Bob Chinn’s Crab House. (Courtesy Jermel-Lynn Quillopo)
BY JERMEL-LYNN QUILLOPO / Special to the Star-Advertiser
It’s a weekday and a cold 55 degrees in Wheeling, Ill., but no one around here minds the weather at all when it comes to visiting the best seafood place in the midwest. Not even me, a visitor driving almost 30 miles from Chicago to eat a seafood dinner and see what this place was all about. When I asked locals where the “must eat” places were, many said Bob Chinn’s Crab House.
Owner Bob Chinn just celebrated his 90th birthday in Honolulu earlier this year, but shows no signs of slowing down.
“He just had a eye surgery yesterday and instead of being home, he is here at the restaurant,” said his son, Michael Chinn. “He always wants to be here at the restaurant interacting with the staff and his customers.”
Chinn’s constant want to work doesn’t surprise me. Raised by Chinese immigrant parents, he helped with his family’s restaurant business and learned tricks of the restaurant and hospitality trades. Chinn started his restaurant during his late 50′s. While some at that age are thinking about retirement options, Chinn was tired of helping others fulfill their business dreams and wanted to be more creative, so he put his entrepreneurial skills to the test by venturing off with daughter, Marilyn, and created Bob Chinn’s Crab House in 1982.
Chinn has fresh seafood flown in to his restaurant daily, posting the cargo bill of sale for each shipment at the entrance of the restaurant. His biggest shipments come from Alaska and, of course, beautiful Hawaii, with the best cuts of fish selected every morning and shipped overnight.
At Bob Chinn’s Crab House, the catch is fresh and you can see port bills displayed at the entrance of the restaurant. (Courtesy Jermel-Lynn Quillopo)
Chatting with Chinn and his son, it’s easy to see they have a special place in their heart for Hawaii. Not only does our state provide some of the best seafood catches for Bob Chinn’s Crab House, but they also call Hawaii home for months at a time.
During our conversations, we talked about their favorite local spots and what got them both excited was talking about the Hawaii International Film Festival.
“We see as many as 40 movies sometimes,” said the younger Chinn. “Imagine with my father being his age and having the energy to jump from movie to movie!”
Named by Forbes in 2012 as one of the highest grossing restaurants in the United States, Chinn serves more than 2,500 meals on an average day with a staff of more than 300, raking in annual revenues of $24 million.
To start off my dining experience, I ordered Chinn’s butter and garlic rolls. I also ordered a dish of calamari and crab vermicelli. What I loved about the calamari was that there was more meat than batter; the crabmeat vermicelli, I have dubbed as a must-try appetizer. It is a great light starter that sort of teases your tummy, enticing you to want more but leaving your pallet refreshed with its hints of leafy garnishes.
Garlic butter rolls at Bob Chinn’s Crab House in Wheeling, Ill. (Courtesy Jermel-Lynn Quillopo)
Calamari. (Courtesy Jermel-Lynn Quillopo)
The Crab Vermicelli is a must try. (Courtesy Jermel-Lynn Quillopo)
This place has such an extensive selection of seafood options. From a raw bar to sushi and surf-and-turf, you can find it here at Bob Chinn’s. In addition to the other appetizers, I wanted to taste their sushi and ordered a spicy ahi and “shrimpamari” roll. Being from Hawaii, spicy ahi is always a favorite and even though this place is located thousands of miles away from the islands, they totally nailed it. The shrimpamari roll, on the other hand, was packed with seafood goodness. It had shrimp tempura, calamari, cucumber, avocado, and king crab meat all rolled into one and toped with a unagi sauce.
Spicy ahi rolls. (Courtesy Jermel-Lynn Quillopo)
The shrimpamari roll. (Courtesy Jermel-Lynn Quillopo)
For the main courses, I ordered the Alaska king crab legs with rice and green beans. For a small additional charge, you can add a side of lobster. You don’t just get a lobster tail, you actually get a whole lobster. A family friend of mine ordered a whole steamed Mediterranean sea bass. The sea bass sits in a small pool of sauce but group that rice and your mouth will surely thank you. The seasonings along with the right mixture of salt and soy sauce made it superb.
For a small additional fee, you can get a whole lobster. (Courtesy Jermel-Lynn Quilllopo)
Sea bass. (Courtesy Jermel-Lynn Quillopo)
Alaskan king crab legs. (Courtesy Jermel-Lynn Quillopo)
The servings are seriously huge, so you know you are getting your money’s worth. When it comes to fish, you can have your fish cooked in seven different ways with their, ‘seven way fish’, allowing you to choose between having your fresh catch steamed, chargrilled, blackened, better batter fried, sautéed with lemon (and served with mash potatoes), broiled Grecian style of even stir fried (with portabello mushrooms, snap peas and asparagus).
I was quite full after our appetizers and our main courses but I always leave room for dessert. I was able an array of desserts but my favorite was the Okinawan sweet potato haupia pie and the coconut cake. The dense Okinawan sweet potato layer and the light haupia with the cinnamon crust hit the spot, reminding me so much of home. The slice of coconut cake is a great option if you are looking for something small and light to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Okinanwan sweet potato haupia. (Courtesy Jermel-Lynn Quillopo)
From their cocktails to their main courses, desserts and even their aloha shirt uniforms, Bob Chinn’s Crab House truly has incorporated their love for the Hawaiian Islands into the restaurant. I had a wonderful experience and highly recommend people check out this place if they are ever in Illinois. I definitely need to pay another visit when I return.
Bob Chinn’s Crab House is located at 393 S. Milwaukee Ave. in Wheeling, IL. Call (847) 520-3633.
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Jermel-Lynn Quillopo is a multi-faceted, energetic individual with experience in both print and broadcast journalism. “Social Encore” aims to tell diverse stories about Hawaii’s food, events and people; share your tips with Jermel via email or follow her on Twitter.