Have You Made Plans for Easter Brunch?

This Easter, celebrate at one of the many local restaurants hosting a holiday brunch.

LA Café Restoration Work is Underway

The grand re-opening of LA Café Restaurant won't happen in time for Christmas.

Fire may have destroyed LA Cafe, one of New Lenox's most beloved restaurants in January, but the business is eventually slated for a resurrection.  The Jan. 28 blaze started accidentally in the kitchen in the early morning hours on a Saturday. No one was hurt, but the business was forced to close. Marc Angel, owner of the popular Mexican restaurant, LA Café, had hoped to re-open next month, but plans have been pushed back to spring 2013. Still, he's excited about the restoration work that got underway last week by Phoenix Restoration Co., 195 Industry Ave., Frankfort. Steve Wolf, who is one of three partners at the restoration company, said he's moving full-steam ahead with the project that now encompasses the entire five-store strip along…

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JH Sweis Catering Adds Zesty Menu for Banquets at the American Legion

JH Sweis Catering brings 25 years of experience to the American Legion, while also catering corporate events, weddings and more.

Jan—she's the "J"—and Hayle—he's the "H"—are the main ingredients in JH Sweis Catering. Together the two have taken their 25 years of experience in the food industry and moved it into the newly remodeled Tom E. Hartung American Legion Post 1977, 14414 Ford Drive. They're the new in-house caterer for banquets held at the American Legion. They took an empty space and created a kitchen where dishes like Thai Green Curry Spoons (a grilled chicken dish served with bamboo shoots laced with coconut green curry sauce), custom pasta dinners and mini Caesar salad bites are prepared right along with a rib eye steak sandwich, a juicy hamburger and exquisite sweet trays. In other words, whether you're in the mood for an elegant entrée or a hearty meal…

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Man Travels Country to Make Portillos' Openings, Including New Lenox

La Grange resident Pete Robinson was at the Portillo's opening Tuesday in New Lenox, and he's been going to the restaurant's openings since the mid-1980s.

Crowds of well-wishers and hungry customers gathered for the grand opening of Portillo's Restaurant in New Lenox on Tuesday, including one man who's been going to openings for years. After the official ribbon cutting ceremony and welcome speeches, long-time fans of the restaurant made their way into the 7,800-square-foot facility and headed straight to the food order line. Pete Robinson, a retired railroad employee from La Grange, traveled to New Lenox to attend the grand opening ceremony. He's been going to Portillo's openings regularly since the mid-1980s, including two in California and numerous spots in Illinois. Already he plans for the Feb. 15 grand opening of a Portillo's in Arizona, he said. Check back tomorrow for more photos from…

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Kyle Williams

12:22 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012

That section Rt 30 was widened before Obummer took office. As was Walmart area- they just decided to tear it up and do it correctly the second time, i guess.   more ›

Portillo's Opening Tuesday in New Lenox

The popular restaurant will open its doors soon in the retail center with Target and Lowe's. Find out when you get your favorites!

The announcement that Portillo's chose New Lenox over other area towns excited residents and got their mouths watering in anticipation of the restaurant's opening. That time is near: A ribbon-cutting will mark Portillo's opening at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, and the doors will open to customers immediately following. Mayor Tim Baldermann announced the date at last week's Village Board meeting.  Portillo's will open in the New Lenox Retail Center, which is anchored by Target and Lowe's. "We're excited to have them," Baldermann said, adding that his favorite is the beef and cheddar sandwich.  And Portillo's is excited to be here. So much so that president Dick Portillo decided to forego the sales tax incentive it would have received from …

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LA Cafe Owner Hopes to Reopen in December

After a fire destroyed the popular Mexican restaurant in January, the owner promised, "we will rebuild." Plans for a new building have been drawn up by Olivieri Architects.

Fire may have destroyed LA Cafe, one of New Lenox's most beloved restaurants, in January, but the business is slated for a resurrection.  Owner Mark Angel said he hopes the new building will be ready by December. Already Olivieri Architects in Frankfort have prepared an artistic rendering of the planned restaurant. The Jan. 28 blaze started accidentally in the kitchen in the early morning hours on a Saturday. No one was hurt, but the business was forced to close. Read, "'We Will Rebuild': Fire Destroys LA Cafe in New Lenox" Despite the rapid response by the New Lenox Fire Protect District, which is located across the street from the restaurant on. Route 30 and Prairie Avenue, fire spread quickly. It took nearly an hour to extinguish. About…

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Readers' Choice: Who Has the Most-Loved Ribs in New Lenox?

We're looking for readers' favorite ribs in town, but we need your votes and your reviews. The winner will face off with other local favorites in the Lincoln-Way area.

Originally published May 13 Who serves your favorite ribs in New Lenox? I've seen and heard a few local restaurant owners tout theirs as the best thing on their menu and, perhaps, the best in town.  Tell us your local favorite and we'll match it up against other top picks in the Lincoln-Way area.   To make your vote count, select one place in the poll below. Also make sure to leave a comment to tell other readers why you love a restaurants' steak, and click on the restaurant name below to leave a review.  Voting and commenting ends at 5 p.m. Friday, May 25. A winner be determined using a combination of poll results, positive comments and reader reviews. Click on the name of a business below to leave your review: DID WE MISS YOUR FAVORITE …

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Locally Owned

Tom Kelly's Brings 'Fun Pub Atmosphere' to New Lenox

Irish heritage plays a big part of this local bar and restaurant.

With one owner having emigrated from Ireland and another growing up with the restaurant business, Tom Kelly's Chophouse & Pub provides a fun Irish-American restaurant in New Lenox. Kelly Trumpey, one of four co-owners at the restaurant, worked at her parents' restaurants since she was 15. Her parents, Pat and Jerry Lavery, owned Lavery's restaurants in the south suburbs. They wanted to open a different type of place and thought New Lenox was a great location. "Lavery’s more of a restaurant and banquets," Trumpey said. "Tom Kelly's is a little more versatile. Our food business has increased, but we also have a fun pub atmosphere. It's somewhere you can bring your kids or watch the game, and we also have a good nightlife. We have a little …

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Tropical Smoothie Opens in New Lenox

The smoothie and sandwich franchise opened April 20 across the street from Lincoln-Way Central.

A new restaurant opened this week across the street from Lincoln-Way Central High School.  Phil Knippen, the franchise owner for Tropical Smoothie Cafe, opened the restaurant at 7 a.m. Friday, April 20 at 1872 Lincoln Hwy., filling the storefront that's been empty since Quizno's closed about a year ago. Knippen has been an area developer for Tropical Smoothie, which is based out of Florida, for about a year. His goal is to develop at least 10 franchises in the area, but it's also expected that developers own a franchise.  Although he lives in Tinley Park, Knippen said he liked what New Lenox brought. "New Lenox is a growing town and it's a city I like," he said. "I like that it's right across from the school." It could be welcomed news for…

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Denise Du Vernay

3:50 pm on Monday, April 16, 2012

I'll still go to Paradise. The Berry Sensation is too delicious!   more ›

Locally Owned

Prime Time Owner Wants Focus to Be Family First

Angelo Gellis got involved in the restaurant business with his family, and now he wants people to know his New Lenox restaurant isn't just a bar, but a place that caters to families.

Like many in the food industry, Angelo Gellis of Prime Time Restaurant & Bar in New Lenox got his start with his family. Growing up in Chicago, Gellis' parents ran grocery stores. Eventually, he and his three brothers were interested in the food industry and opened a restaurant in Mount Greenwood. Gellis worked in San Diego for 11 years but moved back to the Chicago area, and through another family connection has made the leap to owning Prime Time here. It was his second cousins, Angelo and Georgia Les, who own the original Prime Time location in Hickory Hills, as well as Williamson's in New Lenox. “We just felt very comfortable together,” he said of his family. His son, 22-year-old Nick, works at Prime Time now after getting an interest …

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Michael Sewall

8:51 pm on Thursday, February 9, 2012

Thanks for your comment, Lori! You can also leave a review here on their business directory: http://newlenox.patch.com/listings/prime-time-restaurant-and-bar   more ›