Shop until you drop on the day after Thanksgiving — and refuel at one of these spots. From door busters to day-after-only deals, let’s face it, time is limited on Black Friday. That pit stop better be worth it. Here are six of the best reasons to take a break from the post-holiday retail shuffle.
Garbage Salad at The Clubhouse, Oakbrook Center
The Clubhouse at Oakbrook Center has over nine refreshing entrée salads on the menu. The herb-encrusted salmon salad, the classic wedge salad and the pomegranate chicken salad are all lighter options, and none are anything like what you indulged in on Thanksgiving.
The Clubhouse Garbage Salad is a mix of grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, eggs, cheddar cheese, Roma tomatoes, artichoke hearts, green onion, green and black olives and, of course, the best of everything — bacon. All of this is topped with a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
“You’re getting a little bit of everything with the Garbage Salad,” Executive Chef Pawel Marszalek said. “You get crunch with the romaine lettuce and croutons and a big Mediterranean taste from the olives and artichoke hearts. I think that’s why so many people enjoy it — because you’re getting a lot of flavors and textures.”
Another popular salad at The Clubhouse is the carne asada cobb salad. It’s like a traditional cobb salad, with steak. “The steak gives it a lot of substance with a big Southwest flavor,” Marszalek said. “You have the chimichurri sauce which boosts that steak flavor and the tortilla strips give it a great crunch.”
Visit www.theclubhouse.com
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.Tortilla Soup at Wholly Frijoles, Lincolnwood Town Center
The tortilla soup at Wholly Fijoles near Lincolnwood Town Center is a light, flavorful pick-me-up. The soup is made with vegetable broth and roasted vegetables blended with corn tortilla strips. Every bowl of it gets a topping of herbal seasoning and a dollop of sour cream. It’s quite a departure from anything on the Thanksgiving table.
The house-made guacamole is another fresh, flavorful departure from anything you likely ate on Thanksgiving.
Visit www.WhollyFrijoles.net.
Lump Crab Tower at McCormick and Schmick’s, Westfield Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie
After spending a day tripped out on tryptophan, seafood can be the perfect day-after-Thanksgiving lunch option. Any of the fish entrees will do the trick at McCormick and Schmick’s at Westfield Old Orchard, but there’s nothing quite as flavorful and refreshing as the restaurant’s lump crab tower. It’s a stack of layered chunks of avocado, mango and then crab meat. The stack is accented with orange vinaigrette and topped with micron greens. The lump crab cake with fire-roasted corn salsa is another flavorful, light alternative. Save room for a key lime pie, which is a lighter option for satisfying a sweet tooth.
Visit www.McCormick and Schmicks.com.
Baja Fish Tacos at Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar, The Glen in Glenview
After you’ve shopped until you’ve almost dropped, recharge with appetizers at Flight Restaurant and Wine Bar at The Glen in Glenview. The popular diver sea scallops come on top of a little pile of rainbow Swiss chard sautéed with applewood smoked bacon, butternut squash and hazelnuts. A drizzle of bacon hazelnut vinaigrette accents the seared scallops.
If you’re looking for a bit of heartiness, order the scallops with the baby back ribs appetizer. The ribs are slow-cooked with a homemade dry rub using some of Chef Eyvar Montes’s favorite dry rub spices. He finishes the ribs on the grill and tosses them with a five-spice barbecue sauce. The ribs are plated with a side of spicy coleslaw.
Visit www.FlightWineBar.com.
Egg on a Biscuit at Arlen’s Chicken, downtown Evanston
If Thanksgiving breakfast was a granola bar you crammed in on the sly in between stuffing the turkey and boiling the potatoes, you’ve earned a decent day-after breakfast. Fuel up for Black Friday with an egg on a biscuit at the newly opened Arlen’s Chicken in downtown Evanston. The fried egg and cheddar sandwich is available all day. Stay true to the Arlen’s school and order it with some fried chicken.
“The egg adds a rich and delicious flavor to the sandwich, while the biscuit is there to soak up all the flavor,” Chef Michael Kornick said.
And it’s never too early in the day for a freshly made shake like Arlen’s peanut butter and toasted marshmallow varieties.
Visit www.facebook.com/arlenschicken
House-Made Meatballs at Coopers Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Burr Ridge Village Center
The house-made meatballs at Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants are a light but filling appetizer for refueling on Black Friday. The meatballs are smothered in tomato sauce and accented with a little whipped ricotta cheese, basil and extra virgin olive oil. They’re good homemade comfort food, but nothing like usual Thanksgiving fare. And if, by chance, you’re hungry for a heavier meal, the meatballs also come with the house spaghetti.
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