Bootleggers provides flavorful kick in Maple Park

MAPLE PARK – Whether it’s the culinary school graduate in the kitchen, the devotion to farm-fresh beef and vegetables, or the hosts’ heralded hospitality, Bootleggers has a winning recipe in Maple Park.

The casual restaurant and bar is owned by Donna and Tony Harrington, who just celebrated the fifth anniversary of their business.

Patrons know that Friday nights at Bootleggers are something special, with a variety of dishes served in addition to the regular menu.

“We do either filet mignons or we do strip steaks or rib eyes,” Donna Harrington said, adding that one of the most popular draws is the Friday night pot roast dinner and what becomes of any leftovers on Saturday. “We shred it – [with its] potatoes, a little onion, carrots and gravy – warm it and put it on tomato focaccia buns and add mozzarella and then toast it.”

Bootleggers also is known for mac ’n’ cheese with ham and for homemade potato chips. Donna Harrington said a favorite appetizer is the “half-naked cheese curds,” which are very lightly breaded so the flavor of the cheese comes through.

“We try to do as much homemade stuff as we can,” she said, adding they make the most of the small kitchen by keeping the menu focused.

Tony Harrington said they order a whole cow from local Foster Farms every six to eight weeks.

It’s the source of all the restaurant’s beef with the exception of the Italian beef, Donna Harrington added, noting that the beef is hormone-free. She said the customers are impressed by that and the quality of the meat.

“We sell a ton of burgers; they come from the fresh beef,” she said. “Our signature burger is the boot burger – with cheddar cheese, bacon and a fried egg on top. People come just for that and will never order anything else but that Boot Burger. That’s what they want.”

“We try to use things that are good for the season [and] buy most of our produce fresh from Wiltse’s [Farm in Maple Park],” she said. “We have a lot of fans.”

The large selection of made-from-scratch soups is another hit, she said, crediting the new cook’s fine dining experience. Varieties range from a cream of mushroom to a light tomato soup with crumbled Italian sausage, tomatoes and fresh basil.

A long-running staple is Bootleggers’ “very thin-crust” pizza prepared to order after 5 p.m., and 4 p.m. Sundays. They freeze a few for folks who can’t resist them earlier in the day. Before buying the restaurant and bar, the Harringtons, who moved near town in 1989, already were known for their pizza.

Donna Harrington said she grew up in Elburn and worked in a coffee shop as a kid, while her husband is from Duluth, Minn., where he worked in restaurants for years.

“He always wanted to own a family-oriented restaurant,” she said. “We like to see families, see all the little kids and watch them all grow. We do have a lot of families that come in. We get a lot of the baseball teams after games.”

Last year, the couple completed a beer garden with a brick patio, umbrellas for shade and bag boards. In addition to picnic tables, there are custom-made high-top tables with comfy chairs made by a Cortland resident from recycled milk jugs. It fits 50 people comfortably, Donna Harrington said.

Bootleggers is open every day except Tuesday at 107 Main St., Maple Park. Visit http://shawurl.com/2u6d or call 815-827-3066 for information.