The Hickory Stick Bar & Grill

I had my wedding here 9−6−14. The grounds are beautiful and the room is well kept and nice. Everything up till the week before the wedding was spot on. The banquet manager that was supposed to be there the day of the wedding decided to tell me days before the event that he was not going to be there and that there would be a replacement. Met with the manager and the replacement (Gladys) a few days before the wedding no problems until the reception.
Everything was set up the way I wanted it the food was great but the service was terrible. Gladys was totally unprofessional. The head table was supposed to be taken care of and I didn’t see one person asking if we wanted drinks. My now husband had to go find someone to get Gladys to have us served and when she did finally come out she hardly took any orders. Not at all apologetic or even seemed to care. One of the grooms men at one point got up to get drinks and was told that no drinks were served during dinner. I especially made sure a few separate times before the event that my head table would be taken care of so needless to say that made me upset. Also my guests never had water refills on their tables and so they had nothing to drink with dinner.
I had one request for a vegetarian meal. Never got served. I didn’t even find out until I asked my guest how her meal was after dinner. So she was stuck with eating only a salad for dinner. Later during the night well after dinner I noticed that my cake wasn’t cut. I had to go up to the manager and tell her to cut the cake. So most of the cake remained uneaten because it was so late in the evening. Close to the end of the night there was a few complaints that the manager who was behind the bar at this point was very rude when my guests were asking for drinks.
I am not sure why she was chosen to run my wedding but she definitely does not know how to run an event or manage her staff. I was overall very disappointed by the service I received that night. The only good thing that came out of it was the great food and sangria. As long as the usual banquet manager (Romaus) is running your event I believe you will have a good experience but I unfortunately did not.

Our comment is based upon our experience after celebrating our daughter’s birthday. They did a great job with the set up, the ambiance was cozy. The food was excellent, and well-​prepared. For the price we paid for a banquet, our guests were very satisfied for the food and service. We had the whole place to ourselves, in the midst of the golf course. It was very private, although the clubhouse and the golf course are parts of Elgin Park District. Most of our guests did not know that they can hold their events there. I highly recommend the place for any social gathering. We have dined there for burgers and Friday Fish Fry, the food is average. The prep for the banquet was exceptional. The event planner and his crew were very attentive. Check it out for your next event!

Friends suggested here for Friday fish dinner. I don’t know if I would have ever found it on my own, and THEY only found it by searching for «Friday Fish Fry — Elgin» online.
VERY nice architecture (love Prairie Style) in this public golf course/​country club. Dining room is nice but loses a little by having such obvious rolling divider walls for different room arrangements. Reminded me of my grade school gym — except for the Prairie Style touches — and the bar!
View from the dining room is apparently spectacular during the day, at night it’s … dark. Outside patio may be nice (couldn’t see it as it was … dark). Apparently the patio is a smoker’s paradise so if you’re an anti-​smoking crusader, dine indoors and away from the patio doors (I could smell the smoke as waitresses and patrons came and went).
The food (this is a restaurant review after all) was all good … enough. But the main attraction was what you get for the price (as far as the fish fry goes — this was my only experience here); Endless soup (clam chowder, which was OK — wish I had thought to add some pepper), salad (meager options in my opinion, or mostly options I don’t choose), bread rolls (we got ‘em HOT out of the kitchen!). The food was not brought out until we were done with the soup and salad (don’t you hate when they bring out the food before you’re done with the soup and salad?).
Fish? Thick cuts, rather small squares but my friends said they vary (and they will change your order to more without a problem). The breading/​batter was perfect, not greasy, did not detract from the fish in any way. The fish was moist and flaky. Potato? Got the baked, it was a bit dry and plain (that is, it did not have the now-​common coat of thick salt flakes — what else could it be, it’s a baked potato). Coleslaw? Edible, but geez, about the flattest tasting, limpest cabbage I can remember having … fast food restaurants do this better.
I’m forgetting something … drawing a blank, but what does it matter since by this point I was STUFFED like rarely before (and I’m a big eater). Man that was a lot of food. I can barely imagine eating more than the two piece fish dinner (unless you skip everything else). And the price was surely right! I could do this once a week without a second thought.
BTW, as I commented to my friends, I may be old, but I brought the average age of the room DOWN. As a rule, old people (and fat people) eat where you get good value for the money, so there’s that.
No issue with the service, but feel compelled to comment that compared to the fanciness of the surroundings, they seemed to be dressed down more than I expected. Just a little. Not a thing for me. Just sayin’.

Everyone,
My own imposed rules for any review:
1. Must visit at least three times. Two of which must be distinctly different formats; i.e. one weekday night and one weekend night.
2. Must order something unique each visit.
3. If they have any «signature» items on the menu, you must order a «signature» item at least once.
4. Ratings are based on a 10 point scale with 5 being average, which does not mean bad. What a score of 5 means is that the category meets expectations for that establishments format.
Thanks.
Hickory Stick — Elgin
Location/​Layout — ⁷⁄₁₀: The Hickory Stick is the clubhouse for the Highlands golf course but is open year round for both dining and events. The building is located just south of Route 20 on Sports Way which is on Elgin’s southwest side. Parking is ample, especially during the golf off season, and the building is easy to find once you turn down Sports Way. The actual building is has a very classic and inviting design; with upscale wood trimmed interior and a Scottish golf theme throughout. The main eating area and bar have a very cozy and intimate feel with a roaring fireplace, TVs appropriately tuned and set to conversation permitting ambient volumes, and if weather permits a balcony with great views of the course. The main hall carries the same design and can be used for events ranging from corporate outings to large weddings.
Menu — 6.5÷10: The menu is fairly short and focused but well thought out. There are a nice selection of apps, sandwiches, and full dinners. They offer the locally famous «Pink Pony» fish fry which is always a hit on Fridays, especially during lent and comes with unlimited soup, bread, and a small salad bar. For those in the area they also have lunch specials that may be unique offerings or may be discounted regular menu items.
Service — 7.5÷10: The service is very friendly starting with the greeter. The remaining staff is very helpful and professional. We are always greeted with a smile and treated very well throughout our meals, with quick bussing service and condiments and refills that are usually filled expediently. Food comes out very quickly once freshly prepared no matter the volume of patrons, so you are always able to enjoy a piping hot dinner. Accommodations are always made in short order and they will happily work with you if you would like to create a custom item, which has happened at our table.
Food — 7.5÷10: All the food options are very delicious and most are freshly prepared in house. The star standouts for us are the buffalo chicken sandwich and the fish fry. While the fish fry earns its merit by being extremely fresh and meaty while using a beloved local recipe, the sandwiches are made with care and look almost like they are being created for a photo shoot. The salad bar, while small is very fresh and offers everything that I need to make an amazing first course (see my salad picture) which includes fresh vegetables and crumbled fresh cheese. Arguably better than the salad bar is the house made clam chowder. The only area that is lacking is the sides. The french fries are standard steak fries with little or no seasoning and the baked potatoes are both uninspired and small. Prices are very reasonable on all menu items and if you are able to take advantage of any specials, can be a great value.
Drinks — ⁶⁄₁₀: The bar area offers mixers, beers, which several are available on tap, wine and soft drinks. Prices are very reasonable, especially given that this is a golf course club house and rival most area bars.
Overall Experience — 7.5÷10: This is a great little «hidden» gem in the fox valley area. It can be a great place to grab a bite and libation either pre or post round of golf but stands very easily on its own as a place to have a very good and intimate meal.

Beautiful location on Elgin’s golf course.
I’ve been in several times for lunch and never disappointed. They share an owner with La Hacienda in Addison and have a great Mexican selection on their menu as a result. Soups are out of the world especially the chicken and rice. Really, you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. I’ve always had a lovely time there.

Food was overcooked.
I went with a simple cheeseburger but it tasted overly charbroiled and not fresh at all.
In order to have fries I also had to upgrade myself to their salt-​lick soup.
Sigh…
The only bright spot was our exhausted waitress. She started cold but became friendly by the end of the meal. She was quick with her service and was the only thing that makes me want to go back.

Among the top three Friday night fish fries in Elgin. 4 square chunks of lightly battered deep fried haddock with chips (steak fries), rolls, salad or a small cup of clam chowder. You can taste the fish, which is meaty and moist. I believe it was the recipe of the former Pink Pony restaurant run by the La Magdalena restaurant group hence the name. Great place to have a fish fry, packed during the Lenten season. Inconveniently located down an access road, across from ECC in the lovely prairie-​style clubhouse of the Highlands of Elgin public golf course.