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28 | May 23, 2019 | the homer horizon puzzles homerhorizon.com crosstown CROSSWORD & Sudoku The crosstowns: Frankfort, Homer Glen, Lockport, Mokena, New Lenox, Orland Park, Tinley Park Across Down Crossword by Myles Mellor and Cindy LaFleur 1. Autocrat 7. Bernadette, e.g., abbr. 10. Congo’s continent: Abbr. 13. Field 14. Originate 15. Future trout 16. The Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ __” 17. “Groovy!” 18. Three as a prefix 19. Craft store in Tinley Park Plaza 21. Animal house 22. U.S. Army medal 25. Mideast leaders 26. Smaller in number 27. Understandings 28. Took a chance in baseball 29. Palm with berries 30. Bugs 32. Masseuse job 35. Droop like aging flowers 37. Light on one’s feet 38. Home improvement store in Tinley Park Plaza 41. Bother 45. ___ the crack of dawn 46. Muddleheaded 49. QB’s stat 50. Nicknames for moms’ moms 51. More accurate 52. Passing grade 53. French nobleman 54. Cause to operate 57. “The greatest” 58. Author of “Leading With My Chin” 59. Soars 63. Previously called 64. Bringing up the ___ 65. Katmandu native 66. UFO crew 67. Blvds. cousins 68. Handy-andies 1. Trademarks, abbr. 2. Thumbs-up vote 3. British fliers 4. “Happy Gilmore” actor Sandler 5. “Me neither” 6. Repeated as stories 7. Ones at the helm 8. Dabbling ducks 9. CPR pros 10. Empire State Building style 11. Anticipated 12. Checks 14. Mollusk that moves like molasses 20. Med. care provider 22. Follow 23. A mare, familiarly 24. Austin time 26. ___-slipper 28. Get moving 31. Belts 33. Advantage 34. La ___ Tar Pits 36. Russian empresses 38. Routine 39. Shoulder piece 40. Reagan and Sinatra 42. Middle X or O 43. Parisian summer 44. Rd. 47. Coach 48. “I’ll be there in a __!” 51. Canary’s call 54. Some cameras, for short 55. Creme-filled cookie 56. Pacific palm 60. Cape Verde island 61. Elbow 62. Family girl <strong>HO</strong>MER GLEN Front Row (14903 S. Bell Road, Homer Glen; (708) 645- 7000) ■7 ■ p.m. Wednesdays: Trivia LOCKPORT Port Noir (900 S. State St., Lockport; (815) 834- 9463) ■4-7 ■ p.m. Monday- Friday: Happy Hour ■8-10 ■ p.m. Thursdays: Comedy Bingo ■8-11 ■ p.m. Fridays and Saturdays: Live Band ■7-11 ■ p.m. Sundays: Open Mic Night Strike N Spare II (811 Northern Drive, Lockport; (708) 301- 1477) ■9:30 ■ p.m.-12:30 a.m. Mondays: Quartermania ■10 ■ p.m.-midnight Saturdays: Cosmic Bowl ORLAND PARK Traverso’s Restaurant (15601 S Harlem Ave, Orland Park; (708) 532- 2220) ■5-7 ■ p.m. Mondays: Free bar bingo NEW LENOX Little Joe’s Restaurant (1300 N. Cedar Road, New Lenox; (815) 463- 1099) ■5-8 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: Piano Styles by Joe Williamson’s Restaurant and Pub (1490 W. Maple St. New Lenox, (815) 485-8585) ■Wednesdays: ■ $5 House Wine Wednesdays ■Sundays: ■ Spicy Bloody Marys $5 MOKENA The Alley Grill and Tap House (18700 S. Old LaGrange Road, Mokena; (708) 478-3610) ■9 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: Karaoke To place an event in The Scene, email a.ivanisevic @22ndcenturymedia.com. answers How to play Sudoku Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3x3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. LEVEL: Medium Crossword by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan
homerhorizon.com dining out the homer horizon | May 23, 2019 | 29 The Dish Quality sustenance, ‘divine intervention’ keep Honeyfield afloat Max Lapthorne Contributing Editor Honeyfield Restaurant owner Theodore Fotsis credits divine intervention for the restaurant’s survival of the 2008 recession. Theodore and his wife, Angie, opened Honeyfield in 2007 with the intention of bringing a unique breakfast-centric dining experience to Lockport, but things did not go as planned. With the restaurant struggling to secure a foothold in the community, Theodore Fotsis found himself filing for bankruptcy roughly a year after opening. Potential patrons did not realize what Honeyfield was, with some even confusing it with a honey-baked ham business, calling the restaurant to inquire about purchasing pork. “We were about to close here, because we couldn’t get our name out there,” Fotsis said. But intervention came in the form of a marketing major-turned-pastor who enjoyed her meal at Honeyfield and asked Fotsis why the business did not have more customers. He explained that he was having trouble getting the word out about the restaurant, and she suggested he reach out to local churches to see if their congregations would be interested in dining there. Fotsis took the advice but initially had little luck. With low expectations, he dropped a letter off at St. Dennis Church that contained background information on Honeyfield. To his surprise, droves of St. Dennis parishioners, led by the Rev. Jim Curtin, descended upon the restaurant the day after he dropped off the letter. Curtin, the pastor at St. Dennis, told Fotsis he did not know much about him or his business, but he is always willing to support local businesses. The response from St. Dennis was surprising enough, but that was nothing compared to the shock Fotsis felt when he realized the church was much bigger than he anticipated. With only himself, his wife, one cook and one other employee on the clock, it was a struggle to keep up with the sudden influx of customers. Fotsis said he thought St. Dennis had roughly 100 parishioners and was floored when one of them informed him that number was closer to 3,500. “I made an announcement in the middle of the dining room,” Fotsis recalled. “[I said], ‘We had no idea how big St. Dennis is. We’re going to do our best to get the orders out.’” While ill-equipped for the surprise influx of customers that day, Fotsis was determined to take advantage of the momentum it afforded him. By the next weekend, he had hired two more chefs and several more employees, in addition to pounding the pavement to advertise the business. The end result was a snowball effect of increasing patronage in the restaurant, propelling it to its current position as a mainstay in Lockport. “When I thought I was losing everything and I went and delivered that letter [to St. Dennis] and the people started coming in here, I was like a little kid in a candy store,” Fotsis said. “I was like, ‘Oh my Babes Biscuit Benedict ($9.95) is a popular item at Honeyfield Restaurant and gets its name from Paul Bunyan’s blue ox. Max Lapthorne/22nd Century Media goodness, this might actually work.’ “It literally jump-started our business. I was so blown away about it [and] thankful to God, because it was a divine thing that happened.” Fotsis showed his appreciation to Curtin by naming Father Jim’s Patty Melt ($9.75) after him and never allowing him to pay for another meal at Honeyfield. No longer worried about having to close Honeyfield’s doors for good, Fotsis was able to get back to basics. “It gave me a platform to start doing things that I always wanted to do, which was making house-made items,” Fotsis said. “It’s a difficult thing to do, which is why a lot of restaurants don’t do it.” Providing house-made items and experimenting with new ingredients has been obsessions for Fotsis since he was a teenager, working in one of his father’s pancake houses. He ordered syrup with real maple in it, only to be told by his father that it was not necessary. “I would order things to try new stuff, and he would send it back,” Fotsis said. “It was frustrating, but my father was the boss, and there were certain things that he didn’t think [were] necessary.” At Honeyfield Restaurant, Fotsis is the boss, which means everything is house-made and the syrup contains real maple. The quality-over-quantity approach is the foundation of Honeyfield’s menu and what Fotsis says sets it apart from other restaurants. “I challenge myself to become more and more unique, so when people come here, it’s different,” he said. The homemade quiche ($9.25) and corned beef hash ($10.49) are two of the most labor-intensive dishes on the menu, but it is no coincidence that they also are two of the restaurant’s best sellers, along with its biscuits. The gluten-free and organic options also are some of the most popular choices on Honeyfield’s ever-evolving menu. “We try things, [and] when customers respond to it, we’ll keep serving it,” Fotsis said. Menu tweaks come in all shapes and sizes at Honeyfield, and the new menu, which is to be introduced in the next month, is to feature several subtle changes. That includes a new, creamier Maytag blue cheese, which is served on burgers and salads. Fresh pears and house-made candy pecans, which can be ordered on pancakes, crepes or some salads, are to be added. Fotsis said he cringes when he looks back at the restaurant’s menu from 2008, as it has transformed thoroughly over the last decade-plus. “The restaurant has evolved to [having] everything fresh,” Fotsis said. “I would love to say I started that way, but no. You don’t know how people are going to react to it. It’s a slow thing that you just keep on trying.” Honeyfield Restaurant 984 E. 9th St. in Lockport Hours • 6 a.m.-4 p.m. daily For more information ... Web: www. honeyfieldrestaurant. com Phone: (815) 836- 3880 Refusing to serve any canned food and making almost everything from scratch takes time and costs money, but the high-quality food that comes of it is what makes Honeyfield special. And while Fotsis understands some people prefer cheaper options, he will continue spurning convenience in favor of quality. “The temptation is there to have your food provider make everything for you,” he said. “It comes in a nice package; keep it in the freezer; you don’t have to worry about throwing stuff out. But if you make stuff fresh, and the customers respond to it, you don’t have to worry about having a freezer.” Eleven years ago, the future of Honeyfield Restaurant was in serious jeopardy, but an unwavering dedication to house-made items and ingredients, as well as a unique menu, have the restaurant firmly ingrained in the community today. “When other places open up, I say, ‘OK you can open up, but I know how hard it is to be different,’” Fotsis said. “And if you can do that, I will applaud it. ... Being unique sets you apart from everyone else, and it’s very challenging to do that.”
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