Meet the Chef: The Glen Club

The Glen Club has recently undergone a facelift.

When it originally opened eleven years ago, it was supposed to be a fine dining establishment, designed to hone in on Glenview’s dining upper crust.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Opened in July of 2001, space limitations meant the restaurant, led by food and beverage director Mike Rosengarden, had to eventually be re-imagined.

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After starting out in hospitality at Hartigan’s Ice Cream Shoppe in Evanston when he was 15, the youthful Rosengarden spent a few years at before being hired before The Glen Club opened.

Now it is more streamlined with the golf course, more of a '19th hole'-type American gastropub feel. A new menu includes everything from sliders to salads, and burgers to chicken sandwiches.

The changes were necessary to drum up increased business and change the public perception of the restaurant, an imposing brick and stone building set back from the street at 2901 W. Lake Ave. The Glen Club is not a private country club, just semi-private with a target audience being “corporate-types,” according to Rosengarden.

Now he is leading the efforts to spread the word about a place that he argues has the best patio in Glenview, along with a burger that he would put up against any other. The Glen Club is also becoming more active in the community, appearing at events like The Heart of Glenview and local sidewalk sales, and being involved in the Chamber of Commerce. It’s part of an effort, Rosengarden says, “to reintroduce us to the community.”

Rosengarden took time to sit down with Patch to answer a few questions about The Glen Club.

Patch: What are your day-to-day responsibilities as food and beverage director?

Rosengarden: Making sure that we are fully staffed, that we have everything we need. All the products and things like that – just make sure the operations run as smoothly as possible.

Patch: What is your favorite menu item?

Rosengarden: We launched a new menu, so there are a lot of new items on there. My favorite right now is the blackened chicken sandwich. The most popular is our burger, which I think can compete with anyone’s around. That’s our signature item

Patch: How has your establishment changed since when it first opened?

Rosengarden: This opened in July of 2001. It started off as a fine dining establishment. As time progressed, we realized that we didn’t have the necessary facilities. We don’t have the separate dining areas for golfers and regular diners. We’re trying to gear more towards the golfer now, more of a “19^th hole” kind of thing. Which changes some menu items, and price points.

Patch: How has the village of Glenview treated you over last 10 years?

Rosengarden: I think they’re treated us phenomenally. [The late former Glenview Village president] Jim Smirles, was a member of this facility. If it were not for him, we wouldn’t be here today. 

Patch: Would you encourage people to come in on their lunch break?

Rosengarden: Absolutely, lunch is our biggest business. We probably have the best public patio in all of Glenview. Summers are a real big time for us, where The Glen Club is the place to be.