Eats - Edelweiss in Norridge, IL

[AHTOXA]

Edelweiss Restaurant and bar

Food - solid 5
Atmosphere - 5
Food selection - 4
Bar - 4
Cost of average meal - $18

The restaurant is located on Irving Park road between Cumberland and Harlem in Norridge. Norridge is a suburb just west of the northern part of Chicago.

You pull up and the parking lot itself is small. Valet parking is available on Fridays and Saturdays but I doubt any of us here would use that. Other parking is nearby and plenty of it if you can walk 5 minutes.

You open the heavy wooden door to walk in and you face the bar. The atmosphere is rather dark and being Friday evening you can hear German music playing immediately. The place is busy. There are a few families, some older folk and a few kids are running. They will take reservations in advance, and they are suggested on Friday and Saturday nights.

You would sit down in full view of the band that is dressed in Authentic German clothing, including dark shorts or pants with suspenders and a semi-ruffled white shirt. Shoes are in accordance with the costume. The waitress brings a menu of German and some American cuisine.

Food is prepared rather promptly but it does not look or taste pre-cooked. It also does not resemble the fancy layout of the upscale food joints downtown. Don't get me wrong, it looks great without overdoing it with fancy designs and other nonsense - it's just food and great food at that. The feeling of a home-cooked meal is reinforced. The New York strip I had there last time with baked potatoes was delicious.

The seating area itself is very nice as well. The darker finished wood, the lighting -- all is well placed and set.

If you wish so, you can always move to the bar or order anything from the restaurant. The bar is rather small, perhaps fits maybe 15 people. The bar tenders are skilled and drinks are well made, at least from what my friends tell me. I generally drink the beer there. Beer selection is worthy to be mentioned. It's not so much the quantity, rather than quality. You will not see people there drinking Miller or Bud. No offense to those that do, but German beer is far superior and there is plenty of such on tap. If you are a fan of German brew - it's a great place to visit for a Friday night. It's rather quiet and two tables near the bar make it an ideal place to sit with a few friends and catch up with the week. Of course, the jukebox is always there along with a number of TVs if you just wish to sit down and watch the box for a little bit when conversing with friends does not float your boat on that particular evening.

[Caramel]

wtf's up with all the reviews now

[.insane]

great food