Greg H.
Yelp
I am in Skokie, IL about once a year and I always stay at the Holiday Inn North Shore because it is a mile from my customer. The hotel restaurant is Bar Louie. I've been to a few Bar Louie's in the Chicago area the past decade or so, mostly in hotels. The restaurant has the look and feel of your typical hotel restaurant and bar. They were trying to hard to look upscale. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice atmosphere but looks tired.
Two of my favorite things in life is calamari, and French onion soup, and Bar Louie has both on their menu. I wasn't all that hungry but needed to eat. I went down to the bar, sat down, and waited. I waited, and I waited. Waiting isn't a problem if it's busy. It wasn't busy. At all. After waiting a bit longer, I was finally able to place my order which was calamari and French onion soup. Unlike the bar staff, the kitchen was on top of it and quickly prepared my food. One look and I knew the kitchen staff was comprised of anyone who walked off the street and applied. There couldn't have been anyone with any type of formal training or my food would have never left the kitchen. French onion soup is supposed to dark, rich, and decadent. Mine was dark, but it was bland, and far from decadent. Look at the picture! See the cheese? Cheese on French onion soup is supposed to cover the bowl edge to edge. It is also supposed to be bubbling from being under the salamander. TYhe onions looked like they had been sautéed just enough to make them a bit translucent. The stock was probably just water and a beef bullion cube. The cheese, well... I've already talked about that. In the end, this wasn't French onion soup. There was the calamari but no. That was over cooked. Have you ever eaten overcooked calamari? It is tough and chewy, and just is inedible. I did eat both the soup and calamari. I paid hotel prices for them so I wasn't going to waste them food.
I really hate giving a place a bad review. I really do but sometimes it can't be helped. I have eaten at other Bar Louie's and they have been good. Not great but good. The Bar Louie in the Holiday Inn North Shore in Skokie could be a really good restaurant. It just needs leadership in the front of the house as well as the rear. Like the quote on my profile says... "Good food isn't hard.", and it isn't. All it takes is some knowledge, dedication, and effort. If you happen to stay at the Holiday Inn North Shore in Skokie, my recommendation is to bypass Bar Louie and go somewhere else. There is a dinner just outside of the lobby doors. Their food is pretty good and the staff are nice and professional.