Sterling Family Restaurant

Saturday we stopped at Po-Boys for some dinner and music. I knew they had changed chefs in the past couple of months, so I was wondering how the food would be. They have expanded their menu, and I had the crab cakes with a side of corn bread muffins. It was all excellent, and the muffins were served with butter that had a hint of cinnamon to it. Prior to the crab cakes, we ordered some toasted ravioli with marinara sauce. The sauce was excellent, with a nice touch of sweetness to it. I couldn't put my finger on the flavor, but it was great.

Sunday we decided to check out the Spoon River Drive. On the way, we wanted to get some breakfast.
Our first stop, Gebby's, found several groups of people waiting for tables. Heading further west, we came to Sterling Family Restaurant, 4513 N. Sterling in Peoria.
President Bush dined here in January, and I wasn't sure if this claim to fame would mean we wouldn't be able to get a table, but we were greeted cheerily and escorted to one of the last handful of tables in the non-smoking room.
The restaurant is older, with dark wood paneling, however the tables and booths have been updated in recent years.
Our waitress was very friendly and efficient, quickly bringing us some iced tea and orange juice. The orange juice was pretty good, not the watered down stuff served at some places.
We both went for Louie's Special Breakfast, your choice of two eggs, meat, potato and bread. What sold me was that one of the meat choices is corned beef hash, and one of the potato choices is grits. I also chose an English muffin and scrambled eggs with my meal.
StfRon went with the hash as well, hashed browns and wheat toast, with eggs over medium.
This breakfast bonanza comes in at under $6.
Our food came out pretty quickly, which was good because we were hungry. Everything was good, and the meal proved to be too much for me to handle.
Sterling Family Restaurant has also made the top three in the Peoria Journal Star's Reader's Choice Awards.

Spoon River Drive continues next weekend, October 13 and 14, with crafts and food vendors and plenty of garage sales along the route. Oh, and if you see Uncle Bud's apple booth in London Mills or anywhere else, check out the cider slush. It's DEEEELICIOUS. Especially on a 90 degree day in October.

We finished our afternoon with a trip to Maurie's for some caramel apples. StfRon was swayed by the case of candies, and added some toffee, turtle-type candies and cashews to our order.
I love the caramel on these apples, and it was just as good as I remember. The toffee was terrific, a nice blend of salty and sweet; a new treat to add to our list, and I know someone who just might appreciate some for Christmas.