BERWYN – Heading to a restaurant named after one of my childhood heroes was an exciting prospect, and the food at Big Hurt Brewhouse did not disappoint.

Athletes breaking into the restaurant business is nothing new. In many cases, their involvement varies, determining how large a role they play in the success of the enterprise. A big name on the front of the building is nice, but that alone won't keep a restaurant afloat.

I am pleased to report that Frank Thomas was in the building – and left this White Sox fan a bit stunned at the sight of the Hall of Famer. He runs an attractive restaurant/sports bar that provided my companion and me with good food and drink. A scattering of Frank Thomas memorabilia brings back some cherished memories, capped by an impressive replica of the statue of the slugger displayed at the ballpark.

The pub is on the southwest corner of Cermak Road and Oak Park Avenue in Berwyn, which means tons of eyeballs get to see the bright white lights that say Big Hurt Brewhouse on a daily basis.

Upon entering, my immediate reaction was: "Ooo, this is kind of fancy." My casual tastes can just as easily be satisfied in a dive bar or a diner, but it does feel good to walk into a place that puts some effort into the ambience.

The pub is housed in a historic bank building, and still sports a vault, as well as the elaborately embellished dome that draws the eye upward like a baseball headed to the stratosphere. It's definitely fancy enough for a date night, but remains a casual sports bar perfect to watch a game with some friends over drinks. There are enough TVs that you will never have a bad view if you want to catch a game. And the staff the night I visited was on the ball enough to pipe in the audio right at the Blackhawks game's first faceoff.

To start, my friend ordered the house BHB Honey Girl beer, which is an American Hefeweizen that was tasty and, importantly for a wheat beer, not too sweet. There are several BHB beers, and a fairly wide selection of other craft and domestic brews available on tap.

For the appetizer, we chose the BHB smothered fries, which feature crispy fries, pulled pork, giardiniera and Monterey Jack cheese. I'm typically quite picky with fries, but these had a coating that captured the desired crispiness. Meanwhile, the pork was very tender. We both agreed the giardiniera could have used more heat, but my friend thought the appetizer was a standout.

Next up, I went with the BHB BBQ pulled pork mac and cheese. Not only is the name a mouthful, but it's a big portion. Normally, I'm a purist when it comes to mac and cheese, but the bacon and pulled pork were surprisingly good additions.

First off, the mac and cheese had the proper creaminess, gooeyness and mix of colors to show that there are multiple cheeses at work. Throw in the crispy, crunchy bacon and that would have made for a great meal on its own. The pork was good, again, but the sweet barbecue sauce didn't quite sync with the savory cheese for my personal taste. So, I ended up basically eating bacon mac and cheese with a side of pulled pork, and enjoyed both that way.

My friend ordered a salmon BLT sandwich with sweet potato fries, and also had positive things to report. The bacon and avocado flavorfully complemented the mild fish to make for another winner.

The menu has a wide variety from barbecue to pasta dishes, seafood, sandwiches and pizza flatbreads, more than deserving of another run around the pub's culinary bases.

The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at Suburban Life Media. The diner's identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. Only positive dining experiences will result in published reviews.