Noted

I got the scoop from a reader: the former Cummins drive through location at War Memorial and Route 91 in Peoria is now called Meat-n-Place. I will have to check it out.
Meanwhile, if you were jonesing for some of Cummins corn fritters, I did see them on the specials board at their Washington family restaurant last weekend.

Noted

Just heard via Peoria.com that Water Street Wines, Café and Coffee in Peoria is closing their restaurant this Saturday. I will miss their cheese fondue and black bean burgers!

309

This month I visited 309 in Peoria's Junction City twice, once for drinks and once for dinner.

On my first outing my husband and I sat at the bar. He enjoyed an Oktoberfest beer and I had a glass of the Cigar Zin for $8.
We selected two of their artisan cheeses to accompany our drinks, the Fromager dʼAffinois, described as a rich French double cream made from cowsʼ milk, and the Gruyere de comte, a semi-soft unpasteurized cowsʼ milk cheese from France. The bartender said that the Gruyere is their most popular cheese.
Two artisan cheeses were $10 and came served with wild flower honeycomb, quince membrillo, and crackers. We also had some of their wonderful warm crusty bread with butter.
My husband preferred the Gruyere but I liked both cheeses, perhaps even enjoying the d'Affinois better, and the honeycomb and quince fruit spread were a great accompaniment.

On my second visit, I met some friends for dinner.
The dining room, like the bar area, featured a contemporary flair and the soft tunes piped in reminded me of nightclub music.
A fellow olive lover at the table ordered the fried olives stuffed with goat cheese and herbs de provence ($3) for a starter and was kind enough to offer me a bite. The whole dish came with three or four olives and I sampled a half of one, but wow, what a taste explosion!
With a backup meal choice of the half roasted chicken served with olive oil mashed potatoes and a lemon-rosemary pan sauce ($16) in mind for me, we asked about the days' grilled market fish selections and there were quite a few. I selected the rich Hawaiian butterfish served with spicy aioli and had asparagus as my side. Both were wonderfully prepared.
Another friend ordered the Caprese Burrata with heirloom tomatoes, basil, and aged balsamic ($8) and I tried a bite of the cheese which was rich, creamy and delicious.
Our server was professional, and recognized when my fish arrived with the wrong sauce without me having to point it out.
309 is also open for lunch and has private party rooms available.

August 2012 — 309 has closed.

Noted

Kep's sports bar has opened in their new building in Washington. If you've been waiting to get back in there, you can also enjoy $30 worth of food for $15 by purchasing the Seize the Deal offer today.

Richard's On Main

I last visited Richard's On Main many years ago, and one thing I remembered was that they had Framboise, a raspberry lambic Belgian style beer, on draft.
Fast forward about 9 years and we decided to make a stop at the downstairs pub in Peoria once again. Much to my surprise, they still had a raspberry lambic on draft!
There's something appealing to me about a basement pub, especially one with exposed brick walls, ancient tile floors and great historic photographs of downtown Peoria from eras past.
An added bonus on this visit was finding out how many of Richard's menu items are home made. The hand battered mushrooms are not poured frozen from a bag. The pizza crust and sauces are made from scratch. The list of items the bartender identified as being made on site was impressive.
They also feature hand cut steaks, a long list of sandwiches, some salads and burgers.
On this visit, we tried their white garlic pizza and an order of the battered mushrooms. Both hit the spot, especially for me when washed down with a chilled St. Louis Framboise.
Taking note of all of the sandwiches (ranging in price from $4.29 all the way to $29.95 for the "Clydsdale Horseshoe") available and the large juicy steak a lady at the bar was enjoying, we discussed coming back soon for both lunch and a steak dinner.
And if we were night owls (rather than losers who rarely leave the house after 8 p.m.), it would be good to know that Richard's serves food until 4 a.m.

Noted

The Goodness Café in Peoria has announced they will close the business at the end of their lunch on Saturday. Lunches there were tops in my book.
They will continue making breads and sweets through Peoria Bread Company, which is next door to the café.