Wheaton College duo tries everything on local menu

December 07, 2012|By Michelle Manchir, Chicago Tribune reporter

Colleagues Kerry J Haps and Brian Porick had always joked about ordering the entire menu at the Smokehouse Restaurant in Wheaton.

The fast casual restaurant famous for its gyros and burgers on North Main Street was a regular lunch spot for the audio engineers at Wheaton College. Last December, their joke became a mission, with the pair mapping out a year's worth of meals at the diner. They wanted to be the first on record to try everything.

The ribs. The foot-long polish sausage. The whole chicken. Nothing was off the table.

On Thursday, the duo, with more than a dozen supportive colleagues and family by their side, reached their goal of trying everything, including drinks and side items. The last meal? A New York Strip steak dinner, on the house.

"I go, if you guys do this, then the last meal's on me," said Ken Jimenez, co-owner of the restaurant. He snapped a photo with his phone of the men sitting down with their steak, french fries and salads.

The men are known by most staff at the Smokehouse by name, and on Thursday earned handshakes from Jimenez after they ordered the strip streak.

It was a long and greasy, but fun, 48-week journey for the men, requiring dedication and organization. Porick kept the to-go menu with him each time they visited, checking off each meal and menu item as they visited, usually once a week.

"We kind of figured, you know, without alternating our pattern too much we could manage to get through it," said Porick.

They found delicious surprises. The $18 full rib dinner? Both polished it off.

"We fully expected to take half of it home but we both sat here and ate the whole thing, and it was just awesome. Yeah we were a little full," Haps said.

They found not-so-great surprises. The chili cheese fries weren't excellent, Porick said, though the chili and the cheese fries separately taste fine.

They found challenges. Porick said he hates coffee, but as it's one of the drinks listed on the menu, he "choked it down," he said. Haps, 44, felt the same way about the side of fried mushrooms.

Perhaps the camaraderie helped pull them through. Most weeks, colleagues from Wheaton College or other friends, would tag along.

"I've been on a number of their exploits," said Tim Hollinger, who said he used to work with Porick. "I was there when they were creating ground rules on how to handle the sides and things. It's been a lot of fun."

Fun, too, for the restaurant. On Thursday, people in the restaurant who didn't know the men began to shout questions at them when they found out about their achievement. Some applauded.

Jimenez said the two are definitely the first to complete the menu.

"A few guys have tried it but they didn't have the organization they had," Jimenez said, laughing. "Customers like them, that's why we've been in business for 30 years."

While their work there has been done, Haps said he could be back as soon as Friday for another meal. His order could be what Jiminez and others call the "Kerry combo" -- a fish sandwich and a chili cheese dog.

The Kerry combo is expected to be an official menu item soon.