Mystery Diner: Maria's Chicken Ati-Atihan in Round Lake

When a friend and I visited Maria’s Chicken Ati-Atihan recently, I asked the waitress, “What does ‘Ati-Atihan’ mean?”

“It’s a festival in the Philippines,” she said.

And then she brought out our festival of food.

Maria’s Chicken Ati-Atihan is located on the south side of West Belvidere Road in Round Lake. Situated in a small strip mall, it’s a place you almost have to be looking for to see.

A friend and I decided to stop there for a hot lunch on a cold winter’s weekday around 1 p.m. After two other pairs of diners left, we had the dining room to ourselves.

We found Ati-Atihan does not serve fast food. Each item is fresh to order. It seemed many customers knew this as they streamed in for carry-out.

Other than an egg roll type of dish called “lumpia,” we were totally unfamiliar with food from the Philippines, and were ready for an adventure. Although the menu held descriptions of the dishes offered, I found the wall gallery of color photos showing the offerings to be of great benefit.

I opted for two dishes I’d never heard of before, Pancit Guisado and Sizzling Sisig, both with pork rather than chicken, beef or shrimp. The Sisig was stew-like and rich, in a thickened brown sauce. Mildly spiced, it was a “stick-to-your-ribs” dish, good for a cold winter day.

The Pancit Guisado was described as having “stir-fried fresh mikki noodles,” which strongly resembled spaghetti. Though stir-fried, there wasn’t a hint of overtones of grease. The vegetables, green beans, sprouts, green onions and cabbage were warm and crisp, and the pork was tender and tasty, all blended with a lightly spiced brown sauce. It was another good winter dish.

My partner chose more traditionally. The signature dish, Chicken Ati-Atihan, was a grilled quarter chicken. He went with the dark meat, the leg and thigh. Freshly grilled and served on a skewer, it was standard grilled chicken. With crisp skin and moist fully cooked meat, it was served with two mounds of plain white rice, a sweet dipping sauce and a portion of slivered pickled papaya.

He also chose what proved to be our favorite dish, Lumpia Shanghai. The 15 finger-sized fried mini eggrolls were served with a light sweet chili dipping sauce. They were hot and crisp with tender insides of ground pork and mild vegetables.

Although I rarely get desserts and I had a take-home box for both my dishes, I had to try the Halo-Halo. The bottom of the glass held a gelled blend of fruits and sweet beans. Sitting atop a raft of shaved ice and milk was a purple ball of ice cream. I was told the flavor was Taro. It was indescribable, maybe a blend of pistachio and plum, but certainly sweet, creamy and good. At the waitress' direction, I swirled all the ingredients together, arriving at a sort of iced milkshake. Not overly sweet, with a bit of chew from the fruit, it was a dish I know I'll be back for. Certainly worth exploring for a carry-out option, Maria's Chicken Ati-Atihan has all the seasons covered.

• Mystery  Diner  is a newsroom employee of the Lake County Journal. To recommend your favorite restaurant for a Mystery  Diner  visit, email lcjedit@lakecountyjournal.com.

Maria's Chicken Ati-Atihan

163 W. Belvidere Road, in Round Lake

www.chickenatiatihan.com

847-740-2991

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday