Sunday, Jul. 26, 2009

Uncle Linny's Restaurant treats customers like family

Robert Carpenter sees many of the same customers every time he eats at Uncle Linny's Restaurant in Pontoon Beach.

And that's quite a bit.

"Apparently, it's very satisfying to a multitude of people," said the 84-year-old retiree, who lives nearby. "They're all regulars."

Last week, Robert was enjoying a platter of chicken Parmesan over pasta. His wife, Lorraine, nibbled on breaded, deep-fried mushrooms, her favorite appetizer.

It was Lorraine's birthday, so the Carpenters were celebrating with their daughter, Karen Zigler, and her husband, Larry.

The four laughed about the day Larry unsuspectingly ordered a Linny burger. It was nearly as big as a dinner plate.

"(Lorraine) said, 'Holy Toledo! What is that?'" recalled Larry, 59, of St. Charles, Mo. "We took about three-quarters of it home."

Uncle Linny's is a family restaurant on Pontoon Beach Road. Its full American menu includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The name is a variation of Linny's Lakeview Restaurant, which formerly occupied the gold stucco building with black awnings on Pontoon Beach Road.

"We didn't want to change (the name) too much," said Lirim "Lindy" Selimi, 31, of Pontoon Beach, owner for the past six years.

He believes in a formula of good food, large servings, reasonable prices, clean facilities and friendly service.

"We're popular around here because we treat everybody like family," said waitress Lonnette Howland, 43, of Glen Carbon. "We don't treat them like just another tip to be made."

Lindy is the American-born son of Macedonian immigrants. He has a bachelor's degree in international business and economics from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

His father, Sam Selimi, was in the restaurant business for more than 30 years, mostly in the Chicago area.

Sam bought the Pontoon Beach restaurant six years ago and turned it over to his son, who did extensive remodeling.

"My No. 1 priority was cleaning it up and reorganizing the kitchen," Lindy said.

Today, Uncle Linny's seats about 140 people in two dining rooms.

The lunch and dinner menu is packed with appetizers, salads, soups, burgers, sandwiches, steaks, chicken, pork, seafood, pasta, cakes, pies and cheesecakes.

"I get (desserts) from a bakery in Chicago," Lindy said.

The restaurant also serves daily specials, ranging from stuffed peppers to pork chops to ham and beans. Eight types of fish are available on Tuesdays and Fridays.

"We use ground chuck for our burgers," Lindy said. "We grind it twice, and that makes it taste very, very, very fresh."

Perhaps most popular among Uncle Linny's customers is breakfast.

People can order eggs, pancakes, French toast, waffles, biscuits and gravy, omelettes and skillets any time.

"Biscuits and gravy is the No. 1 seller," Lindy said. "It's a simple gravy. Anybody can do it. But it's consistently good. It's the same all the time."

David Hanock and his companion, Linda Rupeika, make a special point to show up on Tuesdays for cream of potato soup.

"The food here is great," said David, 59, of Pontoon Beach. "The service is great. You can always find a place to sit down. Very seldom do you have to wait. You can find just about everything on the menu, and you can't beat the breakfast."

The restaurant's logo is a simple line drawing of a steaming cup of coffee, which appears on menus, signs and awnings.

That makes perfect sense to Karen Zigler.

"My wife grades all restaurants by their coffee," her husband said. "If it's not good, we don't go there."

"And (Uncle Linny's) has great coffee," she said.

At a glance

What: Uncle Linny's Restaurant

Where: 4112 Pontoon Beach Road in Pontoon Beach

Hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Information: Call 797-3333

On the menu:

Three biscuits and gravy, $3.95.

Linny omelette with ham, bacon, sausage, green pepper, onion, tomato, mushrooms and cheese and choice of potato, $6.95.

Breaded mushrooms, $5.95.

Hamburger lunch special with a cup of chili and fries, $6.65.

Salad bar, $6.25.

Nine-ounce ribeye with potato, vegetable, soup or salad and choice of grilled mushrooms or onion rings, $9.95.

Spaghetti and seven meatballs topped with Swiss cheese, $6.95.

Banana cream, coconut cream, pecan, lemon meringue, Boston cream and fruit pies, $2.50 a slice.