Diverse menu a winner at Crystal Lake's Goal Line
When a friend or family member suggests dinner at a sports bar, some folks yelp in glee - while others start searching the mental Rolodex for an alternative. Blaring televisions, howling fans and a deep-fried menu don't appeal to everyone, especially if food quality is first on your fan list. But with good food and a diverse menu, Crystal's Goal Line Sports Bar and Grill will soon win you over, perhaps even becoming one of your MVPs of casual dining options.
<b>Motif: </b>Sports bars can be as dark as a Cubs fans' demeanor in September. Goal Line is flooded with sun during the day and full of light-colored wood, which adds to the bright feel. Tables are a little close and wall-to-wall wood means the space can get noisy. But, this is a sports bar, after all, so expect cheers when there's a particularly great play on one of the 14 televisions. There's a bar and plenty of tables for couples, families and groups. An upstairs seating area and back and front patios add tables, so waits are rarely an issue. Open about a year, the bar's structure was originally a house, and the homey feel remains.
<b>Food:</b> The menu reflects taste and preparation happily out of left field for a sports bar, and owner Robert Bless says that food is the No. 1 priority. Nearly everything is made from scratch from the pizza dough and sauce to the hand-packed 10-ounce certified Black Angus burgers and salad dressings.
“I didn't want it to be just a bar,” the Fox River Grove resident explained, “but instead serve awesome food so people could come with their families.”
All of the recipes are Bless', who attended culinary school. Winning items include Angry Calamari grilled with chorizo, peppers and onions and served as an appetizer or a pasta. Other good options are the Reuben rolls, prime rib, Italian beef and Friday night fish fry. When you order the French dip, the beef is sliced right from that prime rib - a “primo” sandwich, indeed. Stop in on a Thursday to get the Black Angus burger for an easy $6. The venue is aiming to add freshly made pasta to the menu in June.
<b>
Liquid consumption: </b>Expect drink specials every night of the week like $5 Moscow Mules and $4 craft beer on draft on Saturday. Another swing and a hit for a sports bar: a decent wine list with premium varietals by the glass or bottle. The summer drink list is currently in construction but look for some frozen drinks and homemade sangria.
<b>
Entertainment: </b>In addition to televised sports, Goal Line features live music on Friday and Saturday nights beginning around 7 p.m. And once per month, 10 Chicago-based stand-up comics perform, each doing 10- to 15-minute sets. Reservations are recommended for the no-cover show, and the kitchen stays open later to fuel energy for laughs. The next show is June 18.
<b>Crowd:</b> Patrons run the gamut from families and student sports teams in the restaurant to an older clientele (40 and older) coming in a little later in the evening.
<b>
Parking: </b>Street and lot parking make Goal Line easy to visit.
<b>Overall:</b> Goal Line's diverse menu of dishes fashioned from top-notch ingredients makes choosing difficult, so add a return visit to your playbook.
Goal Line Sports Bar and Grill
85 Brink St., Crystal Lake, (815) 893-0231,
Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday