Yeah, you guessed it, Crosstown Pub is named for that famous Chicago rivalry between the White Sox and the Cubs.
Wings. Brews. Rivalry. Says so right over the front door.
“Growing up, one of the first games my dad took me to was the crosstown game at Comiskey Park in 1983,” said Crosstown Pub owner and Joliet native Jim Nichols. “I was 10 years old, and my dad worked at Caterpillar, so he was very blue-collar. It was one of my most memorable experiences. I was so impressed that our city had both baseball teams. I didn’t know who to root for, but I knew I had to choose.”
Nichols chose wisely. He roots for the White Sox.
“Eat the wings, feel the rivalry,” is Crosstown Pub’s motto. Nichols of St. Charles owns two gastropubs, in Naperville since 2007 and Batavia since 2015.
Nichols and his dad used to cook a lot.
“I got that passion from him,” Nichols said of his father, who died in 2000.
Seven years later, Nichols escaped the corporate world to turn his cooking hobby into a career.
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“I had no formal training. But I knew I had to go after it. I bought the Naperville building. I figured, if I can’t do it, someone else will, and I’ll be a landlord,” he said.
Nichols said he’s lucky to create a menu his way.
“I’m most proud of the Chicago-style wing. They’re breaded, and we take them out while they’re still cooking and toss them in seasoning. So you get the crunch and because we brine them overnight, you get the moistness of the chicken. It cooks inside out. It took me six months to get it right.”
Nichols is also proud of the 18-inch pretzel appetizer; jambalaya; burgers made with a blend of three different meats including certified Angus grass-fed beef; and the rattlesnake bites.
“My family has a ranch in Nevada and one of the things cowboys eat is rattlesnake. My version uses chicken wrapped in cheddar cheese and bacon and deep fried. If I took it off the menu, I’d be hunted!”
Nichols bottles his own eight sauces under the Arrogant Jimz label, a name he picked up because someone told him at a tasting event that he looked arrogant.
“I thought about it, and you’ve got to be arrogant to bottle your own sauce!” he said.
Each bottle label features a photo of Nichols, in the style of the Newman’s Own brand, which features a cartoon of the late actor Paul Newman on each product. For his image on Arrogant Jimz Shut Up Sauce, a whiskey barbecue, Nichols’ mouth is taped shut. On El Jimador, a garlic serrano pepper sauce, Nichols sprouts bull horns.
With other unusual offerings such as deviled eggs, pig skins and Pig Me (braised pork belly street tacos with roasted jalapeno slaw), Nichols said he’s just making food he’d like to eat when he goes out.
“Dishes that begin as signature dishes that I tried as specials throughout the years that have gone mainstream. Specials that work make it on the menu.”
Pricing: Wings from $8 for Buff-A-Lopes to $12 for The Wings. Crocks from $4 for Soup ‘O Day to $6 for Maker’s Mac. Sammiches from $10 for Bleacher Bum to $12 for Schmacon Me Crazy. Steak Burgers from $10 for Black Sox to $14 for 100 Year Curse. Bigs from $11 for Pepe’s New Suit to $15 for Steak Voodoo Fajitas. Flats from $9 for Goody to $15 for Floating Taco Parade. Smalls from $8 for Devil’s Eggs to $13 for Papi’s Fritas. Greens from $9 for Spartacus to $12 for Chop This! Kids’ Menu from $5 for Junior Grilled Cheese to $6 for Chicken Halos. Gluten Free (Batavia only) from $7 for Fresh Cheese Cubes to $13 for Viking Wings.
Hours: Batavia and Naperville: 11-1 a.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday.
Crosstown Pub is at 1890 Mill St. in Batavia, and 909 E. Ogden Ave. in Naperville Contact 630-406-0669 in Batavia and 630-357-9775 in Naperville or go to crosstownpub-grill.com.
Shonda Talerico Dudlicek is a freelance writer.