Amid rich woodwork and four big-screen TVs, 800 West treats taste buds to savory steaks, scrumptious sandwiches, and seafood. Customers can commence consumption with the 800 West shrimp, tender prawns tossed in a spicy cream sauce ($10.29), before applying paws to a hearty handheld such as the grilled-barbecue-chicken-ranch sandwich ($9.29). Dive fork-first into the blackened mahi-mahi with pineapple salsa for a taste of the tropics ($14.99), or opt for the 7-ounce char-grilled filet mignon served with onion strings and maitre d' butter if you only eat fish born as cheesy crackers or 7-ounce filet mignons ($23.99). The six-cheese purse pasta—little pockets stuffed with sundried tomatoes, spinach, and garlic and blanketed with parmesan cream sauce—sates herbaceous bellies and pastaterian pandas ($10.99). To rinse down solids, patrons can saddle up to the full-service bar and sip a glass of wine ($7–$12), a beer ($3–$5), or a martini ($9–$10).

Vie Restaurant: A User's Guide

With its dark-wood storefront facing old-fashioned street lamps and the upstanding lines of the brick train station across the street, Chequers falls right into line with the village feel of downtown LaGrange. Once inside, however, it's clear that the village the pub means to evoke is somewhere deep within England: beer-battered fish and chips sizzle from the kitchen, Newcastle foams from the taps, and in back stands a red phone booth rumored to have birthed Dr. Who, Queen Elizabeth, and Winston Churchill on the same cold, gray day. On chilly nights, fireplaces burn in both the dining room and the English garden, where up to 50 carousers can gather around the 50-inch plasma TV.

A member of the Vienna Beef Hot Dog Hall of Fame, Little Joe's Restaurant boasts a deliciously uncanny knowledge of hot dog, burger, sausage preparation, and well-known italian beef. Peruse the menu and opt for a classic Little Joe's hot dog ($2.85), or doll it up with chili and cheese ($3.75) for a nice night out on the tongue. An order of buffalo wings ($6.50) or a grilled chicken sandwich ($3.95) quashes the hunger of patrons who have spent the day vacuuming coal mines, and the freshly made italian beef ($4.95) curbs cravings the size of a young buttero's dreams. Little Joe's also throws the spice of variety into the mix with tamales ($1.75) and homemade soups ($2.85).

Founded in 1962, Saban's Place stands as a nostalgic throwback to old fashioned, family-run supper clubs. Chefs fire tried-and-true steak and seafood dishes such as broiled fillet, new york strip, and sautéed walleye flanked by hot rolls and a choice of potato. Dinners also entitle patrons to cruise the salad bar, where house-made dressings stand ready to be drizzled onto crunchy bites of lettuce or a discriminating toddler's pacifier. Chefs conclude meals on a sweet note with freshly made desserts.

Christopher and Mary Spagnola, owners of Back Alley Burger, boast an extensive, ingredient-driven menu of fresh-to-order, grass-fed-beef burgers and nitrate-free, all-beef hot dogs. Bite into the Knead a Big burger ($8.99), which finds a juicy beef patty, tender pastrami, and a fried egg lounging like spoiled princes atop a downy bun pillow, craft a burger from scratch ($5.99+), or step outside the cattle box for a Crabtastic crab-cake burger ($8.99) or veggie burger ($7.99). Along with its burger creations and puppet shows on the history of beef, Back Alley Burger also blankets scrumptious, all-beef Nancy's dogs with Merkts cheese and sauerkraut ($4.25), whips up a variety of sandwiches and salads, and prepares an array of tasty sides, such as sweet-potato fries ($2.50) and chili con carne ($3.99).