Noted

Harms Florist will soon be moving in to the Oberlander building located at the intersection of McClure and University streets in Peoria.

I spent several years living on the second floor of the Oberlander building and remember it fondly. The apartments have high ceilings, tall windows, fireplaces and very thick walls.

I'm glad to see a nice building put to new use.

The Fieldhouse

In the later part of 2009, Peoria's Campustown became home to The Fieldhouse.Located in the former Gorman's spot, The Fieldhouse has an updated, clean sportsbar atmosphere.

I've sampled three of their sandwiches so far: a buffalo burger topped with swiss ($7.95 + 49 cents for cheese), a buffalo chicken sandwich ($6.95) and the UAB, a burger topped with bacon and peanut butter for $6.95. Each sandwich was served with Poore Brothers chips, twice the salt and pepper variety and once plain.

All of the sandwiches were good. The burgers are 1/3 pounders and the peanut butter was almost lost on the big burger, but added a nice touch.

Each time my waitress has been cheerful and efficient, and lunch has been able to be enjoyed with plenty of time to get back to work without rushing.

The Fieldhouse also offers several appetizers, a tuna steak sandwich, pizzas, salads and a couple of vegetarian options, plus a full bar for those after work gatherings or fun before or after the game.

Round up

Recently I've visited Ming Shee and The Fieldhouse in Peoria for lunches.

We had dinner at Palanza's Family Dining in Washington, which we haven't visited in years.

StfRon commented on how good the pizza was, and I was raving about the cheese, both on the pizza and in the shaker. This was none of that tasteless dry powder. I was intrigued by the offerings of fried chicken and steaks, but I don't know if I'll be able to skip the pizza to try them out.

Last Sunday we struck out a couple of times in Peoria: first in trying to call Rosie's BBQ & Grill to see if they were open (no answer) and then in trying to visit Naturally Yours to look at organic, free-range and grass fed meat options.

We ended up trying lunch at Leaves 'N Beans in Peoria Heights. I had a veggie wrap filled with tomato, green pepper, spinach and some mouth-watering hummus. This was no "burrito as big as your head" for which I was thankful.

My husband had a panini with turkey and bacon, also topped with spinach served with a small side of chips.

We paired our meal with a cup of praline coffee and an Americano.

Grab bag

Looking for a laugh this weekend?

Mason City Limits hosts comedian Craig Hawksley January 8 at 8 p.m. and January 9 at 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

The Jukebox Comedy Club features Lord Carrett January 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. or 10:30 p.m.

The Peoria Rivermen take on the Toronto Marlies tonight at 7 p.m. at the Peoria Civic Center.

Forest Park Nature Center hosts Eagles Day, a presentation and tours to view Bald Eagles along the river from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday.

Firehouse Pizza is now open in East Peoria. Starting at 10 a.m. January 12 you can pick up discount gift certificates here.

Brown's Fine Food

Last weekend we set out for points west to visit a restaurant my husband has been wanting to try for about a year. Alas, our food choices were not to be had when we got there, so we hit the road again and kept our eyes peeled for another option.

We drove into Canton and soon a retro sign caught the attention of both of us at almost the same instant: Brown's Snappy Service.

I love spotting old signs, and it's even better when the business still exists and lives up to the legacy.

A lucky break! Brown's Fine Food was open so we walked in and found the place comfortably worn around the edges, with about a dozen stools mounted in front of the white, gold-flecked countertop.

Tables lined the wall behind, stretching back into a narrow back room.

We took seats at the counter to better check out the old equipment and decor, and looked over the menu while our server went to get us some iced teas.

Entrées were reasonable: chicken fried steak for $5.75, two smoked pork chops for $6.75, fried chicken for $6, all served with two sides plus bread a butter. Sandwiches started at $1.70 for the sandwich alone and $3.20 for a platter.

StfRon asked the gent serving us if the hamburgers were frozen, and he said no. Then he asked if they were thin patties, and found out they were. Our server added that they are very good, so that was enough for us.

I ordered a cheeseburger platter and StfRon ordered a bacon cheeseburger platter. Both came with fries and cole slaw.

Our food came out quickly, the burgers tasty as promised, complete with crispy edges, creamy cheese and soft buns.

The fries were a similar cut to McDonald's fries, but I enjoyed their crispness and taste much more than any Mickey D's fries I've had in the last decade.

The slaw was a creamy style, and the portion was pretty generous.

Brown's has been providing snappy service since 1937, and the original building is still intact. There have been some additions over the years, but I had taken notice of the ceiling over the grill area while waiting for my food before I knew about the add ons and you can still

imagine what the little place must have been like in its heyday.

Mounted to a post next to the old host stand area there is a neat photo of the original building.

I'm glad the sign caught our attention.

Say it ain't so, Big O

We drove by today to confirm, and Big O's BBQ in Peoria was closed.

We also struck out on our next BBQ stop, but found some good cheap eats in the end.