The Peanut Gallery — Restaurant in Lake Forest

Recently had the distinct displeasure of experiencing what can only be described as a culinary catastrophe at this "Asian-inspired" burger place. Let's just say the "inspiration" must have come from a fever dream. The burgers themselves? Utterly forgettable, achieving a level of profound mediocrity that's almost impressive.

The flavor profile was less of a thoughtful fusion and more of a chaotic jumble of random ingredients thrown together with reckless abandon. And the kimchi? Words fail me. It was an assault on the taste buds, a truly heinous concoction that redefined my understanding of the word "worst." Adding insult to injury, the entire operation seemed to be conspicuously devoid of anyone who might actually possess a genuine understanding of Asian cuisine.

As if the flavor travesty wasn't enough, my burger was drowning in a sea of salt, each bite a painful reminder of poor seasoning. The accompanying sauce, far from complementing the other components, bulldozed over them with its aggressive flavor. And the buns? Oh, the buns. Within moments, they transformed into soggy, disintegrating sponges, a truly repulsive...

When I think of restaurants in Lake Forest, The Peanut Gallery, or better yet, the style of restaurant that it is does not come to mind. One thinks of Lovell's, The Deer Path Inn, MLG (from Marcus Lemonis) and other rather more upscale locations. The Peanut Gallery is not in the same league as those other locations, however, it has stood the test of time and is a staple of downtown Lake Forest.

It's a tiny place when you walk in. If there are 4-5 people in line to order, then you're standing outside waiting. There is seating along the opposite wall from the counter and a few table beyond the counter in front of the soda fountain. There is a downstairs area with a counter and two longer tables, a couple of arcade machines, and a TV.

We each ordered our burgers and fries. It was definitely a messy burger, but it was juicy and kind of flavorful. They also have ice cream from Maggie Moo's. The ice cream is pretty good too. Overall the burgers were good and messy. Not sure if I'd want a greasy, messy, burger, but it had good flavor and is a nice spot if you're craving a burger and fries and ice cream. Great...

The food doesn't come out all together but overall the shaolin burger was good. The Korean Hot Chicken sandwich breading fell right off the chicken breast, so that wasn't ideal. The kimchi wasn't good either and was just overpowering, finding no balance. The floors were sticky and the pop machine is near stairs so you feel like you're going to fall backwards when you are done grabbing your drink. After we got our first half of the food, they took our number without asking if we had any more food. I told the man we were waiting on more food, but he still took the number token with him. We got our basket of fries when we were done eating our burgers. One time eating here is enough for us. This place has potential, just needs to tighten a few screws...