Late last month I met my husband in Pekin for lunch at Hacienda Fuentes Cantina & Grill.
We sat in a booth in the second dining room and were served a basket of crunchy tortilla chips with salsa.
The waiter came by for my drink order but I still had to take in the many menu options, so he said he would be back for our food order.
I decided on the Tacos Hacienda ($7.99), three pork tacos with grilled onions and tomatillo sauce with a side of rice and beans. The tacos were tasty, complete with crunchy onions and were served in flour tortillas.
At a table nearby while we were dining, the staff sang happy birthday to a sombrero-wearing young lady, and proceeded to smear some whipped cream on her face. Later I noticed some photos of similar celebrants, so it must be their tradition.
Years ago before there were several small, local Mexican restaurants in the Peoria area, I remember helping someone celebrate a birthday at Chi-Chi's where they topped the birthday girl's head with a huge sombrero and snapped a photo of her.
Hacienda Fuentes has lunch specials starting at $4.50.
Showing posts with label Pekin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pekin. Show all posts
Friday, January 20, 2012
Monday, August 02, 2010
Oriental Palace
My husband wanted to make a stop in Pekin this weekend which gave me the opportunity to suggest lunch at Oriental Palace.
The restaurant features Chinese, Japanese and Thai dishes.
During our lunch visit, the dining room had a clean, simple decor with white plastic covering the white linen tablecloths.
Our waitress seated us right away and went to prepare our drinks while we checked out the menu.
I have had a wide variety of Chinese food and eat sashimi from time-to-time, but my Thai food experience is limited to Pad Thai. The menu was organized into sections, so I focused on the Thai entrées.
I selected the Thai basil beef, $9.50. StfRon chose Mu Shu chicken ($7.75), and we also ordered an appetizer of crab rangoon ($3.95).
Our crab rangoon showed up quickly. It might be the crispiest crab rangoon I've ever had, was filled with a sweet cream cheese mixture, and was very good.
The flavor of my Thai basil beef surprised me, as it tasted quite a bit like fish. Our waitress came to check on us and said that the dish contained dried shrimp and fish sauce, along with the beef and vegetables which included onions, mushrooms and water chestnuts.
My husband enjoyed the Moo Shu, which is one of his latest Chinese favorites.
Service was great, and although we never noticed it, I feel like the servers must have been discreetly watching us or else they have impeccable timing, as they seemed to materialize instantly at all the right times.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Missy's Corner Café
One day this week StfRon and I decided to have lunch in Pekin. Not sure where to go, I asked my friend J. for some advice. He tossed out several suggestions, including Missy's Corner Café. 
He said he thought I would like it, and that they were known for their tenderloin, so we decided to check it out.
Arriving at the non-descript location at 17 N. 4th Street in Pekin during the lunch hour, I found the restaurant filled with a respectable crowd of people. We took a booth by the tall windows in the tidy main dining room, which looked to have been decorated maybe 15-20 years ago, accented with bright blue and white paint and wooden ceiling tiles.
Our waitress followed us to the booth and dropped off our menus and silverware, encased in plastic bags, and took our drink order. Another lady was back with the drinks almost immediately.
On a board along one wall, I saw the day's specials advertised as four pieces of fried chicken with two sides, chili mac with garlic toast or a fish sandwich. On our booth table, I noticed the napkin dispenser was emblazoned with an ad touting Missy's as home of the giant tenderloin, with a picture of a standard Central Illinois tenderloin in the background.
Opening the menu, I noticed the prices seemed quite reasonable. StfRon slapped his closed almost immediately. "What are you having?" I asked. "Giant tenderloin", he said. Giant. Hmm.
When the waitress arrived to take our order, StfRon asked if the Jr. tenderloin was a kids' portion. Ohhh nooo, she said, and did some gesturing to give us an idea of how big it was, saying that it would stick way out of the bun.
"I'll have that," I said, and ordered tater tots as my side. Hey, if I'm having a greasy lunch, I may as well go all the way! StfRon went with the junior tenderloin, too, and copied my tots order.
Our order did take a bit longer than your typical lunch stop to arrive, but not alarmingly long, and we're pretty sure the pounding we heard from the kitchen about five minutes before our meal arrived was our tenderloins being freshly pounded out.
And oh my, did these look good! The breading is hard to describe, but has a lot of texture to it, with lots of nooks and crannies. It looked like the most awesome chicken fried steak I had ever seen, and I almost wished for a side of sawmill gravy to top it with. The bun almost seemed like an afterthought, so I ditched it, and cut in to the tender pork. The breading was crispy and had a great flavor to it.
The photo of the tenderloin on the napkin dispenser is obviously some stock photo and does not do Missy's tenderloin justice.
These tenderloins were both accompanied with huge orders of tater tots. I ate about seven of them, and I swear there were still more than 14 left to take home, along with the other half of my tenderloin.
If I hadn't been pigging out a bit I could have made four meals out of that lunch, but as it is I will have dinner or lunch to look forward to later in the week.
Lunch for two with reasonably priced ($1.25) iced teas came to about $18 including tax.
Both ladies waiting tables in the dining room were friendly and efficient.
Another bonus for me was that they had a bucket o' hard candy at the cash register, but it was not filled with the standard red and white peppermint candies. These were butterscotch disks, one of my all-time favorites. And, to top it off, I don't think they were Brach's that have the cellophane wrappers with twisted ends. These were sealed flat at each end, and seemed to have even more butterscotchy goodness than Brach's.
We popped in to a side room on our way out, and found it filled with several electronic poker games.
Missy's Corner Café serves breakfast all day, and is open seven days a week until 2 p.m.
Next time I find myself on jury duty, I know where I'm headed for lunch!
He said he thought I would like it, and that they were known for their tenderloin, so we decided to check it out.Arriving at the non-descript location at 17 N. 4th Street in Pekin during the lunch hour, I found the restaurant filled with a respectable crowd of people. We took a booth by the tall windows in the tidy main dining room, which looked to have been decorated maybe 15-20 years ago, accented with bright blue and white paint and wooden ceiling tiles.
Our waitress followed us to the booth and dropped off our menus and silverware, encased in plastic bags, and took our drink order. Another lady was back with the drinks almost immediately.
On a board along one wall, I saw the day's specials advertised as four pieces of fried chicken with two sides, chili mac with garlic toast or a fish sandwich. On our booth table, I noticed the napkin dispenser was emblazoned with an ad touting Missy's as home of the giant tenderloin, with a picture of a standard Central Illinois tenderloin in the background.
Opening the menu, I noticed the prices seemed quite reasonable. StfRon slapped his closed almost immediately. "What are you having?" I asked. "Giant tenderloin", he said. Giant. Hmm.
When the waitress arrived to take our order, StfRon asked if the Jr. tenderloin was a kids' portion. Ohhh nooo, she said, and did some gesturing to give us an idea of how big it was, saying that it would stick way out of the bun.
"I'll have that," I said, and ordered tater tots as my side. Hey, if I'm having a greasy lunch, I may as well go all the way! StfRon went with the junior tenderloin, too, and copied my tots order.
Our order did take a bit longer than your typical lunch stop to arrive, but not alarmingly long, and we're pretty sure the pounding we heard from the kitchen about five minutes before our meal arrived was our tenderloins being freshly pounded out.
And oh my, did these look good! The breading is hard to describe, but has a lot of texture to it, with lots of nooks and crannies. It looked like the most awesome chicken fried steak I had ever seen, and I almost wished for a side of sawmill gravy to top it with. The bun almost seemed like an afterthought, so I ditched it, and cut in to the tender pork. The breading was crispy and had a great flavor to it.The photo of the tenderloin on the napkin dispenser is obviously some stock photo and does not do Missy's tenderloin justice.
These tenderloins were both accompanied with huge orders of tater tots. I ate about seven of them, and I swear there were still more than 14 left to take home, along with the other half of my tenderloin.
If I hadn't been pigging out a bit I could have made four meals out of that lunch, but as it is I will have dinner or lunch to look forward to later in the week.
Lunch for two with reasonably priced ($1.25) iced teas came to about $18 including tax.
Both ladies waiting tables in the dining room were friendly and efficient.
Another bonus for me was that they had a bucket o' hard candy at the cash register, but it was not filled with the standard red and white peppermint candies. These were butterscotch disks, one of my all-time favorites. And, to top it off, I don't think they were Brach's that have the cellophane wrappers with twisted ends. These were sealed flat at each end, and seemed to have even more butterscotchy goodness than Brach's.
We popped in to a side room on our way out, and found it filled with several electronic poker games.
Missy's Corner Café serves breakfast all day, and is open seven days a week until 2 p.m.
Next time I find myself on jury duty, I know where I'm headed for lunch!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Firehouse Pizza
I had heard a lot of good things about Firehouse Pizza, so I was interested in checking the place out.
I zipped over to 8879 N. Knoxville Avenue in Peoria for lunch one day this week, meeting my friend R and my mom.
Walking in, you can choose to enter one of two doors, one to the left or one to the right. To the right, I could see golden yellow walls, to the right, a brick wall look. We headed to the right and made our way past tall, dark wood booths to the cash register.
There is a lunch buffet for $7.50, tax included, that comes with salad, pizza and a soft drink. You can also order a personal pizza with a drink for about the same price. I could see the buffet right next to the cash register, so I figured I would try it.
I wanted iced tea, but when I went to the soda station, all I saw was the raspberry variety, so I had a Pepsi instead. Later on I saw regular iced tea on the menu, so I'll have to track it down next time. Firehouse Pizza also offers beer and wine.
We took one of the tall booths, which are equipped with personal flat screen TVs. There was a pretty steady crowd of people in for lunch while we were there, several of them enjoying the programming of their choice in their booths.
Going up to the small salad bar, I fixed a salad of iceberg lettuce with red cabbage, two kinds of shredded cheese, skipped the croutons and went for some of the honey mustard dressing. The quarters were a bit cramped between the cash register, salad bar and pizza bar, with them all being in the same pathway, but everyone managed.
The salad was decent, and I especially enjoyed the dressing.
On to the pizza. The slices were narrow, which was good because I got to try more varieties without wasting food. I first went for a slice of some sort of meat lovers looking pizza, since I spied some bacon on it. I also snatched a slice with black olives and green peppers and went back to the table.
The crust is sort of a hand-tossed style, but the thing I enjoyed the most was the sweet tomato sauce. So much so that I went back for two more slices.
While enjoying our food, we took a look at some of the firehouse memorabilia near our booth and on the walls. I also noticed that the menu on our table mentioned a gluten free pizza and take and bake pizzas.
My mom arrived late, and on her last trip from the pizza buffet she scored a slice of dessert pizza with peaches on it that hadn't been up there before, but alas, I was full. It will have to wait for next time.
I zipped over to 8879 N. Knoxville Avenue in Peoria for lunch one day this week, meeting my friend R and my mom.
Walking in, you can choose to enter one of two doors, one to the left or one to the right. To the right, I could see golden yellow walls, to the right, a brick wall look. We headed to the right and made our way past tall, dark wood booths to the cash register.
There is a lunch buffet for $7.50, tax included, that comes with salad, pizza and a soft drink. You can also order a personal pizza with a drink for about the same price. I could see the buffet right next to the cash register, so I figured I would try it.
I wanted iced tea, but when I went to the soda station, all I saw was the raspberry variety, so I had a Pepsi instead. Later on I saw regular iced tea on the menu, so I'll have to track it down next time. Firehouse Pizza also offers beer and wine.
We took one of the tall booths, which are equipped with personal flat screen TVs. There was a pretty steady crowd of people in for lunch while we were there, several of them enjoying the programming of their choice in their booths.
Going up to the small salad bar, I fixed a salad of iceberg lettuce with red cabbage, two kinds of shredded cheese, skipped the croutons and went for some of the honey mustard dressing. The quarters were a bit cramped between the cash register, salad bar and pizza bar, with them all being in the same pathway, but everyone managed.
The salad was decent, and I especially enjoyed the dressing.
On to the pizza. The slices were narrow, which was good because I got to try more varieties without wasting food. I first went for a slice of some sort of meat lovers looking pizza, since I spied some bacon on it. I also snatched a slice with black olives and green peppers and went back to the table.
The crust is sort of a hand-tossed style, but the thing I enjoyed the most was the sweet tomato sauce. So much so that I went back for two more slices.
While enjoying our food, we took a look at some of the firehouse memorabilia near our booth and on the walls. I also noticed that the menu on our table mentioned a gluten free pizza and take and bake pizzas.
My mom arrived late, and on her last trip from the pizza buffet she scored a slice of dessert pizza with peaches on it that hadn't been up there before, but alas, I was full. It will have to wait for next time.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Mickie's Pizzeria
Last week we met some friends at Mickie's Pizzeria for dinner.
This outing took place at their new Peoria location in Westlake shopping center, although we have visited Mickie's a few times at 137 Radio City Drive in Pekin in the past five years.
The Westlake location looked brand spanking new with it's clean tile floors, rust and green hued walls and ying yang-esque seat cushions.
Our waitress during this visit was very thorough, repeating back everyone's order to them after she had taken them all, to make sure she had everything right. And things were delivered just as we ordered them.
We started with some sweet bread and garlic bread, then all had our own thin crust pie (no thick crust here), with three of the group ordering fiesta pizzas. StfRon, the lone male dining with four females, went for the meat pizza, and I chose the five star, with smoked bacon, red onions, garlic, Canadian bacon and pineapple as my five stars. I was trying to come up with a new concoction with lots of flavor. It turned out to be pretty good, and made for a nice lunch at home a couple of days later.
Mickie's also serves wings, sandwiches and pasta dishes.
December, 2010 — Mickie's has closed their location in Peoria. Visit them in Dunlap, Pekin or East Peoria.
This outing took place at their new Peoria location in Westlake shopping center, although we have visited Mickie's a few times at 137 Radio City Drive in Pekin in the past five years.
The Westlake location looked brand spanking new with it's clean tile floors, rust and green hued walls and ying yang-esque seat cushions.
Our waitress during this visit was very thorough, repeating back everyone's order to them after she had taken them all, to make sure she had everything right. And things were delivered just as we ordered them.
We started with some sweet bread and garlic bread, then all had our own thin crust pie (no thick crust here), with three of the group ordering fiesta pizzas. StfRon, the lone male dining with four females, went for the meat pizza, and I chose the five star, with smoked bacon, red onions, garlic, Canadian bacon and pineapple as my five stars. I was trying to come up with a new concoction with lots of flavor. It turned out to be pretty good, and made for a nice lunch at home a couple of days later.
Mickie's also serves wings, sandwiches and pasta dishes.
December, 2010 — Mickie's has closed their location in Peoria. Visit them in Dunlap, Pekin or East Peoria.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Seejay & Pammy's Unique Teak
Never having been in Seejay & Pammy's Unique Teak, I had visions of a store filled with lots of wood furniture, salad bowls, picture frames and more, presumably made of teak.
I stopped in to their newer home (formerly on Sheridan Road) at 8414 N. Knoxville Avenue in Peoria this week, and was surprised to find nary a sign of teak wood.
Instead, I found myself surrounded by colorful purses and costume jewelry. There was also a selection of sunglasses, and even some decorative dish towels and wine bags. I saw a martini dish towel set made in the USA.
Unique Teak looks like just the place to find a fun gift for my mom.
There is also a Pekin location at 2942 Court Street.
I stopped in to their newer home (formerly on Sheridan Road) at 8414 N. Knoxville Avenue in Peoria this week, and was surprised to find nary a sign of teak wood.
Instead, I found myself surrounded by colorful purses and costume jewelry. There was also a selection of sunglasses, and even some decorative dish towels and wine bags. I saw a martini dish towel set made in the USA.
Unique Teak looks like just the place to find a fun gift for my mom.
There is also a Pekin location at 2942 Court Street.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Holiday happenings
Looking to have some the holiday fun this weekend? Here are a few local events to check out:
Holiday Shop & Stroll, Forest Park Nature Center — December 7 from 6-8:30, enjoy an evening stroll on the luminaria lit forest trail, live holiday music, storytelling, hot wassail and goodies, and shopping. $2.
Holiday Cruise, Spirit of Peoria — December 7 from 6-8:30 p.m., take a two-hour cruise (a two-hour cruise) featuring a hot buffet and musical entertainment. $38 for adults.
Folepi's Laser Theatre, Festival Building, East Peoria — December 7 at 6, 7 and 8 p.m., laser lights and images are set to holiday music.
Christmas on Court, Downtown Pekin — December 7 from 5-8 p.m., see Santa, take carriage rides, enjoy strolling carolers, skits and luminaries.
Candlelight Walks, Luthy Botanical Garden — December 7 & 8 from 7-9 p.m., see the poinsettia show under the glow of candlelight, while being serenaded with live music.
Christmas Concert, Forest Park Nature Center — December 8 at 7 p.m., listen to the music and stories of Tom and Chris Kastle. $7.
Holiday Shop & Stroll, Forest Park Nature Center — December 7 from 6-8:30, enjoy an evening stroll on the luminaria lit forest trail, live holiday music, storytelling, hot wassail and goodies, and shopping. $2.
Holiday Cruise, Spirit of Peoria — December 7 from 6-8:30 p.m., take a two-hour cruise (a two-hour cruise) featuring a hot buffet and musical entertainment. $38 for adults.
Folepi's Laser Theatre, Festival Building, East Peoria — December 7 at 6, 7 and 8 p.m., laser lights and images are set to holiday music.
Christmas on Court, Downtown Pekin — December 7 from 5-8 p.m., see Santa, take carriage rides, enjoy strolling carolers, skits and luminaries.
Candlelight Walks, Luthy Botanical Garden — December 7 & 8 from 7-9 p.m., see the poinsettia show under the glow of candlelight, while being serenaded with live music.
Christmas Concert, Forest Park Nature Center — December 8 at 7 p.m., listen to the music and stories of Tom and Chris Kastle. $7.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Chicago Hut
The weekends many times send us to Pekin for some shopping. This last time we went during the lunch hour, and when thinking of a local place to grab some grub, I thought of Chicago Hut.
Chicago Hut, introduced to us by some friends who live in Pekin, is located at 2111 Court Street, near County Market.
The menu is huge, featuring things like Chicago dogs, paninis, Greek chicken, gyros, burgers, wraps and even something called a Maxwell Street polish sausage, which I learned from my friend J, is famous because of Chicago's Maxwell Street marketplace.
This time I went with the BBQ half chicken, but it was a hard decision. There were a few other items I really wanted to try, too. I ordered my chicken with rice and it also comes with a Greek salad and some pita bread. Everything was wonderful. The BBQ sauce was very flavorful and citrusy, the cube o'cheese atop my Greek salad was delicious and the pita bread was irresistible. This set me back only $6.75, not including my drink.
StfRon had a chili dog and a gryo.
Since they strategically placed the baklava near the checkout counter, I had to order a piece of that as well. They offered to warm it up for me, which was a nice touch. It was almost as good as Mom's homemade.
The small dining room has a few casual booths and tables, most of which were full while we were in for a late lunch on a Sunday. The restaurant is decorated with some Chicago posters.
Chicago Hut also does a good carryout business, with great prices on Greek chicken dinners, said to feed four, but you will probably end up with leftovers.
Chicago Hut, introduced to us by some friends who live in Pekin, is located at 2111 Court Street, near County Market.
The menu is huge, featuring things like Chicago dogs, paninis, Greek chicken, gyros, burgers, wraps and even something called a Maxwell Street polish sausage, which I learned from my friend J, is famous because of Chicago's Maxwell Street marketplace.
This time I went with the BBQ half chicken, but it was a hard decision. There were a few other items I really wanted to try, too. I ordered my chicken with rice and it also comes with a Greek salad and some pita bread. Everything was wonderful. The BBQ sauce was very flavorful and citrusy, the cube o'cheese atop my Greek salad was delicious and the pita bread was irresistible. This set me back only $6.75, not including my drink.
StfRon had a chili dog and a gryo.
Since they strategically placed the baklava near the checkout counter, I had to order a piece of that as well. They offered to warm it up for me, which was a nice touch. It was almost as good as Mom's homemade.
The small dining room has a few casual booths and tables, most of which were full while we were in for a late lunch on a Sunday. The restaurant is decorated with some Chicago posters.
Chicago Hut also does a good carryout business, with great prices on Greek chicken dinners, said to feed four, but you will probably end up with leftovers.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Fall festivals
In honor of my favorite season, here are a few fall events to check out this week in the area:• Elmwood Fall Festival - Free admission, carnival, food tent at Central Park in Elmwood September 6-8.
• Pekin Marigold Festival - Free admission, arts and crafts, food, carnival. Mineral Springs Park in Pekin September 7-9.
• Fire on the Water, Firefighters Street Festival, Peoria - $5 donation to enter, concert, car & bike cruise, food and beer. All proceeds donated to local charities. September 8 CEFCU Center Stage and The Landing, Peoria.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Avanti's Italian Restaurant
OK, call me crazy, but I'm not a huge fan of Avanti's like most Peorians are. I guess it might be the tomato sauce. It's just not my favorite. And I've never been a huge fan of a gondola sandwich.
I mean, I hear stories of people who move away and can't stop thinking about Avanti's. Each time they come to town they MUST load up their cars and suitcases with Avanti's bread.
I used to hit Avanti's on Main Street in Peoria after class at ICC back in the early 90s. I always had the pizza bread, and it was fine, and the price was right for a college kid.
Then, I worked for a department starting in the late 90s which would order Avanti's delivery once a month or so. I would get the pasta salad, which is actually pretty good, and comes with a nice chunk of bread and Country Crock (prefer the real deal myself) and I usually would snag a packet of the parmesan cheese to sprinkle on it, too. It's a very reasonably priced lunch.
Recently, a friend suggested going to Avanti's, so I said OK. I was surprised to see personal pizzas on the menu. Having had a good fill of the pasta salad the past several years, I ordered one. It was actually very good, kind of reminded me of a Pizza Hut style pie.
Avanti's has locations on Rockwood in Peoria near Northwoods Mall, on Main Street at University, plus a location in East Peoria and one in Normal.
Their menu features hot and cold sandwiches including the gondolas, salads, pizza and plenty o' pasta.
I mean, I hear stories of people who move away and can't stop thinking about Avanti's. Each time they come to town they MUST load up their cars and suitcases with Avanti's bread.
I used to hit Avanti's on Main Street in Peoria after class at ICC back in the early 90s. I always had the pizza bread, and it was fine, and the price was right for a college kid.
Then, I worked for a department starting in the late 90s which would order Avanti's delivery once a month or so. I would get the pasta salad, which is actually pretty good, and comes with a nice chunk of bread and Country Crock (prefer the real deal myself) and I usually would snag a packet of the parmesan cheese to sprinkle on it, too. It's a very reasonably priced lunch.
Recently, a friend suggested going to Avanti's, so I said OK. I was surprised to see personal pizzas on the menu. Having had a good fill of the pasta salad the past several years, I ordered one. It was actually very good, kind of reminded me of a Pizza Hut style pie.
Avanti's has locations on Rockwood in Peoria near Northwoods Mall, on Main Street at University, plus a location in East Peoria and one in Normal.
Their menu features hot and cold sandwiches including the gondolas, salads, pizza and plenty o' pasta.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Farmer's Markets
We're coming into that great time of year where farmer's markets are having their heyday. There are many, many local farmers offering locally grown produce, even some grown without the use of pesticides.The farmer's market at Peoria's Metro Centre is celebrating 30 years in operation. With about 15 farmers participating here, there is a wide selection of fresh produce and flowers. They operate Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. until sold out. The kick-off this year is June 1, and, as reporter by the Journal Star, if you're one of the first 1,000 people, you could receive a tote bag to use to cart your goodies around.
Want something closer to Kickapoo or Dunlap, or not a morning person? The Shoppes at Grand Prairie is starting a farmer's market June 6, which will run Wednesdays from 4-8 p.m. They plan to have about 18 farmers and local music as well as cooking demonstrations.
Galesburg has a farmer's market near Main St., operating from 8 a.m.-noon on Saturdays.
Pekin's farmer's market operates downtown on Capital St. Thursdays from 4:30-6:30 p.m. with about 20 vendors. This market starts mid-July.
The popular Peoria Riverfront Market is back in gear starting June 2. In addition to all of the locally grown produce and flowers, there are several artists with booths here, and live music. I also love to pick up some bread from Peoria Bread Company. The market runs Saturdays from 8 a.m.-noon.
With all of this great fresh produce available, why would you want to pick up your produce at the local chain grocery or big box store? Who knows how long and how far that turnip traveled on a truck before it found you?
Now, if we could just get Washington to start a farmer's market!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Goodfellas Pub & Pizza
Say you're in Pekin and you feel the need to hit a sports bar or have some decent pizza. Give Goodfellas, 1414 N. 8th St., a try.Here you can play some arcade games or shoot some pool, catch a band and have a good pizza with a nice, thin, crispy crust that has a great touch of sweetness to it. I'd love to get the dough recipe for this pie!
Or try some appetizers or a sandwich. Or just quaff a cold one. It's all good.
They'll even give you some of this rooster hot sauce to use, with Chinese or Japanese writing all over it, which, by the way, is clearly marked "Made in USA" on the back of the bottle. Hmm...
Monday, June 05, 2006
Maurie's Candies
I shudder to think what my life would be like if I had never been introduced to caramel apples from Maurie's Candies, 522 Court Street in Pekin. I was sitting at work, minding my own business, when a co-worker brought in a bag of caramel apples and offered them to our department. I tried one, and was hooked. It's the best caramel apple I've ever had. I guess they can only make them for a short time each fall, with their super-secret caramel recipe calling for the right climatic conditions.
Maurie's also has plenty of other homemade candies, books, gifts and magazines, too.
My co-worker may rue the day he brought those apples in. Every year as soon as I start thinking fall, I start bugging him about whether the apples are ready yet. Not living in Pekin, I like to have that inside source...
Maurie's also has plenty of other homemade candies, books, gifts and magazines, too.
My co-worker may rue the day he brought those apples in. Every year as soon as I start thinking fall, I start bugging him about whether the apples are ready yet. Not living in Pekin, I like to have that inside source...
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