Go Whole Hog For Readers' Bacon Picks, Win a $50 Gift Card

For thie week's Chowdown Showdown, we asked our readers for their picks for the best bacon in Frankfort, New Lenox and Mokena.

Based on those picks, local editors Joe Vince (Frankfort), Michael Sewall (New Lenox) and Paul Dailing (Mokena) tried the swine at restaurants in their respective Patch towns.

Read our reviews below, learn how to post your own and 

The Breakfast Nook, Mokena (4 of 5 stars)

The good: This serves up crispy and crunchy bacon that's full of flavor without being too greasy. This is bacon you can eat without risking an instant heart attack once it hits your lips.

The bad: Some of us like our bacon to cause instant heart attacks.

Country Charm, New Lenox (4 of 5 stars)

The good: My meal overall was a 5. I got a sausage-green pepper omelette with hashbrowns and a side of bacon. The bacon was nice and crispy on the edges but still juicy in the center.

The bad: One of the three pieces I got was a bit tough.

Lumes Pancake House, Frankfort (4.5 of 5 stars)

The good: Frying up bacon is part science, part artform. A good serving of bacon--the Champagne of Pig Meat, according to --strikes a balance between the crispy and the chewy. And the bacon at Lumes does that deliciously. Served as a side to my equally delicious Belgian waffle (yes, whipped cream was involved), my bacon was flavorful and, above all, not too salty. 

The bad: One slice was slightly undercooked, which only stood out because the other pieces were so good. Even so, this underperforming piece didn't turn the Champagne of Pig Meat into the Swill of Sizzling Sow.