August, 2007 Update: Hennessey’s has been re-opened and is now called Giorgio’s Grill.

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.

314 S Milwaukee Ave
Libertyville, IL, 60048
(847) 918-9999

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.