compiled BY MARGE KULLERSTRAND

margek@nwitimes.com

219.933.3244

Country Cafe Family Restaurant

213 Broadway, Chesterton

(219) 929-4567

Old-World Polish cuisine joins American diner classics on an extensive menu at Country Cafe Family Restaurant in Chesterton where Maria and Joseph Turbak serve large portions in a spotless environment. Your lunch or dinner meal comes with choice of soup or salad, and a basket of bread, apple cake and another sweet all made by Maria. Joseph works his magic on the savories. That means soups like sauerkraut and sausage on Wednesdays and white borscht on Saturdays. Expect handrolled stuffed cabbage, simmered-all-day sauerkraut, pierogi with 11 sweet-and-savory fillings in a dough so light they seem to float off your plate. All three are available on the Polish Combo Plate plus fresh Polish sausage, mashed potatoes (albeit from a mix), gravy, a Polish hamburger (all pork), and a cheese blintz for $8.95. It's a lot of food, but a good way to try a bit of everything. Four crispy potato pancakes came to the table with applesauce and sour cream. For those of the czarnina (duck's blood

soup) persuasion, the Turbaks keep a stash of their homemade brew in the freezer. Thanks to microwave ovens, it's yours for the asking anytime. Don't like Polish food? Not to worry, the menu burgeons with Italian and Greek specialties, steaks, chops, seafood, sandwiches, salads, senior-citizen specials, ($5.50 to $6.50), and on and on. Breakfast is served all day, and the full contingent is represented -- skillets, three-egg omelets, waffles, pancakes, sausage gravy, Eggs Benedict ... you know the drill. Small private party accommodations, smoking section, children's menu , carryout and pickup catering are among the amenities. An average tab for a couple is easily in the $20 range. Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, until 3 p.m. Sundays, closed Mondays.

Cuisine: Polish-American

Reservations:

Smoking: Yes

Kids menu: Yes

Price: $

Bar: No

Tip: Senior-citizen specials, 11 different pierogi

Country Kitchen

657 S. Washington St., Valparaiso

(219) 464-2433

www.ecountrykitchen.com

A pinch of this, a dash of that describes chef Theodore Panos' eclectic restaurant to a T. Louis Prima music plays in the background and Yankee Pot Roast mingles happily with Chicken Roulade, Moroccan Lamb Stew and Pork Loin with Apple Demi-Glaze. The former gourmet chef for The Everest Room and the Ritz-Carlton Chicago makes everything from scratch. Signature breakfast items include Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce, Three Beef Hash and Eggs and French Crêpes. For starters, consider Southwest Pulled Pork and Chihuahua cheese wrapped in a tomato tortilla with guacamole, pico de gallo and chipotle aioli. For lunch, you can't go wrong with the Grilled Portobello Panini or self-titled "best darned burger in town." Catering available. Open for breakfast and lunch, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. All menu items range from $6 to $9. Desserts are $3.50.

Cuisine: Eclectic casual

Reservations: No

Smoking: No

Kids menu: Yes

Price: $

Bar: Beer and wine

Tip: Open for breakfast and lunch only; catering available

Dish

3907 N. Calumet Ave., Valparaiso

(219) 465-9221

Built in the modern minimalist style, Dish efficiently expedites handcrafted dishes from an exciting menu put together from years of restaurant experience in the Northwest Indiana market. For example, although some main courses are pretty sophisticated (grilled beef tenderloin with melted leek mashed potatoes with white truffle demi-glace, lemon herb butter and paprika onion rings), they have not forgotten their roots. A full agenda of comfort foods, with daily specials like meat loaf and pot roast, seem to be pulling in the crowds. This theme is carried out in their comfort food carry-out boxes of soup, salad, entrée and dessert for $7. Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. American Express, Visa and MasterCard accepted. Nonsmoking. Handicapped accessible. Reservations recommended on weekend. Parking.

Cuisine: Upscale casual

Reservations: On weekend

Smoking: In bar

Kids menu: No

Price: $$ lunch, $$$ dinner

Bar: Full bar

Tip: Comfort food carry-out boxes (soup, salad, entrée and dessert) at lunch for $7.

(Jane Dunne)

Don Pedro

316 Torrence Ave., Calumet City

(708) 862-7747

7840 Wicker Ave., Schererville

(219) 365-0500

Modestly decorated, spacious and bustling restaurant with full bar. It features a traditional, extremely varied Mexican menu with abundant portions of fresh, homemade food. Appetizers include freshly made guacamole and warm, crunchy nachos. Five different charcoal-broiled steaks are on the menu, with fluffy Spanish rice, refried beans and green salad. The usual Mexican favorites also are available: fajitas, flautas, enchiladas, tostadas, tacos, burritos and various combination plates, all served with rice, beans, sour cream and guacamole. Mexican breakfast is served day or night. Caramel flan and delightful fried ice cream, with a combination of "smooth and crunch" are the desserts. Schererville hours are 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and Sundays, until midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Calumet City hours are 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 3 a.m. Fridays, 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays, 8 a.m. to midnight Sundays. Entrées $6.95 to $11.95.

Cuisine: Mexican

Reservations: No

Smoking: Yes

Kids menu: Yes

Price: $$

Bar: Full bar

Tip: Mexican breakfast is served day or night.

(Jane Dunne)

don Quijote

119 E. Lincolnway, Valparaiso

(219) 462-7976

www.valparaiso.com/dining/pages/donq

True Andalusian cuisine presented in a storefront environment decorated with a mix of Old Madrid and Victorian Americana. Small sidewalk cafe during summer. Twenty-five different tapas are offered as well as traditional Spanish paella with seafood; pinchos marunos, grilled veal and pork with saffron rice; lamb with olives. Outstanding authentic Spanish desserts, pitchers of sangria and a wine list representing Spain and California. Live Spanish music on weekend evenings. Open for lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; dinner 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Sundays. Entrées with salad, $12.95 to $20.95.

Cuisine: Spanish

Reservations: On weekends

Smoking: No

Kids menu: Yes

Price: $$ lunch; $$$ dinner

Bar: Full bar

Tip: Live Spanish music on weekend evenings; try a pitcher of sangria.

(Jane Dunne)

Duneland Beach Inn Restaurant

3311 Pottawattamie Trail, Michigan City

(219) 874-7729 or (800) 423-7729

www.dunelandbeach.com

Located in the wooded dunes just east of Long Beach, the cheerful dining room at this charming inn features well-spaced tables with white napery and buzzes with activity especially on weekends. Starters may include calamari, Crab Louis, grilled flat bread with such toppings as sautéed portobellos with garlic and caramelized shallots. Main courses include soup or salad and may be crab cakes with chipotle aioli, red snapper with citrus beurre blanc sauce or prime rib with horseradish sauce. Extensive wine list in the $20 to $30 range. Key lime pie and cheesecake head the dessert list. Open for dinner only from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, brunch 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. brunch Sundays. Entrées in the $12 to $23 range. No smoking. Reservations required. All major credit cards. Parking.

Cuisine: Upscale casual

Reservations: Yes

Smoking: No

Kids menu: Yes

Price: $$$

Bar: Full bar

Tip: Open 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday brunch.

(Jane Dunne)

El Pueblo Authentic Mexican Restaurant

5350 U.S. 6, Portage

(219) 764-TACO (8226)

Everything is made from scratch using recipes that have been handed down through the generations. Expect the usual suspects, plus seldom-seen chalupas, chiles rellenos, tostahuac (a flat tortilla topped with beef, lettuce and guacamole), sopes and gorditas, to name a few. And on the weekend, look for menudo and posole. You'll be started with a basket of housemade chips, a carafe of red salsas, tomatillo sauce and pico de gallo.

Guacamole doesn't come with every dish, so make it a point to order it. It might need a little salt, but it's brimming with the rich, luxurious mouth feel only this vegetable can produce. El Pueblo goes through seven cases of avocados a week.

If you have room for dessert ($1.99 to $3.79), consider the fried ice cream, cheese cake chimichanga, sopapilla, flan or fried banana and ice cream.

The margaritas use Los Cabos wine (made from the agave, a cactus plant) and the glasses are rimmed in coarse sugar, not salt. The Strawberry Margarita is a winner but I hear the Piña Colada version is just as good.

A children's menu (most items $3.59), carryout, private-party accommodation and pick-up catering are in place, and smoking is allowed in a special section. There's an express lunch ($5.99 and less) 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. This is a place Latinos frequent but gringos are solidly welcome. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, until 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Cuisine: Mexican

Reservations: No

Smoking: Smoking section

Kids menu: Yes

Price: $

Bar: Beer and wine

Tip: Try the wine margaritas. Live mariachi music on select days.

El Salto

3304 Calumet Ave., Valparaiso, (219) 462-0100

805 Ridge Road, Munster, (219) 836-0600

757 Indian Boundary Road, Chesterton, (219) 395-9890

A friendly, informal spot where you can satiate that craving for authentic Mexican food. Several of the signature dishes, like bistek El Salto, and the restaurant's name, come from a recreational park in the Michoacan province of Mexico. Other good choices are the carnitas dinner, sautéed pork tenderloin with grilled onions, served with rice, refried beans, guacamole salad and three warm tortillas. Pollo loco features grilled chicken with onions and spicy pico de gallo, served with the same side dishes. Plenty of enchiladas, tacos, and burritos in combination dinners. Children's plates. Margaritas, beer and wine. Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, until 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. Prices average $8 at dinner; less at lunch.

Cuisine: Mexican

Reservations: No

Smoking: Yes

Kids menu: Yes

Price: $

Bar: Margaritas, beer and wine

Tip: A friendly, informal place that serves traditional and Michoacan cuisine.

(Jane Dunne)

El Taco Real

935 Hoffman St., Hammond

(219) 932-8333

This friendly and busy meeting place serves up addictive margaritas with baskets of warm tortilla chips and chunky homemade salsa to begin before offering an array of traditional appetizers like hot, crisp, spicy and creamy nachos -- crisp corn taco chips with refried beans, cheese, jalapeño peppers and carrots (a nice touch). Mains include carne asada, seared marinated skirt steak, pollo endiablado, a half-chicken first dusted with paprika, garlic and black pepper and slowly broiled; pork spare ribs and pork tenderloin all served with frijoles, Spanish rice and a lettuce-and-tomato salad. Fish dishes only during Lent. Desserts include traditional rice pudding, flan and buñuelitos. Large selection of Mexican beers. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays. Appetizers and basics $3 to $10. Main courses and daily specials $7.50 to $16.

Cuisine: Mexican

Reservations: No

Smoking: Yes

Kids menu: Yes

Price: $$

Bar: Full bar

Tip: Fish dishes only during Lent. Desserts include flan and buñuelitos.

(Jane Dunne)

Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery

1035 Sterling Ave., Flossmoor

(708) 957-BREW

www.flossmoorstation.com

A colorful, lively brewery and restaurant in a renovated circa-1906 railroad station adds even more charm to Flossmoor's already quaint downtown. Abundant menu of bar food, fresh salads, chargrilled burgers, deli sandwiches, dinners that concentrate on chicken, seafood and steak, not to mention pub specials of superlative fish and chips and the intriguing Burrito That Ate Flossmoor. Generous portions partner well with five beers brewed onsite or the respectable wine list. Cheerful and efficient service and lots of ambiance make this restaurant a good value. Patio dining in warm weather. Open 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 9 p.m. Sundays. Soups, salads, sandwiches $3.95 to $9.95; dinners with soup or salad $11.95 to $19.95.

Cuisine: Pub grub

Reservations: No

Smoking: Yes

Kids menu: Yes

Price: $$

Bar: Full bar

Tip: Cheerful and efficient service; patio dining weather permitting.

(Jane Dunne)

Freddy's Steak House

6442 Kennedy Ave. at 165th Street, Hammond

(219) 844-1500

A 43-year-old popular spot for steaks, prime rib, seafood and chops in Hammond, under new ownership since May 2005. Prime rib special ($24.95) on Tuesday night. More modest size also available along with signature rib eye in three sizes ($19.95 to $23.95), porterhouse ($22.95), fillet medallions ($19.95) and New York strip steak ($24.95). Twelve seafood, and four chicken entrées fill out the menu ($11.95 to $24.95), plus ribs and lamb or pork chops ($13.45 to $19.95). A relish tray with crisp fresh vegetables, bread basket, soup or house salad, and choice of potato come with dinner. Desserts include key lime pie, tiramisu and bananas Foster. Friendly, efficient service. Open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; to 10:30 p.m. on Fridays; from 4 p.m. on Saturdays; closed Sundays.

Cuisine: Steaks/seafood

Reservations: On weekend

Smoking: In bar

Kids menu: Yes

Price: $$$

Bar: Full bar

Tip: Old-time steak-house dining with sandwich menu options at lunch.

(Jane Dunne)