think.

Couldn't really afford "fancy" when I was a kid but went to a few local spots that were always good.

Mine was a place called the Pinnacle. A rotating restaurant atop what I think is the W hotel now. I couldn't tell you if it was good as a nine year old thought it was.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

My daughter would always order salmon when she was a little tyke. The look the servers gave her when she would order the cedar plank one at Uptown Grill over in Peru always brought a smile to my face as did my parents shock. I mean, salmon is nothing special but I guess the average kids are more like my boys and want hamburgers and stuff. Beyond vacations we didn't go to many fancy places for dinner growing up. Carson's would probably be about as nice as it got and on par with that would of been the Rib House in Geneva. Apparently my brother and I liked ribs. We've tried to get our kids to be more adventurous than we were when we were young and insist on them trying the "weird" stuff we order when out as a family on vacation. I figure they will grow into the other stuff eventually if we keep exposing them to o it.

Same exact scenario here, Squirrel ! Went to the Uptown for a family gathering. Our son was smaller and he ordered the salmon. My sister said "I had Salmon for the first time about 5 years ago". We had servers tell us a few times "Your kids are very adventurous eaters." Loved it.

The place our family would go on special occasions such as graduations was Horwath's on Harlem near North in Elmwood Park (which is gone now).

I didn't really like it since it was usually a three-hour affair and the food was too fancy for me at the time.

A nice place that I actually liked to go to was this German restaurant in Elgin called Dieterle's (also gone now).

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Funny how most of us were and are in the same boat. All kinds of oysters, octopus and soft shell crab getting devoured by my kids was always a surprise for others. None of which I had until my mid twenties. Hell, shrimp was a rarity for me as a child. But it was always important for my kids to be exposed and more importantly order with confidence and good manners.

I think it paid off.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

More of a Mack's fan. I can't recall Dieterle's.. Having memories of fine dining in the Fox Valley are now. Mill Race inn and Genevea on the Fox.. Trying to think of what other places I took my future wife too when we were first dating for special dates that I couldn't afford but did anyways.

I ca't get my kids to eat oysters. Got them to eat calamari as I could get my wife to eat that (She introduced it to me at Tom's in Melrose when we had been dating for year or two. Guess it was one of her Dad's favorite places. Getting my wife to eat octopus was a stretch but she did it.

Shrimp was my first seafood and I remember my Dad giving me grouper and oyster when we went to Hilton Head in 86 maybe and liking it. But did't really love it until I had a low country boil that had oysters on top about 10 years ago and now I get them more often. Good stuff. But yeah, I've always been an order what you want and order it yourself kind of parent. I don't care if you order it and hate it, I'll eat it eventually.

The Uptown is great, so are the owners, love going there.

Only thing is Uptown is in La Salle.

One of our family's special occasion places was called Country Inn, at the NW corner of Dundee and the Edens (technically Skokie Highway, north of Barnaby's). It was a British theme, independent place that looked to be a converted large house, so lots of smaller dining rooms with 4-6 tables. Prime rib was a big draw, with Yorkshire Pudding and au gratin potatoes. Steaks, chicken, etc. They closed right around 1980, and my dad was heartbroken.

The other place for larger family gatherings with my dad's brothers and our families was Fountain Blue, which I think existed in banquets only form well into the 2010s. Spinning relish tray with stuff like chicken livers and crudites, a solid avgolemeno, shrimp de jonge and scampi, steaks and chops and lobster tails. They did a serious three martini business lunch trade. We had our Sunday before Christmas family dinner for my father's side of the family there for about a decade, and nobody cared if the teenagers and college-aged amongst us would go hang out in the banquet foyer after dinner and argue about which woman at whatever corporate holiday party was going on was the most attractive, or whether Dallas Green could make something of the Cubs.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

Can never remember which town it’s in.

Seconded about the Uptown. When one of my cousins was working a nights and weekends shift in Peoria, we would meet a couple of times a year at Uptown for a weeknight dinner on his off day. Great food. Oddly I wasn't as much of a fan of Seven for some reason.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

I was crushed when Phil Shmidt's in Indiana closed, leaving k without shrimp deJonghe. And then I learned how to manage it's sibling, New Orleans BBQ shrimp.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Not SS shitposting here…

I loved Applebee’s when I was a kid. I vividly remember arguing with an older cousin when I was 8 or 9 about how great the popcorn shrimp basket was.

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Not shit posting at all. I recall being crushed when a chain called JoJo's went under when I was about 10. Nothing special, but had a lot of purple and chrome in a 70s kind of way which to me seemed cool.

Years later, I ended up at the last remaining JoJo's in Evansville, Indiana. It was kind of a dump, but it was Evansville so it was fine.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

I think Seven burned up and reopened as something else. Or maybe that was a different restaurant in Peoria Heights. They had a good lamb dish the time I was there. June over there was interesting early on but was never going to last. Edge is over there now and the chef seems like a nice guy the few times I've chatted with him. My wife and I would drive down to Peoria a couple times a month a few years back and hit the nicer places down there for date nights. Kind of miss those days. Was driving through there the other days after picking up some barbecue from a place and saw that most of the establishments I had been to had been replaced with new places.

Yeah, Seven did burn up. Seemed odd that they had a new business concept ready to go immediately.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

For breakfast, Wags on Harlem near Addison and Dappers on Cumberland were my favorites. Used to get Mickey Mouse pancakes at both places as a special order.

Had a once-a-month Tuesday night dinner with my Aunt at Ground Round. Can't remember the food being anything special but a lot of great memories.

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That would never happen in the restaurant business.

Hell I liked the Ponderosa and remember my dad taking two bucks I'd earned mopping floors because I wanted mushrooms. And then remarked that I better get a good job because I "had expensive tastes"

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

I'll keep it real- I loved Ponderosa as a kid. The desert bar was DA BOMB for a 10-year old DAC.

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Lay off that whiskey and let that cocaine be.

We had our rehearsal dinner at 7. Went to Edge once, it was nice . One of the Chefs there is heading up the Sankoty resort restaurant.

Hickory Pit and this place on 26th and wallace across from original Connies. Both Mob places.

edit: just remembered the name,Mr Christophers

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

I went to the Texas Roadhouse once as a 10yr old.

It was rare to go out to eat, and even rarer when we were allowed to order off something other than the kids or apps menu.

Anyway, we get there and I’m told to order a steak. It was amazing. I thought that place was the pinnacle of steakhouses.

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owners/servers love when you order oysters. they add $3 dish bucks a piece to a bill and don't fill you up.



My unit of 4, my parents, and aunt and uncle went out to dinner a few years ago. The elders wanted to pay...until my daughter ordered a $45 steak. You could see my uncle's eyes flicker and he stressed the whole time until my daughter ate every bite except for 2 pieces of fat. Her last bite he said I'll be damned she ate the whole thing and her sides and asked about her hollow leg. It was a huge victory. We now call her the ol' 96er. I prayed a little during that meal. Kids are funny.

My daughter loves chain restaurants. I love the fries at steakhouse chains mostly outback.

We rarely went out to eat when I was a kid we didn't have a lot of money. My mom would order a Drambuie after dinner and extend the evening by a half hour. I get it now but I hated it then. I stressed about prices once when I was a kid and my dad said there is a $3 price difference if you stress about that we should stay home. It stuck with me and I passed that on to my husband.

My parents had the exact same reaction at a graduation dinner with my then 10 year old. Oddly my wife and I ordered a basic steak au poivre and roasted chicken to offset it. But then I made caiprinahas for us at home while the kids slept iirc.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.