Schaumburg Live Work & Play - March/April 2009 - (Page 32) Grill, Baby, Grill by jacky runice It’s perhaps the only place where you can imagine Mel Gibson as Braveheart, Russell Crowe in full Gladiator regalia and yes, even Bond, James Bond, all gathered to celebrate a victory against man or beast, plan the next strategic move and then raise a wooden vessel or martini glass, as it were, to seal the deal. There at the entrance, a phoenix not only rising from the ashes but actually consuming them, too - The Weber Grill. An homage to that steely warrior of the Midwestern summer - the grill master in your house - Schaumburg’s Weber Grill also keeps us confident that balmy days will, indeed, return to our chilly region. In the meantime, we can enjoy some of the “fun, flame and flavor” of the outdoor grill experience not to be found anywhere else beyond your own backyard. It began in 1952, when George Stephen created the first Weber Kettle grill from a couple of steel buoy halves plucked from the city harbors. The device sparked a backyard grilling revolution that continues today from lush suburban enclaves to small patios of apartment buildings. People adore their Webers for a number of reasons - the design provides even temperature control whether it’s a sweaty 90 degrees or tailgaters are cooking before a frigid Bears game; it makes grilling and cleaning up afterward easy; and it’s as sturdy as an Olympic weightlifter’s muscled calves. A visit to Weber Grill, however, means you get the half century of grilling savvy without getting your hands dirty. A pleasant, smoky scent greets diners to the space that radiates warmth and hospitality. While escorted to your table, get an eyeful of staff working the behemoth 36-inch grills in the elongated open kitchen. Purists say there is no substitute for charcoal (and no sub for a Weber) and so it goes here steaks, ribs, chicken are sizzling over charcoal with an industrial strength vent system keeping smolder to a minimum so it’s merely perfuming the air. Décor is handsome and woody with some raised booths, deuces for twosomes and lots of tables to fashion for larger groups. A scan of the dining area one weeknight revealed that Weber is certainly a fave of the male of the
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