Noodles with Company at Noodles & Company

I like having my kids home during school breaks. I enjoy waking up without an alarm, spending half my day in my pajamas and the ability to do things we do not normally get to do – like having lunch with friends during the week.

On Monday, I grabbed three of my kids and picked up my friend, Karen, and her daughter, Elizabeth, and headed to . Noodles & Company is located at 315 North Randall Road, Lake in the Hills, in front of the movie theater.

We arrived at a little after noon to a packed restaurant. We got in line and looked over the small menu while we waited. The line was somewhat long, but moved quickly.

When our turn arrived, we placed our order, received a number and found a table.

Our food arrived quickly and was hot. Very hot. I may have lost a couple taste buds during my first bite.

Karen ordered the Buttered Noodles with Parmesan-Crusted Chicken. She thought it was good, but she would order something different next time she eats there.

My daughter, McKenzie, eats at Noodles & Company all the time with her dad and usually orders the same thing each time she goes. She decided to step out of the box on Monday and ordered Pasta Fresca – Penne pasta with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, white wine, some veggies and parmesan. She did not like it; she said it tasted too much like vinegar. Lucky for her, Noodles & Co. has a if you do not like something, they will replace it policy. She went back to her old stand-by and ordered the Pesto Cavatappi, one bite and she knew that she was not going to be stepping out of her box again anytime soon.

I ordered Steak Stroganoff – it was very good and reminded me of the Stroganoff my mom used to make in a pressure cooker when I was a kid. The steak was well flavored and cooked perfectly.

All three little kids ordered Chicken Noodle Soup. Karen and I were a little concerned that they would try it and not like it but we were wrong. The kids loved the soup.

Logan said, "This soup is so good, I want to stick my head in it and look for more chicken!"

He didn’t, thank goodness. I tried it, and I have to agree with the kids, it was fantastic!

Karen and I also ordered some food to go for the men in our lives. She ordered Steak Stroganoff for her husband and son – they both enjoyed it and I ordered Indonesian Peanut Sauté with chicken for Tom. He really enjoyed his surprise lunch. It is a spicy dish and he loves spicy.

Typically the cold and flu season follows the holiday season at our house – we will be back to Noodles & Company for their chicken noodle soup!