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Good food, craft beer and sports, sports sports at Miller's Ale House in Schaumburg

You know there's someone really smart out there who has carefully calculated an accurate flat-screen-per-sports-bar-square-footage ratio that applies to all places where you can enjoy a brew and watch a game or two … or 12. It's safe to say that the new Miller's Ale House in Schaumburg is at the high end of that sports bar ratio, where wall-mounted flat screens and beers on tap come in dozens. You know a place has more than enough screens when you can watch Canadian football alongside college basketball, the NBA and the NHL.

Everything about Miller's is big and new - from its new building with floating wood-plank ceilings hovering over two large rectangular bars containing about 40 beers on tap to the heaping menu of popular sports bar appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, steaks and more. This is one of those places that feels a lot bigger on the inside when gazing up toward the winding ribbon of TVs high on the walls than when you're walking in from its sizable parking lot. On the Wednesday night we visited, it was packed, but we managed to get a table for two after waiting for only about 10 minutes.

  Bartender Celine Hall pours a draft at Miller's Ale House in Schaumburg. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

In addition to all those beers on tap, there are many more craft beers and signature cocktails to pick from on the drink menu. You have to like a drink named the Painkiller, with Pusser's Rum, orange juice and piña colada mix. It's probably best not to operate heavy machinery after chugging that one down.

If you're in more of a tropical island mood while rooting on your favorite team, you might order the Pineapple Mango Mojito, complete with Captain Morgan pineapple rum, mudded pineapple, mango and lime juice plus fresh mint and lemon-lime soda. And if you're looking for a beer you haven't tried before, a tip of the hat to Miller's for featuring an ample craft beer menu filled with local selections from several area breweries.

  Ogee Muniz of Chicago and Tim Kueker of Streamwood sip on drinks while dining at Miller's Ale House in Schaumburg. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

The one that jumped off the page was the Vanilla (expletive) Slap from Pig Minds Brewing in Machesney Park, Illinois, near Rockford. Our server laughed when we pointed that one out to her. And then she recalled a story where she was taking an order from an older patron out with a group of friends who wanted to order it but couldn't bring herself to say the beer's name.

  A mojito and a strawberry daiquiri are two of many cocktail options at Miller's Ale House. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

Service at Miller's is very prompt and attentive. Our server clearly knew the whole menu, but focused a lot on the drinks that "we are trying to push" - her words. However, she was not "pushy" at all and made it fun to be there.

On the food side - appetizers include several versions of Miller's boneless chicken tenders, known as Zingers. There's also fried calamari and several kinds of dips and nachos. But what really hit the spot on this chilly weeknight (with me battling a cold) was the bowl of French onion soup. It was little heavy on the blanket of provolone covering the bowl, but good nonetheless.

  Miller's Ale House in Schaumburg serves up crispy English style fish and chips. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

The entree menu features plenty of what you'd normally expect on a sports bar menu, and a lot more. I was pleasantly surprised to see English style fish and chips, featuring Samuel Adams beer-battered flaky white fish fried golden brown. As a big fish and chips fan, I've often been disappointed with the soggy-batter fish pieces many restaurants serve. But Miller's came through with light, crisp fish that had the perfect hint of beer-batter taste. Nice touch!

In addition to "surf" items, Miller's also features plenty of "turf" options, including filet mignon, rib-eye and flat iron, among other steak cuts. You also have the option of adding lobster tail or shrimp to your choice of steak for a real "surf and turf" platter. A nice selection of flatbreads, fajitas, salads and pastas rounds out the menu. There's also a kids section on the menu - making Miller's an option for the whole family.

With the extensive drink and eats menus, it can be tough to save room for dessert, but here are a couple of reasons you might want to try.

  Capt. Jack's Buried Treasure - homemade ice cream cake with an Oreo cookie crust, caramel, chocolate fudge and Heath Bar crunch - will tempt your sweet tooth at Miller's Ale House. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com

When the Capt. Jack's Buried Treasure arrives on the table, you get a homemade ice cream cake with Oreo cookie crust along with caramel, chocolate fudge and Heath Bar crunch. And if that doesn't cause you to reach for a spoon, there's also the Nutter Butter Ice Cream Cake with famed Nutter Butter cookies, fudge and vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate and peanut butter sauces. Yep, you may have to loosen your belt when you get done eating here.

Overall, Miller's Ale House is perfect if you want to enjoy good food and a craft beer or two while watching sports, which is exactly the type of crowd it's designed to draw. But it's not the place for having a quiet meal with family and friends. There's a lot going on. And it's easy to get sensory overload when you're surrounded by multiple events playing out on flat screens while classic rock pumps through overhead speakers.

However, if your goal is to watch as many games as possible in one sitting, then this place's flat-screen-per-sports-bar-square-footage ratio is perfectly calibrated for you.

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Miller's Ale House

1300 N. Meacham Road, Schaumburg, (847) 598-1090, www.millersalehouse.com

Cuisine: American

Setting: Casual sports bar

Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily

Entrees: $7-$20

Also: Daily food specials

• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.

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