LHG Test Kitchen Week Kicks Off In Lemont, Homer Glen

LEMONT, IL — If you're looking to go out to eat this week, there are several special menus you can try out at restaurants in Homer Glen and Lemont as part of the Heritage Corridor Business Alliance's second annual LHG Test Kitchen Week.

The event began on Jan. 20, and will continue until Jan. 26, according to the business alliance.

Five restaurants in Homer Glen and Lemont came up with unique dishes, drinks and desserts for customers. Customers can submit their comments and ratings, and awards will be given to the restaurants with the highest rated dish, drink, dessert and overall menu.

“In 2022, as restaurants were struggling during the pandemic, we wanted to come up with a unique way to promote our restaurants,” Dan Mulka, Executive Director of the Heritage Corridor Business Alliance and creator of LHG Test Kitchen Week, said in a release. “The event was such a hit, both with customers and our restaurant teams, that we knew that Year 2 (2023) must happen. And our restaurants have come up with some amazing recipes that I can’t wait to try.”

Participating restaurants include:

• Barrel and Vine, in Lemont
  • Featuring: 21-day dry-aged bone-in New York strip, beet and dilled cured salmon, Tandoori grilled lamb chops, wild berry smoked red wine poached pear, Mezcal grapefruit sour, Tamarind Dark and Stormy and the Walnut Old Fashioned
• Chesdan’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, in Homer Glen
  • Featuring: steak carbonaro mac and cheese

• Next Mex, in Lemont
  • Featuring: grilled enchiladas, shrimp tacos al pastor, cinnamon pear margarita, and a featured margarita flight

• The Phoenix Kitchen and Cocktails, in Homer Glen
  • Featuring: beef short rib, Poor Man’s Burnt Ends, rocky road Baked Alaska, Macho Matcha and Tiki Negroni

• Wooden Paddle, in Lemont
  • Featuring: lemongrass pork chop, shrimp polenta pops, smoked brisket pizza, spicy Bucanti, Yuzu tuna, Pear Necessities, and Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Pops