I travel for work, so whenever I land in a new spot, I hit up the apps which tell me where's good to eat. Â I found a few positive comments about this place so I figured I'd give it a shot. Â
From the outside, The Homestead looks a farmhouse turned restaurant. Â There's a fence and hedges around the place and as a newbie, I had to circle the building on foot a few times until I found what I suspected might be the entrance. Â When I entered, I was still a little confused as I had to walk up a few stairs and enter what seemed like it might have been the back door of the restaurant. Â (No hostess stand or anything.). It took a few minutes to be noticed by the woman tending the bar, but when she saw me she welcomed me in and offered me a place to sit, a table by the bar or in the "front room". Â Traveling solo, I opted to sit AT the bar, rather than occupying a full table I ordered a glass of wine, and was offered a menu.
While I waited, I took a few minutes to look around.  The place is dated for sure. But I never judge a book by its cover.  The interior looks like someone's bungalow from the 60's.  Wooden paneling and Formica countertops, and pictures of family members and pets on the wall.  Theres also a funny musty sorta smell that reminded me of grandma's leaky basement.  (Oddly comforting, but perhaps unpleasant without my personal association.) The dining area looks small, but I spotted the  occupancy permit on the wall which approves 256 people; so I guess it's bigger than meets the eye...  (Though my gut tells me it's been years since this place has been in danger of reaching a full house.)
The bartender returned with the menu and I discreetly snapped the attached picture.
Based on other reviews, I opted to order the broasted chicken which some have called the best they've had.  (Not familiar with "Broasting?". Read this, its pretty neat: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2Fbroaster&s=be780215d8826c95a34a595cd86baa3df0cbdc5eb1ef890658eb424d79f424c6" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://tinyurl.com/broas…</a> .)
The bartender asked me to wait while she got a server, and after a few awkward moments, two younger kids came by to take my order. Â (I assume one was training the other.) Â I placed the order and was asked "To-go, right?" To which I declined, as I planned to eat in.
I was offered soup or salad and selected soup. Â My choices were Chicken Rice or Split Pea. Â Anxious to escape the mundane I tried the Pea.
Now the food:
My server tandem returned bearing a tray. Â The soup was pretty tasty. Â Thick and slightly salty with pieces of chopped ham. Â It was served with a roll (a 6" subroll) that was brushed with garlic sauce, (some hours ago as it was cold and had become soggy). Â After a quick nibble, I held off and set my sights on the forthcoming chicken I had high hopes for.
It took about 20 minutes for the chicken to arrive (which is actually a good sign that they broasted this batch just for me!) I snapped a picture of that too. Â Four pieces slightly breaded, and crispy--looked a little hard cooked but tasty. Â The meat was very juicy and flavorful, which was just what I hoped for. Â I should have skipped the soup though... No way I could polish off the chicken; but it definitely was coming home with me!
As my meal was offered with a potato choice, I ordered it with fries, and they were OK. Â Served on a side plate. Â What can you say about fries? Â Nothing to write home about.
I ate and sipped my wine.  The bartender resurfaced to offer me more but I declined as  I overheard another waitress rattling off desserts.  My favorite, tiramisu is made in house and served here.  I'd much prefer to take some of that to-go!
Got my dessert, packed up my chicken, settled up and headed for my hotel room. Â The tiramisu made for a nice TV treat. Â It was good, but not the best. Â A little dry around the edges and a tad too boozy flavored for me-- some places use
Kahlua instead of espresso on the cake layer.
If you're in the area, I'd definitely suggest giving the Homestead a go-- if for nothing more than to try broasted chicken-- But make sure you take it to go. Â Sounds like that's what the locals do anyhow!
When I fist moved to this area The Homestead was a great restaurant. Keyword being "was". They have really fallen from what they once were. They used to have some of the best Lasagna in town. Now, I'd rather just stop at Jewel and get a Lean Cuisine. I don't know what they do whit their garlic bread, but most of the time it just tastes like burnt plastic.
Review Source:My boyfriend and came across this place on a trip from Champaign to Chicago a few years ago. It's a little further off 57 but worth the extra couple miles. The most notable trip we had there was on New Years Eve. The owner (we're assuming he was the owner) greeted us making us feel right at home. After going out of their way to provide us a table among all the reservations, the service was great as always. I can't really remember what we ordered, but anything you order here is a nice "home cooked" meal. I think our favorite part of this place is they give you a veggie tray and cheese and crackers as a complementary appetizer to start your meal.
Review Source:With out a doubt the BEST broasted chickens in the whole area, that includes the Chicago area. My personal favorite is chicken franchise over angle hair pasta. Since my latest bought with congestive heart failure, I have to plan my moves, so sometimes I have to save my sodium intake for 4-5 days, but it is oh so worth it
Review Source:Not quite as good as it gets but pretty close. We were traveling from central Illinois to Chicago and after several false stops we stumbled upon Homestead. It's worth the trip through town off the highway for great non fast food. I highly recommend the spinach appetizer which seems to have a taste of cinnamon. We tried several entrees and all were delicious.
On a side note, the wait staff was very nice and even prepped an ice pack for my girlfriend's hurt ankle.
I stumbled upon this restaurant by luck when I was heading home from a business trip one day. Â Overall, it was a really great experience. Â Our server was very nice and answered all of our questions. Â The decor is certainly old-fashioned, but very inviting.
We started our meal with the bruschetta, which was a treat. Â Lots of tomatoes and fresh basil with a sweet vinegar dressing. Â We both had salads with our meal which were topped with an assortment of veggies, and to my surprise, pickled beets. Â The beets were quite a nice touch actually. Â The salads appeared to have homemade dressing and were served with fresh bread.
I dined on the lasagna which was very tasty, albeit the sauce was a bit sweet for my tastes. Â My dinner partner had the broasted chicken which she pointed out was delicious. Â Cooked perfectly and very juicy.
We certainly enjoyed our meal at the Homestead, and hope to stop by the next time we are in the area.
The memories of eating here with my grandparents and parents were great, in reality the food was OK at best. Perhaps I have not tried everything on the menu, but what I did have was just OK. It was just as I remembered it, and we had a lot of fun talking about the "old" days. Service was OK as well. I would think that the Grey Hairs really enjoy this place...
Review Source:It is funny to think of The Homestead as Kankakee's fine dining establishment.
I don't know, maybe it is, though I don't think so. To me, it was just the place my grandparents would take me to eat after a movie or before a Kankakee High football game, when I was little. Later, in my late teens, it became one of the places my uncles and I would hit for lunch, during a long and unprofitably boring day selling furniture at one of the family stores, just down the road.
I have fond memories of the place, but not for the food, per se.
This restaurant was recommended to us by the hotel we stayed in one night in Kankakee. Homestead gives the impression that it's been the special occasion restaurant of the town for quite some time. The staff was friendly and helpful, although not always super-professional. We sat in a booth that was cozy and the decor was casual.
We decided not to order an appetizer because the portions at other tables looked gigantic and most entrees came with a salad and additional sides. Good choice, because they trotted out garlic bread and a good size plate of crudites with crackers and a cheese spread. The salad was a generous size too. My veal marsala was all right, it was breaded and the swimming in a super-oily marsala sauce. My side of pasta was not al dente and the marinara was sweet. The other diner's ribs were flavorful and tender.
Overall it was a fine experience, but not one to rave about. The prices are ok, I don't know how they compare to others in the area.
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