You are so lucky. You get to go to the Driver Services facility on Elston Avenue.
And the Vehicle Emissions Testing site in Naperville? We are so jealous.
No, we’re not being cheeky. We’re serious. Sure, that drivers’ facility may not be bliss itself, but there is a silver lining — a restaurant that serves up rich Hungarian goulash rolled up in a potato pancake and loaded with sour cream. And the vehicle emissions site in Naperville is a great excuse to tuck into a juicy 10-ounce burger and fried calamari at Jimmy’s Charhouse.
Got an errand as fun as a migraine? Take a few aspirin, grab this At Play guide and make an afternoon of it:
City
Driver Services facility, Chicago North, 5401 N. Elston Ave.
The silver lining: Smak-Tak Restaurant
5961 N. Elston Ave.; 773-763-1123, smaktak.com
The appeal: After you’ve failed your driving test for the seventh time, there’s nothing like the welcoming arms of Smak-Tak’s Hungarian goulash folded into a thick crispy potato pancake and lovingly topped with lots of sour cream. This homey but top-flight Polish eatery also serves excellent pierogi, breaded cutlets and hunters stew ($5.99-$10.99). Even if you have only been subjected to long, slow lines at the Driver Services Facility, this warm, relaxed and friendly gem makes heading to the far Northwest Side a real pleasure. — Monica Eng
Swedish Covenant Hospital, 5145 N. California Ave.
The silver lining: Tre Kronor Restaurant
3258 W. Foster Ave.; 773-267-9888
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The appeal: Great coffee, cheery servers, cozy warmth and top-notch Scandinavian comfort food makes this a treat to look forward to before or after a visit to the hospital. Try their delicious house-made pastries, Swedish pancakes ($4.95) and omelets at breakfast or the excellent takes on Nordic fare at dinner. We like the rich onion soup, toothsome pickled herring, pork loin and salmon. But don’t forget to save room for crackly creme brulee, rich rice pudding or cool blueberry soup. — Monica Eng
U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES, 101 W. Congress Pkwy.
The silver lining: ORANGE ON HARRISON
75 W. Harrison St.; 312-447-1000
The appeal: Or a-peel, shall we say? This cheerful brunch spot, whose Lakeview location is mobbed every weekend, serves up creative, moderately priced twists on the usual suspects. Omelets come stuffed with ingredients like ginger and chicken. Eggs are scrambled with pesto and mozzarella. French toast is infused with chai. Daily specials include an ever-changing flight of pancakes (the day we went, they were inspired by cookies) and frushi (fruit sushi, d’uh!). We enjoyed Omelet No. 4 ($8.95), a mega-burrito-sized sweet and savory three-egg omelet packed with roasted ham, caramelized pineapple, Swiss cheese and sprinkled with toasted coconut. Also worth a try were the yummy Jelly Doughnut Pancakes ($7.95), two platter-sized buttermilk pancakes layered with a not-overly-sweet blueberry jelly and topped with sugar crystals and citrus butter. Also nice were the house potatoes.
— Trine Tsouderos
McCORMICK PLACE, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive
The silver lining: TRIAD SUSHI LOUNGE
1933 S. Indiana Ave.; 312-225-8833
The appeal: Conventioneers fill their days with whatever given subject about which they’ve chosen to convene. But what of any downtime in the developing South Loop? Triad Sushi Lounge serves up well-priced sushi — saba (mackerel) for $2, super white tuna for $4, kaki (oyster) for $2.50 — in a sleek, modern yet warm atmosphere. It’s possible to extend your fun by sticking around after dinner too: This spot touts karaoke in the lounge on most nights.
— Fauzia Arain
COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTS BUILDING, 2650 S. California Ave.
The silver lining: LA KERMES
3002 W. 26th St.; 773-523-1666
The appeal: It’s got tasty gorditas and strawberry licuados and a simple but lively atmosphere — ranchero music bounces from the jukebox pretty steadily — which is a nice change from the goings-on in the courthouse and jail located a few blocks away. Much of the chatter may be Spanish, but the picture-heavy menu should make communication relatively easy. You can get breakfast (maybe eggs scrambled with tomatoes, onions and chiles) any time of the day. Feel a ceviche hankering coming on? They got ’em. There are also fish soups, mole-sauced meats and plump avocado-garnished sandwiches called tortas (about $4, depending on filling). A favorite, gordita ($2.50), is a two-fisted feast starring a plump circle of cornmeal dough (masa) that’s grilled then split and stuffed with your choice of meats, cheese, etc. Chase it all with a tall licuado ($2.25), a blended fruit-and-milk drink liberally dusted with cinnamon. When you’re done eating, note your table number then head to the cashier, tell them your number and they’ll ring up your bill.
— Judy Hevrdejs
NORTH/NORTHWEST
DONALD E. STEPHENS CONVENTION CENTER,
5555 N. River Rd., Rosemont
The silver lining: COLETTE
5550 N. River Rd., Rosemont; 847-678-4488
The appeal: Located just a skybridge walk away from the convention center, this large, friendly French bistro in the Hotel Sofitel features excellent baguette, fine butter, cheese and charcuterie plates, goat cheese salads, onion soup, escargot, slightly puny but good steamed mussels and profiteroles ($7). Although you will pay typical conventioneer restaurant prices, it’s decidedly not standard conventioneer fare. Also, check out the adorable French toiletries in the gift shop.
— Monica Eng
CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY DISTRICT 3 — ROLLING MEADOWS, 2121 Euclid Ave., Rolling Meadows
The silver lining: ESSENCE OF EUROPE
1601 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights; 847-259-2644
The appeal: Essence of Europe is technically in the next town over, but this Polish grocer in Arlington Heights is a 2-minute drive from the county circuit court. In one corner is a hot deli, where you can pick up thick and crispy pork cutlets ($4.99 a pound), peppery beef goulash ($2.49 a pound), cheese or apple blintzes (79 cents each) and rumsztyki — a delectably moist meatloaf patty ($3.49 a pound).
— Monica Eng
DRIVER SERVICES FACILITY — SCHAUMBURG, 1227 E. Golf Rd.
The silver lining: HOUSE OF HUNAN
1233 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg; 847-605-1166
The appeal: There are many restaurants at nearby Woodfield Mall. But say you can’t drive to said restaurants, which is why you’re at the Driver Services facility in the first place. That leaves one option: House of Hunan, two doors down. The name says Hunan, but the cuisine is more Chinese-American with influences from all over: Ma Po Bean Curd ($7.50) is a spicy and pungent tofu dish from Szechuan, and Shark’s Fin Soup ($9.95) is popular in Hong Kong. There’s a lunch buffet daily ($7.95 Mon.-Sat.; $10.95 Sun. with crab legs and Peking duck).
— Kevin Pang
DRIVER SERVICES FACILITY — LIBERTYVILLE,
342 Peterson Rd.
The silver lining: WILDBERRY PANCAKES AND CAFE
1783 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville; 847-247-7777, www.wildberrycafe.com
The appeal: This bustling Lake County brunch spot is a stone’s throw from the infamous Libertyville DMV office implicated in the Operation Safe Road scandals that rocked Gov. George Ryan’s administration. No whiff of controversy here, though. Just elephantine portions of popular breakfast and lunch foods, many served with a little creative flair. We enjoyed the cranberry pecan pancakes ($7.50), crammed with Craisins and pecan bits. We also liked the mammoth spinach Cobb salad ($9.25), a serving bowl filled with baby spinach, avocado, bacon, cubes of grilled chicken, blue cheese, tomatoes and a hard-boiled egg topped with a pleasing tart and sweet creamy walnut vinaigrette. Service is friendly and efficient.
— Trine Tsouderos
CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, SECOND MUNICIPAL DISTRICT,
5600 Old Orchard Rd., Skokie
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The silver lining: BILLY BERK’S RESTAURANT AND PIANO BAR
3 Old Orchard Shopping Center, Skokie; 847-763-4600, www.billyberks.com
The appeal: Less than a mile from the courthouse, inside the Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Center, is this fun, casual-American restaurant, where the food arrives quickly and in gut-busting portions. The enormous menu has everything, from crabcakes and latkes to barbecued ribs, burgers and entree salads. Try the Bazoos, an agreeably gloppy mess of barbecued pork, caramelized onions and Cheddar cheese over crispy wontons ($6.99), or dig into the massive deli sandwiches of lean corned beef or not-so-lean pastrami ($8.99-$12.99). The menu lists a manifesto of Diner’s Rights (free cake “if we use the expression ‘Hey guys'”) called Berk’s Laws (and if you catch the reference to the Gene Barry TV drama “Burke’s Law,” you’re old).
— Phil Vettel
WEST
DUPAGE COUNTY JUDICIAL CENTER, 505 N. County Farm Rd., Wheaton
The silver lining:THE VERDICT FAMILY RESTAURANT
600 S. County Farm Rd., Wheaton; 630-871-0699
The appeal: The courthouse sits in a jungle of office building complexes and residential streets, but just down the block you’ll find the cleverly themed, family-owned restaurant The Verdict. With an extensive, mid-priced menu filled with diner fare (buttermilk pancakes for $5.29, or a Justice Burger — half-pound patty topped with melted blue cheese on rye bread — for $7.49) and classic Greek dishes (saganaki appetizer for $5.59, flaky, flavorful and large spinach pie entree for $8.49, or an overflowing, tasty gyros pita for $7.49), you can bring the whole jury over and please a variety of palates.
— Fauzia Arain
VEHICLE EMISSIONS TESTING STATION — NAPERVILLE, 435 Weston Ridge Drive
The silver lining: JIMMY’S CHARHOUSE
523 Fairway Drive, Naperville; 630-753-0400, www.jimmyscharhousenaperville.com
The appeal: So close to the emissions testing station that you could walk it, this casual chophouse is so spotlessly clean you’d never guess it was three years old. The interior is a low-lit expanse of exposed brick walls and iron balconies, festooned with antique objects and potted plants (doubtlessly silk). Beef is the specialty, but the rotisserie cranks out a pretty good wood-roasted chicken ($8.95), too, and 10- and 12-ounce burgers ($6.95-$8.95) will leave you little room for dessert. For starters, go for the calamari, a one-pound serving of lightly breaded, golden-brown and tender calamari rings ($7.95). It’s more than enough for two (or four, frankly).
— Phil Vettel
SOUTH/SOUTHWEST
DRIVER SERVICES FACILITY — MIDLOTHIAN, 14434 S. Pulaski Rd.
The silver lining: BARTOLINI’S
14420 S. Pulaski Rd., Midlothian; 708-396-2333, www.bartolinis.com
The appeal: Just a few doors down, Bartolini’s exudes a fun, kitsch-y neighborhood vibe that far outshines its strip-mall location. Inside, diners enjoy a cavernous bar and restaurant filled with arcade games and hearty, rib-sticking food. You can easily fill up on Italian beef and sausage, tons of pasta dishes, three different kinds of pizza (thin crust, deep dish and Sicilian). But save some room for Bartolini’s meatballs ($3.79 as a sandwich). These thick, juicy, tender mounds, served either in tomato sauce (red sauce) or gravy (brown sauce), have become so popular the restaurant started an eating contest last May. The winner, Mark Lyle of Columbus, Ohio, scarfed down 27 1/2 meatballs. Thankfully, the restaurant doubles as a banquet hall, so it can contain all those meatballs.
— Glenn Jeffers
SIXTH MUNICIPAL DISTRICT, CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, 16501 S. Kedzie Pkwy., Markham
The silver lining: SESI’S AFRICAN GROCERY
17545 S. Kedzie Ave., Hazel Crest; 708-206-0334
The appeal: One of the few African grocery stores in the area, Sesi’s is a south suburban destination for African, Caribbean and other ethnic foods. The sweet, pungent smell of plantains, melons and yams hits you the moment you walk into this strip-mall store. Customers can find such African staples as coconut milk, fufu flour and ground cassava. Sesi’s also sells other African wares like fabrics, shoes and clothing.
— Glenn Jeffers