He Serves Food and the Community

I entered Bill Konstantapoulos' restaurant. The building is blue and white, just like the Greek flag. The air was full of the spicy aroma of gyro meat grilling and the walls were adorned with Little League plaques.

I instantly knew Bill's Place was about good food, a friendly dining environment and supporting the community of La Grange Park and surounding areas.

Bill's Place, 1146 Maple Ave, in business for more than 25 years, serves food in the style of a '50s diner, decorated with black-and-white pictures of James Dean and old Ford Thunderbird ads. It caters and serves crisp salads, homemade Italian beef, gyros, Paninis, pizza and many more appetizing options. After some friendly conversation with the employee behind the counter, I knew I was in for a classic diner experience.

While many restaurant owners only emphasize good food, to Konstantapoulos, it's about hospitality and community.

Konstantapoulos supports the community through fund raisers, catering and various forms of donations. He currently sponsors three Little League teams, has added concessions to the La Grange and La Grange Park pools and caters events for churches, the Boy Scouts and several schools in the neighborhood.

With the aroma fresh in my nose and the cashier's recommendation echoing in my head, I decided to order the gyro special.  Six dollars filled me up with a gyro, fries and a drink. Out of curiosity, I also decided to try a piece of the trademarked Broaster Chicken (pressure-fried and marinated), which Bill's Place received an award for and can be bought in single pieces for about a dollar.

The Broaster Chicken has a dry, crunchy and golden-fried skin that encased soft, juicy and tender white meat. I was amazed by the lack of grease and how moist and scrumptious the marinated chicken was.  I could have easily eaten several more pieces.

As I moved on to the gyro, I noticed the cucumber sauce (also known as tzatziki) and onion were under the meat, which allowed me to enjoy the fresh and juicy cream with the oniony flavor in every bite. The seasoned gyro meat, which is usually lamb and beef, had hints of oregano that left a delightful salty and peppery taste on my tongue followed by the unique gamy beef flavor.  Throw in the tomato and I was left with a tangy, fresh, flavorsome, well-thought-out and well-constructed gyro.

The only downside to my meal was that the fries were a little undercooked and I had a hard time locating the napkin dispenser on the wall. As I saw owner Bill Konstantapoulos offering his gracious hospitality to the patrons, I mentioned this to him and, as a sign of his good nature, he jokingly told me to bring my own napkins.

A native to Greece, Konstantapoulos immigrated to the United States in 1979 bringing with him his hard work ethic and caring personality to pursue his dream and a better life.  He recently added the Maple Avenue Creamery right next door to Bill's Place, with a patio filled with families and friends. These are the kinds of places that will produce generations of smiles and memories.