Weekend update

It's Monday, so we're back to the daily grind. At least we had an enjoyable weekend.
Saturday we stopped in at Khaki Jacks in Peoria where I enjoyed an ostrich burger and StfRon had a taz burger. I love the pickles they serve there, and they also have very good French fries. I also gained some omega-3s while waiting for my meal because I couldn't resist having a couple of handfuls of peanuts from the bucket on our table.
Sunday we had Chicago dogs at Vertucci's Chicago Style Eats in East Peoria. The Sunday special was a Chi-town dog and chips for $3.75, which tided us over until a nice dinner at my parents' house; coq au vin and chocolate rum bundt cake. My mom also whipped up a killer salad from a Paula Deen cookbook we gave her for Christmas, with hearts of palm, walnuts and strawberries, topped with an excellent balsamic dressing.
We did make a stop at Maurie's in Pekin for some candy. They have great toffee, and they also carry one of my favorites, the Trolli gummi raspberries.
We noticed a new sign and some activity at the former Katie's Café in Washington for a place called Maria's that will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. We hope to check it out shortly after they open.
Leading up to the weekend, I did get to enjoy lunch at the Penguin Tap in Peoria Heights. I tried the special, a cup of chicken noodle soup chock full of carrots, celery and noodles and a roast beef sandwich, served with mayo and pickles for $5.25.
StfRon and I also stopped in at Thanh Linh in Peoria for the buffet late in the week. The place was packed even at 11:45, but we got a table fairly quickly and the buffet was well stocked.
I also ordered hot tea, which was a surprising floral blend served in a porcelain tea pot. It was very good, and I was hesitant to give up our table before the whole pot was gone.