Palatine's Hotshots winning over fans
Since opening in August, Hotshots Saloon has been wooing crowds with its casual family-friendly atmosphere and good, affordable food. While the sports packages bring in fans, the bar has also been working on appealing to different groups with dart and pool leagues, a martini menu and live music.
Motif: Flat-screen TVs tuned to sports hang along the walls along with jerseys and pennants dangling from the ceiling. A marble-topped bar sits in the center of the main room, which also features plenty of tables, electronic dart boards and other video game machines. Secondary rooms include a pool table and a foosball table where play is free.
Service: Service was friendly and attentive both at the bar and table. The bartender was happy to inform us of the specials and help us find a discounted brew. Food and drink refills came out quickly.
Liquid consumption: The bar offers daily drink deals including $2 domestic bottles on Bears game days and $5 martinis on Thursdays. The new martini list has proven exceptionally popular, especially the chocolate version and key lime pie martini served with graham cracker crust along the rim.
Food: Hotshots' menu includes plenty of appetizers along with salads, flatbread, pizzas, sandwiches and pastas all made from scratch. The bar dishes out free baskets of seven pepper popcorn, which had some solid kick. We tried one of the most popular starters, the Texas egg rolls, which are a lot like an Italian beef sandwich with cheese and chili peppers wrapped in a crispy shell. It was paired with cheese sauce topped with pico de gallo. The cheese sauce was the weak link in this dish as well as the otherwise impressive blackened chicken nachos. The dish includes generous portions of chicken, avocado, black olives and tomatoes that practically bury the multicolored chips at the bottom. But with both dishes priced at $5.95, along with the rest of the bar's appetizer selection, they're a great deal. Pasta lunch specials are in the works along with entree specials like jerk chicken, fish fries and prime rib.
Crowd: The bar can show any NFL game, so it regularly brings in groups of Bears, Vikings and Packers fans who enjoy the free food at half-time. The place also gets packed Friday nights. Dress code is super casual. The bar draws a mix of seniors hanging out at the bar, local business people stopping in for lunch, families sharing dinner and college kids who like the drink deals. Dart and pool leagues are in the works and even Trivial Pursuit players like to use the space. The owners and many customers are classic car enthusiasts so the spot also regularly hosts cruise nights where they can show off their rides.
Music: DJs spin and bands perform periodically but the goal is to eventually have entertainment every Wednesday night.
Parking: There's plenty of free parking available.
Overall: Even if you're low on cash, you can relax and have some dinner and drinks at Hotshots Saloon.
Hotshots Saloon
<p>53 W. Slade St., Palatine, (847) 468-7468</p>
<p>Hours: 9 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday</p>