World Gourmet Foods

World Gourmet Foods comes up almost every time I talk to one of my friends about shopping in Bloomington. She and her boyfriend love to stop in and sample cheese each time they are in town.
I visited World Gourmet in November and perused their wide selection of coffees, teas and ethnic and gourmet items. Eventually I made my way to the cheese sampling and tried six cheeses they had available for tasting. Knowing my husband's taste, instead of going with one of those I selected a half pound of a six year aged cheddar from Wisconsin.
I tossed in two pieces of Baklava for myself and a bag of ginger chews (something I don't have to worry about the husband bogarting) and I was set.
After trying the cheese melted on burgers and breakfast sandwiches, I think I may become a cheddar snob. The flavor was incredible.
My Dining Companion, who was my partner in crime for this shopping event, also made off with a few hunks of cheese.
Before leaving we wandered past the buffet area in the restaurant and saw that it was not a run-of-the-mill selection. Several people were enjoying lunch in the dining area.
World Gourmet will be on my list of stops the next time I am shopping in Bloomington.

Main Street BBQ

I frequently pass through the small northwestern village of Wyanet for work. Usually, I am too early to enjoy the treat of lunch at Main Street BBQ, 115 East Main Street. However, last week I made the time.

The menu at Main Street boasts standard BBQ choices like a brisket platter (2 sides, $9.95) and Memphis-style pork ribs (6 bones, 2 sides $9.95- 12 bones for $18.95). However, this time I enjoyed my BBQ mainstay, the pulled pork sandwich.
The sandwich was a large helping of tender pulled pork with a very distinct hickory smoked flavor. The home made dry rub created a very tasty mahogany colored bark. The bark has a slightly sweet flavor and not too much spice.
For my sides I chose creamy cole slaw (Memphis style, on top of the sammie) and BBQ beans. The beans have a nice spicy-sweet flavor without being overly spicy. Chunks of smoked pork are also found lingering in the sauce.
The menu is varied including garden salads ( dinner salad and Smokehouse salad), a kids menu, and "Award Winning BBQ Nachos".
My only complaint is that the smoker of choice is a Smokin' Tex Smoker, which puts out good, consistent food, but does not produce a noticeable smoke ring. The smoke ring is a pink ring which is created when smoke cures the outside of the meat during the cooking process. However the flavor is not affected by the lack of the ring, as far as I can tell.

The owner seems to be doing well in this small railroad town and plans a remodel this winter.

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!

Cracked Pepper Catering and Bakery, Inc.

I've been wanting to try Cracked Pepper Catering and Bakery, Inc. in Peoria for lunch for quite some time.The NE Adams location seemed just a bit too far to drive during my workday lunch, and I had not seen them open on weekends.

Once I saw that the new, closer-to-me Main Street location was open, I made plans to meet some friends there, and tried the Caprese panini.

The Main Street spot is a nice location, in the former City News Café/Jane Dough spot. They have taken out the wall of newspaper racks and replaced them with an interesting selection of pepper mills.

This Saturday we decided to drive by Cracked Pepper at NE Adams and if they were open we would stop in, otherwise we were headed to the Ice Cream Shack.

As we neared the bakery, I could see a couple sitting at a table by the window, so we pulled in.

This location also was decorated with a variety of pepper mills and there were a few tall tables inside.

Both locations featured colorful chalkboard menus done with great artistic flair.

This time, I decided to try the "award winning" Italian beef. My husband selected the sweet BBQ pork sandwich.

I was asked if I wanted mozzarella and Giardiniera on my sandwich. I passed on the cheese but went for the relish.

During the brief wait for our sandwiches, I noticed that the bakery case featured a couple of bacon logs, which I have heard about both from my friend J who has enjoyed a few of them, and in the newspaper.

My Italian beef was quite good, the Giardiniera not nuclear, so it didn't overwhelm the beef and the bread it was nestled in was outstanding. My husband also commented on the bread his BBQ pork came on.

The pork tasted smoked, and when I sampled it I really enjoyed the juicy bite. I would order either of those sandwiches again.

To cap off our meal, we figured we'd better try the bacon log, a long john-style donut slathered with rich maple icing, crowned with a slice of thick-cut bacon coated in brown sugar.

This picture oddly makes it look a bit like the heavens were shining down upon the delectable donut.

We split the luscious log and it was a delight, the pastry fluffy and fresh, the icing creamy with a good maple flavor and the bacon hearty yet sweet.

In addition to more tempting pastries, Cracked Pepper also offers salads, more sandwiches including some breakfast varieties, and a wrap or two. You can upgrade to a boxed lunch for a bit more, which adds a side and a cookie.

Beningo's Restaurant

I've been remiss in not writing about a great meal we had a few months ago at Beningo's Restaurant in Bloomington.

My husband was looking for something different to do as we were in a little bit of a rut, ran across Beningo's on the web and noticed a picture of a nice looking pizza pie on their website, so he suggested we try the place and made a reservation.

The restaurant is located in a nondescript brick building.

On the phone, my husband had been asked if we wanted upstairs or down. He mentioned we had not been there before and the hostess said we wanted upstairs then.

We were taken to our table in the 1960s style dining room.

I looked over the menu which had a lot of pasta offerings, but with pizza being what made my husband pick the place I decided we needed to try it.

We went with one of their pre-arranged topping pies, the Sicilian, topped with sausage, tomatoes and hot peppers.

There was a cracker basket on the table and we munched on those a bit while we took in the atmosphere and waited for our food.

After looking around at some of the other diners it occurred to me that they served alcohol, which I hadn't realized when ordering.

We noticed some people showing up were leaving, apparently feeling that the wait for a table was too long or being told that there was no room.

We decided to see what we were missing in the basement so we headed down the stairs.

We were blown away by the decor! It reminded me of the early 1970s basement of my mom's friend's house when I was growing up, complete with vintage carpet. We decided it would be a blast to eat down there some time.

Back at our upstairs table the pizza soon arrived. It was wonderful! The pie took me back to the way pizza tasted as a kid at family-owned restaurants. The cheese (which I am picky about) and the sausage (which I am normally not a big fan of) were great.

With a pie like that paired with good service and great atmosphere, now that we've found Beningo's, we'll certainly be back.

Windy City Wieners

Due to a tip from yours truly, my husband checked out Windy City Wieners today and here's what he had to say. — Peoria Peepers

Looking for a good Chicago dog in Normal? Look no further than Windy City Wieners at 106 E. Beaufort Street.
This small shop serves up the real deal, complete with neon green relish.
The menu boasts pure beef wieners, (of course), Gyros, chicken sandwiches and burgers as well as some lesser known windy city faves like the Maxwell Street Polish.
I opted for the everyday special, 2 dogs and fries for 5 bucks.
The Red Hot Chicago wiener snapped perfectly with every bite, the relish, onion, and mustard complimented the wiener perfectly.
Purists know that ketchup should never go on a dog, but there are several bottles available on the counter, if you must.
The guys also deliver locally, so give them a call.

Emerald Tea Room

Recently I had the pleasure of dining at one of my favorite lunch spots: The Emerald Tea Room, 132 McKinley Street (downtown near Long John Silver's) in East Peoria.
The rustic country style tea room offers several sandwiches and salads, soups and daily specials. And of course, delectable desserts.
On this occasion, I had a ham salad sandwich on multigrain bread served with chips and a small serving of fruit. The sandwich was good and the fruit (blackberries, strawberry, muskmelon and kiwi) stood out to me as being some of the freshest tasting fruit I've encountered in a long time. No easy feat in Illinois in February, I'm sure.
For dessert, I shared a cranberry pear crisp topped with ice cream with my mom. It was nicely warmed and packed with cinnamony goodness.
The owner served us, and was prompt and friendly throughout our stay.
The Emerald Tea Room also does catering and is available during off hours for private parties.

Ginger Asian Bistro

My husband, StfRon, has been raving about a place he discovered in Springfield, Ginger Asian Bistro, for a few months now. Recently I had the chance to check it out for myself.
Walking in to the restaurant located at 3100 W. White Oaks Drive, I asked what had made him decide to try the place, since it seemed a little contemporary for his taste. He said it was the promise of free WiFi on the sign that originally attracted him, but I know he's drawn back due to the soothing atmosphere and the teriyaki chicken.
Shortly after we were seated our waiter stopped by and took our drink order, which he delivered momentarily, along with some complimentary hot and sour soup. I'm not a big fan of this soup, but I must say that Ginger's version was the best I've ever tried.
Going with my husband's rave review, I ordered the teriyaki chicken while he went with the sesame chicken. The teriyaki chicken was, as he described, not too heavily seasoned or sweet, and cooked until it had a light, crispy texture, and was accompanied by a nice selection of vegetables, including carrot disks edged in a scalloped pattern.
I was intruigued by some of their cocktail offerings and the dessert menu, which included things like ginger créme brulee, green tea cheesecake and, one of my all-time favorites, green tea ice cream.
This is not your typical lunchtime Chinese fare, and our meal was not followed by a bill delivered on a tray with fortune cookies. But this certainly didn't detract from the experience, perhaps it lent a little something extra.

Carl's Bakery & Restaurant

For years we've talked about stopping by Carl's Bakery & Restaurant, 815 E. Camp Street in East Peoria. How could we resist, with the regal rooster perched in the parking lot? But time and time again when we drove by, we found the place closed.
Today we lucked into finding Carl's open. We stepped inside, which was a bit like stepping back in time. I'll bet things haven't changed much there in 40 years.
There were a few booths in the dining room, and a case of pastries along the back wall near the kitchen. There was also a counter which I'm sure used to host a row of stools, but now there's a booth in front of the counter.
At 10 a.m., we found about three tables of people enjoying coffee and reading the paper.
We took a seat along the wall, above which hung an old framed Daylight Donuts poster.
Our waitress, Edna, was a delight, joking with us throughout our visit. She also took care of the fairly steady stream of people who stopped in for the donuts.
Checking out the menu, I was surprised at how reasonable the prices were. All of the sandwiches except the tenderloin were under $4, many of them even under $3.
We both chose the two eggs with corned beef hash, served with a side of toast. While we waited, we shared an apple fritter that seemed very fresh, filled with apple and cinnamon goodness.
Right about the time we were expecting our food to arrive, there was word from the kitchen, where things seemed to be a little harried, that there was no corned beef hash. We were somewhat devastated by this, as we have corned beef hash pretty much every place that serves it. StfRon decided to sub ham and I went with bacon.
Our meals arrived a bit later with an apology, piping hot. StfRon found the ham to have some sweetness to it, and my two scrambled eggs must have come from the biggest egg laying chicken around.
The lady who brought our meals out stopped over at the next booth and bantered around with the couple who are apparently regulars, as she took their order.
In addition to the Daylight Donuts, Carl's is also home to Broaster chicken, and offers catering and special occasion cakes. They are closed Sunday and Mondays, and serve breakfast and lunch the rest of the week.
On our way out, the lady from the kitchen again apologized for our wait, and said, "Next time we'll have corned beef hash...maybe!" with a wry grin.

Ming Shee

I hadn't been to Ming Shee, 3510 N. University Street in Peoria, for quite some time until visiting this week.
The dining area has a few booths and tables, so if you decide to eat in, there will most likely be a place to sit. On the day StfRon and I stopped in, there were a couple of tables open.
I checked out the large color photos on the board, and went with the Hunan chicken lunch special, served with an egg roll, a piece of crab rangoon and fried rice.
The Hunan chicken was good, the crab rangoon was full of cream cheese and onion flavor, and the egg roll was filled with crisp cabbage. Everything was served piping hot.
StfRon had the General Tso's chicken special, which came with the same sides.
With a couple of large iced teas, our bill was about $13.
Ming Shee also offers carryout and catering, and has a Bartonville location on Garfield Avenue.

October, 2009 — I still visit Ming Shee several times a month. They now serve bubble milk tea, which is an interesting treat.

Rhythm Kitchen Music Café

The Rhythm Kitchen Music Café, located at 305 SW Water Street in Peoria, is a great place to sample some creative cuisine or live music.
The menu features items like hummus and veggies, fruit and brie, salads and pizzas, sandwiches like the salmon BLT and even homestyle favorites like meatloaf and casseroles. If the tuna chop salad is on the board when I stop in, I generally order that. It's filled with chunks of grilled tuna and lots of chopped veggies, all mixed in with pasta.
The Rhythm Kitchen also features CHIP menu items, breakfast items, gourmet coffees, a nice dessert selection and a full bar.
On Wednesdays it's open stage and on Fridays and Saturdays there is live music, all in this eclectic café with it's retro mismatched furniture and tableware.

Childer's Eatery

Childer's Eatery, 3312 N. University in Peoria, is a family restaurant. Despite all the years it's been around, I finally stepped in this summer for the first time.
StfRon and I dropped by Childer's for lunch. The menu is filled with breakfast choices, sandwiches and dinners. A sesame chicken salad with thai dressing caught my eye. For some reason, any meat or fish covered in sesame seeds appeals to me.
This salad featured greens topped with plenty of chicken dipped in egg and then rolled in loads of sesame seeds. The thai dressing was good, and there were also mandarin oranges and nuts in the salad. A nice, filling lunch.
StfRon went with the Memphis sampler, which he had with a sweet potato mash type dish and homemade chips. The Memphis sampler was good, as were both of the sides.
Childer's has many specials, which are listed on signs posted near the ceiling, wrapping around the room. Many of them sounded very tasty.
I'm sure we'll be back for lunch.

Basta O'Neill's

We got a chance to check out Basta O'Neill's in Washington last week, located on Cummings Lane in a new strip mall. This Basta is run by the same people as the Basta in East Peoria.
While at the bar, we enjoyed some good wine in stemless glasses and an order of the best bruschetta I have had in close to 10 years. The owner said his daughter makes it herself, and it is a treat.
For dinner I had a spinach salad, which was very good, but could have used a bit more of the great dressing that was on it. I paired this with a cup of minestrone soup, which was good, too.
The decor is warm and nice, and the bar back is a stunning antique.
To go along with the O'Neill portion of the name, they have some Irish favorites on the menu and some Irish beers and decor.
This is a great addition to Washington. They are currently closed on Sundays.

Update: In April, Basta's started featuring live jazz on Thursdays. We made it in on a Thursday, and it was a good time. The server seemed a bit overwhelmed, but they should work the kinks out.
The portobello mushroom appetizer is great, and the bruschetta can be killer, as long as there's enough balsamic on it. If not, just ask for a side of balsamic and you're set.
http://www.bastaoneills.com/

Cyd's Sendsationals

Recently I had lunch at Cyd's Sendsationals in Peoria Heights. Cyd's is a smörgåsbord of culinary delights. Don't feel like cooking? Pick up some gourmet fare from Cyd's, like the cilantro pork tenderloin I was eying.

For lunch, Cyd's has a great selection of sandwiches and salads. I had an apricot chicken salad sandwich, a grapefruit soda and a marble brownie to save for a snack later.

Cyd's is also a great option for cakes, catering and cooking classes. You can view their weekly menus and cooking class info at http://www.cyds.biz.

I've heard a rumor that Cyd's will be relocating to Junction City in October, which should give them even more room to fill with gourmet goodies!

Update, April, 2007: Cyd's has relocated to Junction City, at Prospect and Knoxville Ave. I stopped in for lunch, and enjoyed the modern look. They have several salads, sandwiches and starting at 2 p.m. have appetizers. They also carry single bottles of beer for purchase while you dine-in.
I had a fruit and nut salad with brie, walnuts, dried apricots, prosciutto and mixed greens with a balsamic dressing. Very tasty.
I like the chairs they chose for the dining room. They remind me of these chairs I saw on Made in America.

Apple's Bakery

Apple's Bakery, 8412 N. Knoxville Ave. in Peoria, opens at 6 a.m. so you can get your fix early!

Apple's is a fun place to visit for lunch or baked goods. For lunch they have great soups and sandwiches to choose from and they have several CHIP approved selections, for those who are being kind to their hearts. The shop carries a good selection of wines, bulk coffee and more.

Apple's also offers quiches, casseroles and breakfast offerings for carryout so you can enjoy them at home.

The pictures on the website, http://www.applesbakery.com will make your mouth water! Check out the chocolate bourbon pecan pie in the online catalog section, and they even have offerings for your pooch! They also have their weekly menus posted online.

Echo Valley Meats

Echo Valley Meats was established in 1999. Visit their retail stores, order online or request a catalog to enjoy top choice cuts of meat, hams, beef jerky and more!

Echo Valley's main production facility is right here in central Illinois in Bartonville.
Check them out on the web at http://www.echovalleymeats.com.

One World Café

One World Café, 1245 W. Main St., Peoria, gracing this corner since 1993, has awesome food and an eclectic decor. Add drinks, desserts, live music and a Wi-Fi zone, and once you get there, you might not want to leave!
One World also offers catering and a meeting room.
My personal favorite item is the Herbivorian with hummus. The marble rye bread they use is soft and delicious. And they have the best BBQ chicken pizza I've had, and I've tried several. Read all about it at http://www.oneworld-cafe.com/.