The Cottage on Dixie- Homewood, Il
Homewood, IL is a South Suburb of Chicago that is known for just about one thing if anything (if you aren't from here), and that is Homewood-Flossmoor High School, our old stomping grounds and a multi-time Blue Ribbon High School. Aside from this, the area I grew up in has its own simple treasures; the small Dairy Queen that has a count down each year to their season opening (shout out to Kelly and the Welsh crew), Downtown Homewood, that has its own summertime "Taste" called Homewood Days and a few small restaurants, breweries, shops and salons, and of course a paint and pour class. We have an Amtrak stop, and now, outside of Downtown is a very "upscale" restaurant called The Cottage on Dixie.
The Ambiance
The Cottage has been open for about 3 years, and is a brand new building from the ground up. The outside looks like its name, a literal stone cottage. After parking and walking into the entrance, the warm lighting bounces off the exposed wooden beams, giving the inside a glow of sorts. The open glass windows (and patio in the warm weather) and simple yet intricate light fixtures and decor come together to create a very cozy setting.
The Service
We ended up getting in on a Valentine's Day, scooping up someone's cancellation. From the start, the server was attentive and very helpful in explaining the specials and also assisting in selecting beers that fit each of our preferences. She explained how everything, from the butter to the bread to the ketchup, is made in house, and that there is a "seasonal" menu as the Cottage uses locally sourced ingredients.
She was also very energetic and was laughing and joking, making the experience enjoyable. She explained the preference from the chef is to eat the burger as is, with no add ons not already included. She also did me a solid and wrote down, by hand, the components of their Cottage Burger
The Burger
This. Burger. Is. Heaven. I actually found out about it from the owner of another local/south suburban favorite of mine and had to share the wealth with my burger loving husband. It doesn't look like much when it gets to you, and having just been to Au Cheval a week prior, the Mr. didn't look too impressed.
The components? A beef Brisket and Short rib mix. Gruyere cheese toasted onto the house-made brioche bun. Smoked bacon. Garlic Aioli. Lettuce and Tomato, served with fries and that in-house made ketchup. Now some burger purists would say it cant be a top burger because of the fancy blend, but I say to the butcher with em, this burger is an explosion in your mouth.
The salty meat mixture alone hits your tongue, then surprise, here is the bacon. Whoops, the toasted cheese, nope, the aioli, nah, the whole doggone thing. Its great. I ate the whole thing. I was not ashamed. Its simple in its complexity, and what you may have been thinking if wondering where to get a good burger.
The Overall
There is more to the menu than the burger; they have a ton to explore and from the looks of what was coming out around me, worth the ticket. The ambiance combined with the service make this a go to for a "fancy" date night, without the city drive for those in the suburbs of Chicago!
Have you gone to the Cottage? What was your take?