Weekend Diversion: Night Of The Ponies
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This Friday night (parents, remember those?), with your cranky kid in tow, will you waste the evening pining over the date nights you wish you still had, or just go out anyway, dammit? When you opt for the latter, run to J. Alexander’s. This place is scrumptious food and considerate service in a chain restaurant’s clothing. Our family had a leisurely two-course meal in 40 minutes flat. We were home before our kid even began to whimper.
At 5:30 p.m. (aka "family happy hour") the dimly lit restaurant is packed. If you look closely, there are kids everywhere; with the restaurant buzz and the big, cushy booths sucking in sound, you can barely hear them. We were seated close to the front and not hidden in the back, a metaphor for how well J. Alexander’s treats families with small kids. We don’t just have a waiter, we have a wait staff: no fewer than four people took care of our table over the course of the night. Empty plates are taken away before our kid can swat them off the table, and the check appears instantly. Our glass was always full, nearly running over.
Our main waiter, nonplussed at our son chewing on the massive menu, quipped that the food actually tastes better than the paper it’s printed on. He was right. We ordered a piquant Caesar salad ($5), fresh and authentic down to a whiff of anchovies in the dressing. We paired this with a grilled salmon sandwich and macaroni and cheese ($14). The salmon, grill-seasoned and flavorful without being fishy, was inhaled. The macaroni and cheese put the boxed type to shame. The cheese, rich and smoky, nestled the pasta and bacon crumbled under a bread crumb crust.
What’s better than a restaurant that serves good food quickly? How about a bathroom that houses the Cadillac of changing tables? Chromed and sleek, you almost convince yourself that diaper duty is classy. Parents of Chicago: take back your Friday nights! When you do, head out to J. Alexander’s. Located at 1832 N. Clybourn Ave., 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. - 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Thanks, Elizabeth.
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So what did your kids eat? Do they have a kid's menu? We do Fernando's up on Lincoln just south of Addison a lot. Best on weekdays between 5:30 - 6:30. Kids love cheese dip and we love a margarita (or two). Mexican food is relatively cheap, the booze is not.
Putting aside the question of whether or not J. Alexanders is a good restaurant, isn't the J. Alexanders that is reviewed part of a restaurant chain?
I don't expect Chicagoist.com to review McDonalds or Wendys; why this one then?
Thanks for the review. I don't typically love J Alexanders, but I'm not that picky when dragging along my 11 month old for meals.
The location in Deerfield isn't one to recommend.
Tough overcooked prime rib & a waitstaff that rushes you through the meal.
Glad you had a better experience in the city.
I didn't know a Caesar salad could be "authentic." Isn't that kind of like saying a hamburger is authentic because it was made with ground beef?
Anyway, J. Alexanders can be an ok place, but the food is certainly not much better than what you would get in the slightly less expensive chains like Chili's, Applebees, and TGIFridays. The problem with J. Alexanders is that the management staffs the restaurants with pretty-yet-not-always-competent servers whom they must bully into pimping appetizers and booze regardless of how many times the customer declines.
We usually eat at independent restaurants too but the J. Alexanders on Clybourn is one of those "I don't want to think of where to go tonight lets just go there" type of places. It has a pretty good atmosphere and I've always had good food there, quite a grade or two higher than Chilis. Now come on.
Of course Dunlays on the Square is similar and closer now so we usually go there instead.
J. Alexander's and Dunlays on the Square are both great kid-friendly cloth-white-napkin burger places. Love 'em both. My toddler loves J. Alexander's macaroni and cheese (I think he'd love spinach pie, if we called it macaroni and cheese).
But to get to Bill V's question, no, I don't think they have a separate kid's menu, but they do have a small number of side dishes (like mac and cheese) that might be a kid's serving's worth, depending on the age of the kid.
let's not lump dunlay's on the square in with these chains. it's far and away superior! try their brunch if you get a chance. the oatmeal pancakes and cheese potatoes are awesome.