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My wife and I got an early look at Simple EJ's Kitchen & Tap on Tuesday evening, offering us a chance to check out the brand-new space and try a few menu items before the doors open to the public this Friday, May 15.
A few notes from our visit:
What does Simple EJ’s stand for? The name is more straightforward than you'd expect. "EJ" is for the founders, Erik and Jim. "Simple" is...exactly that. They want to keep things simple.
Live music: Thursday nights are planned for live music, with sets running roughly 7 to 10PM. They'll also bring in DJs later at night on certain evenings.
The giant screen: The 22-foot LED wall is pretty impressive. Before the Cubs game came on, it was cycling through rotating floral images, which was surprisingly cinematic. I'm genuinely excited to watch a Bears game on it.
The food was great: We started with the wings (delicious buffalo sauce) before moving on to the Southern Chicken Salad and the Simple Fried Rice. All excellent. They also offer a wide variety of cocktails, a diverse beer list, and plenty of NA beverages.
My only minor gripe: the floor-to-ceiling divider between the front seating area and the main bar made it tough to see the screen from those front tables. If you're going specifically to watch a game, post up in the main bar space.
Their mascot Charlie the Fox was hanging around entertaining the kids as well — a big blue-and-brown amorphous character that kind of resembles Phillie Phanatic without the crazy tube mouth.
Check out more photos of the space:
Simple EJ's Eve — Thursday, May 14
The night before the public opening, Simple EJ's is throwing a kickoff party they're calling "Simple EJ's Eve." Doors at 7PM, acoustic music from 7:30 to 9PM, then a DJ and live saxophone from 9:30PM to 2AM.
It’s family-friendly early in the day — and as they put it, "after curfew, we party like it's 1999."
Simple EJ's is at 300 N. Kirk Road in St. Charles, one of the first couple of tenants open at Fox Haven Square. Get more details from our earlier article.
The mural at Fox Haven Square.
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