Kenilworth Insider

Sometimes what you’re looking for is not technically in your hometown. When it comes to fish, unless you’re going to throw a line into the lake and hope for the best, you might need to travel away from Kenilworth, but only less than a mile. Burhop’s Fish & Seafood, at 1515 Sheridan Rd in Wilmette is the closest you can get for fresh fish.

Burhop’s struck me immediately when I saw one of their employees out front grilling some enormous Gulf shrimp. When asked whether or not they serve food at the fishmonger, he said “We grill when the grill’s out, I’ll grill ya something,” and away he went. The man proceeded to show me—for reasons I have yet to understand—some scans of photos he enjoyed.

He then told me to pick out a fish. Scanning the fish selection, I noticed that most of it looked excellent. The store had no fishy smell, just a bit of a salty scent. Everything looked perfect except for the yellowfin was a bit browner than I was comfortable with. I chose a marlin steak, knowing that it would be cooked rare, and I could check for freshness.

The steak was seasoned and grilled perfectly rare, and was just as fresh as I’d hoped. I had to wait awhile because the numerous fishmongers at Burhop’s seemed to be constantly busy, but it was worth the wait. Unfortunately they had no where really set up to eat so I had to sit outside.

As a fishmonger, Burhop’s gets an 8.5: good selection, reasonable prices, mostly quality fish. As a restaurant, which granted I’m not sure it really intends to be, it would score much lower. Either way, for Kenilworth citizens, this is the place to go for fish.

By Tony Clavelli

Technorati Tags: Kenilworth, fishmonger, fish

When living in a community, it is important to understand local law enforcement. This includes how they operate and what sort of projects they embark upon. No, this is not a lesson in “know your enemy,” but simply that you should understand how your police service works because you are paying for it.

In Kenilworth, IL, the police tend to serve a purpose not necessarily common to other communities. With a median income over $300,000, and a small population, clearly the crime rates would be low.

When not fighting crime, the Kenilworth police focus more on prevention. Programs such as Project ChildSafe, a nationwide program to keep guns in the home away from children are fully supported by Kenilworth. To a less conservative town, this project almost seems like a joke. Project GunsAreABadIdea, however, wouldn’t fly in such a conservative population, so this is project still holds importance. The Kenilworth police promote other projects including “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most:” a campaign to prevent parents from providing minors with alcohol.

Evident with the town’s numerous signs (and personal experience), parking violations provide the force with plenty of additional revenue. The fact that the first button on the police website is “Parking FAQ” should be obvious clue that parking is serious business to the department. The tickets are steep, and paying quickly does not get you a discount as with some towns. Outsiders will have to pay a hefty price if they want to park near the lake.

You can visit the Kenilworth Police website at www.kenilworthpd.org in order to obtain more details. Staying aware can help make sure your police is working for you. Also, for some reason, the website includes one of those color coded Homeland Security alert scales, in case you need to know how much to panic.

Technorati Tags: Kenilworth, police

If you’re from Kenilworth, IL it is nearly impossible not to know about Homer’s Restaurant Ice Cream. Its huge red sign screams at you from Green Bay Road, demanding you give it a try. As with most foods, I have high standards for ice cream as well, but let’s get this out of the way right now: Homer’s is incredible.

I went with a scoop of peach and a scoop of banana—banana’s my favorite, and peach was written in far bigger font than the others so I had to see how it was. The woman behind the counter said, “Is it good like that?” I wasn’t sure what she meant, and had no answer, but she informed me that banana and peach is the combo that most people get: perfect for a review!

Two scoops for $3.40 is more than fair for what you get. The banana was great—not that fake banana candy flavor but real bananas. For some reason Homer’s tries to hide this with a bit of coloring to hide the slight browning (bananas oxidize, even if kept out of air and splash it with lemon juice), but you could still tell it was real bananas. The peach packed a punch worthy of its font size, strong and sweet, but again lacking that artificial taste you find in more commercial ice creams. Homer’s Restaurant in Kenilworth also has a variety of sorbets I’m sure to be back to try.

If you haven’t been to Homer’s Restaurant in Kenilworth, IL then you should go. Look how crowded it was on Tuesday afternoon! I give this ice cream 9.4 out of 10: Highly Recommended.

By Tony Clavelli

Technorati Tags: Kenilworth, IL, Restaurant