This is one busy home-neighbors popping in for coffee and chitchat, Midwest hospitality, the whiff of home fries and a long line of people shivering in the cold waiting to get through the door.
The Jensen House Restaurant in Antioch looks so much like a neighborhood home that folks tend to drive right by it. Owner Bernie Jung had to put up a gazebo in the front yard just to let people know where they were.
Despite being in town for only about six years, Jung runs a cozy country diner that evokes memories of the home`s original owner.
Dr. George Jensen was the local veterinarian and one of the town`s forefathers. Jensen did everything from supervising the construction of the city pool to driving a horse-drawn bus from the rail lines to the lake resorts.
”I encouraged them to call it Jensen House,” said Mike Sexton, who bought the place when Jensen died in 1975 and now rents Jung the space, next to his auto parts store. ”I thought they could pick up on the nostalgia,”
Sexton said.
Over the years, the property has hosted another restaurant, a couple`s home and a Western-wear store. Jung decided to keep the ”saddle shop” look with its rustic wood walls and rafters and he added paintings of barns.
It seems like a small-town Mom wrote up the menu with most dishes priced below $5. That`s not to say that the cooks skimp on portions. These are generous, hearty breakfast and lunches: sauteed chicken liver and onions, stuffed French toast and-their specialty-omelets served in a pan, packed with tangy vegetables and ham.
”In Chicago you can try different dishes and people are willing to try them,” Jung said. ”In Antioch you have to go with what the locals want.”
And what would Doc Jensen say if he saw what has happened to his family home?
”He would have gone along with it,” said Bill Brooks, the former owner of the State Bank of Antioch and Jensen`s friend. ”He realized that things have to change.”
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The Jensen House Restaurant, 1185 Main St., Antioch, is open 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Sunday. 708-395-6474.
