NT_082318

46 | August 23, 2018 | The Northbrook tower dining out
northbrooktower.com
Casual, family-friendly vibe key to success at Landmark Inn
Alyssa Groh
Contributing Editor
Family is at the heart
of everything they do at
Northbrook’s Landmark
Inn.
For more than 10 years,
brother and sister duo,
Helene Kapetaneas and
Constantine Kyriazopoulos,
have worked to keep
the Landmark Inn’s history
alive and offer a casual
place for families to eat.
Kapetaneas took over
the well-known restaurant
in 2001 and was joined by
her brother a few years
later.
Since the beginning,
Landmark Inn welcomed
loyal customers, and Kapetaneas
said the key to
its success is its focus on
family.
“Our food is good, we
have a good beer selection,
but the fact that we
are family and we make
it family-oriented is what
drives our success,” Kapetaneas
said.
Owning a business with
her brother has worked
well for the team.
“I am the responsible
one and [Kyriazopoulos]
is the fun
one,” Kapetaneas said.
She jokingly added that
she calls her brother the
CEO — chief entertainment
officer.
While family is important
at Landmark Inn, so
is its history.
The building was built
in 1885 and is the oldest
commercial structure in
Northbrook. The building
has evolved from its
origins as Otto Funke’s
Saloon, to more than 50
years as Cypress Inn and
now continues its success
as Landmark Inn.
When Kapetaneas took
over Landmark Inn and
began crafting a new
menu, she was looking to
“make it comfortable and
offer a little bit for everyone.”
She revamped most of
the menu and made it her
own, but kept a select few
fan favorites from the previous
owners.
Longtime customers
can expect to see the
original Buffalo wings
appetizer ($10.95), which
is made with Landmark
Inn’s secret recipe, with a
choice of mild, medium,
hot, or BBQ sauce served
with celery & blue cheese
dressing. Kapetaneas said
she made a slight change
to the mandarin chicken
salad ($12), but the heart
of it is still the same. The
salad includes chicken
breast served on a bed of
on a mixed greens with
mandarin orange and walnuts
in a sesame dressing.
Guests can also expect to
see the original Landmark
chop salad ($12), filled
with mixed greens, topped
with chicken breast, tomatoes,
green onions,
cucumbers, bacon, blue
cheese and tortilla strips,
tossed in a red wine vinaigrette.
A group of 22nd Century
Media editors stopped
by Landmark Inn to try
out some of the items Kapetaneas
added when she
took over.
Kapetaneas incorporated
a bit of her Greek heritage
into the menu, so we
tried the Greek egg rolls
($9.25), which is traditional
spanakopita served
with a twist — tzatziki
sauce. The egg rolls are
large and are a great appetizer
to share with the
table.
Another appetizer
at Landmark Inn is
the cheeseburger fries
($11.50), which is a plate
overflowing with fries
topped with ground beef,
Landmark Inn
1352 Shermer Road,
Northbrook
www.landmarkinnbar.
com
(847) 559-1919
11-1:30 a.m. Sunday-
Thursday
11-2 a.m. Friday
11-3 a.m. Saturday
cheddar, tomato, lettuce,
pickle, onion, bacon, egg
and a special sauce. This
appetizer may not be the
healthiest, but each bite
bursts with flavor and the
special sauce makes the
dish by adding a bit of
zing.
We couldn’t get enough
of the appetizers and also
tried the Cajun grilled
calamari ($13), which is
calamari tossed in Cajun
spice and then grilled and
served with a chipotle
cream sauce.
When Kapetaneas was
crafting a new menu, her
dad, who also owns restaurants,
suggested adding
a Monte Cristo burger
($12) to the menu. The
burger is made with a halfpound
beef patty topped
with ham, swiss cheese,
and Landmark Inn’s gourmet
bun, dipped in an egg
batter (like French toast),
topped with its signature
apple aioli sauce. This
burger has a bit of a sweet
and savory taste to it and
is a great choice if you
can’t decide if you want
breakfast or lunch.
Finally, we tried the
Santé Fe chop salad ($12),
made with romaine lettuce
tossed with Cajun
chicken, tomatoes, black
beans, corn avocado, tortilla
strips and queso fresco
with ranch dressing.
The menu at Landmark
Inn is large and offers a
little bit of something for
every type of eater.
Landmark Inn’s cheeseburger fries ($11.50) consist of fries topped with ground
beef, cheddar, tomato, lettuce, pickle, onion, bacon, a fried egg and a special sauce.
Photos by Erin Yarnall/22nd Century Media
ABOVE: The Monte Cristo
burger ($12) is a half-pound
burger topped with ham and
swiss cheese all served on a
gourmet bun that has been
dipped in an egg batter and
fried. The burger is served
with an apple aioli sauce.
LEFT: The Santé Fe chop
salad ($12) features
Romaine lettuce tossed with
Cajun chicken, tomato, black
beans, corn, avocado, tortilla
strips and queso fresco
along with ranch dressing.