Sharonda D.
Yelp
WITH HELP FROM YELP!!! 04/04/24
After my son's Navy Boot Camp graduation, he expressed to me and his dad that he was in need of a fat, juicy, and delicious hamburger with some SWINE on it, lol. He stated that he was tired of the military food that he had to endure during basic training. Since he knows that his mom is a devoted Yelper, he knew that I would find the perfect spot to satisfy his craving and I did just that with HELP FROM YELP! I have to admit that it would be extremely challenging finding good eats in unfamiliar territory without Yelp. So Kudos to the Yelp Team!
As I searched for five star restaurants in the Chicago area, I kept finding some great choices, but they were all closed for business and wouldn't be opening up until 4:00 pm. That was totally unacceptable seeing that my son's graduation ended at 10:30 that morning and he was ready to get away from the Navy base and eat some delicious food. Especially with his curfew being at 8:30 pm, we did not have time to waste. Luckily, my search finally ended when I stumbled upon City Works restaurant located in Vernon Hills. After reading the reviews and looking at the photos of other Yelper's food, I was convinced that this was the perfect spot to take my son. Once I showed the photos to my husband and my son, they too were convinced.
Furthermore, we put the address into our GPS and found that it would be a 20-30 minutes drive which was fine with us. We were all hungry and excited as we headed over to the restaurant, which was an awesome find. Upon entering this establishment, we were greeted by one of the friendliest hostesses that I've ever encountered. She asked if we preferred a table or a booth and I was happy that she gave us the choice on where we would like to be seated. She handed us the menus and told us to enjoy our visit. Next, our server came over and introduced herself as Angelica. She was also friendly and welcoming. Angelica exercised great customer service skills and professionalism.
Moreover, for our drinks, my son ordered a lemonade, hubby ordered an Arnold Palmer, and I ordered a White Sangria cocktail and a Golden Honey Margarita on the rocks with salt on the rim. We all enjoyed our drinks, especially me, lol. The White Sangria was refreshing and bubbly. I think I liked it more than the Golden Honey Margarita, which was also tasty.
As for our food, we started out with some appetizers while we browsed the menu. We started off with the spicy shrimp and the crab fondue. Although they were not spicy at all, I absolutely loved the spicy shrimp appetizer! They were flavorful and fried to perfection with a nice crunch to them and drizzled with a red sauce. The crab fondue tasted amazing and would have tasted even better if I did not have to play tug-of-war with the toasted bread that it was accompanied by. That bread was so darn hard that I felt like I was going to pull my teeth out from all the pulling and tugging, which discouraged me from fully enjoying this appetizer. I let my son and my husband have at the crab fondue and I stuck with the spicy shrimp, lol. My son was so hungry for some food other than military food that he didn't seem to notice how hard the bread was. He and my husband devoured every bit of it, lol.
Now for our main entrees, my son knew right away which burger he wanted as he looked at the menu. Remember he stated he wanted a burger with some SWINE on it? Well, there was a Bacon Cheese Burger sitting on the menu with his name written all over it. My husband is a burger lover as well, but chose a burger without the swine, the City Works Burger. I ordered something a little on the healthier side, pan seared salmon accompanied by a mixture of vegetables which included butternut squash, Brussel sprouts, tomatoes, and corn. We all enjoyed our food to the utmost. Everything was absolutely delicious! My son said that his bacon cheeseburger was soooo good and that the bacon was nice and crispy. My husband said that his burger was divine. They were both so fat-full by the end of our son's celebration meal and were sitting slumped over in their seats, lol. The salmon on my entree was cooked to perfection, possessing a moist and flaky interior with a juicy and tender texture. The vegetables were equally as delicious as the salmon. The entire meal was 5/5 stars.
Overall, City Works is a lively establishment with a vibrant and energetic ambiance that serves great tasting modern American cuisine. It is centered in the Mellody Farm Shopping Complex of Milwaukee Ave. in Vernon Hills. They are fully equipped with several large HDTV's which are great for sports fans and such. Customer service is amazing. I highly recommend them for anyone who is from out of town visiting the Chicago area. You will definitely find delicious and excellent quality food here! Thanks for making my son's graduation celebration dinner an awesome dining experience. We felt right at home! It was as if we never left Houston.