Monday, June 25, 2007

Antonio's Homemade Pasta & Pizza

A couple of weeks ago, I planned to meet my mom and her friend at Lindsay's Bistro 320 for lunch. I had some gift certificates to use that are not valid for alcohol, so I figured we could have a fun, cheap lunch.
Well, the doors were locked, and so were most of the others we tried for the building. We found one open and made our way into the Liberty Pub, where the bartender told us that they were serving food in the pub, or we could go downstairs to Antonio's Homemade Pasta & Pizza (in the Prairie Building at 240 SW Jefferson Ave., Peoria). This was the popular option with the ladies, so that's where we headed.
Our friendly waiter, the same guy who served us at a rehearsal dinner banquet at the Sky Room in May, greeted us and gave us some menus. He was the only waiter working lunch that afternoon. He also said that Lindsay's Bistro is closing for lunch now and planning to do dinner.
Two of us ordered iced tea and my mom went for a glass of merlot. Must be nice to not have to go back to work!
Our drinks did take an inordinate time to arrive, but they did arrive. My mom also scored an upgraded glass of merlot. The waiter said some lawyers had been in drinking one evening and kept ordering bottles of wine, but did not finish them all, so they were corked up waiting to be enjoyed, or waiting to go bad and be tossed, so the waiter poured my mom a glass of one of those. She said it was excellent.
For lunch, I chose the capellini (angel hair) pasta with creamy garlic sauce, and had them add spinach. You can choose several different pasta and sauce combinations and several add-ins.
Our meal started with a basket of bread, including a crispy, seasoned flatbread. Once I tried this, I could not stop munching it. I was shamelessly plucking crumbs from the bottom of the basket by the end of our meal.
We also got a large, endless bowl of salad made with a balsamic dressing and infused oils. I believe the waiter said there were blood oranges used as flavoring in the salad. It was very good, as was my pasta. The pasta is served in large, deep bowls. Plenty for another meal, or two, if you want to take the leftovers with you.
Antonio's also features pizza and salads. You can view the full menu here: http://www.prairiebuilding.com/pmwiki/Antonios/Menu.

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