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| SATURDAY MAY 21 | SUNDAY MAY 22 2016
THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
LIFESTYLE & ARTS
NORTH SHORE FOODIE
Beinlich’s Maintains Tradition, Quality
Owner Tom Rainey with Charlie Beinlich’s famous cheeseburger and fries . PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEL LERNER BY STEVE SADIN DAILYNORTHSHORE.COM
it was strictly a tavern, according to Tom Rainey, the husband of NORTHBROOK — Beinlich’s granddaughter and the hings change very little at third generation owner. Charlie Beinlich’s Food “They were building the Edens and Tap in Northbrook. Expressway then and people The menu remains would come in when their shift relatively unchanged except for a was over,” Rainey said. “Ellie few additions over the eatery’s 66 (Charlie Beinlich’s wife) said, years, and the lines out the door ‘they’re drinking too much. We at most dinner hours are still long. have to feed them something.’” Beinlich’s, as many longtime Ellie Beinlich bought cold cuts, customers and North Shore made sandwiches and served residents call it, serves a limited them on a table that customers menu of burgers, sandwiches and still see when they walk into the a signature shrimp, crab cocktail restaurant today, according to as well as offering a full, long bar Rainey. The food was free and it and fishing trophies on the wall, started reducing profits. “Charlie said, ‘OK, we’ll get a all in keeping with tradition. The hamburger regularly makes lists grill and do burgers,’” Rainey said. of the best in the Chicago area “We’ve continued with that ever since.” including Chicago Magazine. When Charlie Beinlich Rainey said there are a few opened the bar and grill in 1950, secret ingredients in the burgers
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but the key is freshness. “The meat comes in fresh every day,” Rainey said. “We add some seasoning, mix it up, pound it out and make it the way the customer wants. If they want rare, they get rare. If they want well done, they get well done.” There are three choices of cheese for the hamburger—Swiss, American and cheddar. It comes with chips and a customer can make it a deluxe with French fries and coleslaw, according to Rainey. He said bacon is a more recent addition. The cold sandwiches—roast beef, egg salad, tuna salad and baker ham—are still on the menu. Hot sandwiches include BBQ Beef, grilled cheese and grilled ham and cheese and a grilled chicken Caesar wrap. Rainey said the wrap is one of the few new
things on the menu. “My wife and I decided we had to add chicken,” Rainey said. “We went around trying different chicken Caesar wraps and said we can make this. Our chef made a dressing better than any around.” When asked if he might add a turkey burger, Rainey said it was a possibility. “Maybe in around five years,” Rainey said. “If you want a chicken breast sandwich we can make it for you. It’s not on the menu.” The chili is also special, according to Rainey. It is something else that motivated change. He said Beinlich’s does a large take out business for occasions like the Super Bowl with its chili and coleslaw. Anyone who stops by Beinlich’s around the Fourth of July
will find the restaurant closed with a sign “gone fishing” on the door. The restaurant closes for two weeks a year around July 4th and another two weeks around Christmas. He does go fishing each summer. “Everyone who works here gets four weeks paid vacation and they know when it’s going to be, Rainey said. “I’m not going to make a liar out of the sign. I’m going to drop a pole in the water.” Another tradition that remains is the schedule, according to Rainey. He said the restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. He said everyone could count on Sunday and Monday off. Rainey said he installed a television above the bar five years ago and got some push back from a few longtime customers.
“‘Charlie (Beinlich) would be turning over in his grave, one of the customers said,” Rainey said. “I said Charlie never saw high definition.” Do not look for the Beinlich’s phone number on the restaurant’s website or in a directory. It is not there. That too is a tradition that has been around for 66 years, according to Rainey. “Charlie (Beinlich) didn’t want a patron’s wife calling and asking where her husband was,” Rainey said. Another thing remaining unchanged and is likely to stay that way is requiring cash payment. “We’ll start taking credit cards when they stop printing money,” Rainey said. “But we’re very accommodating,” he added pointing to a cash station machine near the front door.