Hussey’s is open as of June 19th or so, just in time for Zion’s famous Nostalgia Days weekend. To fix what Hennessey’s and Giorgio’s had wrong with it, Hussey’s now has a nice outdoor patio, much more open space inside, and a menu to fit the economic climate.

Hussey’s is bringing back the famous Rook’s broasted chicken, a long time favorite of Zion residents. Also returning is Green River soda and strawberry rhubarb pie. Hussey’s will be serving lunch and dinner, and will have senior specials to cater to the growing senior-retiree crowd in Zion and the area.

A full review is forthcoming.

With sad news we report that Hennessey’s Steakhouse in Zion, Illinois has shut its doors. Their website just states:

Hennessey’s Steakhouse has closed its doors.

Thank you for the privilege of serving you.

While it is a tragedy to see their doors shut, it wasn’t unexpected. The residents of Zion, Illinois are currently experiencing a terrible recession — jobs lost, mortgages going up and foreclosures following. An upper-end steakhouse just didn’t seem to be in the cards. This is bad news for the city of Zion which dropped tens of thousands of dollars on a TIF fo Hennessey’s — in hopes of seeing sales tax income to pay down the investment.

Co-owners John Hennessey and Jimmy Mantzoros tried incredibly hard to find an upper-end clientele, but the restaurant just didn’t have the community around it to support it. Zion’s city leaders have done a fine job of running out most of the higher end businesses, and their irresponsible management of the town’s infrastructure have left the town with a large number of below-poverty level residents who wouldn’t be eating at a steakhouse any time soon.

We’ll miss you, Hennessey’s, and we hope to see you again soon.

Cigars & More in Libertyville, Illinois is very centrally located for easy access from all of Lake County. They are located on the East side of Route 21/Milwaukee Ave 3 blocks South of Route 176. They have quite a few parking spots that are just in front of the shop.

I’ve been shopping at Cigars & More since they opened in 1998, even before I was regularly living in the Gurnee area. They’ve expanded their selection of cigars to totalling over 30,000, and have a wide selection of Davidoff brand cigars. They also carry an extensive selection of cigars from Ashton, Bolivar, Arturo Fuente, Macanudo and Romeo Y Julieta, as well as many more lesser known (but high quality) brands. Their walk-in humidor is gigantic with perfect temperature and humidity. I have never bought a cigar there that wasn’t perfect to smoke the day I bought it — winter or summer.

For cigarette afficiandos (such as myself) they also carry the entire line of Nat Sherman cigarettes and are very price competitive. With all cigarettes and cigars they offer a 5% discount when you purchase the box or case. For regular shoppers, their preferred customer club card is great because it keeps track of what you’ve bought, helping you recall what you liked (and didn’t). They also will share your favorites with friends and family who want to get a gift for you.

Their special order policy is great — I recently ordered some cigarettes and they had them for me in just a few days. Their service is bar none and they’ll go out of their way to make sure you’re happy — a definite luxury for me considering the snottiness of most tobacconists.

The real surprise is their lounge area — a flat panel TV, comfortable seating, and smoking is accepted! They have some executive recliners, and also have wireless Internet access for those who want to catch the latest news and stock tips or bang away at the keyboard on a slow afternoon. There are always regulars there ready to chat about every topic under the sun, and smoking afficionados of all legal ages are welcome to partake of the lounge. They offer complimentary coffee and inexpensive soda, and regulars with their preferred club card are offered free cigar days a few times a month.

If you’re looking to buy a gift for yourself or a smoker in your life, they have a wide selection of lighters, humidors and accessories in every price range, from the inexpensive to the outrageous.

For added entertainment they’re always inviting the larger cigar companies to visit their store (with lots of giveaways and deals that come along with it). I have never received a bad recommendation from them (based on my favorite cigars), and I’ve always been so happy with the deals that I haven’t ordered a cigar or cigarette online in years. I am extremely happy that they’re just 15 minutes from my home and conveniently minutes off the highway so I can hit them on the drive home.

If you’re a smoking afficionado and haven’t visited Cigars & More in Libertyville, I recommend taking a trip this week. They’re open 7 days a week! Give Ken or Julie a call and let them know that you heard about them from Lake County Luxury and you’re sure to be treated with the utmost attention and service. Here’s the perfect tobacconist, right in your backyard.

How much difference can there be between one car wash and another? For most folks, a car wash is a car wash — a way to just get the most basic dust off your vehicle so it doesn’t look too dirty. I’ve always had another opinion of it though, as the outside of your car can have a big effect on how you yourself feel. A clean car on a sunny day can really put a smile on your face. The opposite is also true — when my car is grimy and dirty, it is a big stress just for me to look at.

For years and years I had a great yearly pass to one of the best car washes in Chicagoland: Edens Car Wash in Chicago. Unfortunately, they went out of business almost 8 years ago, and for a few years I drove from car wash to car wash, looking for the best place to go for a reasonable price. Lucky for me one of the better car wash companies happens to be just down the street in Libertyville, Illinois.

Libertyville Car Spa is just that — a spa instead of just a wash. They seem to employ two to three times as many car wash employees who have a great attention to detail. Most $6 gas station car washes don’t run enough water onto your car, which increases the chance of scratches. They also don’t flush the car well after soaping, which leaves a residue that makes it get dirty faster. The worst part about gas station car washes is the drying — streaks and spots and water marks. Just ugly.

Libertyville Car Spa’s most basic wash is under $10 (cheaper if you find a coupon!). It includes a basic interior vacuum, interior window cleaning, wiping of your dashboard and center console, and of course an exterior wash and hand dry. For a few dollars more, I find this most basic wash outlasts the gas station car wash almost 2-3 times longer, and the car looks nicer even through a light rain. The cars that I have kept washed at least twice a month have kept their paint jobs intact, and I believe fully that I received all my car wash expenses back in retained value when it came to sell them.

The setup at Libertyville Car Spa is well done — enough area for 30 or so cars to get in line, a great little “watch window” so you can see your car get pummelled by gallons and gallons of gas and cleansers, and a nice lobby with a good display of all the little car needs you might have (air fresheners, accessories, fuses, storage devices, etc). I prefer to go early in the day to get my car sparkling for the day. The morning is also the best time to go with the shortest lines (about a 5 minute wait to get your car into the wash). The afternoon on a warm day is the worst time to go, but the extra 10 minute wait is well worth it as they hire even more workers than usual during the rushes.

Libertyville Car Spa’s basic washes run between $10 and $20 depending on the services (you get a lot of services in the $20 package, including mats washed, fragrance, tire shine and paint protectants). The offer custom washes, too, starting at $35 and going all the way up to $155 which includes a buffing shine that makes your paint look and feel like glass. If you really want to keep the value of your car up, getting a major detail twice a year is a great way to keep the car looking great for years. The Zymol wax job made my car look better than new — and also reduced the need to wash it as often as I previously had to as the elements didn’t stick as bad.

Libertyville Car Spa comes close to my old and long gone favorite in Chicago, but their closeness to my home and their attention to detail make them one of the most popular car washes in Lake County. Their excellent service and years of knowing their customer allowed them to open two more car washes, one in Lake Forest and one in Kenosha, WI. I’ll review these in coming weeks to see if the spin-offs compare to the original.

Chan’s Chinese Restaurant has been a staple of Chinese cuisine in Gurnee for years. We’ve been eating there for many years and have been extremely satisfied with the quality and taste of their food and the fast (and cheap) delivery service. Their main restaurant is located on the corner opposite Great America, at Washington and Route 21/Riverside.

While they have a large sit-in restaurant, I have never been there when there have been more than a handful (or less) of eat-in customers. I believe, from experience, that their main customer is the pick-up or delivery customer, especially on weekends. Their delivery service during the week is decent for a small restaurant, hitting my home within a half hour.

Placing orders over the phone is usually not too difficult, especially if one of the younger men is taking your order. Even the lady who regularly answers the phone is easy to understand and hasn’t made mistakes on writing down my orders — this is important as many Chinese restaurant order-takers I am experienced with can be difficult to understand.

The food is wonderfully flavorful and pungent, and it is very consistent from day to day. Our favorites are the “dinner for 1″ which combines any entree item with crab ragoon, egg rolls, and rice. Their crab ragoon order by itself is big with the ragoons packed with crab and cream cheese. The curry beef and onions can’t be topped by any other Lake County Chinese restaurant, and their egg rolls are so flavorful and fresh that they re-heat well for days. Always order twice as many as you think you’ll want!

My only issue with Chan’s Chinese Restaurant in Gurnee, Illinois is their lack of concern about their customers. I stopped going to Chan’s for an entire 6-months over an issue regarding just 2 egg rolls I had ordered but not received. We were having a dinner party and decided to introduce our friends to a variety of restaurants in Gurnee. We spoke very highly of Chan’s eggrolls, so we ordered a large order of different foods to bring home. Upon arriving, we realizing there were no eggrolls, but rather than stop our entertainment, we just waited until the next time we ordered. The lady taking the order was very mean and told me that she will not fix the order. While most restauranteurs will gladly fix a $2.50 mistake, this lady has repeatedly been mean and unconcerned in the past. We stopped our 6-month boycott, though, because the food is just that good and Chan’s knows it.

I’m giving Chan’s Chinese Restaurant in Gurnee, Illinois 5-Stars for Product Quality and 3-Stars for Service Quality, based on their lack of concern over an incomplete order. Definitely try their food, though, as their delivery service is perfect and the food always comes piping hot and tasty.

Hennessey’s Steakhouse in Zion is located at the location of the famous Rook’s Restarant which had financial troubles in the 90s. Hennessey’s is the first restaurant in years to cater to the finer cuisine chophouse style. Co-run by Jimmy Mantzoros who has been involved in Lake County restaurants for decades. Mantzoros has worked restaurants from every aspect, including being a well known bartender at Jimmy’s Charhouse in Libertyville, Illinois. His friendly demeanor and understanding of a customer’s needs will contribute well to the future success of Hennessey’s as it seeks to attract locals in the region. Zion has been historically troubled by a terribly intrusive local government that has made it difficult for any business to prosper, but Hennessey’s is off to the right foot.

While they are primarily a steakhouse, their menu offers a good selection of big salads and fresh seafood. My favorite non-steak dish at Hennessey’s is their large crabcakes, made with a creamy sauce and are primarily crabmeat instead of filler. The restaurant is designed around a multi-room layout, so they can cater to private parties as well as separating the smokers (in the bar’s lounge) from the non-smokers. I’ve sent non-smoking friends to Hennessey’s and they commented how they didn’t even notice smoking was allowed in the other area.

The bar lounge is nice because it has full service tables as well as bar stools, and a large plasma television always displaying some sporting event. The bartenders are friendly, but a bit over-worked as the restaurant can experience a wide variety of rushes and dry spells. If you come for the socializing and find it empty, give it a half hour and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

The layout of the restaurant feels very fresh and new, so it still needs a few years to get its own atmosphere. The walls are nicely painted and the flooring is too new — I believe a steakhouse needs to feel like it has been there forever.

The menu is decently priced and is extremely competitive against the popular expensive steakhouses in southern Lake County, but the Zion market will be more difficult to tap into. Hennessey’s has no competition within a 20 minute drive, but this doesn’t leave them overly busy even on popular weekends. Only with time and care will they blossom into the restaurant I hope to see down the road.

If you live between Gurnee and Kenosha, don’t pass up on this great little steakhouse. Good food, great value, friendly service and a clean atmosphere makes it worth a monthly visit. Their steaks are so fresh that I have them cooked rare — a specialty of co-owner Jimmy Mantzoros, an avid steak eater.

I’m giving Hennessey’s 4-stars because they still to break in the feel of the restaurant and also need a more consistent crowd coming so they can hire an extra hand or two during the busiest hours. They are very close to being a 5-star favorite of mine, and I’ll be re-reviewing them in the coming months.

Cafe Pyrenees started out in 1990 in Vernon Hills, Illinois but recently moved to Libertyville. Their location is a bit tough to find right away — they’re on the Southeast corner of Route 137 (Peterson Road) and Route 21 (Milwaukee Ave) in a strip mall south of the Mobil gas station.

Cafe Pyrenees is an international cuisine restaurant without an internationally high price. I visited Cafe Pyrenees for the first time just 2 months ago and was very happy with the ambience at lunch time — a combination of business folk, retired folk and some younger T-shirt and jeans eaters.

This restaurant offers great regular nightly packages for dinner specials that focus on a theme, such as the Taste of New Zealand and the Taste of France. These packages include everything — appetizer, meal, dessert, wine, the whole deal and are very reasonably priced. The food is appetizing and beautiful to display, and the wait staff was attentive and knew the menu well.

There is also a bar at Cafe Pyrenees which I have not visited, yet, and they also sell retail products such as wines and accompaniments.

I can not give Cafe Pyrenees 5-Stars, yet, as I have not tried their dinner menu, but will be visiting them again soon. Their international menu varies, which gives you a great reason to return. I saw crepes, tapas and all sorts of international selections you’d not expect in a restaurant located in a strip mall. Ignore the face, though, as the inside is magnificent and well laid out.

At the time of this review, they have a $1 wine-glass special on Wednesdays (with appetizer I believe), and they also have live music on certain Friday nights — currently of the jazz variety.

Jimmy’s Charhouse is primarily a chophouse well known for their excellent steaks and greek chicken. This restaurant is a carnivore’s dream with great atmosphere (dark but sociable), amazing staff and a welcoming environment for all sorts of gatherings — family, friends, girls’ night out or a business dinner.

You’ll catch me at Jimmy’s Charhouse in Libertyville, Illinois at least twice a week. The staff is quick and attentive, and the management makes every customer feel like a VIP, even on your first visit. Their management to staff ratio is high, which shows that they’re willing to pay extra to make sure everyone is watched (customers and staff). I’ve never had a bad experience with a server.

The restaurant is smoke-free, but smokers are welcome to puff up at the bar which is cut off very nicely from the restaurant. I’ve never heard anyone complaining about a smokey atmosphere. Cigars are welcome and encouraged at the bar, and they have a full menu and tables available.

Their menu prices are amazing, but their wine list is a bit short. Ask a manager if they have any off-menu items in the collection; I’ve had some decent (and cheap) greek wines that aren’t always available. One of my favorite items is the greek skirt steak — usually a terrible cut if you cook it yourself. Jimmy’s marinated this tough steak overnight with all sorts of oils and spices, and when they present it it is tender and popping with flavor. It is also cheap, and includes a huge soup or salad and a gigantic serving of steamed veggies and mashed potatoes. Try the garlic mashed to complete any entree.

For the vegetarians, Jimmy’s offers huge fresh salads and a number of reasonable veggie entrees. Their daily specials are great, the fish is always fresh, and the steaks can be ordered rare (as I like it) without fear of getting a low quality cut. Jimmy’s consistently gives me 5-star service with a low price and many reasons to come back again and again.

Bombay City Restaurant is located closer to Waukegan than Gurnee Mills. It is located just east of Highway 41 on the South side of the street (directly across the Onan Giant Statue). They are Gurnee’s second Indian restaurant, and one I was looking forward to for months before it opened.

Bombay City is owned and managed by Iqbal Malik, former General Manager of the famous Gaylord’s Indian Restaurant in Schaumburg, Illinois. Iqbal learned many secrets on bringing the Indian flavor to the masses at Gaylord’s, but he unfortunately has not learned customer service. I have been to hundreds of Indian restaurants in my life (it is one of my favorite foods), and this restaurant had the worst service from the management staff I have ever experienced.

It hurts me to leave a negative review as the chef staff and the server staff are amazingly talented and personable. I would give the servers and the chefs 5-Stars without thinking twice, especially considering that they have to work under the torment of the owners of this restaurant.

Bombay City is a nice little restaurant with a very basic layout. It is a little cramped during the buffet as the line backs itself up and blocks off people returning to their tables. The food selection is decent (nowhere near as full as you’d find on Chicago’s famous Devon Avenue Indian strip) with a wide selection of meats and vegetables. Their desert table is standard fare, usually kulfi ice cream and some fresh fruit.

Flavor-wise the food is decent, but they run through the more popular meats (chicken and goat) very quickly, requiring a 10 minute wait on each lunch buffet I’ve visited. Their weekends tend to pack up so get there early or late if you want a table. Prices are a little higher than Devon Avenue, but they have very few competitors and likely a high rent to pay. The dinner menu is too expensive for my taste considering the atrocious management service. I have had repeated take-out orders done wrong, and have had to return to have my food fixed only to have it made wrong again. Never had the owners offered to compensate me for the repeated travels or the money I spent. One take-out order I made (my absolutely last take-out from this restaurant) cost me over $40 for 2 people and was missing more than half the food the menu said came with the “deal.”

I hate to give this restaurant 0-Stars, but I have no choice. The wait staff is excellent and hard working (overworked) and the chefs know what they’re doing. I just can not imagine another afternoon of looking at the dark faces and mean responses from the owners who think they’re doing me a favor just by being open. This is the anti-thesis of luxury, and the end-all best example of how to not run a restaurant. If Bombay City is open in a year I would be very surprised, but I hope that someone else takes over control of managing the fine staff and layout so that I can take my friends and family back.

Until then, I would not only avoid Bombay City Restaurant in Gurnee, Illinois, I wouldn’t even drive past it. If things change, I will be happy to re-review it, but I have the expectation that they won’t, until the doors are closed.