Hick'ry Stick Catering, Carry Out & Café

We visited Hick'ry Stick Catering, Carry Out & Café for lunch about a month after they opened their new place on East McClure in Peoria.
We made our selections at the front counter, paid and took a seat at one of three tables in the cozy dining area.
My husband and I both chose pulled pork sandwiches, his the deluxe which comes topped with cole slaw. For my sides I ordered slaw and baked macaroni and cheese and StfRon ordered baked beans and fries.
I also ordered a home made bread pudding with vanilla rum sauce.
My husband's sister and brother-in-law were along, and she selected the porky fries (skin on fries topped with pulled pork, bbq sauce and cheese sauce) while her husband went with the pulled pork as well.
I made note of one of their drink offerings, a pineapple lemonade, which sounded interesting, but I passed this time in favor of the bread pudding being my sugar intake for the meal.
Our food was brought out shortly by the friendly gal who had taken our order. She also checked back with us later to see how everything was, and we had nothing but good things to say.
The pork was succulent, juicy and smoky, topped with a tangy sauce. The bread the sandwiches were served on was a soft homemade white bread.
The baked mac and cheese had a good cheese twang to it and the slaw was a creamy variety.
The executive chef Ryan came by our table to see how everything was and we learned that they were using a small Southern Pride smoker on site and their big daddy trailer smoker was at Oktoberfest for the weekend.
The restaurant kept up a steady stream of customers almost the whole time we were there.
Our meal with two sandwiches, two sides each and one dessert came to about $21 with tax.
The menu at Hick'ry Stick also includes panini and other sandwiches including an avocado vegetarian offering and several homemade desserts.
I didn't try the porky fries at the restaurant, however I did get a sampling of them at the Oktoberfest later, and now I see why my sister-in-law had to go for round two. Yum!

Caboose Smokehouse

Ever since hearing about the Caboose Smokehouse over on Central Illinois Life in fall 2007, it was on my list of places to check out. This weekend we finally made it.
We took advantage of our GPS to get us right to the door at 608 W. Seminary Avenue in Bloomington, which is good, because the restaurant is tucked away at the end of a residential area.
StfRon did comment that he could smell the smoke when we turned onto the street around 7 p.m.
Stepping inside, we found a dark, cozy bar/restaurant atmosphere, with a few people playing video poker games and a group sitting down to dinner in a booth. We took a seat along the booth section, wooden booths along a wall lined with a dog-eared fence looking wainscoting that added to the cozy feel.
Once our eyes adjusted to the darker atmosphere, we noticed we had taken a seat at a booth that had not yet been wiped, but no sooner than we had noticed, a manager type lady was right over to wipe it down.
There was, of course, a small amount of train memorabilia such as model trains and signs on the walls to add to the railroad theme.
The special for the night was prime rib, but StfRon went with the full rack of ribs, after ascertaining from our waitress that they were using a Southern Pride smoker. I decided to try the brisket.
While waiting for our entrées, we were served iceberg lettuce salads topped with shredded cheese and a nice loaf of bread on a wooden cutting board.
Our food arrived fairly quickly, and we dug in. The brisket was tender, and after sampling a piece, I decided to try it dipped in their BBQ sauce, which was pretty good.
The bones of the ribs, billed St. Louis style on the menu, actually pulled right out of the meat with nary a scrap of meat left on the bone. StfRon also found that the bones would easily snap with a small amount of pressure, so it seems like they were cooked for quite a long time. I sampled a piece of the meat and loved the rub they used on the ribs. If we find ourselves back there, I'll bet I would go for the ribs, unless some fowl festooned with the same rub tempted me.
StfRon enjoyed the first section of ribs, but found the second piece to be tips, which he is not a big fan of.
The whole time we were eating, I kept glancing at the sign on the table that advertised homemade desserts. The dessert mentioned on the sign was cheesecake, and homemade cheesecake sounded great, but after eating almost all the brisket and most of my baked potato, cheesecake was the last thing I needed right then.
The prices were pretty reasonable, and the lone waitress we saw did a pretty good job of keeping on top of things. She checked in with us a few times throughout our meal.

Ozark House Restaurant

A 50% off certificate and the temptation of some good hickory smoked ribs sent us to the Ozark House Restaurant in Bloomington a few weeks ago. The restaurant is located at 704 McGregor in a mostly residential area, and we were glad we had our new Magellan GPS on board to get us right to the door.
The restaurant is casual, 1970s-era, with several large fish aquariums throughout, which captured the attention of the children who were dining that night.
I ordered the smoked 1/2 chicken with BBQ sauce, accompanied by a sweet potato and a salad with creamy garlic dressing. The dressing was sweet and very good, and the salad was filled with lots of red cabbage and carrots. There was a cracker basket on our table, so we munched on those, but we saw several tables eating bread and butter. Ours ended up being delivered with our meal, which seemed a little odd, but maybe the kitchen was backed up.
StfRon had what is dubbed the "famous baby back ribs" with shredded au gratin potatoes and finished his meal with a very good coconut cream pie that seemed to be home made. Everything we ordered was good.
Our service was prompt and friendly, and when we got low on drinks, another server took the time to top them off for us.
Our only complaint was regarding the music, some slightly too loud almost elevator music. I think if it had been a little quieter, it would have blended nicely into the background. This would not keep us away, though. We had a nice meal, and it was a change from our typical Tazewell/Peoria County haunts.
The Ozark House also offers carryouts, nightly specials and banquet services.

Smo-King Pit

Mall food may not sound very appetizing, but if you overlook the Smo-King Pit in Northwoods Mall in Peoria, you are doing yourself a huge disservice.
The Smo-King Pit is occupying the former Diamond Daves location near Sears on the second level. If you're a rib lover, you HAVE to try the ribs here. You can choose your number of rib bones you would like, plus your choice of sides. They also have sandwiches, wings and more.
Every time we have been in the sides are served piping hot, even though I'm sure they are prepared ahead, and your food will arrive very quickly. I can honestly say in all the dozen or so times I ate at Famous Daves, the food was warm, never hot.
They also make their own cheesecakes, which are frozen, but tasty. Next time, I'm going to order a slice with my meal so it can warm up a bit while I eat.
The service is great here, which pairs nicely with excellent food.