New Ice Cream Shop & Eatery Opens in Downtown Palatine

Rock N Roll a la mode, located at 45 N. Bothwell Street, opened for business on June 1.

It wasn’t until Tyler and Janice Holcomb had their son, Gunnar, that they realized downtown Palatine was missing a kid-friendly place for families to get a treat and hang out. So after two years of planning, on June 1 they opened their own ice cream shop called Rock N Roll a la mode, located at 45 N. Bothwell Street. “Downtown Palatine has been known for its bars, and that’s great,” Tyler said, “but hopefully this is the start of some retail and fun things for families to do as well.” Janice added, “There’s so much potential here in downtown Palatine.” In addition to ice cream cones, shakes and malts, Rock N Roll a la mode also has hot dogs, burgers and fries on the menu, as well as a candy wall. But what the Holcomb’s think is the biggest…

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Palatine OKs Chamber of Commerce's New Downtown BBQ, Pig Roast Event

The July 28 event will feature food and live entertainment.

There's going to be a new festival to attend in downtown Palatine this summer. The village of Palatine at its June 4 meeting granted approval for the Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce to hold a BBQ and Pig Roast at the end of July. The event will be held in the BMO Harris Bank Parking Lot in Downtown Palatine on July 28. The event will run from noon to 11 p.m. and will feature live entertainment, food vendors and beer service. To accommodate both the event set-up and the downtown car show on Friday, July 27—which BMO has provided previous permission to utilize the parking lot—BMO Harris Bank will allow spectators for the car show to park in Harris lots at northeast corner of Slade and Greeley streets on Friday evening, according to village…

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Palatine's 'Girls on the Town' Event Being Held this Weekend

Special offers include free polish changes, discounts off jewelry and more.

This weekend, 15 businesses in downtown Palatine are getting together to hold the fourth annual "Girls on the Town" event. There will be demonstrations, special offers, music, complementary food and drinks and trend-setting fashions and home décor ideas for women, according to the Downtown Palatine Business Association website. The event will be held: Attendees should pick up a "passport" for $1, which is available at any participating businesses during the event, just look for the colorful wallflowers displayed outside. By getting a passport stamped at each participating businesses attendees will qualify for raffle prizes and receive other giveaways. Businesses will be having many special offers including 15 percent off all retail hair …

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Great Escape: Great Food and Outdoor Seating at Uptown Café

Now open on Sundays, patrons can relax and unwind while reading the paper or meeting with friends in the middle of downtown.

Now that the weather has – finally – warmed up, outdoor seating along with great food and coffee can be enjoyed at the Uptown Café, 51 W. Wilson St.  Located in the heart of downtown Palatine steps away from the railroad tracks, the café offers made to order breakfast and lunch sandwiches and salads for those who want to stay a while or are looking for a quick bite to eat. “We set it up to be a level or two above the normal fast food sandwich shop, while keeping prices reasonable,” said Norma Hipchen, owner of Uptown Café. Sandwiches and salads are made fresh to order, and Hipchen says if customers want to make any changes to the menu, the staff is happy to accommodate. Gourmet coffee choices on the menu include espresso, cappuccino, latte…

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Downtown Restaurant and Bar Gets a Thumbs Down

Parking issues, smoking area, menu offerings and ability to meet liquor license requirements cited as reasons for negative recommendation.

By a vote of five to two, the Zoning Board of Appeals Tuesday night gave a thumbs down to Mac’s on Slade, a proposed restaurant and bar to open its doors at 117 W. Slade St.  The location was previously occupied by Mint Julep Room, which closed several months ago. The Zoning Board of Appeals vote is only a recommendation. The matter will be heard by the liquor commission and then the village council will have the final say on whether the business is approved. A number of concerns about the business, which also plans to have live entertainment on weekends, were voiced by Zoning Board of Appeals members as well as village staff. The central question lingered around whether the business would be able to conform to the requirements of a Class…

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Bauer's Brauhaus Comes To Downtown Palatine

Bauer's Brauhaus, 45 W. Slade St., serves traditional German beer and food.

Bauer's Brauhaus has brought a little bit of Germany to Palatine's downtown. Located at 45 W. Slade St., Bauer's offering traditional German beer and food. "The best thing you could call it would be that it's like a German gastro pub. It's like half-bar, half-restaurant. But the bar is the main focal point when you walk in. We do have booths and a dining area, too," said owner Jason Bauer, adding that the restaurant seats about 90. Bauer's beer selection is highlighted on the menu and is divided between "Old World"  and "New World." Some of the "Old World" brands include Weihenstephaner Original, Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss, and Ayinger Jahrhundert-Bier. Some of the representatives from the "New World" include Great Lakes Dortmunder, Samuel …

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Cookie Cards Celebrates First Anniversary in Downtown Palatine

Bakery became even more of a sweet spot in November when cupcake maker moved in.

Cookie Cards, a dessert bakery in downtown Palatine, marked its first anniversary Thursday, Jan. 13, with a ribbon cutting officiated by Mayor Jim Schwantz and attended by officials from the Palatine Chamber of Commerce. The celebration will continue Saturday, Jan. 15, with a party for customers that will include cookie and cupcake tastings. Located at 10 N. Bothwell St., Cookie Cards began as a mother-daughter partnership for Marti and Kerri Callahan. While freshly baked cookies with such flavors as oatmeal cherry and Creamsicle are sold in packs of six at the front counter, the business specializes in custom-made cookies that can be decorated with anything from a family crest to a corporate logo. A “cookie card,” as defined by Kerri, is …

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Oktoberfest raises money for local charities

Oktoberfest features authentic German cuisine and music.

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