A guest posting! After I had lunch at a local place, Jeep asked that I contribute- so here goes!
The Flame is housed in the old A&W Drive In in Metamora. The building, while completely unique, still holds hints of it's past kitschy greatness. I dined on a Friday lunch, and found that we were seated quite promptly. Immediately, a very happy gent asked for our drink order. As it turns out, this was the owner, Tony Asani, who made no fewer than 3 more visits at our table.
The waitress soon came by, and offered up the special, meatloaf. Both me and my co-worker decided this was the way to go. A small up charge of 50 cents allowed a salad to be selected over the soup of the day. I chose Bleu cheese dressing, as I always do. While waiting for our salads, a waitress announced that there was no more chili, and that the last bowl had been dished out. This made me second guess my selection of salad over the chili, as I heard several comments regarding the wonderful chili.
The salad arrived, it was a standard plate salad of iceberg lettuce. Nothing special, except the dressing was obviously home made, a nice change from the myriad of Sysco manufactured dressings flooding the area.
Then came a huge, heaping mound of meatloaf, stacked on top of bread. The brown gravy flooding the entire plate, with a huge portion of home made (lumpy!!) mashed potatoes. I only sampled the potatoes, as I knew the meatloaf was enough for my meal. The entire meal was basking in the glory of home made goodness.
Overall, it was a decently priced meal, with great quality of food. The owners happy go-lucky attitude, and his obvious love for his restaurant, make this place a top notch choice.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Midweek check-in
Woo hoo! It's Wednesday! Only two days until the weekend.
This week I was running some errands during lunch, and decided to stop at Le Café in Peoria's Metro Centre for some lunch.
It was very quiet in the café during the noon hour, only a table of two was dining, and actually, no one else seemed to notice I had come in.
After selecting my tray, spoon and napkin, deciding whether I wanted to go with the lentil soup or the cream of roasted vegetables and making my way to the counter to order, no one had come out to the cash register.
I could see the back of an employee in a nearby doorway, so after waiting at the counter about a minute, I rang the bell, which sounded very loud to me.
The employee I had seen came over right away, and I ordered a bowl of the lentil soup and a small drink, ringing in at about $6.75.
The soup was served accompanied by a roll and three packets of saltine crackers. I was surprised to find the soup to have a tomato base, and it also had some chunks of carrots in it. It was good and hearty and piping hot, and I dipped pieces of my roll in it.
Feeling like I had been pretty good, I went over to the bakery and ordered a peanut butter cookie for 75 cents. The cookie was soft and chewy and had a distinct molasses flavor to it.
The lady next to me was picking up a king cake for Fat Tuesday. It was then that I noticed that there were a few more of the traditional Mardi Gras cakes in the case.
I have blogged about Le Café and the bakery before.
I have noticed that Euro Jack's in Peoria seems to have stopped serving breakfast during the week.
And, lest I forget these closings once 2009 rolls around, I figured I should starting making notes of 2008 local biz closures:
InPlay
Mulligan's
Furrow Vineyard & Winery
Copperworks closure is a rumor I've heard, but haven't had a chance to confirm yet.
This week I was running some errands during lunch, and decided to stop at Le Café in Peoria's Metro Centre for some lunch.
It was very quiet in the café during the noon hour, only a table of two was dining, and actually, no one else seemed to notice I had come in.
After selecting my tray, spoon and napkin, deciding whether I wanted to go with the lentil soup or the cream of roasted vegetables and making my way to the counter to order, no one had come out to the cash register.
I could see the back of an employee in a nearby doorway, so after waiting at the counter about a minute, I rang the bell, which sounded very loud to me.
The employee I had seen came over right away, and I ordered a bowl of the lentil soup and a small drink, ringing in at about $6.75.
The soup was served accompanied by a roll and three packets of saltine crackers. I was surprised to find the soup to have a tomato base, and it also had some chunks of carrots in it. It was good and hearty and piping hot, and I dipped pieces of my roll in it.
Feeling like I had been pretty good, I went over to the bakery and ordered a peanut butter cookie for 75 cents. The cookie was soft and chewy and had a distinct molasses flavor to it.
The lady next to me was picking up a king cake for Fat Tuesday. It was then that I noticed that there were a few more of the traditional Mardi Gras cakes in the case.
I have blogged about Le Café and the bakery before.
I have noticed that Euro Jack's in Peoria seems to have stopped serving breakfast during the week.
And, lest I forget these closings once 2009 rolls around, I figured I should starting making notes of 2008 local biz closures:
InPlay
Mulligan's
Furrow Vineyard & Winery
Copperworks closure is a rumor I've heard, but haven't had a chance to confirm yet.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Fred's Shoe Repair
I've heard Fred's Shoe Repair being mentioned a few times lately while out and about, and decided it was high time I gave Fred some kudos.
Located at 2613 N. University Street in Peoria, Fred's is a great source for all things shoe related, and then some.
I heard a college student talking about how he takes his luggage to Fred's for zipper repairs, and also has his shoes spiffed up there.
We used to live down the street from the University location, and StfRon took some pricey Shoes for Crews work shoes in to Fred's for some stretching as they were a little too tight.
Have some suede or leather items that have seen better days? I'll bet Fred's can help.
Need some sole? Try Fred's.
Fred's also does shoe dyeing and carries shoe care supplies.
Located at 2613 N. University Street in Peoria, Fred's is a great source for all things shoe related, and then some.
I heard a college student talking about how he takes his luggage to Fred's for zipper repairs, and also has his shoes spiffed up there.
We used to live down the street from the University location, and StfRon took some pricey Shoes for Crews work shoes in to Fred's for some stretching as they were a little too tight.
Have some suede or leather items that have seen better days? I'll bet Fred's can help.
Need some sole? Try Fred's.
Fred's also does shoe dyeing and carries shoe care supplies.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Junk mail
OK, this doesn't really fall under local businesses, but waste is an issue close to my heart.
I came to find out about a organization called Catalog Choice, who will work to reduce the amount of catalogs that get sent to your home.
We get a huge amount of catalogs at our house. I think much of it is due to the fact that we try to buy many things made in the USA, and items not made in China, which means shopping online a lot. Almost everyone we have purchased from will then send us their catalog, and, of course, some of them sell our name to other companies.
In a way, it's nice to get some of them, because it puts the business back in my face and reminds me that they carry items I may want to buy. Some of them just send too many, or, I visit their web site all the time, and don't need a catalog to toss in the newspaper bin.
We do get several catalogs delivered that we just have no interest in, or, that don't list country of origin for any of their products, so I'm not interested in buying from them. We also get tons of children's catalogs, delivered in someone else's name. We have lived in the house for almost seven years, and have no children.
Over the holidays, I plugged many catalog names into the Catalog Choice web site. It's free to join, you select the name of the catalog and provide the name the catalog is delivered to, then the great people at Catalog Choice will work on contacting the companies and asking them to remove you from the list. This can take up to 10 weeks.
Checking back on my account status, I have three catalogs who have agreed to stop sending to us, and I'm excited by that.
I was extremely irritated to see that two companies refused to stop sending to us. Not a wise decision on their part, I would say, because now I will absolutely never buy from them. And maybe, if I'm ever in the vicinity of their headquarters, I can save up the catalogs and pull a Kramer and dump a slew of them off at their door.
The rest of my opt-outs, maybe 10 or so, are unconfirmed as of yet.
If you have a slew of unwanted catalogs, this site can be a time saver. It's nice to be able to try and reduce the mailings from one place, rather than trying to contact each company individually.
I came to find out about a organization called Catalog Choice, who will work to reduce the amount of catalogs that get sent to your home.
We get a huge amount of catalogs at our house. I think much of it is due to the fact that we try to buy many things made in the USA, and items not made in China, which means shopping online a lot. Almost everyone we have purchased from will then send us their catalog, and, of course, some of them sell our name to other companies.
In a way, it's nice to get some of them, because it puts the business back in my face and reminds me that they carry items I may want to buy. Some of them just send too many, or, I visit their web site all the time, and don't need a catalog to toss in the newspaper bin.
We do get several catalogs delivered that we just have no interest in, or, that don't list country of origin for any of their products, so I'm not interested in buying from them. We also get tons of children's catalogs, delivered in someone else's name. We have lived in the house for almost seven years, and have no children.
Over the holidays, I plugged many catalog names into the Catalog Choice web site. It's free to join, you select the name of the catalog and provide the name the catalog is delivered to, then the great people at Catalog Choice will work on contacting the companies and asking them to remove you from the list. This can take up to 10 weeks.
Checking back on my account status, I have three catalogs who have agreed to stop sending to us, and I'm excited by that.
I was extremely irritated to see that two companies refused to stop sending to us. Not a wise decision on their part, I would say, because now I will absolutely never buy from them. And maybe, if I'm ever in the vicinity of their headquarters, I can save up the catalogs and pull a Kramer and dump a slew of them off at their door.
The rest of my opt-outs, maybe 10 or so, are unconfirmed as of yet.
If you have a slew of unwanted catalogs, this site can be a time saver. It's nice to be able to try and reduce the mailings from one place, rather than trying to contact each company individually.
Superbowl weekend
We made it out and about a few times over Superbowl weekend.
Friday night, we enjoyed dinner at Bernardi's in Washington with my parents. Three out of the four of us had their tasty fried chicken. Yum!
Saturday we made the trek to Bradford to visit the Kaiserhof. I tried one of the dinner specials, pork chops with apples and raisins, served with Spätzle and green beans. The green beens were a bit done for my taste, but the pork chops had an excellent charbroiled flavor, topped with very thinly sliced apples, and the Spätzle was wonderful, doused with some mushroom gravy. We also saw Fraochán's family while there, which was a nice surprise.
Sunday we made a quick buzz through Step Back in Time in Washington to see if there were any chairs, shelves or trinkets we had to have, but left empty handed.
We made a stop at Kep's in Washington to pick up wings for a Superbowl party we would be attending. Or, fairly anti-Superbowl, as the case may have been. They weren't that interested in the game due to the teams involved, and StfRon and I don't really follow football. Once we got to our destination, I sampled the wings, and found them to be good, fairly meaty, and nicely coated with some cayenne pepper sauce. I can't say I paid a whole lot of attention, but it seemed like the commercials weren't that great this year.
A guest arrived later toting a couple of boxed pizzas. Turns out these pies were from Firehouse Saloon in Morton. The pizzas were Perdue pizzas, and they were very good, from the bottom of the thin, crispy crust, to the top, covered with Canadian bacon, banana peppers, olives and mushrooms. There was also a meat lovers pie, but I stuck with the previous one.
We started hearing some buzz about the crazy weather, and looked out the window in surprise at the rapidly falling snow accompanied by lightning. We ended up heading home around 6 p.m. The drive took us a decent amount of extra time, and it there was either sleet or freezing rain falling, but we made it home unscathed and chilled for the rest of the night.
Friday night, we enjoyed dinner at Bernardi's in Washington with my parents. Three out of the four of us had their tasty fried chicken. Yum!
Saturday we made the trek to Bradford to visit the Kaiserhof. I tried one of the dinner specials, pork chops with apples and raisins, served with Spätzle and green beans. The green beens were a bit done for my taste, but the pork chops had an excellent charbroiled flavor, topped with very thinly sliced apples, and the Spätzle was wonderful, doused with some mushroom gravy. We also saw Fraochán's family while there, which was a nice surprise.
Sunday we made a quick buzz through Step Back in Time in Washington to see if there were any chairs, shelves or trinkets we had to have, but left empty handed.
We made a stop at Kep's in Washington to pick up wings for a Superbowl party we would be attending. Or, fairly anti-Superbowl, as the case may have been. They weren't that interested in the game due to the teams involved, and StfRon and I don't really follow football. Once we got to our destination, I sampled the wings, and found them to be good, fairly meaty, and nicely coated with some cayenne pepper sauce. I can't say I paid a whole lot of attention, but it seemed like the commercials weren't that great this year.
A guest arrived later toting a couple of boxed pizzas. Turns out these pies were from Firehouse Saloon in Morton. The pizzas were Perdue pizzas, and they were very good, from the bottom of the thin, crispy crust, to the top, covered with Canadian bacon, banana peppers, olives and mushrooms. There was also a meat lovers pie, but I stuck with the previous one.
We started hearing some buzz about the crazy weather, and looked out the window in surprise at the rapidly falling snow accompanied by lightning. We ended up heading home around 6 p.m. The drive took us a decent amount of extra time, and it there was either sleet or freezing rain falling, but we made it home unscathed and chilled for the rest of the night.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Recent round up
With recovering from the holidays, and other slightly unexpected turns, we haven't been doing a whole lot of shopping and dining out.
Last week we did enjoy a birthday dinner with friends at Paparazzi's in Peoria Heights. I still say they have the best chocolate mousse EVER! I went with the coconut gelato as my dessert, but then kicked myself and ate a few spoonfuls of StfRon's mousse.
Early in the week, we enjoyed lunch at Yen Ching in Peoria. Normally, I do not stray from the Mongolian beef, but, in trying to be a little more health conscious, I tried the chicken lo mein lunch special, with an egg roll. Wow!! I had no idea that Yen Ching had such great lo mein. The egg roll was good as well, and almost seemed less greasy than StfRon's Mongolian beef egg roll companion. I wonder if they cooked it differently due to what I ordered. Either way, it was all very good.
We also had a nice, but chilly lunch at Euro Jacks in Peoria. Lots of patrons, including us, wanted to sit at the booths along the windows and look out onto Main Street, but it was quite a chilly perch. The waitress suggested that we move into the back room with the platform and mural, so several tables of people relocated. It was much warmer in there.
We both had the chef salad with britney dressing. If you want a salad with a lot of meat and cheese, and not a whole lot of lettuce, this is the salad for you! And the dressing is great.
We've also enjoyed a the return of a nice tradition reminiscent of the good old days at the Hofbrau. Regular once a week meet ups with friends and a great bartender is almost like old times. Except we're all a bit older now.
We have also been out of town for a bit recently. One of the things we've enjoyed over the years is looking at great old business signs, many of them neon.
Traveling on Route 32 in Wisconsin, the Lake Michigan Circle Tour, you can hardly travel 10 miles without seeing an interesting looking supper club, family restaurant or cocktail lounge, usually proclaimed by some retro neon sign.
We stopped to check out the Village Supper Club, in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
It was odd at first to be in a place that allowed smoking, since Illinois recently went smoke free.
The dining room was small and cozy, with a bar along one wall. The bar was topped with shelves housing bottle after bottle of an interesting collection of vodkas. There was Virgin Vodka, vodka bottles shaped like dolls, even a vodka bottle with a skull on it. Someone has quite an extensive collection. Along the restaurant wall, there is quite an array of beer cans as well.
After this most recent stint driving on 32 from Milwaukee to Chicago, we were discussing how much fun it might be to do a supper club/cocktail lounge crawl in the area, after booking a room at one of the motor lodges nearby.
Further along on our trip, we finally found ourselves in the vicinity of Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket, rather than just zipping by the exit sign. The Chicken Basket was built in 1946 along Route 66, in Willowbrook, to be exact. We thought we would have a peek at the lounge, but we were thwarted by a handwritten sign on the door stating they were closed for a private party.
We'll have to check it out next time we're in the area.
Last night, we finally mentioned a story we both noticed in the paper at separate times, but hadn't discussed as of yet, the closing of Andris Waunee Farms in Kewanee, Illinois.
Having had grandparents in the Kewanee area, I spent many years visiting on day trips, and stared out at the building from my back seat perch. I never knew anything about it. The only thing I recalled was a friend of mine from high school telling me her aunt worked there.
Apparently, we have missed out all these years, and now for we've missed out for good.
Andris had a Tiki lounge, of which we knew nothing. Dubbed the Aku Tiki room, there are forums and books documenting the lounge, and it certainly sounds like a sight to be seen.
The man who took over the restaurant in 1953 has recently died, and the restaurant is closed. The contents will be auctioned off in June, and the building will be torn down.
The site is functional now, but I would imagine it will go offline.
I can't help but feel like we missed out on a nearby gem here.
Last week we did enjoy a birthday dinner with friends at Paparazzi's in Peoria Heights. I still say they have the best chocolate mousse EVER! I went with the coconut gelato as my dessert, but then kicked myself and ate a few spoonfuls of StfRon's mousse.
Early in the week, we enjoyed lunch at Yen Ching in Peoria. Normally, I do not stray from the Mongolian beef, but, in trying to be a little more health conscious, I tried the chicken lo mein lunch special, with an egg roll. Wow!! I had no idea that Yen Ching had such great lo mein. The egg roll was good as well, and almost seemed less greasy than StfRon's Mongolian beef egg roll companion. I wonder if they cooked it differently due to what I ordered. Either way, it was all very good.
We also had a nice, but chilly lunch at Euro Jacks in Peoria. Lots of patrons, including us, wanted to sit at the booths along the windows and look out onto Main Street, but it was quite a chilly perch. The waitress suggested that we move into the back room with the platform and mural, so several tables of people relocated. It was much warmer in there.
We both had the chef salad with britney dressing. If you want a salad with a lot of meat and cheese, and not a whole lot of lettuce, this is the salad for you! And the dressing is great.
We've also enjoyed a the return of a nice tradition reminiscent of the good old days at the Hofbrau. Regular once a week meet ups with friends and a great bartender is almost like old times. Except we're all a bit older now.
We have also been out of town for a bit recently. One of the things we've enjoyed over the years is looking at great old business signs, many of them neon.Traveling on Route 32 in Wisconsin, the Lake Michigan Circle Tour, you can hardly travel 10 miles without seeing an interesting looking supper club, family restaurant or cocktail lounge, usually proclaimed by some retro neon sign.
We stopped to check out the Village Supper Club, in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
It was odd at first to be in a place that allowed smoking, since Illinois recently went smoke free.
The dining room was small and cozy, with a bar along one wall. The bar was topped with shelves housing bottle after bottle of an interesting collection of vodkas. There was Virgin Vodka, vodka bottles shaped like dolls, even a vodka bottle with a skull on it. Someone has quite an extensive collection. Along the restaurant wall, there is quite an array of beer cans as well.
After this most recent stint driving on 32 from Milwaukee to Chicago, we were discussing how much fun it might be to do a supper club/cocktail lounge crawl in the area, after booking a room at one of the motor lodges nearby.
Further along on our trip, we finally found ourselves in the vicinity of Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket, rather than just zipping by the exit sign. The Chicken Basket was built in 1946 along Route 66, in Willowbrook, to be exact. We thought we would have a peek at the lounge, but we were thwarted by a handwritten sign on the door stating they were closed for a private party.
We'll have to check it out next time we're in the area.
Last night, we finally mentioned a story we both noticed in the paper at separate times, but hadn't discussed as of yet, the closing of Andris Waunee Farms in Kewanee, Illinois.
Having had grandparents in the Kewanee area, I spent many years visiting on day trips, and stared out at the building from my back seat perch. I never knew anything about it. The only thing I recalled was a friend of mine from high school telling me her aunt worked there.
Apparently, we have missed out all these years, and now for we've missed out for good.
Andris had a Tiki lounge, of which we knew nothing. Dubbed the Aku Tiki room, there are forums and books documenting the lounge, and it certainly sounds like a sight to be seen.
The man who took over the restaurant in 1953 has recently died, and the restaurant is closed. The contents will be auctioned off in June, and the building will be torn down.
The site is functional now, but I would imagine it will go offline.
I can't help but feel like we missed out on a nearby gem here.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Grant's Homestyle Café
In honor of national pie day being this week, I decided to blog about a restaurant we visited a couple of weeks ago.
We had gone in search of a new, interesting place to do some geocaching on a weekend, and ended up visiting Lincoln's New Salem in Petersburg, IL.
I had been here when I was little on a family trip, but I didn't remember the log cabin houses and businesses, rather, I had it in my mind as a place with brick streets and brick three story buildings. I still don't know where I was thinking of.
Anyway, Lincoln's New Salem was pretty deserted on a January Sunday. The visitor's center was open, and after stopping there, we wandered the streets peering into the houses and businesses.
Leaving New Salem, all of the restaurants we tried to hit in town were closed, either for the day, or for the season, not sure which.
Finally, we lucked across a place that was open, Grant's Homestyle Café, 201 S. Main Street in Athens.
The restaurant, located right across the street from the Abraham Lincoln Long Nine Museum, has a slight vintage feel, with black and white checkered floors, retro designs on the formica tabletops and an old jukebox along one wall. The restaurant was silent on this day, though, save for the conversations of the employees and a couple of locals hanging out drinking coffee.
Our waitress was friendly and prompt during our meal.
StfRon chose a burger with fries, and I went with the turkey club with chips. The food tasted homemade, no institutional burger patties or pre-made sandwiches here.
During our entire time in the restaurant, I had been unsuccessfully trying to get the pie selection board off my mind. There were so many great options there, including coconut cream pie and peanut butter pie.
StfRon caved and agreed to share a piece of peanut butter pie with me.
Oh, mama! This was one good piece of pie. The layer of whipped cream on top was at least two inches thick, topping a creamy, rich, cream cheese/peanut butter concoction. The crust was comprised of graham cracker crumbs, which fit this pie much better than a standard pie crust would have.
If you're ever visiting Lincoln's New Salem and have a hankering for some pie, give Grant's a try.
We had gone in search of a new, interesting place to do some geocaching on a weekend, and ended up visiting Lincoln's New Salem in Petersburg, IL.
I had been here when I was little on a family trip, but I didn't remember the log cabin houses and businesses, rather, I had it in my mind as a place with brick streets and brick three story buildings. I still don't know where I was thinking of.Anyway, Lincoln's New Salem was pretty deserted on a January Sunday. The visitor's center was open, and after stopping there, we wandered the streets peering into the houses and businesses.
Leaving New Salem, all of the restaurants we tried to hit in town were closed, either for the day, or for the season, not sure which.
Finally, we lucked across a place that was open, Grant's Homestyle Café, 201 S. Main Street in Athens.
The restaurant, located right across the street from the Abraham Lincoln Long Nine Museum, has a slight vintage feel, with black and white checkered floors, retro designs on the formica tabletops and an old jukebox along one wall. The restaurant was silent on this day, though, save for the conversations of the employees and a couple of locals hanging out drinking coffee.
Our waitress was friendly and prompt during our meal.
StfRon chose a burger with fries, and I went with the turkey club with chips. The food tasted homemade, no institutional burger patties or pre-made sandwiches here.
During our entire time in the restaurant, I had been unsuccessfully trying to get the pie selection board off my mind. There were so many great options there, including coconut cream pie and peanut butter pie.
StfRon caved and agreed to share a piece of peanut butter pie with me.
Oh, mama! This was one good piece of pie. The layer of whipped cream on top was at least two inches thick, topping a creamy, rich, cream cheese/peanut butter concoction. The crust was comprised of graham cracker crumbs, which fit this pie much better than a standard pie crust would have.
If you're ever visiting Lincoln's New Salem and have a hankering for some pie, give Grant's a try.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Kaldi's Coffeehouse & Tearoom
I spent many years visiting Galesburg, both for work and pleasure, and never knew about a little gem called Kaldi's Coffeehouse & Tearoom.
Located at 124 E. Simmons Street, Kaldi's was brought to my attention by a lady who used to work at the Register-Mail. She informed me that the shop was right behind the newspaper, and that there were wonderful ginger cookies to be had there.
We made it in on a recent weekend, to find a cozy, casual, hip hangout fairly full of patrons on a late Saturday afternoon. StfRon and I ordered our coffees, then perused the pastry selection. I scored by finding a ginger cookie, which I'd been thinking about for many months since I'd heard about it, and StfRon went with a brownie topped with goodies.
We sat down to enjoy the free WiFi for a minute, and to sample our treats.
My ginger cookie was crumbly and delicious, with a subtle ginger flavor, and StfRon's brownie had a layer of white mint near the top, which gave it a York peppermint patty cool mint sensation.
Spending a short hour in Galesburg made me realize how much I miss it, and I made a personal vow to visit every few months from now on. This is a town that respects historical buildings, and has a lot of unique businesses, and it's not far from home.
Located at 124 E. Simmons Street, Kaldi's was brought to my attention by a lady who used to work at the Register-Mail. She informed me that the shop was right behind the newspaper, and that there were wonderful ginger cookies to be had there.
We made it in on a recent weekend, to find a cozy, casual, hip hangout fairly full of patrons on a late Saturday afternoon. StfRon and I ordered our coffees, then perused the pastry selection. I scored by finding a ginger cookie, which I'd been thinking about for many months since I'd heard about it, and StfRon went with a brownie topped with goodies.
We sat down to enjoy the free WiFi for a minute, and to sample our treats.
My ginger cookie was crumbly and delicious, with a subtle ginger flavor, and StfRon's brownie had a layer of white mint near the top, which gave it a York peppermint patty cool mint sensation.
Spending a short hour in Galesburg made me realize how much I miss it, and I made a personal vow to visit every few months from now on. This is a town that respects historical buildings, and has a lot of unique businesses, and it's not far from home.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
I have been to Macomb, and all is Bliss
OK, maybe not all, since the majority of the retail establishments on the square were closing their doors at 5:00 on a Saturday. Not that a lot of smaller towns are any better, though.
We did manage to dart into a boutique called Bliss shortly before 5:00.
Bliss, located at 133 S. Randolph in Macomb, carries a sampling of trendy tops, jeans, accessories and shoes for women.
I snagged myself a new long sleeve American Apparel t-shirt, which is something I certainly would have bought from the brand's web site, but this way I was able to save on shipping, and see the real deal, instead of looking at a tiny web site photo to make my selection. I was glad to see Bliss was carrying the brand.
We did manage to dart into a boutique called Bliss shortly before 5:00.
Bliss, located at 133 S. Randolph in Macomb, carries a sampling of trendy tops, jeans, accessories and shoes for women.
I snagged myself a new long sleeve American Apparel t-shirt, which is something I certainly would have bought from the brand's web site, but this way I was able to save on shipping, and see the real deal, instead of looking at a tiny web site photo to make my selection. I was glad to see Bliss was carrying the brand.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Local biz casualties 2007
I drove by Mocha Joe's former location yesterday, which got me thinking about local businesses lost in 2007. I guess the beginning of a new year is as good a time as any for some reflection.In 2007 we said goodbye to the following:
Big Easy Café
F. Scott's Whiskey Bar & Grill
Flagstones
The Wine Experience
Leonardo's
Cliff's Rod and Gun
Katie's Café
Mocha Joe's
The Paper Moon
Leo's Flowers
Cinco de Mayo
Sullivan's
I know of a few gone or on their way out in 2008. Let's hope the new year is good to our treasured local establishments, and that we also see some great new ventures!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Jim's Steakhouse
I've never really eaten at Jim's Steakhouse. We did have an office Christmas party there one year, but I think the menu was selected for us.
Jim's location at 100 SW Jefferson in Peoria was suggested to us for our birthday dinner, so we decided it was high time to try it out.
We went in at about 5:00 on Sunday and had a drink in the lounge while waiting for the rest of our dining party. The only table in the restaurant that was occupied when we arrived hosted Aaron Schock and his dining companion.
The bar is decorated in greens and dark wood, with brass accents and wide plank wood flooring. The piano was silent on a Sunday night.
I had a glass of Rodney Strong Cabernet and StfRon had a Sam Adams. There wasn't a wide selection of imports. When my dad arrived, he went with a Newcastle.
The bartender informed us that since they only had reservations for six people all night, they were not serving prime rib.
We decided to go take our table and let the meal begin. Looking over the menu, I saw a porterhouse steak priced at $44, the stroganoff, which my mom assures me is wonderful, priced at $18, and filets priced at around $22. There were also some seafood selections on the menu.
I decided to try the filet medallions oscar, a dish I've enjoyed lots of places, which was $26 and included a soup or salad and a side. I went with the salad with brittney dressing and green beans as my side. I guess there were daily side choices as well, which I heard another server mention later in our meal.
The soup of the day was cream of chicken, which sounded kind of dull to me, but we saw a bowl later, and it looked very good.
StfRon went with the tortellini, prepared in a cream sauce, with bacon and peas, for about $18. He also had the salad with brittney dressing.
My parents both went with a filet, and salads with brittney dressing.
The dressing was quite good, not too sweet, like some brittneys I've tried.
I had ordered my steak medium rare, and it did seem to be more on the rare side, being very red inside, but was hot, as were my green beans and asparagus. The steak also had a brown sauce on top, which took me by surprise, and a huge amount of crab in the middle. The asparagus was topped with hollandaise. The meal proved way too much for me to eat.
StfRon said the tortellini was wonderful.
By this time, there were three more tables of people in the dining room, and the two waitresses were busier. Our waitress became a bit more scarce toward the end of our meal. My parents were out of wine for a while, but we ended up just requesting the bill.
Walking through the bar, I also noticed the bartender was serving food to a couple of tables dining in the lounge.
Maybe if I'd chosen a different entree, I would have been bowled over. We did have a nice time, though, due to good company.
Jim's location at 100 SW Jefferson in Peoria was suggested to us for our birthday dinner, so we decided it was high time to try it out.
We went in at about 5:00 on Sunday and had a drink in the lounge while waiting for the rest of our dining party. The only table in the restaurant that was occupied when we arrived hosted Aaron Schock and his dining companion.
The bar is decorated in greens and dark wood, with brass accents and wide plank wood flooring. The piano was silent on a Sunday night.
I had a glass of Rodney Strong Cabernet and StfRon had a Sam Adams. There wasn't a wide selection of imports. When my dad arrived, he went with a Newcastle.
The bartender informed us that since they only had reservations for six people all night, they were not serving prime rib.
We decided to go take our table and let the meal begin. Looking over the menu, I saw a porterhouse steak priced at $44, the stroganoff, which my mom assures me is wonderful, priced at $18, and filets priced at around $22. There were also some seafood selections on the menu.
I decided to try the filet medallions oscar, a dish I've enjoyed lots of places, which was $26 and included a soup or salad and a side. I went with the salad with brittney dressing and green beans as my side. I guess there were daily side choices as well, which I heard another server mention later in our meal.
The soup of the day was cream of chicken, which sounded kind of dull to me, but we saw a bowl later, and it looked very good.
StfRon went with the tortellini, prepared in a cream sauce, with bacon and peas, for about $18. He also had the salad with brittney dressing.
My parents both went with a filet, and salads with brittney dressing.
The dressing was quite good, not too sweet, like some brittneys I've tried.
I had ordered my steak medium rare, and it did seem to be more on the rare side, being very red inside, but was hot, as were my green beans and asparagus. The steak also had a brown sauce on top, which took me by surprise, and a huge amount of crab in the middle. The asparagus was topped with hollandaise. The meal proved way too much for me to eat.
StfRon said the tortellini was wonderful.
By this time, there were three more tables of people in the dining room, and the two waitresses were busier. Our waitress became a bit more scarce toward the end of our meal. My parents were out of wine for a while, but we ended up just requesting the bill.
Walking through the bar, I also noticed the bartender was serving food to a couple of tables dining in the lounge.
Maybe if I'd chosen a different entree, I would have been bowled over. We did have a nice time, though, due to good company.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Simply Sensational Tearoom
I noticed a coupon a while back advertising a tea room in East Peoria that I had never heard of, Simply Sensational Tearoom. Based on the coupon, I had a hard time imagining where the place was.
This week, my mom mentioned visiting a tea room in East Peoria, so I got out the GPS and off we went.
Located at 520 Bloomington Road, right near the River Trail of Illinois biking/hiking trail that runs near the Fon Du Lac park district building, the tea room would make a good stop when hiking or biking for some soup or a sandwich, and a refreshing beverage.
The decor is not girly tea room, but more like a casual local dinette, with some lattice, silk plants and lace vinyl tablecloths topping floral patterned cloths.
When we stepped into the restaurant, we noticed a sign that said "please wait to be seated". We waited about four minutes, and with the only visible person busily taking drink orders for a larger table of ladies, we led ourselves to a small table by the window.
The waitress finished taking drink orders and came over right away to bring us some menus.
Each day the tea room features a quiche, a sandwich, some soup and desserts, in addition to their regular menu.
The quiche of the day was spinach swiss, the soup was creamy potato, the desserts were bread pudding and peach cobbler and the sandwich was something called spinach feta bundles, the latter priced at $6.95. I asked what these were, and upon hearing the description, spinach, feta and cream cheese bundled up in crescent rolls and baked, I decided to give it a try.
My mom went for the seafood salad.
There was a little mix up when our order arrived, but it was remedied quickly, and the employees both apologized several times and were very friendly about the whole thing.
My spinach bundles were rich and good, served accompanied by a small garden salad with a little dish of dressing and a blueberry muffin. I enjoyed the dressing as well, but only had room for a bite of my muffin.
Both of the employees we saw were friendly and bustling.
It seems like many people have found the tea room, and were enjoying lunch on the day we were in. There were only a couple of vacant tables. And yes, there were even a few men dining there.
I peeked out the other door while we were paying our bill, and noticed a cement patio with a couple of tables on it, and a grill. I'll bet in the warmer months, the grill gets fired up and draws people in with enticing aromas.
Simply Sensational is available for meetings and showers, and also offers catering.
This week, my mom mentioned visiting a tea room in East Peoria, so I got out the GPS and off we went.
Located at 520 Bloomington Road, right near the River Trail of Illinois biking/hiking trail that runs near the Fon Du Lac park district building, the tea room would make a good stop when hiking or biking for some soup or a sandwich, and a refreshing beverage.
The decor is not girly tea room, but more like a casual local dinette, with some lattice, silk plants and lace vinyl tablecloths topping floral patterned cloths.
When we stepped into the restaurant, we noticed a sign that said "please wait to be seated". We waited about four minutes, and with the only visible person busily taking drink orders for a larger table of ladies, we led ourselves to a small table by the window.
The waitress finished taking drink orders and came over right away to bring us some menus.
Each day the tea room features a quiche, a sandwich, some soup and desserts, in addition to their regular menu.
The quiche of the day was spinach swiss, the soup was creamy potato, the desserts were bread pudding and peach cobbler and the sandwich was something called spinach feta bundles, the latter priced at $6.95. I asked what these were, and upon hearing the description, spinach, feta and cream cheese bundled up in crescent rolls and baked, I decided to give it a try.
My mom went for the seafood salad.
There was a little mix up when our order arrived, but it was remedied quickly, and the employees both apologized several times and were very friendly about the whole thing.
My spinach bundles were rich and good, served accompanied by a small garden salad with a little dish of dressing and a blueberry muffin. I enjoyed the dressing as well, but only had room for a bite of my muffin.
Both of the employees we saw were friendly and bustling.
It seems like many people have found the tea room, and were enjoying lunch on the day we were in. There were only a couple of vacant tables. And yes, there were even a few men dining there.
I peeked out the other door while we were paying our bill, and noticed a cement patio with a couple of tables on it, and a grill. I'll bet in the warmer months, the grill gets fired up and draws people in with enticing aromas.
Simply Sensational is available for meetings and showers, and also offers catering.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Buying local
Last night we watched the documentary Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom & Pop, recommended to me by KateArch1978.
The movie made us think about some things we just hadn't before. For example, we've become more and more diligent about finding locally owned places to dine when we travel, yet it never occurred to us to not stay at the Marriott or Holiday Inn Express, instead searching out a bed and breakfast or local motel.
Over the seven years StfRon and I have been traveling together, we've run across more and more towns like some that Hanson and Heather drove through, with awesome historic downtown districts, all but abandoned for big box stores and chain restaurants near Interstates.
Well over a decade ago, I went to Seattle with some friends and marveled at the coffee shops on every corner. I don't even recall if we saw a Starbucks or knew what one was at the time, but now you can find six locations in Peoria alone.
About six years ago, we laughed on one of our trips after StfRon had to pull over at a Culver's in Wisconsin and ask what the heck a butterburger was. Now you can find one in Peoria, East Peoria and Pekin.
This last trip of ours, we were discouraged to head south, where we thought we would be ensconced in collard greens and fried green tomatoes, only to find location after location of McDonald's, Culver's and McAllister's Deli — home of the sweet tea — which will soon grace our own University Street in front of Schnuck's.
Someone in the documentary commented about shifting just 10% of your spending to local businesses, and what a huge impact it can have. A study was done in San Francisco, and found that this 10% shift could generate $192 million in economic activity and about 1,300 new jobs.
Granted, in central Illinois, the monetary gain would be less, but the impact would still be great.
Driving to work today I was thinking about the 10% local rule. Say you take a chunk of time, like one month, or 30 days. 10% would be only three days out of that 30 day period. So, we're talking about one day a week, considering to make purchases at locally owned businesses, if you purchase things 30 times in a month.
If you just bought your cup of coffee once a month from a locally owned business; had dinner out once a month at a local restaurant; bought that book, magazine or newspaper once a month at a local shop; had your hair cut at a locally owned salon once a month; bought a loaf of bread at a locally owned bakery...there are so many possibilities that could add up to shifting 10% of your business to local places.
It probably wouldn't cost you any more, and could end up saving you money on gas, if your local joint is convenient to work or home.
I find that the cost of not doing this has the potential to be far greater, leading to a loss of stalwart businesses and/or loss of choice in what you can buy, if all that's left is the big boxes and chains.
Actually, I find that over the last few years, I have shifted more than 10% of my spending to local businesses, but I could still make a lot of improvements. Something for me to strive for...
The movie made us think about some things we just hadn't before. For example, we've become more and more diligent about finding locally owned places to dine when we travel, yet it never occurred to us to not stay at the Marriott or Holiday Inn Express, instead searching out a bed and breakfast or local motel.
Over the seven years StfRon and I have been traveling together, we've run across more and more towns like some that Hanson and Heather drove through, with awesome historic downtown districts, all but abandoned for big box stores and chain restaurants near Interstates.
Well over a decade ago, I went to Seattle with some friends and marveled at the coffee shops on every corner. I don't even recall if we saw a Starbucks or knew what one was at the time, but now you can find six locations in Peoria alone.
About six years ago, we laughed on one of our trips after StfRon had to pull over at a Culver's in Wisconsin and ask what the heck a butterburger was. Now you can find one in Peoria, East Peoria and Pekin.
This last trip of ours, we were discouraged to head south, where we thought we would be ensconced in collard greens and fried green tomatoes, only to find location after location of McDonald's, Culver's and McAllister's Deli — home of the sweet tea — which will soon grace our own University Street in front of Schnuck's.
Someone in the documentary commented about shifting just 10% of your spending to local businesses, and what a huge impact it can have. A study was done in San Francisco, and found that this 10% shift could generate $192 million in economic activity and about 1,300 new jobs.
Granted, in central Illinois, the monetary gain would be less, but the impact would still be great.
Driving to work today I was thinking about the 10% local rule. Say you take a chunk of time, like one month, or 30 days. 10% would be only three days out of that 30 day period. So, we're talking about one day a week, considering to make purchases at locally owned businesses, if you purchase things 30 times in a month.
If you just bought your cup of coffee once a month from a locally owned business; had dinner out once a month at a local restaurant; bought that book, magazine or newspaper once a month at a local shop; had your hair cut at a locally owned salon once a month; bought a loaf of bread at a locally owned bakery...there are so many possibilities that could add up to shifting 10% of your business to local places.
It probably wouldn't cost you any more, and could end up saving you money on gas, if your local joint is convenient to work or home.
I find that the cost of not doing this has the potential to be far greater, leading to a loss of stalwart businesses and/or loss of choice in what you can buy, if all that's left is the big boxes and chains.
Actually, I find that over the last few years, I have shifted more than 10% of my spending to local businesses, but I could still make a lot of improvements. Something for me to strive for...
Café 401
I recently enjoyed lunch at Café 401, 401 SW Water Street in downtown Peoria.
I pulled up to a parking meter right out front at about 12:45, which still had 20 minutes on it. Little did I know, my meal would be so quick, another dime probably would have covered me.
The building has a nice urban vibe, and dining in, I almost felt like I was in a big city.
Perusing the board over the counter, I noticed that Café 401 also serves breakfast, and the selection looked nice. Plus, they had cookies, muffins and a full coffee bar, including some daily brews to choose from.
The sandwich menu includes items like a Tuscan chicken sandwich, reubens and more. They also feature homemade soups and even carry Butch's pizzas.
I went with the albacore tuna salad sandwich on wheat bread, priced at $5.50, which included a bag of chips.
My sandwich was ready fairly quickly, and this was the best tuna salad I've had in quite some time. The mix included carrots and raisins (the latter I could do without, but they were not overwhelming) and had a nice sweetness to it, which tasted like honey. The wheat bread was fresh, soft and thick.
With time left to spare after this tasty meal, I wandered through the building a little bit, doing some window shopping, and was pleased to notice that White Buffalo, the shop that used to be across the street from Café 401 (I have blogged about it before), is now open in the 401 Water Street building.
I will keep Café 401 in mind for quality food and a quick meal, especially when I need to make those State Street post office runs!
I pulled up to a parking meter right out front at about 12:45, which still had 20 minutes on it. Little did I know, my meal would be so quick, another dime probably would have covered me.
The building has a nice urban vibe, and dining in, I almost felt like I was in a big city.
Perusing the board over the counter, I noticed that Café 401 also serves breakfast, and the selection looked nice. Plus, they had cookies, muffins and a full coffee bar, including some daily brews to choose from.
The sandwich menu includes items like a Tuscan chicken sandwich, reubens and more. They also feature homemade soups and even carry Butch's pizzas.
I went with the albacore tuna salad sandwich on wheat bread, priced at $5.50, which included a bag of chips.
My sandwich was ready fairly quickly, and this was the best tuna salad I've had in quite some time. The mix included carrots and raisins (the latter I could do without, but they were not overwhelming) and had a nice sweetness to it, which tasted like honey. The wheat bread was fresh, soft and thick.
With time left to spare after this tasty meal, I wandered through the building a little bit, doing some window shopping, and was pleased to notice that White Buffalo, the shop that used to be across the street from Café 401 (I have blogged about it before), is now open in the 401 Water Street building.
I will keep Café 401 in mind for quality food and a quick meal, especially when I need to make those State Street post office runs!
Monday, January 07, 2008
The Curio Shop
I remember going into the Curio Shop many years ago, when it was located on Prospect Road in Peoria Heights, somewhere near where Carlson's jewelry is now. My mom was looking at some scrimshaw pocketknives as a gift possibility for my dad. The shop was filled with neat collectibles and coins.
Today, the Curio Shop is located at 3923 N Prospect Road, in the same building as Peoria Pizza Works in Peoria Heights.
The shop is still filled with curiosities, from taxidermy monkeys to coins to military memorabilia. There was also a pretty good selection of tribal art and collectibles when we last visited.
I'm sure this is the kind of place where merchandise changes constantly from visit to visit, as trinkets are snatched up, and new ones are put on display.
Today, the Curio Shop is located at 3923 N Prospect Road, in the same building as Peoria Pizza Works in Peoria Heights.
The shop is still filled with curiosities, from taxidermy monkeys to coins to military memorabilia. There was also a pretty good selection of tribal art and collectibles when we last visited.
I'm sure this is the kind of place where merchandise changes constantly from visit to visit, as trinkets are snatched up, and new ones are put on display.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Redfire Grille
We ventured to Bloomington tonight to check out the Redfire Grille, a family-owned restaurant that opened about a year ago.
Redfire Grille, located at 1605 South Morrisey Drive, serves a wide variety of fare.
On a Saturday night, I was a little concerned we might need to see if they take reservations, but when we arrived, we were seated as soon as someone came by the podium. They were not overly busy at 7:30.
We considered selections like the hardwood smoked brisket, cider reduction pork, tender beef with sundried tomato butter and thai curry orange roughy. The menu also features salads, burgers and sandwiches.
We started with appetizers of bruschetta and baked brie. Both were quite good.
I settled on the tilapia florentine, StfRon went with the prime rib, our brother-in-law had the seared sashimi tuna and his lovely bride had the smothered flat iron steak.
The tilapia was served in a ceramic boat, which was piping hot. The fish was smothered with jack cheese, and paired with a vegetable medley. The fish was OK, but I guess a jack cheese is a bit mild for my taste. The vegetables retained some of their crispness, and were very good. I also ordered the soup of the day, a seafood bisque, homemade, which was good.
StfRon had ordered his prime rib medium rare, and asked for a more rare piece when his meal came out. Our waitress returned with the most rare piece they had left, which was also the last piece of prime rib for the night. It was a little late for dinner, and the prime rib was a special feature that night. He said the prime rib was dry, and not quite as rare as he had hoped for.
The smothered flat iron steak was said to be very good, and it did look tasty.
We also partook of some desserts. I couldn't resist trying a gelato, and went with the coconut flavor. The gelato was creamy, filled with coconut shreds, and the coconut flavor was not overpowering.
StfRon tried the cheesecake, which was OK.
Our companions split the apple crisp, which was huge, served hot in a boat, topped with ice cream and plenty of oat topping. The crisp had a great cinnamon flavor.
I noticed signs throughout the restaurant touting take and bake features, and also live music some nights.
Our waitress did a good job of taking care of us.
I would check out the Redfire Grille again. I'd like to sample some of their other fare.
Redfire Grille, located at 1605 South Morrisey Drive, serves a wide variety of fare.
On a Saturday night, I was a little concerned we might need to see if they take reservations, but when we arrived, we were seated as soon as someone came by the podium. They were not overly busy at 7:30.
We considered selections like the hardwood smoked brisket, cider reduction pork, tender beef with sundried tomato butter and thai curry orange roughy. The menu also features salads, burgers and sandwiches.
We started with appetizers of bruschetta and baked brie. Both were quite good.
I settled on the tilapia florentine, StfRon went with the prime rib, our brother-in-law had the seared sashimi tuna and his lovely bride had the smothered flat iron steak.
The tilapia was served in a ceramic boat, which was piping hot. The fish was smothered with jack cheese, and paired with a vegetable medley. The fish was OK, but I guess a jack cheese is a bit mild for my taste. The vegetables retained some of their crispness, and were very good. I also ordered the soup of the day, a seafood bisque, homemade, which was good.
StfRon had ordered his prime rib medium rare, and asked for a more rare piece when his meal came out. Our waitress returned with the most rare piece they had left, which was also the last piece of prime rib for the night. It was a little late for dinner, and the prime rib was a special feature that night. He said the prime rib was dry, and not quite as rare as he had hoped for.
The smothered flat iron steak was said to be very good, and it did look tasty.
We also partook of some desserts. I couldn't resist trying a gelato, and went with the coconut flavor. The gelato was creamy, filled with coconut shreds, and the coconut flavor was not overpowering.
StfRon tried the cheesecake, which was OK.
Our companions split the apple crisp, which was huge, served hot in a boat, topped with ice cream and plenty of oat topping. The crisp had a great cinnamon flavor.
I noticed signs throughout the restaurant touting take and bake features, and also live music some nights.
Our waitress did a good job of taking care of us.
I would check out the Redfire Grille again. I'd like to sample some of their other fare.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Returning to Illinois
We had another whirlwind trip over the past few days, enjoying some nice temps in the mid 60s, only to return home to a big snowstorm, and the news that Sullivan's has been sold. We had heard rumors that someone was trying to buy the place, so it wasn't a huge surprise, but we've made the place a new hangout of ours as of late, and change is threatening.
On the travel front, we had a very difficult time finding nice local places to dine on our trip. I told StfRon that the next time we plan a big trip, we're going to have to do some serious research before we go.
We did find some gems, and some stinkers on this journey.
Our first memorable local meal was lunch in the burg of Sainte Genevieve, Missouri, which dubs itself as Missouri's most historic town. We saw a billboard on the highway that drew us in with the promise of the historic town, so we pulled off in search of food.
We had to drive a bit to find the historic district, and once we arrived, we found some of the restaurants closed. We did find one open, Stella and Me, so we went in for a bite.
The dining room was tiny and brightly colored, with a chalkboard along one wall listing the menu. I decided to have a 1/2 cranberry walnut feta salad, and a cup of clam chowder, most certainly the healthiest meal I had on this trip.
StfRon went with a ham sandwich served with chips, and a great orange garlicky chip dip.
Everything was very good, and our meal was about $13.
Sainte Genevieve was neat, and reminded me of Bishop Hill. If we lived closer, I would definitely visit on a Saturday, poking around in the shops and trying the restaurants.
Our next memorable meal was that night, at Rendezvous in Memphis. We did plan to visit this place, so we used our GPS to get us to the street, parked and got out to look for the restaurant.
As we were waiting for the crosswalk signal, a jolly gent bopped up and asked "Where y'all headed?" We told him we were looking for Rendezvous, and he said "I'll show ya where it is. This is what I do." Turns out he was apparently quite the Memphis "ambassador" and was just jonesing for a tip. Having just received some holiday money, the smallest thing I had was $100, which I didn't want to flash on the streets of Memphis (or give to the ambassador for walking us a half block to an alley), and we had just plugged all of our silver change into the parking meter, so he didn't get much in the way of a tip from us.
Rendezvous has been serving up charcoal ribs since 1948. The basement restaurant was interesting, with room after room of tables and a mosaic tile floor, which we saw repeatedly during our travels this trip.
I had a chicken breast, and StfRon went for the famous ribs. Both meals came with cole slaw and baked beans. The chicken was OK, the beans were great, and the slaw was unusual, with lots of curry mixed in. StfRon liked the ribs, prepared with just a dry rub.
We hit the road the next morning, and went in search of some local southern breakfast along th way. We struck out in several towns, and finally pulled into a place in Grenada, Mississippi that said breakfast on the front.
If we had not been so frustrated after driving around so much, we might have turned away when we noticed that the place was also a bait shop, but we forged ahead.
I have no idea what the restaurant name was, but it will forever be known to us as Pro Lures Tackle Yard, as that's what came up on our credit card statement.
Some granny was smoking in the dining room, watching TV with the grandkids. Several people wandered in while we were there, most roaming back behind the counter. One even came in sporting some PJs.
The server asked us if we wanted breakfast or burgers, as she was picking up some menus. We said breakfast, and she stopped to put the menus back and said, "Let me just tell you what I've got left". I had some toast, grits, bacon and a glass of milk, since she said they had no orange juice. StfRon had toast, the last biscuit and gravy and a piece of smoked sausage.
The food hit the spot, and didn't hit the wallet, at $7.35.
Our next memorable dining experience was McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola, Florida. I had seen the restaurant on the web, and at least wanted to stop there for drinks to check the place out.
McGuire's is dubbed one of Florida's great restaurants, and opened in 1977. This restaurant, too, was room after room of tables packed with diners. One of the coolest rooms was the wine cellar, with room for 8,000 bottles of wine. The wine list features a huge selection of Chateau Mouton Rothschild Artist Series, pick your vintage year and they probably have it. We could have ordered a bottle of wine from the year of my birth for a mere $2,000.
The bar and lobby ceiling, plus parts of the restaurant are covered with dollar bills bearing names and messages from patrons of Irish descent. There are well over half a million dollar bills hanging in this place.
For dinner, I ordered yellowfin tuna with a side of asparagus. StfRon decided to try the hickory smoked prime rib. Our meal was preceded by a delicious loaf of warm brown bread drizzled with honey, and some great garden salads. The tuna was excellent, as was the prime rib. We also split a bottle of wine, a $25 Pinot, instead of the $2,000 bottle. Our meal with tip was about $90.
Our enjoyment continued when an Irish chap took the corner stage and played some tunes, so we hung out for a bit longer.
The next morning, with our hotel coffee failing to hit the spot, we went in search of a good local coffee shop. We asked a jogger where we could find a coffee shop, who pointed us to Crema Coffee and Baking Co. in Pensacola (but not until after he mentioned Starbucks).
Crema says they roast their coffee in small batches. The coffee was very good, and the servers were friendly. They also had some glass cases filled with great looking pastries, but I had already taken advantage of the continental breakfast at our hotel.
We went exploring along the coast, and when we saw Flora-Bama, we decided to stop for a drink.
Flora-Bama is a roadhouse/package store near the Florida/Alabama state line.
Walking into the place was like walking into a hillbilly house party gone awry. We had a drink, had our picture taken and hit the road.
That night, after checking into a couple of seafood places that didn't seem very enticing, we ended up back at McGuire's Irish Pub.
This time I had the hickory smoked prime rib, again with asparagus and a great salad, and StfRon tried the ribs. These ribs were covered in thick meatiness. There was no way to finish this rack. My prime rib was excellent.
For dessert, we split some bread pudding, which was delicious.
After dinner, we decided to try Seville Quarter, a complex of bars we had noticed on the web.
The building is an old brick structure, with wrought iron decorative balconies, reminiscent of New Orleans.
All of the bars/restaurants are attached inside, so you can wander from place to place to see what's going on.
We found deuling pianos in one location, 80s music and aviator's decor in another, a live rock band in one, and a nice outdoor courtyard with gas heaters in back. There was a small oyster bar location as well, which seemed to be our speed, but the place was full up.
There was a place to play billiards and video games, and all of the locations allowed smoking, which was something we had not seen anywhere on our trip.
Seville Quarter really is a sight to see, with gates from the governor's mansion in New Orleans, chandeliers from England, French doors also from New Orleans, brick flooring from a theater in Pensacola, old train station benches, bar stools from an 1870s café, ship's doors, the list goes on and on. It's really quite stunning, and seemed to be the place to be as the night wore on, more and more people piled in.
The next morning, StfRon said he could go for a good everything bagel. Remembering our search for restaurants the night before, I had seen a place called Bagelheads. We found our way there and each ordered a bagel with veggie cream cheese. The coffee of choice was Seattle's Best. The counter staff warms and butters up the bagels, then delivers them to the tables. These bagels were slathered with about an inch of cream cheese. There was so much, we went in search of knives to scrape some off. The bagels were good, but not quite as good as our local coffee shop's offering.
Another dining place of note was in Louisiana, Ponchatoula, to be exact, called Hi-Ho #2. The restaurant touted burgers and BBQ.
Don't go, unless you like really weird BBQ pork sandwiches. I don't know what the deal was with the BBQ, but it was odd. Watery, thin sliced pork without a hint of sweetness or vinegar. The only thing I can come up with is that it might have just been some creole seasoning, and not a typical barbecue base. After a couple of bites, I started to wonder if it was gator and not pork.
Our last meal in Memphis was at Coletta's Restaurant.
I saw Coletta's listed on the Food Network's web site, and it is also Memphis' oldest restaurant. They also claim to be the home to Elvis' favorite pizza, the BBQ pizza.
There are two locations, but we chose the original 1923 location. The restaurant was probably quite nice in it's heyday, however the floors and ceiling could use some real work now.
We both decided to try pizza, but not the Elvis special. I had an Italian spinach pizza and StfRon went with sausage.
The pizzas were very good, with a nice crisp crust and salty, buttery browned cheese on top. The spinach pizza was covered with tons of spinach, so much so that I started pulling it off after a while.
On the road again, we drove through Osceola, Arkansas looking for a place to have some breakfast. We ended up going back to the first place we had driven by, after passing through the rest of town and finding nothing interesting open, the Cotton Inn. It wasn't much to look at from the outside. The inside was sort of 1980s style, but clean.
Our friendly waitress greeted us, and I ordered grits, toast, bacon and a scrambled egg, plus a cup of coffee. StfRon went for biscuits and gravy and toast with eggs over easy.
The coffee was good, which is always a plus in my book. The bacon strips were some of the longest strips of bacon I've ever seen, and were very savory.
This meal set us back about $14 before tip.
After all of this, it's nice to be home. Right now we've vowed not to travel anywhere new for quite some time, but it seems like our memory usually fades, so who knows. In any case, it's always an experience.
On the travel front, we had a very difficult time finding nice local places to dine on our trip. I told StfRon that the next time we plan a big trip, we're going to have to do some serious research before we go.
We did find some gems, and some stinkers on this journey.
Our first memorable local meal was lunch in the burg of Sainte Genevieve, Missouri, which dubs itself as Missouri's most historic town. We saw a billboard on the highway that drew us in with the promise of the historic town, so we pulled off in search of food.
We had to drive a bit to find the historic district, and once we arrived, we found some of the restaurants closed. We did find one open, Stella and Me, so we went in for a bite.
The dining room was tiny and brightly colored, with a chalkboard along one wall listing the menu. I decided to have a 1/2 cranberry walnut feta salad, and a cup of clam chowder, most certainly the healthiest meal I had on this trip.
StfRon went with a ham sandwich served with chips, and a great orange garlicky chip dip.
Everything was very good, and our meal was about $13.
Sainte Genevieve was neat, and reminded me of Bishop Hill. If we lived closer, I would definitely visit on a Saturday, poking around in the shops and trying the restaurants.
Our next memorable meal was that night, at Rendezvous in Memphis. We did plan to visit this place, so we used our GPS to get us to the street, parked and got out to look for the restaurant.
As we were waiting for the crosswalk signal, a jolly gent bopped up and asked "Where y'all headed?" We told him we were looking for Rendezvous, and he said "I'll show ya where it is. This is what I do." Turns out he was apparently quite the Memphis "ambassador" and was just jonesing for a tip. Having just received some holiday money, the smallest thing I had was $100, which I didn't want to flash on the streets of Memphis (or give to the ambassador for walking us a half block to an alley), and we had just plugged all of our silver change into the parking meter, so he didn't get much in the way of a tip from us.Rendezvous has been serving up charcoal ribs since 1948. The basement restaurant was interesting, with room after room of tables and a mosaic tile floor, which we saw repeatedly during our travels this trip.
I had a chicken breast, and StfRon went for the famous ribs. Both meals came with cole slaw and baked beans. The chicken was OK, the beans were great, and the slaw was unusual, with lots of curry mixed in. StfRon liked the ribs, prepared with just a dry rub.
We hit the road the next morning, and went in search of some local southern breakfast along th way. We struck out in several towns, and finally pulled into a place in Grenada, Mississippi that said breakfast on the front.
If we had not been so frustrated after driving around so much, we might have turned away when we noticed that the place was also a bait shop, but we forged ahead.
I have no idea what the restaurant name was, but it will forever be known to us as Pro Lures Tackle Yard, as that's what came up on our credit card statement.
Some granny was smoking in the dining room, watching TV with the grandkids. Several people wandered in while we were there, most roaming back behind the counter. One even came in sporting some PJs.
The server asked us if we wanted breakfast or burgers, as she was picking up some menus. We said breakfast, and she stopped to put the menus back and said, "Let me just tell you what I've got left". I had some toast, grits, bacon and a glass of milk, since she said they had no orange juice. StfRon had toast, the last biscuit and gravy and a piece of smoked sausage.
The food hit the spot, and didn't hit the wallet, at $7.35.
Our next memorable dining experience was McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola, Florida. I had seen the restaurant on the web, and at least wanted to stop there for drinks to check the place out.
McGuire's is dubbed one of Florida's great restaurants, and opened in 1977. This restaurant, too, was room after room of tables packed with diners. One of the coolest rooms was the wine cellar, with room for 8,000 bottles of wine. The wine list features a huge selection of Chateau Mouton Rothschild Artist Series, pick your vintage year and they probably have it. We could have ordered a bottle of wine from the year of my birth for a mere $2,000.
The bar and lobby ceiling, plus parts of the restaurant are covered with dollar bills bearing names and messages from patrons of Irish descent. There are well over half a million dollar bills hanging in this place.
For dinner, I ordered yellowfin tuna with a side of asparagus. StfRon decided to try the hickory smoked prime rib. Our meal was preceded by a delicious loaf of warm brown bread drizzled with honey, and some great garden salads. The tuna was excellent, as was the prime rib. We also split a bottle of wine, a $25 Pinot, instead of the $2,000 bottle. Our meal with tip was about $90.
Our enjoyment continued when an Irish chap took the corner stage and played some tunes, so we hung out for a bit longer.
The next morning, with our hotel coffee failing to hit the spot, we went in search of a good local coffee shop. We asked a jogger where we could find a coffee shop, who pointed us to Crema Coffee and Baking Co. in Pensacola (but not until after he mentioned Starbucks).
Crema says they roast their coffee in small batches. The coffee was very good, and the servers were friendly. They also had some glass cases filled with great looking pastries, but I had already taken advantage of the continental breakfast at our hotel.
We went exploring along the coast, and when we saw Flora-Bama, we decided to stop for a drink.
Flora-Bama is a roadhouse/package store near the Florida/Alabama state line.
Walking into the place was like walking into a hillbilly house party gone awry. We had a drink, had our picture taken and hit the road.
That night, after checking into a couple of seafood places that didn't seem very enticing, we ended up back at McGuire's Irish Pub.
This time I had the hickory smoked prime rib, again with asparagus and a great salad, and StfRon tried the ribs. These ribs were covered in thick meatiness. There was no way to finish this rack. My prime rib was excellent.
For dessert, we split some bread pudding, which was delicious.
After dinner, we decided to try Seville Quarter, a complex of bars we had noticed on the web.
The building is an old brick structure, with wrought iron decorative balconies, reminiscent of New Orleans.
All of the bars/restaurants are attached inside, so you can wander from place to place to see what's going on.
We found deuling pianos in one location, 80s music and aviator's decor in another, a live rock band in one, and a nice outdoor courtyard with gas heaters in back. There was a small oyster bar location as well, which seemed to be our speed, but the place was full up.
There was a place to play billiards and video games, and all of the locations allowed smoking, which was something we had not seen anywhere on our trip.
Seville Quarter really is a sight to see, with gates from the governor's mansion in New Orleans, chandeliers from England, French doors also from New Orleans, brick flooring from a theater in Pensacola, old train station benches, bar stools from an 1870s café, ship's doors, the list goes on and on. It's really quite stunning, and seemed to be the place to be as the night wore on, more and more people piled in.
The next morning, StfRon said he could go for a good everything bagel. Remembering our search for restaurants the night before, I had seen a place called Bagelheads. We found our way there and each ordered a bagel with veggie cream cheese. The coffee of choice was Seattle's Best. The counter staff warms and butters up the bagels, then delivers them to the tables. These bagels were slathered with about an inch of cream cheese. There was so much, we went in search of knives to scrape some off. The bagels were good, but not quite as good as our local coffee shop's offering.
Another dining place of note was in Louisiana, Ponchatoula, to be exact, called Hi-Ho #2. The restaurant touted burgers and BBQ.
Don't go, unless you like really weird BBQ pork sandwiches. I don't know what the deal was with the BBQ, but it was odd. Watery, thin sliced pork without a hint of sweetness or vinegar. The only thing I can come up with is that it might have just been some creole seasoning, and not a typical barbecue base. After a couple of bites, I started to wonder if it was gator and not pork.
Our last meal in Memphis was at Coletta's Restaurant.
I saw Coletta's listed on the Food Network's web site, and it is also Memphis' oldest restaurant. They also claim to be the home to Elvis' favorite pizza, the BBQ pizza.
There are two locations, but we chose the original 1923 location. The restaurant was probably quite nice in it's heyday, however the floors and ceiling could use some real work now.
We both decided to try pizza, but not the Elvis special. I had an Italian spinach pizza and StfRon went with sausage.
The pizzas were very good, with a nice crisp crust and salty, buttery browned cheese on top. The spinach pizza was covered with tons of spinach, so much so that I started pulling it off after a while.
On the road again, we drove through Osceola, Arkansas looking for a place to have some breakfast. We ended up going back to the first place we had driven by, after passing through the rest of town and finding nothing interesting open, the Cotton Inn. It wasn't much to look at from the outside. The inside was sort of 1980s style, but clean.
Our friendly waitress greeted us, and I ordered grits, toast, bacon and a scrambled egg, plus a cup of coffee. StfRon went for biscuits and gravy and toast with eggs over easy.
The coffee was good, which is always a plus in my book. The bacon strips were some of the longest strips of bacon I've ever seen, and were very savory.
This meal set us back about $14 before tip.
After all of this, it's nice to be home. Right now we've vowed not to travel anywhere new for quite some time, but it seems like our memory usually fades, so who knows. In any case, it's always an experience.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Town Theatre
Growing up in Chillicothe, I saw many movies at the Town Theatre on Second Street right downtown.
I can even remember when we would make a stop at Ben Franklin first, for some movie munchies.
The theater is dubbed an original art deco theater, and still shows new release movies at a great price.
Opened in the 1920s as the Sunset Theatre, the theater became known as the Town in 1946, when it was taken over by the Kerasotes chain. Today, the theater is owned by Reynolds.
I remember when there was only one screen. Some time during the 1980s, they built a wall down the middle and spit the theater into two screens. Sometimes, you could hear kids running up and down the aisle in the adjoining theater. But once the show started, all was good.
A friend of ours says she saw A Christmas Story for the first time at the Town Theatre. Too bad my memory isn't as good; all I remember is that I have seen a lot of great movies there.
I can even remember when we would make a stop at Ben Franklin first, for some movie munchies.
The theater is dubbed an original art deco theater, and still shows new release movies at a great price.
Opened in the 1920s as the Sunset Theatre, the theater became known as the Town in 1946, when it was taken over by the Kerasotes chain. Today, the theater is owned by Reynolds.
I remember when there was only one screen. Some time during the 1980s, they built a wall down the middle and spit the theater into two screens. Sometimes, you could hear kids running up and down the aisle in the adjoining theater. But once the show started, all was good.
A friend of ours says she saw A Christmas Story for the first time at the Town Theatre. Too bad my memory isn't as good; all I remember is that I have seen a lot of great movies there.
May 2010 — The Optimist Club purchased the theater last winter and may already be finished installing new seating.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Another one bites the dust
Fraochán reported some sad news to me yesterday: she and her husband had stopped in to Mocha Joe's Beanery in the Metro Centre in Peoria to pick up some Snickerdoodle coffee, only to find out that the shop is going out of business.
Mocha Joe's was one of the first great espresso/cappuccino shops in Peoria. When my friends and I started driving to the big city of Peoria, we would hang out at Mocha Joe's drinking chocolatey mochas and shoot the breeze. We always had a blast there, and I continued to stop there for many years after, for gifts or for a good cup of coffee.
I am sorry to see them go.
Mocha Joe's was one of the first great espresso/cappuccino shops in Peoria. When my friends and I started driving to the big city of Peoria, we would hang out at Mocha Joe's drinking chocolatey mochas and shoot the breeze. We always had a blast there, and I continued to stop there for many years after, for gifts or for a good cup of coffee.
I am sorry to see them go.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Babbitt's Books
I recently had the pleasure of visiting a great bookstore, Babbitt's Books, 119 E. Beaufort Street in Normal.Babbitt's Books, selling books locally since the later 1980s, is stuffed floor to very high ceiling with thousands and thousands of used books. There are gently used books, and historic books, cookbooks, poetry books, fiction and history, and so much more.
Overwhelmed by the selection or can't make it to the shop? Search for a book in their inventory on the Babbitt's Books web site, or even view the covers of books through their online gallery.
If you do stop in, the shop keepers will be happy to help you locate a book, and seem to truly love these well worn volumes.
I walked away with a lovely little book from 1904 that will be a nice addition to our household.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Round up
We've got some potentially good news on the horizon here at home, so that's a positive.
On the business front, this week sent us to many of our regular haunts: the C Note in Washington, and Sullivan's and the Hofbrau in Peoria, most for holiday cheer, one for dinner. We also went to a chain, IHOP, for convenience sake on a time crunch, and it was disappointing. Just reinforces my idea of staying local.
I made it to the River Beach Pub for a visit, which was fun, and we had a nice lunch again at Basil's in Washington. They hope to have their liquor license soon, but you can bring wine and beer in during the interim.
I've heard rumors of local businesses closing, and of some new ones on the horizon. I'm keeping an eye on the local front, and will post what I find out.
The holidays have taken an expected turn, but we still hope to head south right after Christmas, maybe Memphis and beyond, for good food and great music.
As always, I'll blog anything locally owned.
Wishing everyone a great Christmas, holiday and new year!
On the business front, this week sent us to many of our regular haunts: the C Note in Washington, and Sullivan's and the Hofbrau in Peoria, most for holiday cheer, one for dinner. We also went to a chain, IHOP, for convenience sake on a time crunch, and it was disappointing. Just reinforces my idea of staying local.
I made it to the River Beach Pub for a visit, which was fun, and we had a nice lunch again at Basil's in Washington. They hope to have their liquor license soon, but you can bring wine and beer in during the interim.
I've heard rumors of local businesses closing, and of some new ones on the horizon. I'm keeping an eye on the local front, and will post what I find out.
The holidays have taken an expected turn, but we still hope to head south right after Christmas, maybe Memphis and beyond, for good food and great music.
As always, I'll blog anything locally owned.
Wishing everyone a great Christmas, holiday and new year!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Reflecting
The last month of the year, when most of our thoughts turn to the holidays, this time for me has been full of thoughts of former coworkers who lost their jobs in the last two weeks, friends facing the loss of relatives, and people close to me with job uncertainty.
In the spirit of this blog, here's hoping 2008 is a great year for local businesses, but also for those I know and care about.
In the spirit of this blog, here's hoping 2008 is a great year for local businesses, but also for those I know and care about.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Pleasant Hill Antique Mall and Tea Room
A couple years back, a friend of ours claimed he had the "best steak ever" at Pleasant Hill Antique Mall Tea Room, 315 S. Pleasant Hill Road in East Peoria. I've yet to try the steaks, but it's an interesting claim.
This weekend, StfRon and I enjoyed breakfast in the tearoom at the mall. The crowd wasn't huge, but not terrible, either, considering the snowfall, and the later breakfast hour.
Our waitress came over right away, before I perused the drink menu and asked if we wanted coffee, so instead of making her wait, I said yes. Normally, since I had coffee at home, I probably would have had some sort of juice. But, much to my surprise, they had a decent cup of Joe here. Some breakfast places seem to chintz out on the coffee. I'd rather drink juice or chocolate milk than subpar coffee, but this was good.
Trying to be good, I went with oatmeal and wheat toast, with a side of brown sugar. To hell with being good, StfRon ordered biscuits and gravy with a side of corned beef hash, which of course, for the sake of blogging, I sampled.
Our food came out very quickly, which was good because we were very hungry. The gravy with the biscuits was not your standard fare, quite tasty. The hash was a little different, too. We couldn't tell if it was homemade, but it was good.
My toast was nicely doused with a butter or butter-like substance, and smeared with strawberry jam, was good. The oatmeal was piping hot and not too thick.
The two waitresses we saw were hustling, and didn't have a lot of time to run by with the coffee pot, but did a great job nonetheless.
After our breakfast, which set us back around $12 before tip, we spent about an hour browsing through booth after booth of furniture and collectibles.
Pleasant Hill Antique Mall seemed huge on this visit. By the time I got to the third section of the building, I was sure they had added on, but StfRon assured me they had not.
We saw a few blast from the past toys and books, and lots of neat furniture. Despite their name, not everything sold here is from Grandma's attic; there is newer merchandise throughout, too.
All in all, this was a great way to spend a chilly morning.
On a side note, we finally put up our tree this evening. I got the tree (made in USA) last year on sale after Christmas, from Christmas Depot. If you're looking on their site, scroll down on the left sidebar and look for made in USA or click on the banner ad right below the text links on the left sidebar.
I also got some new lights for half price last year, the LED clear strands of lights. Whoa, are these lights psychedelic!! While stringing them up to drape on the tree, they were pulsing in some sort of strobe effect. Once they were on the tree, they stopped pulsing, but they have an odd bluish purple light to them. Our dining room looks like it's bathed in blacklight or something.
I'm sure we'll get used to it. If other people make the switch to LED lights, ours won't look so out of place, either. And, I can leave them on longer and not feel like I'm going to send the CILCO bill sky high.
This weekend, StfRon and I enjoyed breakfast in the tearoom at the mall. The crowd wasn't huge, but not terrible, either, considering the snowfall, and the later breakfast hour.
Our waitress came over right away, before I perused the drink menu and asked if we wanted coffee, so instead of making her wait, I said yes. Normally, since I had coffee at home, I probably would have had some sort of juice. But, much to my surprise, they had a decent cup of Joe here. Some breakfast places seem to chintz out on the coffee. I'd rather drink juice or chocolate milk than subpar coffee, but this was good.
Trying to be good, I went with oatmeal and wheat toast, with a side of brown sugar. To hell with being good, StfRon ordered biscuits and gravy with a side of corned beef hash, which of course, for the sake of blogging, I sampled.
Our food came out very quickly, which was good because we were very hungry. The gravy with the biscuits was not your standard fare, quite tasty. The hash was a little different, too. We couldn't tell if it was homemade, but it was good.
My toast was nicely doused with a butter or butter-like substance, and smeared with strawberry jam, was good. The oatmeal was piping hot and not too thick.
The two waitresses we saw were hustling, and didn't have a lot of time to run by with the coffee pot, but did a great job nonetheless.
After our breakfast, which set us back around $12 before tip, we spent about an hour browsing through booth after booth of furniture and collectibles.
Pleasant Hill Antique Mall seemed huge on this visit. By the time I got to the third section of the building, I was sure they had added on, but StfRon assured me they had not.
We saw a few blast from the past toys and books, and lots of neat furniture. Despite their name, not everything sold here is from Grandma's attic; there is newer merchandise throughout, too.
All in all, this was a great way to spend a chilly morning.
On a side note, we finally put up our tree this evening. I got the tree (made in USA) last year on sale after Christmas, from Christmas Depot. If you're looking on their site, scroll down on the left sidebar and look for made in USA or click on the banner ad right below the text links on the left sidebar.
I also got some new lights for half price last year, the LED clear strands of lights. Whoa, are these lights psychedelic!! While stringing them up to drape on the tree, they were pulsing in some sort of strobe effect. Once they were on the tree, they stopped pulsing, but they have an odd bluish purple light to them. Our dining room looks like it's bathed in blacklight or something.
I'm sure we'll get used to it. If other people make the switch to LED lights, ours won't look so out of place, either. And, I can leave them on longer and not feel like I'm going to send the CILCO bill sky high.
August, 2009 — The tea room in the antique mall has closed.
Monday, December 17, 2007
You Dirty Dog
The four legged member of our family needed a good dolling up for the holidays, so we took her to You Dirty Dog in Morton to be fluffed and buffed.This was our first time in the shop, and we had heard that all of their merchandise and treats are made in the USA, which drew our attention even more.
Oh, my! This place has a large, double door wall case full of treats that look so good, a human would be salivating! They also have collars, keychains, toys and more.
We dropped Miss Thang (not her real name, really) off for her appointment. We were asked if she sheds (boy, does she ever), and headed off to dinner.
About an hour later, we stopped by to pick her up, and she was shiny and fresh smelling, and had a holiday collar cover on to boot! Mark said they had gotten a lot of hair off of her, which will be a big plus.
As we chatted with the owners, our dog kept trying to stick her snout in between the two doors of the glass case o' treats and take a big whiff.
This seems like a great crew of people, and they enjoy geocaching, too, so that's another plus with us.
You Dirty Dog is open Mondays from 1-8 p.m., Wed.-Fri. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m.-noon. They plan to have a web site up soon.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Round up
This week so far I've enjoyed lunch at Cyd's in Junction City in Peoria (now selling fresh-squeezed orange juice, at a premium, but I will have to try it); savored a bowl of sizzling rice soup and some crab rangoon at Yen Ching on University Street in Peoria; noted the breakfast sign is displayed again at Euro Jack's on Main Street in Peoria, serving breakfast from 6-11 a.m.; my interest was piqued when I heard about the prospect of some sort of a wine bar at the corner of State and Water Streets in Peoria; and my future plans include a trip to Pleasant Hill Antique Mall and Maurie's Candies in Pekin; and a holiday bath for our dog at You Dirty Dog in Morton.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Pita's Mediterranean Wraps
If you've never tried fresh baked pita bread, you'd better head on over to Pita's Mediterranean Wraps right now.
Pita's, located in the Northpoint Shopping Center on Knoxville Avenue in Peoria, serves Mediterranean delights like hummus, falafel, Greek salads, kabobs, gyros and more.
Pita's also offers daily specials on weekdays.
I love the warm, soft, pita bread, especially with some hummus. And if I finish my meal off with some baklava, all is good.
January, 2009 — I visited Pita's to pick up some hummus for a party. I like the updated decor, and the hummus and pitas were a huge hit!
Pita's, located in the Northpoint Shopping Center on Knoxville Avenue in Peoria, serves Mediterranean delights like hummus, falafel, Greek salads, kabobs, gyros and more.
Pita's also offers daily specials on weekdays.
I love the warm, soft, pita bread, especially with some hummus. And if I finish my meal off with some baklava, all is good.
January, 2009 — I visited Pita's to pick up some hummus for a party. I like the updated decor, and the hummus and pitas were a huge hit!
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Holiday Presence
One of the newer additions to the square in Washington is Holiday Presence.
This shop used to be on the Eureka end of the square, next to the Tally Ho's location, but moved several months ago to the location at 120 N. Main Street.
Holiday Presence carries gifts and decor for any holiday.
From fun, retro-styled tin signs and tin sign clocks from the Liberty Sign Company to coffee roasted fresh in Washington, to kitchen gadgets, and even some apparel, the shop has a nice selection of goods.
One thing that caught my eye was a rectangle Peggy Karr Glass plate, made in the USA, featuring a cluster of brightly colored poppy-like flowers. It seemed unusual that this would attract me, because typically I like neutral, earth toned decor, but the vivid colors against the green really appealed to me. There are several other designs of glass, too.
Another thing that fascinated me were some candles along the wall called WoodWick. The story with WoodWick is that the wick is made from natural, organic wood, and when it burns it is supposed to sound like a crackling fire. The candles also come with a wooden lid.
They also had some cool little mice toys stuffed with organic catnip, great for your furry feline friends. The mice are made in the USA.
If you've got holiday needs, or needs for presents, give Holiday Presence a try.
Purple Moose opened in October 2012 in the former Holiday Presence location.
This shop used to be on the Eureka end of the square, next to the Tally Ho's location, but moved several months ago to the location at 120 N. Main Street.
Holiday Presence carries gifts and decor for any holiday.
From fun, retro-styled tin signs and tin sign clocks from the Liberty Sign Company to coffee roasted fresh in Washington, to kitchen gadgets, and even some apparel, the shop has a nice selection of goods.
One thing that caught my eye was a rectangle Peggy Karr Glass plate, made in the USA, featuring a cluster of brightly colored poppy-like flowers. It seemed unusual that this would attract me, because typically I like neutral, earth toned decor, but the vivid colors against the green really appealed to me. There are several other designs of glass, too.
Another thing that fascinated me were some candles along the wall called WoodWick. The story with WoodWick is that the wick is made from natural, organic wood, and when it burns it is supposed to sound like a crackling fire. The candles also come with a wooden lid.
They also had some cool little mice toys stuffed with organic catnip, great for your furry feline friends. The mice are made in the USA.
If you've got holiday needs, or needs for presents, give Holiday Presence a try.
Purple Moose opened in October 2012 in the former Holiday Presence location.
I Know you Like a Book
I've dreamed for years of someday owning my own book store, and I Know you Like a Book is everything I would love my store to be, and more.
I opened the door at 4707 N. Prospect Road in Peoria Heights and stepped in off the street into this little sanctuary. The door closed behind me, and the woman behind the counter greeted me. About 15 seconds after my arrival, Ringo, the wiener dog, popped off his bed beside the counter, gave a single "Woof" and trotted over to greet me.
The walls are lined floor to ceiling with wooden bookcases done in a charcoal finish, and they have a built in appearance.
I Know you Like a Book sells new and used books, mixed together on the shelves. The used books are marked with handwritten price stickers on the back cover.
There are a few rooms of books, and each hallway is lined with bookshelves as well.
In one corner, there is a caraffe of coffee to enjoy while you browse.
The shop also carries the StoryTeller's Blends, a Leaves-n-Beans venture pairing special coffees with novels.
In the farthest room from the entrance, there is an attractive grouping of chairs, and a counter set up for wine tasting. Now this is genius. In all my wildest dreams, I never thought of serving wine in my imaginary book store, but it's a perfect fit for me.
I was in the store to look for a book for a Christmas gift, but I didn't see anything that struck me for this person. However, I did find a new book that sounded interesting for myself, so Merry Christmas to me, I guess!
Typically I pay for anything over $15 with my credit card, because I rarely carry cash (and I reap nice rewards from my credit card), but heading to the cash register, it struck me that a small business owner would more directly feel the cost of credit card acceptance, so I paid cash, said no thanks to a bag to carry my book in, and headed out into the falling snow.
I opened the door at 4707 N. Prospect Road in Peoria Heights and stepped in off the street into this little sanctuary. The door closed behind me, and the woman behind the counter greeted me. About 15 seconds after my arrival, Ringo, the wiener dog, popped off his bed beside the counter, gave a single "Woof" and trotted over to greet me.The walls are lined floor to ceiling with wooden bookcases done in a charcoal finish, and they have a built in appearance.
I Know you Like a Book sells new and used books, mixed together on the shelves. The used books are marked with handwritten price stickers on the back cover.
There are a few rooms of books, and each hallway is lined with bookshelves as well.
In one corner, there is a caraffe of coffee to enjoy while you browse.
The shop also carries the StoryTeller's Blends, a Leaves-n-Beans venture pairing special coffees with novels.
In the farthest room from the entrance, there is an attractive grouping of chairs, and a counter set up for wine tasting. Now this is genius. In all my wildest dreams, I never thought of serving wine in my imaginary book store, but it's a perfect fit for me.
I was in the store to look for a book for a Christmas gift, but I didn't see anything that struck me for this person. However, I did find a new book that sounded interesting for myself, so Merry Christmas to me, I guess!
Typically I pay for anything over $15 with my credit card, because I rarely carry cash (and I reap nice rewards from my credit card), but heading to the cash register, it struck me that a small business owner would more directly feel the cost of credit card acceptance, so I paid cash, said no thanks to a bag to carry my book in, and headed out into the falling snow.
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.
Road trip
We recently went to Milwaukee for a short getaway. We try to make it up there a few times a year, and one of our traditions while in town is to hit the Alterra Coffee, on Lincoln Memorial Drive along the lakefront.
Alterra is a local coffee roaster, and this location utilizes an old river flushing station to house a neat coffee shop and storefront.
Alterra roasts some varieties of Fair Trade Certified coffee, on top of working in an eco-friendly manner. Using recycled materials, geothermal climate control, and renewable energy, Alterra stands out for its conservation efforts. They have also recently become part of a local business alliance, which you can find out more about here.
I've enjoyed things like baked oatmeal, granola, breakfast burritos and fresh squeezed orange juice here, in addition to great coffee.
This time I was thinking they needed to speed up the coffee serving production line, but when I was served this artistic cuppa joe, I changed my mind. Very nice.
On our way back through Illinois, we stopped to look for some lunch. We took an exit into Rochelle and passed up the Iron Skillet. We ended up stopping at an older place called The Country School restaurant, which featured a red school house sign. The food was standard fast food fare, and our server informed us that they are known for the chicken and cole slaw, but we had already ordered burgers and onion rings.
The burgers were good, and as I sat and enjoyed mine, I started out the window at the new McDonalds next door and was pleased to see several cars drive in to The Country School drive-thru lane, even at 2:30 in the afternoon on a week day.
On our way back to the Interstate, I spotted Vince the chef of
Vince's Pizza, and we drove by to check him out. Old Vince looked a little scared on this cloudy day, but looks like he serves up a big pizza pie.
Alterra is a local coffee roaster, and this location utilizes an old river flushing station to house a neat coffee shop and storefront.
Alterra roasts some varieties of Fair Trade Certified coffee, on top of working in an eco-friendly manner. Using recycled materials, geothermal climate control, and renewable energy, Alterra stands out for its conservation efforts. They have also recently become part of a local business alliance, which you can find out more about here.
I've enjoyed things like baked oatmeal, granola, breakfast burritos and fresh squeezed orange juice here, in addition to great coffee.
This time I was thinking they needed to speed up the coffee serving production line, but when I was served this artistic cuppa joe, I changed my mind. Very nice.On our way back through Illinois, we stopped to look for some lunch. We took an exit into Rochelle and passed up the Iron Skillet. We ended up stopping at an older place called The Country School restaurant, which featured a red school house sign. The food was standard fast food fare, and our server informed us that they are known for the chicken and cole slaw, but we had already ordered burgers and onion rings.
The burgers were good, and as I sat and enjoyed mine, I started out the window at the new McDonalds next door and was pleased to see several cars drive in to The Country School drive-thru lane, even at 2:30 in the afternoon on a week day.
On our way back to the Interstate, I spotted Vince the chef of
Vince's Pizza, and we drove by to check him out. Old Vince looked a little scared on this cloudy day, but looks like he serves up a big pizza pie.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Sullivan's
We've heard talk of Sullivan's Friday happy hour for quite some time, and finally made a point to stop in recently.
Sullivan's, located at 631 Main Street in Peoria, is one of my favorite bars. Especially during the holidays. Sully really knows how to deck the halls.
And, Sully knows how to put on a happy hour spread! On the night we were in, there were hot dogs, brats, fried chicken, veggies, cheese, crackers and more.
The bartenders we've encountered at Sullivan's are a classy crew, quick to pull up another beer or grill up a great burger or tuna steak sandwich.
I also ran into Matt from the Bogside Zukes, and he said they will be playing at Sullivan's on December 20.
I almost hesitate to click "Publish Post" on this entry, because I don't want hordes of people crowding in there and eating all the goodies and taking all the good seats, but it's a great hangout, and I must share the news!
12/31/07 - Sullivan's has changed ownership
Sullivan's, located at 631 Main Street in Peoria, is one of my favorite bars. Especially during the holidays. Sully really knows how to deck the halls.
And, Sully knows how to put on a happy hour spread! On the night we were in, there were hot dogs, brats, fried chicken, veggies, cheese, crackers and more.
The bartenders we've encountered at Sullivan's are a classy crew, quick to pull up another beer or grill up a great burger or tuna steak sandwich.
I also ran into Matt from the Bogside Zukes, and he said they will be playing at Sullivan's on December 20.
I almost hesitate to click "Publish Post" on this entry, because I don't want hordes of people crowding in there and eating all the goodies and taking all the good seats, but it's a great hangout, and I must share the news!
12/31/07 - Sullivan's has changed ownership
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Peoria Civic Center
I know I have been guilty many times of not appreciating some of the entertainment options provided to the Peoria area.
Last night, I visited the Peoria Civic Center for the first time since the ($55 million?) renovations, to see BB King in the theater.
The theater itself didn't have any noticeable upgrades to me. I've been there a few times over the years, to see the Nutcracker, Firebird and Itzhak Perlman, and everything looked the same as I remembered it.
I'll have to check out the arena. I spent years there in section 14 watching Rivermen games.
After showing our tickets at the theater entry doors, we headed to the concession area to order some drinks. The lines were crazy. Might not have been a bad idea to add some concession stands during the renovations, maybe one on the upper level, or bring in some portable ones for large events.
While standing in line, we heard the announcement that the show would begin in 10 minutes. The good news was, the line moved pretty quickly, and we got our drinks and headed to our seats.
There was an man playing guitar and singing when we got into the theater. We missed the announcement of who he was, and his name was not on the tickets or the advertisements we saw for the BB King concert. He played a handful of songs, and then the BB King band came out in full force, with trumpets, saxophones and guitars.
They had a lot of difficulty getting the sound tweaked during the first part of the show. I have heard some comments, and StfRon has, too, that the Civic Center Theater doesn't have the best acoustics, so maybe the crew was having problems getting it right.
Despite this, the BB King concert was great. At 82 years, BB was humble, funny and engaging, and his music was excellent.
I love seeing a show in a smaller venue like this, instead of some place like the Civic Center Arena. I felt a sense of loss when BB stood and said his goodbyes for the night.
We darted out the side door to get away from the crowds, only to be faced with the band's tour buses. We took a minute to snap a few pictures of the license plate, then bundled up for the walk back to our car.
Seeing a great event like this makes me consider what else I might be missing. Tickets for some of these events seem expensive, but the shows can be a once in a lifetime sort of thing.
I checked out the Peoria Civic Center's web site, and see that Blue Man Group will be back in April 2008. Hmm, maybe I can start saving up now...
Last night, I visited the Peoria Civic Center for the first time since the ($55 million?) renovations, to see BB King in the theater.
The theater itself didn't have any noticeable upgrades to me. I've been there a few times over the years, to see the Nutcracker, Firebird and Itzhak Perlman, and everything looked the same as I remembered it.I'll have to check out the arena. I spent years there in section 14 watching Rivermen games.
After showing our tickets at the theater entry doors, we headed to the concession area to order some drinks. The lines were crazy. Might not have been a bad idea to add some concession stands during the renovations, maybe one on the upper level, or bring in some portable ones for large events.
While standing in line, we heard the announcement that the show would begin in 10 minutes. The good news was, the line moved pretty quickly, and we got our drinks and headed to our seats.
There was an man playing guitar and singing when we got into the theater. We missed the announcement of who he was, and his name was not on the tickets or the advertisements we saw for the BB King concert. He played a handful of songs, and then the BB King band came out in full force, with trumpets, saxophones and guitars.
They had a lot of difficulty getting the sound tweaked during the first part of the show. I have heard some comments, and StfRon has, too, that the Civic Center Theater doesn't have the best acoustics, so maybe the crew was having problems getting it right.
Despite this, the BB King concert was great. At 82 years, BB was humble, funny and engaging, and his music was excellent.
I love seeing a show in a smaller venue like this, instead of some place like the Civic Center Arena. I felt a sense of loss when BB stood and said his goodbyes for the night.
We darted out the side door to get away from the crowds, only to be faced with the band's tour buses. We took a minute to snap a few pictures of the license plate, then bundled up for the walk back to our car.
Seeing a great event like this makes me consider what else I might be missing. Tickets for some of these events seem expensive, but the shows can be a once in a lifetime sort of thing.
I checked out the Peoria Civic Center's web site, and see that Blue Man Group will be back in April 2008. Hmm, maybe I can start saving up now...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
More holiday shopping
This weekend marks the Peoria Heights Christmas Walk, November 30 and December 1.
Friday night will feature a 26-foot tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. in Tower Park, pictures with Santa at Heights Flowers, carriage rides, carolers and a craft and bake sale at Peoria Heights Congregational Church from 6-9 p.m. Stores will be open later than usual for holiday shopping.
Saturday, shop the unique local stores and Santa will be at Heights Flowers from 9-11 a.m. for photos.
Friday night will feature a 26-foot tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. in Tower Park, pictures with Santa at Heights Flowers, carriage rides, carolers and a craft and bake sale at Peoria Heights Congregational Church from 6-9 p.m. Stores will be open later than usual for holiday shopping.
Saturday, shop the unique local stores and Santa will be at Heights Flowers from 9-11 a.m. for photos.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Weekend roundup
It was nice to have an extended holiday weekend.
I wasn't very motivated to go shopping, but Friday I headed downtown to grab some soup to take to StfRon at work.
My plan was to go to Café 401, as I know they have homemade soups. I was dismayed, but not too surprised, to find them closed at 12:30. This is one thing I don't understand about downtown Peoria. On the day of the Santa Claus parade, don't you think that people would stop in for soup, coffee and hot chocolate if the businesses were open? Several years ago I went to the parade, and we were freezing waiting for it to start. We did at least find a place open in the Twin Towers Mall to grab a warm beverage.
So Friday I drove around Main Street and then onto Jefferson, and saw that Eamon Patrick's was open. Having been in before, I knew they had some soup offerings.
I went in and placed a carryout order. The two soups on the menu are tomato (with basil, I think) and Irish potato leek. I went with the latter, because it seemed like it would be hearty and stick to the ribs.
The soups didn't come with any rolls or crackers, but we found some crackers and dug in to the soup. It was very hearty.
Sunday afternoon we stopped in at Sullivan's, 631 Main Street in Peoria, for some holiday cheer. Sully has the bar all decked out for Christmas, and it really looks great. This has to be hands down one of the best bars in Peoria as far as atmosphere goes.
Watching the bartender grill up cheese burgers and tuna steak sandwiches, we wished we hadn't just eaten a large meal.
In any case, we had a nice time, and will be back in soon.
I wasn't very motivated to go shopping, but Friday I headed downtown to grab some soup to take to StfRon at work.
My plan was to go to Café 401, as I know they have homemade soups. I was dismayed, but not too surprised, to find them closed at 12:30. This is one thing I don't understand about downtown Peoria. On the day of the Santa Claus parade, don't you think that people would stop in for soup, coffee and hot chocolate if the businesses were open? Several years ago I went to the parade, and we were freezing waiting for it to start. We did at least find a place open in the Twin Towers Mall to grab a warm beverage.
So Friday I drove around Main Street and then onto Jefferson, and saw that Eamon Patrick's was open. Having been in before, I knew they had some soup offerings.
I went in and placed a carryout order. The two soups on the menu are tomato (with basil, I think) and Irish potato leek. I went with the latter, because it seemed like it would be hearty and stick to the ribs.
The soups didn't come with any rolls or crackers, but we found some crackers and dug in to the soup. It was very hearty.
Sunday afternoon we stopped in at Sullivan's, 631 Main Street in Peoria, for some holiday cheer. Sully has the bar all decked out for Christmas, and it really looks great. This has to be hands down one of the best bars in Peoria as far as atmosphere goes.
Watching the bartender grill up cheese burgers and tuna steak sandwiches, we wished we hadn't just eaten a large meal.
In any case, we had a nice time, and will be back in soon.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Route 66 Java Stop
I first saw the Route 66 Java Stop some time last year on my way through Dwight heading to a family dinner. Yesterday we passed by again, and I snapped a shot.I love the idea of this place! Two used freight containers have been stacked and painted with retro graphics to create a drive-through java hut. What a great way to reuse materials in a creative, fun way. It's given us some food for thought.
The Java Stop used to be prominently visible when coming in to Dwight. This time, it was hidden a bit by a used car lot, but it's right at the back of the lot, and as cool as ever.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Basil's
What once was the Brick Oven on the square in Washington, then was Bella's, then the Brick Oven again, now is Basil's.
We made an early lunch appearance this week. Normally, I like to to wait at least a month before visiting a new establishment, to give them some time to work out kinks. Basil has been open less than a week at 110 N. Main Street, but the owners have been in the restaurant biz, including a restaurant in Galesburg.
We arrived shortly after 12:30 on a weekday. Our drink order took a little bit to arrive, but I think they were brewing some fresh iced tea.
The decor was pretty much identical to the Brick Oven, with the addition of some white paper on top of white linen table cloths, and brighter lighting, at least during lunch. Our booth was a little too bright for our comfort, and allowed us to notice that the wall along this section could probably use a nice coat of paint. However, the mural along the opposite wall looked almost more vivid than ever.
I went with a menu item bearing the namesake: a chicken basil sandwich, served on ciabatta bread, accompanied by chips. The sandwich was also topped with cheese and some herbed spread. It was served piping hot and was extremely good. The ciabatta bread was soft and tasty; an added bonus.
StfRon went with a meatball parmigania sandwich, also with chips. The marinara sauce had a hint of sweetness, and this sandwich was also very good.
Both meals were nicely presented on cobalt blue plates, with a dusting of parmesan.
Basil plans to have a liquor license soon, and I would like to check out the wine selection. If nothing else, I will stop by again to sample the food.
May, 2008 — Basil's has closed.
We made an early lunch appearance this week. Normally, I like to to wait at least a month before visiting a new establishment, to give them some time to work out kinks. Basil has been open less than a week at 110 N. Main Street, but the owners have been in the restaurant biz, including a restaurant in Galesburg.
We arrived shortly after 12:30 on a weekday. Our drink order took a little bit to arrive, but I think they were brewing some fresh iced tea.
The decor was pretty much identical to the Brick Oven, with the addition of some white paper on top of white linen table cloths, and brighter lighting, at least during lunch. Our booth was a little too bright for our comfort, and allowed us to notice that the wall along this section could probably use a nice coat of paint. However, the mural along the opposite wall looked almost more vivid than ever.
I went with a menu item bearing the namesake: a chicken basil sandwich, served on ciabatta bread, accompanied by chips. The sandwich was also topped with cheese and some herbed spread. It was served piping hot and was extremely good. The ciabatta bread was soft and tasty; an added bonus.
StfRon went with a meatball parmigania sandwich, also with chips. The marinara sauce had a hint of sweetness, and this sandwich was also very good.
Both meals were nicely presented on cobalt blue plates, with a dusting of parmesan.
Basil plans to have a liquor license soon, and I would like to check out the wine selection. If nothing else, I will stop by again to sample the food.
May, 2008 — Basil's has closed.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Madder than a wet hen
The week leading up to turkey day has me very irritated.
It all started Saturday, and each day since has been filled with a series of events seemingly orchestrated to piss me off.
Mind you, none of these things are too serious, but so many little things are piling up during a stretch of days that has its fair share of stress.
I finally got a chance to head out to lunch today shortly before 2 p.m. I had no idea where I wanted to go, driving in a some sort of hypoglycemic-like state down Sheridan for a bit, I ended up stopping at Le Café, which I visit from time to time. I knew it would be quiet, and that was appealing.
I ordered the soup of the day, a tomato grilled cheese soup, accompanied with a chicken and fruit salad. The soup came with a roll, also. The soup was very good and hearty, although the chicken salad was not as good as past times I've been in, but it was full of pineapple, almonds and grapes.
The good news is, it's Thanksgiving week, which means a little time off work, hopefully a drink or two with good company Wednesday night, and then resurrecting traditions of the holiday dinner with family. The family has shrunk and grown and shrunk again over the years, but it's always good to spend a day enjoying good food with good people, and remembering years past; enjoying some things that are new, and taking comfort in the things that are still the same as they ever were.
It all started Saturday, and each day since has been filled with a series of events seemingly orchestrated to piss me off.
Mind you, none of these things are too serious, but so many little things are piling up during a stretch of days that has its fair share of stress.
I finally got a chance to head out to lunch today shortly before 2 p.m. I had no idea where I wanted to go, driving in a some sort of hypoglycemic-like state down Sheridan for a bit, I ended up stopping at Le Café, which I visit from time to time. I knew it would be quiet, and that was appealing.I ordered the soup of the day, a tomato grilled cheese soup, accompanied with a chicken and fruit salad. The soup came with a roll, also. The soup was very good and hearty, although the chicken salad was not as good as past times I've been in, but it was full of pineapple, almonds and grapes.
The good news is, it's Thanksgiving week, which means a little time off work, hopefully a drink or two with good company Wednesday night, and then resurrecting traditions of the holiday dinner with family. The family has shrunk and grown and shrunk again over the years, but it's always good to spend a day enjoying good food with good people, and remembering years past; enjoying some things that are new, and taking comfort in the things that are still the same as they ever were.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Carlson's Custom Jewelry
My wedding ring is different and unique, and I love it.
We decided to see about having a ring made to match mine for StfRon, after scouring the web looking for a nice ring for him, and chose Carlson's Custom Jewelry for the task.
Carlson's, located at 4701 N. Prospect Avenue in Peoria Heights, carries a selection of jewelry, creates custom jewelry, and performs jewelry repairs.
We had decided to see about having a family wedding ring redesigned into StfRon's wedding ring. We talked to an employee at Carlson's, and she said they would be able to do this, and might need to add a small amount of gold to the ring as well, to create the design we wanted.
We got a call a few weeks later from Carlson's; they were ready for my ring, to use to pattern StfRon's ring after.
We picked up the rings shortly before our wedding, and the one Carlson's created looked great, and we love the fact that our rings look like they belong together.
We decided to see about having a ring made to match mine for StfRon, after scouring the web looking for a nice ring for him, and chose Carlson's Custom Jewelry for the task.
Carlson's, located at 4701 N. Prospect Avenue in Peoria Heights, carries a selection of jewelry, creates custom jewelry, and performs jewelry repairs.
We had decided to see about having a family wedding ring redesigned into StfRon's wedding ring. We talked to an employee at Carlson's, and she said they would be able to do this, and might need to add a small amount of gold to the ring as well, to create the design we wanted.
We got a call a few weeks later from Carlson's; they were ready for my ring, to use to pattern StfRon's ring after.
We picked up the rings shortly before our wedding, and the one Carlson's created looked great, and we love the fact that our rings look like they belong together.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Finally Friday
Today we decided to lunch at Euro Jack's on Main Street in Peoria, which we've visited before.
The crowd was light during the 12:30 hour.
I noticed the seafood bisque on the specials board, and decided to try that, along with a Greek salad. The mug of bisque was full of bits of fish and shrimp, in a creamy, orange base and the salad was light and filled with kalamata olives.
StfRon noticed they had a chef salad listed with britney dressing, and being a britney dressing fiend, ordered it. The large chef salad was full of ham, cheese, greens and bacon, then drenched with lots of the bacony sweet and sour dressing. Very good.
During lunch we also made a stop at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for the first time. This large warehouse is filled with lots of donated materials, like doors, windows and sinks, in addition to used furniture and appliances, light fixtures and more. We didn't see anything we couldn't pass up on this visit, but I'll bet we could score some neat stuff if we kept stopping in.
The crowd was light during the 12:30 hour.
I noticed the seafood bisque on the specials board, and decided to try that, along with a Greek salad. The mug of bisque was full of bits of fish and shrimp, in a creamy, orange base and the salad was light and filled with kalamata olives.
StfRon noticed they had a chef salad listed with britney dressing, and being a britney dressing fiend, ordered it. The large chef salad was full of ham, cheese, greens and bacon, then drenched with lots of the bacony sweet and sour dressing. Very good.
During lunch we also made a stop at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for the first time. This large warehouse is filled with lots of donated materials, like doors, windows and sinks, in addition to used furniture and appliances, light fixtures and more. We didn't see anything we couldn't pass up on this visit, but I'll bet we could score some neat stuff if we kept stopping in.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Holiday shopping, local style
It's about time for me to ramp up my Christmas shopping, as the parties begin the first week of December.I've been scoping out the local holiday open house shopping events because they're a good way to get in the spirit, sample some special treats and even enter drawings for prizes.
Friday, November 16 (which I sadly cannot attend), Junction City will feature the Joe Metzka Trio from 5-8 p.m. in the Butcher Block for their annual holiday walk. Carriage rides around Junction City will be available from 6-8 p.m., and lots of goodies will be available for sampling in the stores.
The Peoria Metro Centre's holiday open house is November 17 & 18. The Metro Centre features local businesses like The Hyacinth, Naturally Yours, Pottstown Deli, Mocha Joe's Beanery, Scrapadoodle, Abe's, and more!
The thing I look forward to most, though, this holiday season, is spending time with good friends and family, and reviving old and new traditions.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
4A Deli
This weekend I checked out the 4A Deli, next to Lindy's Downtown Market in Washington.
The deli is nicely decorated, with olive green walls, a tin ceiling and a wood countertop and floors.
There's a decent selection of sandwiches to choose from, like turkey, veggie, reubens, tuna salad, roast beef, cheese and more.
StfRon went with the quarter lb. Vienna hot dog, served with kraut, relish, onions, ketchup, mustard and hot peppers, priced at $3.99. He really enjoyed the hot dog. I had a bite, and the hot peppers gave it a nice kick.
I went with the Voodoo Veggie sandwich, $4.99, with mushrooms, cucumbers, onion, sunflower seeds, avocado and cream cheese, minus the tomato, all on a croissant. The sandwich was good, but I thought it could use a little kick, maybe some mustard or a dill sauce.
I also had one of their sugar cookies, which had green M&Ms in them. The cookies are small, which I actually appreciated. Eating a cookie the size of my head after eating lunch makes me feel somewhat guilty.
As I was eating, I also noticed they serve soup. I'm a sucker for a good soup.
4A Deli also offers boxed lunches.
Currently they are open 7 days from about 10:30-2 p.m. After the holidays, they will probably be closed on Sundays.
September, 2009 — The 4A Deli has closed.
The deli is nicely decorated, with olive green walls, a tin ceiling and a wood countertop and floors.
There's a decent selection of sandwiches to choose from, like turkey, veggie, reubens, tuna salad, roast beef, cheese and more.
StfRon went with the quarter lb. Vienna hot dog, served with kraut, relish, onions, ketchup, mustard and hot peppers, priced at $3.99. He really enjoyed the hot dog. I had a bite, and the hot peppers gave it a nice kick.
I went with the Voodoo Veggie sandwich, $4.99, with mushrooms, cucumbers, onion, sunflower seeds, avocado and cream cheese, minus the tomato, all on a croissant. The sandwich was good, but I thought it could use a little kick, maybe some mustard or a dill sauce.
I also had one of their sugar cookies, which had green M&Ms in them. The cookies are small, which I actually appreciated. Eating a cookie the size of my head after eating lunch makes me feel somewhat guilty.
As I was eating, I also noticed they serve soup. I'm a sucker for a good soup.
4A Deli also offers boxed lunches.
Currently they are open 7 days from about 10:30-2 p.m. After the holidays, they will probably be closed on Sundays.
September, 2009 — The 4A Deli has closed.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Homespun Gallery
On top of listening to some tunes by Joe Metzka this weekend, I also squeezed in some shopping, some dining at the Kaiserhof and another local joint I'll blog about later this week.
I did get a chance to check out the new Homespun Gallery in Washington, located at 110 S. Main Street in a newly-renovated building on the square.
The furniture featured in the store is more high-end, reproduction furniture built right here in the US. The furniture is made to order, so if you find a piece you like, you can even choose the color or finish to suit your taste. There are some beautiful wall units in the shop.
There are several gift items in the store, including some neat toys made in the USA.
I found some mittens, which I'm sure I'll need sooner or later this winter, despite the warm temps so far, made from leftover sweater scraps, by some adults with disabilities right here in the USA as well. The mittens are available in several sizes and colors.
I did get a chance to check out the new Homespun Gallery in Washington, located at 110 S. Main Street in a newly-renovated building on the square.
The furniture featured in the store is more high-end, reproduction furniture built right here in the US. The furniture is made to order, so if you find a piece you like, you can even choose the color or finish to suit your taste. There are some beautiful wall units in the shop.
There are several gift items in the store, including some neat toys made in the USA.
I found some mittens, which I'm sure I'll need sooner or later this winter, despite the warm temps so far, made from leftover sweater scraps, by some adults with disabilities right here in the USA as well. The mittens are available in several sizes and colors.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Pimiteoui Trail
Looking for a nice place to take a walk on your lunch hour near downtown Peoria?
The Pimiteoui Trail is very popular with the lunchtime walking crowd, and with bikers as well.
I usually pick up the trail at the Riverplex or sometimes over near the River Station and just walk north along the river on the paved path. It's a peaceful walk, and you can see and hear some interesting wildlife once in a while.
The Pimiteoui Trail is very popular with the lunchtime walking crowd, and with bikers as well.
I usually pick up the trail at the Riverplex or sometimes over near the River Station and just walk north along the river on the paved path. It's a peaceful walk, and you can see and hear some interesting wildlife once in a while.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Lunch dilemma
Today I had to run some errands at lunch. I was considering what local options were available to me in the area of Peoria I was in, and after running though my options several times, had pretty much settled on Burger King for a cheeseburger and iced tea. It's good, quick, and cheap, but didn't fit as far as local.
When I drove up, there were eight cars ahead of me in the drive thru. Right then I decided to veer through the parking lot and stop at Po-Boys.
I've blogged about Po-Boys before, but rarely go there for lunch.
Today, when I stopped in, I was greeted by my server Byron, who was cheerful and prompt throughout my lunch.
I decided on a muffaletta sandwich. Byron asked if I wanted a full or half, so I went with half. The sandwich also comes with fries.
Boy, am I glad I went with the half sandwich! This thick, white bread loaf sandwiched lots of thinly sliced ham and salami, with provolone and olive spread to top the whole thing off. Sometimes I had to mash the sandwich down in the middle with my fingers to be able to take a bite. The accompanying fries were thin and crispy, kind of like Steak N Shake's fries.
This was a hearty lunch, and I brought half of it home for a second meal. Plus, I was in and out in less than 40 minutes, and got to listen to some nice Blues while I dined. Burger King drive thru can't top that!
When I drove up, there were eight cars ahead of me in the drive thru. Right then I decided to veer through the parking lot and stop at Po-Boys.
I've blogged about Po-Boys before, but rarely go there for lunch.
Today, when I stopped in, I was greeted by my server Byron, who was cheerful and prompt throughout my lunch.
I decided on a muffaletta sandwich. Byron asked if I wanted a full or half, so I went with half. The sandwich also comes with fries.
Boy, am I glad I went with the half sandwich! This thick, white bread loaf sandwiched lots of thinly sliced ham and salami, with provolone and olive spread to top the whole thing off. Sometimes I had to mash the sandwich down in the middle with my fingers to be able to take a bite. The accompanying fries were thin and crispy, kind of like Steak N Shake's fries.
This was a hearty lunch, and I brought half of it home for a second meal. Plus, I was in and out in less than 40 minutes, and got to listen to some nice Blues while I dined. Burger King drive thru can't top that!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Plaza Lanes
Bowling generally brings back bad memories of high school P.E. class for me. The teacher would berate my skinny ass for using a nine pound ball, and even with my light ball, I wasn't very good at it.
We've ventured to Plaza Lanes, 1500 Washington Road in Washington once or twice. The place is cool in a retro sort of way. And the bowling shoes and balls look way better than what I remember from high school in my hometown.
My bowling skills really have not improved with age. But I have mad technical skills.
Plaza Lanes also has something called Rock-n-Glow bowling, which looks to be very popular, with the top 20 videos displayed on large screens overhead.
We've also checked out the bar. The finest vintage to be had was a white zin, which was retro in itself for me. After I graduated from Lambrusco many years ago, I moved on to white zin. I don't think I'd had one in 10 years until I ordered one at the bowling alley. But, I digress.
All in all, Plaza Lanes is a fun break from the old boob tube. We'll be spending a few winter nights at the bowling alley, if there's any room for us.
We've ventured to Plaza Lanes, 1500 Washington Road in Washington once or twice. The place is cool in a retro sort of way. And the bowling shoes and balls look way better than what I remember from high school in my hometown.
My bowling skills really have not improved with age. But I have mad technical skills.
Plaza Lanes also has something called Rock-n-Glow bowling, which looks to be very popular, with the top 20 videos displayed on large screens overhead.
We've also checked out the bar. The finest vintage to be had was a white zin, which was retro in itself for me. After I graduated from Lambrusco many years ago, I moved on to white zin. I don't think I'd had one in 10 years until I ordered one at the bowling alley. But, I digress.
All in all, Plaza Lanes is a fun break from the old boob tube. We'll be spending a few winter nights at the bowling alley, if there's any room for us.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Live blogging Iowa City
This weekend took us to Iowa City, and right now we are sitting in the Hamburg Inn No. 2, Iowa City's oldest family restaurant, recommended to us by our friend Minney.
The little place was packed when we got here, so we are sitting at the counter, starting at boards listing menu items. The shakes & malts board caught my attention, with the choice of vanilla, chocolate, coffee, butterscotch, strawberry, blueberry, cherry, pineapple, orange, lemon and maple. We placed our order for a butterscotch malt.
The back wall of the Hamburg Inn, established in 1948, is covered with political advertisements and memorabilia.
For lunch, I had to try the sweet potato pancakes, so I ordered just one, and a California burger, topped with cheese, avacado and pico de gallo.
StfRon went with a bacon cheeseburger, fries and chips. The chips are homemade, toasty brown, and pretty good. The burgers served here are 1/2 pounders.
The sweet potato pancake is huge, enough to almost cover a dinner plate. The sweet potato and spice flavor is subtle, at first I thought it was an ordinary pancake, but it's very good.
This butterscotch malt is awesome. I might have to make several more trips here to to get my fill!
OK, gotta finish my meal. Although, a bonus is, blogging while eating means I'm eating more slowly, and will probably get full before I finish my meal. Hmm, live blogging = diet strategy?
The little place was packed when we got here, so we are sitting at the counter, starting at boards listing menu items. The shakes & malts board caught my attention, with the choice of vanilla, chocolate, coffee, butterscotch, strawberry, blueberry, cherry, pineapple, orange, lemon and maple. We placed our order for a butterscotch malt.
The back wall of the Hamburg Inn, established in 1948, is covered with political advertisements and memorabilia.For lunch, I had to try the sweet potato pancakes, so I ordered just one, and a California burger, topped with cheese, avacado and pico de gallo.
StfRon went with a bacon cheeseburger, fries and chips. The chips are homemade, toasty brown, and pretty good. The burgers served here are 1/2 pounders.
The sweet potato pancake is huge, enough to almost cover a dinner plate. The sweet potato and spice flavor is subtle, at first I thought it was an ordinary pancake, but it's very good.
This butterscotch malt is awesome. I might have to make several more trips here to to get my fill!OK, gotta finish my meal. Although, a bonus is, blogging while eating means I'm eating more slowly, and will probably get full before I finish my meal. Hmm, live blogging = diet strategy?
Friday, November 02, 2007
Sizzling India
Having peered in the window of Sizzling India on Main Street in Peoria and seen the mustard yellow walls and basket-woven dining chairs topped with cushions, atop which sat many diners during the lunch hour, I wanted to check the place out.
I know next to nothing about Indian food, and was a little concerned the menu would not have descriptions of the items. We stopped in during a weekday lunch hour, and no menu was presented, maybe due to there being a lunch buffet.
I figured a buffet would be a good way to sample many different items, so since someone had given us water and no server had stopped by our table, we headed to the buffet to select some dishes.
The dishes were labeled with Indian names, which didn't help us figure out what they were, so I took a wide array of samples.
After our first trip to the buffet, we noticed that several tables had a basket of some sort of flatbread. The other thing we noticed was that everyone was drinking water. That's when it occurred to us that we were not offered anything else to drink, and wondered if there were other drink options available.
The first thing I chose from the buffet, adai looked like an orangish pancake. It was different.
Next, I tried some fried cauliflower, which was OK. I also tried a tomato rice and a white rice dish, both of which were fine.
Once I got to the butter chicken, I decided this dish was a winner. The tandoori chicken was pretty good, too.
I also sampled a green bean dish in an orange colored sauce. It was a little like having a spicier green bean casserole, minus the fried onion topping.
StfRon tried a few dishes, too, but ended up mostly eating the butter chicken as well.
The dishes all had a variety of Indian spices to them, some much spicier than others. The lunch certainly cleared out my sinuses a bit, which is not a bad thing.
A server brought us by a basket of flatbread, which is called naan. This bread was soft, warm and very good. The servers also kept our water glasses well-filled until almost the end of the meal, however they kept to themselves very much, and didn't really have much interaction with the customers.
For dessert, we each took a small bowl of the rice pudding. I was surprised to find it had a sort of lemony flavor to it, probably from cardamom, but after the initial surprise, I found it to be kind of tasty. There were also nuts mixed in.
We were not presented with a bill, so we went to the register to pay for our buffets, $8.25 each. While at the register, we saw a bar area and the menu, which featured many more Indian dishes, Indian Chinese selections and beverages.
I know next to nothing about Indian food, and was a little concerned the menu would not have descriptions of the items. We stopped in during a weekday lunch hour, and no menu was presented, maybe due to there being a lunch buffet.
I figured a buffet would be a good way to sample many different items, so since someone had given us water and no server had stopped by our table, we headed to the buffet to select some dishes.
The dishes were labeled with Indian names, which didn't help us figure out what they were, so I took a wide array of samples.
After our first trip to the buffet, we noticed that several tables had a basket of some sort of flatbread. The other thing we noticed was that everyone was drinking water. That's when it occurred to us that we were not offered anything else to drink, and wondered if there were other drink options available.
The first thing I chose from the buffet, adai looked like an orangish pancake. It was different.
Next, I tried some fried cauliflower, which was OK. I also tried a tomato rice and a white rice dish, both of which were fine.
Once I got to the butter chicken, I decided this dish was a winner. The tandoori chicken was pretty good, too.
I also sampled a green bean dish in an orange colored sauce. It was a little like having a spicier green bean casserole, minus the fried onion topping.
StfRon tried a few dishes, too, but ended up mostly eating the butter chicken as well.
The dishes all had a variety of Indian spices to them, some much spicier than others. The lunch certainly cleared out my sinuses a bit, which is not a bad thing.
A server brought us by a basket of flatbread, which is called naan. This bread was soft, warm and very good. The servers also kept our water glasses well-filled until almost the end of the meal, however they kept to themselves very much, and didn't really have much interaction with the customers.
For dessert, we each took a small bowl of the rice pudding. I was surprised to find it had a sort of lemony flavor to it, probably from cardamom, but after the initial surprise, I found it to be kind of tasty. There were also nuts mixed in.
We were not presented with a bill, so we went to the register to pay for our buffets, $8.25 each. While at the register, we saw a bar area and the menu, which featured many more Indian dishes, Indian Chinese selections and beverages.
October 2009 — Sizzling India has closed
Thursday, November 01, 2007
This weekend's events
I was checking around to see what's going on this weekend in the Peoria area. Here are a few things I came up with:
Dueling Pianos at the Waterhouse in Peoria— Friday, November 2: My mom has wanted to check this out for quite some time, and I think it would be fun. Not sure we'll make it this Friday, but I would like to go soon. You can partake of the buffet and show for $31.95 per person, or just the show for $10.
Will You Still Love Me in the Morning at the Barn II Dinner Theatre in Goodfield — Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3: The Barn II is always a good time. Friday shows are $31, Saturdays are $33 which includes the buffet and show. Bring a bottle of wine and you're set.
ITOO Annual Supper — Sunday, November 4: I've not yet been to this, but this is their 80th annual supper featuring American and Lebanese cuisine, and still going strong. I've seen the big red signs around town and it's fun to say ITOOOOOOOO when you drive by. Trust me.
Carryouts are available, with adult dinners at $13.50, children eat for $7. From 11:30-7 at 4909 W. Farmington Road.
Live at the Five Spot — Friday, November 2, Groovatron; Saturday, November 3, Peoria Area Civic Chorale: Held at the Contemporary Art Center, 305 SW Water Street in Peoria, these shows can be a lot of fun. Bring some snacks, or order food from the Rhythm Kitchen and enjoy the show for $10.
Joe Metzka — Friday, November 2: Joe will be playing at the Red Rock Bar & Grille, 332 Detroit Avenue in Morton. Never heard of the place, but I have heard of Joe, and always enjoy his performances.
Jimmy Binkley — Saturday, November 3: Jimmy tickles the ivories Saturday nights starting at 7 p.m. at Sky Harbor Steakhouse, 1321 Park Road, West Peoria.
Holiday Open House — Saturday, November 3: Get a jump start on the holidays at Green View Nursery's open house, from 8-6 at 2700 W. Cedar Hills Drive in Dunlap.
Dueling Pianos at the Waterhouse in Peoria— Friday, November 2: My mom has wanted to check this out for quite some time, and I think it would be fun. Not sure we'll make it this Friday, but I would like to go soon. You can partake of the buffet and show for $31.95 per person, or just the show for $10.
Will You Still Love Me in the Morning at the Barn II Dinner Theatre in Goodfield — Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3: The Barn II is always a good time. Friday shows are $31, Saturdays are $33 which includes the buffet and show. Bring a bottle of wine and you're set.
ITOO Annual Supper — Sunday, November 4: I've not yet been to this, but this is their 80th annual supper featuring American and Lebanese cuisine, and still going strong. I've seen the big red signs around town and it's fun to say ITOOOOOOOO when you drive by. Trust me.
Carryouts are available, with adult dinners at $13.50, children eat for $7. From 11:30-7 at 4909 W. Farmington Road.
Live at the Five Spot — Friday, November 2, Groovatron; Saturday, November 3, Peoria Area Civic Chorale: Held at the Contemporary Art Center, 305 SW Water Street in Peoria, these shows can be a lot of fun. Bring some snacks, or order food from the Rhythm Kitchen and enjoy the show for $10.
Joe Metzka — Friday, November 2: Joe will be playing at the Red Rock Bar & Grille, 332 Detroit Avenue in Morton. Never heard of the place, but I have heard of Joe, and always enjoy his performances.
Jimmy Binkley — Saturday, November 3: Jimmy tickles the ivories Saturday nights starting at 7 p.m. at Sky Harbor Steakhouse, 1321 Park Road, West Peoria.
Holiday Open House — Saturday, November 3: Get a jump start on the holidays at Green View Nursery's open house, from 8-6 at 2700 W. Cedar Hills Drive in Dunlap.
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