Friday 4th of June 2010 09:53:14 PM

link
Stopped in today and had a beer at the bar. Walking up, it felt like any other formidable high-end chain restaurant brewpub. Your experience definitely feels "engineered" here. A bright and shiny painted tank was out front, and the brewing equipment was visible from outside, and inside at the bar. There was a strip of patio seating with entrances adjacent to the bar. The bar was a large rounded rectangle with at least 2 tap stations, and a box with 2 handpumps (red & pale ales). Lots of dark wood beams and soft mood lighting. Service was quick and friendly enough.

Selection seemed to have a high number of light lagers, a Kolsch, 708 lite, Line Drive, and a Cinco de Mayo lager. There was a barrel aged Scotch ale on, which was pretty boozy...a $1 taster was enough for me. It would have been nice to see some English styles on the cask maybe.

Overall it was a good place for a beer if you're local, but I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way for it.

Tuesday 2nd of February 2010 01:10:41 PM

link
I found the the beer selections interesting but definitely tipped toward their home-brews. The staf are not particularly well-informed regarding beers or at least they did not seem anxious to inform patrons of the different qualities of the beers offered. While the staff were courteous and efficient I did not find that warmth that is often found non-chain beer establishments. It's an adequate place to go for a few beers and good food but nothing to write home about.

Wednesday 6th of January 2010 02:05:44 AM

link
This is probably the one Illinois Rock Bottom I get to the least. It's not as close to home as Warrenville or Lombard. While Chicago may be farther, it has the advantage of being accessible by public transportation. When I am in Orland Park though it is the place to go.

As far as the building and layout, the Orland Park RB is a clone of the Lombard/Yorktown RB. That's not really surprising given they're both new buildings put up around the same time. Basically, there are bar and restaurant sides off the entrance. The bar is a large square/circle with a number of high-tops or banquets around.

All of the beers I've had have been as I'd expect. I have even been known to drink the light to the chagrin of the brewer and staff. Sometimes I just want something to start or end with and the light just fits the bill.

The food is standard Rock Bottom fare so not much to mention there.

Thursday 10th of April 2008 11:09:27 AM

link
I had never been to Orland Park before. It took about an hour from downtown Chicago at 5pm on a Wednesday. It's easy to get to this location, but with traffic it can be a long drive. La Grange Road is one long outdoor shopping/entertainment complex. If you crave it, you can find it there.

I visited this RB location on the night they tapped Liquid Sun, a golden bitter. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer and had another, with a nito irish stout in between. The Liquid Sun is the beer you want in your hand while you sit outside basking in the warmth of the sun. It lives up to it's name. With the usual beers and seasonals, I believe there were about 14 beers on tap.

For dinner, I had the southwestern chicken and shrimp pasta, which was way too much food but really good. It had big hunks of anahiem chilis that addes just enough spice to the dish.

The service was good and friendly. A bartender showed up just as I was taking the next to last sip of each beer and placed the next one in front of me as I finished. I hit my 35th visit and was entitled to a t-shirt. The bartender got it for me in the correct size, which is amazing since the downtown Chicago RB NEVER has the prizes in stock and if they do it is 4 sizes to large.

I very much enjoyed talking with Iain and Richard, the brewers, for an extended period of time. They both shared lots of great information with us about the specific location and brewhouse, but also about beer in general.

Overall we are looking forward to going back to this location.

Thursday 10th of April 2008 08:01:15 AM

link
We visited Orland Park on the night of the monthly tapping. They were featuring Liquid Sun, a strong and very tasty Bitter.

We sat and ate in the bar area which is very similar to the RB Yorktown location. They both have a roundish bar that is sitting within view of the serving tanks. Maybe I haven't really focused on the area above the tanks at Yorktown, but at Orland Park you can also see windows up higher where the fermentation vessels are.

The beers were good. They had two hand pumped cask beers available and 12 other selections on tap coming up with a total of 14 of their own beers on tap.

The food I had was probably some of the best food I have had at a Rock Bottom off of the regular menu (meaning; not at a beer dinner). I've looked at this item before at the Chicago location, but never ordered it. The chicken fried chicken. If you like eating healthy, this is the dish for you!

Our service was good and the bar was full. There is plenty of parking, and supposedly there is a Metra stop not too far away. Illinois is all non-smoking now, so sitting at the bar looking at the shiny tanks is very nice.

Monday 9th of July 2007 12:09:23 AM

link
Lombard is close to me and I go on occasion, I think just topping 20 visits on lombard as of late... so knowing lombard as well as I do.... I went to orland, which is a cookie cut out of lombard.... and to prove that... I sat in the same place I sit when I go to lombard, and there's one difference....

there's more smokers at lombard.... (don't think they allow it at orland) so the partition between the family section of lombard and the bar section is higher in lombard than at orland.... and that's it... you go to one, you've been to the other.... everything else from the on display kettles to the advertisements to the kitchen and the seating arrangements are the same. It's another reason why I like chicago bestest... using other buildings gives the place a broken in character, specially the pooltable section in the back at chicago rb.... (and the ba beer)

otherwise it's a big O shaped bar with seating for about 60 at the bar and another 60 in the seating around the bar, family section seats about the same in number as the bar with more booth seating.

beer selection was okay... standard rb beers.... specials at the time were a wit, smoked porter which when I was given this the first time, I got the lumpy dog... as there was no smoke taste.... you can't sell a porter guy a smoked porter that tastes like a chocoporter.... anyway... the beer there was passable, better than harrisons....

service was funny, the mgmt had the attention of my bartender most of the evening that's why my one beer took me so long... it was a hot day so I did find it passable but still funny when I asked for the bitter on cask the server responded... we have that in.... (I kid you not) beer too... she left out the word cold being flustered that anyone would want to drink a room temp beer at that time of year, and again it's forgivable.... funny as shit tho.... otherwise they were on me slightly after I finished, and samples were served without pretense....

no food this trip, but get the nachos (the beermapping standard) with chicken as they are a meal within themselves....