The Dock At Inwood: New Place Scores Big

JOLIET, IL - On Wednesday I visited the Inwood Athletic Club to interview Joliet Park District Deputy Director Brad Staab about Foreigner as this summer's headliner for Taste of Joliet at Memorial Stadium. But visiting Inwood gave me a chance to kill two birds with one stone. You see, back on Dec. 20, The Dock at Inwood opened at the former Traditions Restaurant & Pub. I needed to check this place out.

The Dock is operated by Rick Trafton, the brother of one of the former Joliet Police Chiefs, Mike Trafton, who's also involved in the new restaurant.

The Dock is nothing like Traditions Restaurant, which ended its lease after 10 years this summer, a mutual parting of ways with the Joliet Park District.

Since then, Rick Trafton did a total renovation of the restaurant and bar. He knocked out the long wall across the hallway from Inwood's Ice Arena as you can see from these photos. He installed old barn wood to give the new sit-down restaurant a cozy feel.

"It gives the place a lot of warmth," he told me on Wednesday.

He also remodeled both the men's and women's bathrooms. As for the bar, there are now 18 beers on tap, he said.

What does Trafton have to say about his food menu?

"Our food is outstanding," he assured me.

From what I tried, I would have to agree. I went ahead and posted a photo of the entire menu at the bottom of this article, including prices.

Here are a few of my recommendations from the appetizer menu - and trust me on this - you won't go wrong:

Buffalo Shrimp: "5 jumbo buffalo shrimp on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes. Served with ranch or bleu cheese dipping sauce."

Fried Mac-N-Cheese Bites: "Served with spicy Chipotle ranch."

Champion Nachos: "Our Loaded Nachos topped with Loaded Fries. Add BBQ pulled pork, chicken or brisket for $3 more."

The Dock just added a homemade pizza. I sampled a couple small pieces of this pizza as well.

Trafton said he made sure the pizza offerings were first-class. "I knew the tradition level here in Joliet was really big," he explained.

So why did Trafton, who had been involved with The Dock Rotz Tavern in Minooka, take the plunge of opening a new restaurant and bar on Joliet's West Jefferson Street?

Trafton pointed out that "1.6 million cars per year hit this parking lot."

Additionally, Trafton said the Joliet Park District administration "are a class act and the employees who work here at Inwood are happy here."

The Dock At Inwood opens daily at 11 a.m. The kitchen generally stays open until 10 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends.

"We do catering and private parties,"he told me.

The Dock at Inwood also is family-friendly. It has a kids menu, and Trafton plans to have a $20 family pizza night every Monday offering a 17-inch pizza plus a pitcher of domestic beer or pop.

As far as the menu goes, there's plenty to choose from with more than 10 appetizers. There's 10 different sandwiches. Nine kinds of burgers. Three soups. Four salads.

The Dock at Inwood is definitely worth checking out. It adds another dimension to West Jefferson Street's restaurant and entertainment corridor. It's off to a great start.

Images via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor