Restaurants in Rolling Meadows

Murals of Chicago sports legends surround Blue 60's bar and dining area, joining flat-screen televisions that act as windows to a world of huffing linebackers and fire-eyed pitchers. While safely perched at bar stools and pub tables, diners can watch the modern gladiators compete during contests including hockey games, college basketball match-ups, and the NFL’s off-season Shakespeare in the Park productions. Blue 60's kitchen staff fires stuffed burgers, stone-baked pizzas, and specialty sandwiches to accentuate each game while also bringing out the flavors in the beers that grace the bar’s tap list.

In The Valley Lodge, a stone fireplace casts gentle ripples of warmth and light, its snapping kindling sharing tales accumulated during more than four decades in business. Around the roaring hearth orbit plates laden with baby back ribs, lamb chops, and cheeseburgers, which twirl an olfactory kaleidoscope. Flat-screen televisions flicker through the fragrant steam, letting patrons keep abreast of athletic competitions without the risk of mascots building nests in their belongings.

Home cooking can be hard to find when home is on an entirely different continent. But the owners of Himalayan Restaurant knew how to bring the flavors of their South Asian home to Chicago. They sought out Chef Bishnu Subedi, who relies on his 12 years of experience as well as his training in a Kathmandu culinary school. Befitting the subcontinent’s rich and diverse history, Chef Subedi designs expansive menus, which embrace the Northern Indian, Nepalese, and Asian subcultures that define the region’s cuisines.

This cultural fusion is readily apparent in dishes such as the momos: steamed Nepalese-style dumplings that are typically stuffed with minced chicken or vegetables and served by street-food vendors throughout Nepal. Northern Indian flavors completely shine through on certain dishes, including the tandoori chicken, which marinates overnight in spiced yogurt before the chefs quickly barbecue the meat inside a traditional clay tandoor oven. House-made paneer cheese and fluffy naan also evoke the flavors of South Asia; the restaurant further embraces its cultural roots by serving Indian beers and water from melted Nepalese glaciers.

Michael's Southshore stands in a strip mall near Geist Reservoir rather than on a shore. But it's the ambience and menu of "surprisingly creative yet approachable American favorites" inside that make it “a destination restaurant … for which city folk might actually drive out to the suburbs,” writes Indianapolis Monthly’s Terry Kirts. Many dishes hinge on familiar grill and steakhouse flavors upgraded by creative flourishes, sourced from regional produce whenever possible. Prime-rib burgers are crowned with pancetta for a combo meaty enough to serve at a wolf's birthday party; similiarly, chefs dress mushroom-encrusted lamb chops with a lamb-infused demi sauce. Lighter dishes include grilled pizzas and housemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta, artichokes, and spinach.

In Michael's bar and dining room, guests can turn their attention to the game or their party with equal ease: High-definition TVs glow from the corners and above a commanding stone fireplace, but a secluded atmosphere ensconces booths surrounded by frosted glass imprinted with shore grass. Polished metal surfaces impart a modern sheen, and a spacious, covered patio makes outdoor dining comfortable in any weather.

Inside Omega Restaurant, ovens blaze as they lightly brown cheesecakes in spring-form pans, trays of tiramisu, and large baking sheets of fruit-filled danishes. These sweet wares, available for takeout, also accompany the restaurant’s hearty plates of American-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner entrees, prepared 24 hours a day. Servers supply tables with warm dishes such as fluffy three-egg omelets, grilled ham and swiss paninis, and hearty slices of housemade meatloaf.

In the main dining area, dark-wood tables complement cocoa-hued walls and framed abstract artwork to create a contemporary atmosphere. The adjacent coffee bar with glass bakery cases features complimentary WiFi access to pair with freshly brewed gourmet coffees, accommodating both customers on the go and laptops in need of a caffeine boost.

The epicurean alchemists at India House, winner of Chicago magazine's Best Indian Buffet designation, draw inspiration from the cuisine of Bombay and Delhi as well as Indian street fare and homestyle tandoori cooking. The menu's more than 250 items please vegetarian and meat-eating palates alike with curries, kebabs, and grilled saris that utilize the flavors of fresh cilantro, chilies, and coconut. A reviewer for the Chicago Tribune praises the restaurant’s “incredibly tender tandoori chicken,” and Chicago magazine says that the fiery "Hyderabadi-style mahi-mahi … is a must." Midday lunchers can dig into a buffet whose myriad options beget multiple trips and consultation with a pack of tarot cards before deciding which delicious curries should be ladled over naan and rice.