The Ironstone Room

A few weeks ago we met my parents in Manito to have lunch at The Ironstone Room. We started off in Willett's Winery by sampling some wine and took a look at the banquet space between the winery and restaurant, which was new since our last visit.
The restaurant is housed in a former bank complete with vault. The walls are a warm yellow accented with white trim, and the room has an airy feel.
We started off with the Leon Millot red wine to accompany our food selections. I ordered the Ironstone Reuben ($7.95) with the bacon cheddar potato salad as my side. My husband ordered the Grand Gourmand salad ($8.95) with bleu cheese dressing.
Next we tried the Noiret, also a red wine, which really paired well with my meal. Thinking about it now, I'm regretting that I didn't go back to the winery after eating to pick up a bottle to take home.
The Reuben, topped with not only cheese but a slaw that included apples and a hint of horseradish, was served on crisped Pumpernickel. The creamy potato salad was filled with big cubes of cheddar and bacony goodness, and my husband kept stealing bites of it from my plate.
His salad was filled with Bavarian ham, honey roasted turkey, cheeses, greens and veggies topped with bacon crumbles and hard boiled egg.
Service was good and this stop made for a quite enjoyable Sunday destination.

Beningo's Restaurant

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

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

The restaurant is located in a nondescript brick building.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spirit of Peoria

I've always thought it would be fun to attend a murder mystery, so when I saw that the Spirit of Peoria was hosting one this fall, I called and bought tickets.

Some history from their web site reveals: "The Spirit of Peoria was built in Paducah, Kentucky in 1988 by Walker Boat Yard. It is solely propelled by its stern driven paddle wheel. The wheel, composed only of fiberglass and wood, has 68 bucket boards and is 22 feet in diameter. The paddle wheel is powered by two Caterpillar 3412 diesel engines that turn 350kw generator sets."

We boarded, were shown to our seats and learned that we were guests at the Sheridan family anniversary party, and were seated with none other than Mr. and Mrs. Sheridan, the guests of honor.

After being greeted by our captain, we learned that nine paddle boats shut down this year and that the Spirit of Peoria is the only one currently offering overnight cruises.

Our seating location made for an interesting evening as throughout our prime rib buffet dinner we were able to chat with and pick up clues from the Sheridans and their guests who stopped by the table.

Soon, the dastardly deed was committed and we had to take our best guess at who the culprit was.

The show was put on by the Champaign Urbana Theater Company, and all involved did a great job.

Only seven people on board guessed the murderer correctly, and my husband and I were not among them.

We especially enjoyed the atmosphere of the boat, and look forward to boarding again sometime soon in the warmer months so we can enjoy being out on deck.

The Spirit offers many cruises and excursions throughout the year, as well as some upcoming holiday events.

Venue Art Gallery Wine Social

We popped in for the grand opening of the Venue Art Gallery Wine Social in September last year, and have been planning to visit again once an event or date caught our eye.
This past Friday we headed over to 112 N. Main Street in Washington to hear Joe Metzka play his first show at the Venue.
We headed upstairs and sampled some wines to help us select a bottle. Some of them, like the Hey Mambo red and Don Rodolfo Malbec we have had before, and we wanted to try something different.
We settled on the Plungerhead Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel, which was a nice start, paid for that and our $5 cover charge and picked out a place to sit with our friends. We chose one of the low, round tables rather than a couch. Both couches were attractive and Victorian in style, however there would have been no place for us to stash our wine glasses.
The Venue was not serving food, however you can bring some in with you from home, or pop by Lindy's Downtown Market (great cheese selection) or the C Note Pub across the street and bring something with you to gnosh on.
I really enjoyed the music, as I always do when listening to Joe play.
For our last bottle, our friends selected the Oberon Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.
My husband poured some, swirled it in his glass and took a sniff, and swore he smelled hints of caramel corn, which gave us all a laugh. This too was a good wine.
The walls of the Venue showcase art, pottery and jewelry of local artists, available for purchase.
If you're not a wine lover, they do have a selection of beers available.
The Venue is also available for private parties.

Lariat Steakhouse

For Valentine's Day, StfRon had called the Fish House weeks ahead to make reservations, only to be told that for parties of two they were not accepting reservations. We decided to take our chances anyway, but when we showed up we were told that the wait was two hours.
Considering the group of people leaning against the walls in the narrow hallway and the beginnings of a growling stomach, we decided to try someplace else.
Since we were so close, we decided to check in at the Lariat Steakhouse, 2232 W. Glen Avenue in Peoria. We had not had dinner there in ages, although I did attend a lunchtime banquet there last year.
At the podium just inside the door we were told the wait would be about an hour and 15 minutes. The lobby and lounge area was not uncomfortably crowded, nor was it loud, so we decided to put our name on the list.
Within five or 10 minutes, we were able to find seats at a table in the lounge to continue our wait. The carpet in the room must help a lot with soundproofing, because I expected it to be a lot more noisy than it was. As we waited, we admired the rustic barn style beams throughout the lounge.
I'm not sure if we ended up waiting the entire hour and 15 before being seated. If we did, it was a pleasant wait before we were called and whisked back to one of the banquet rooms in the back of the restaurant. The atmosphere was fairly light and bright in the party room, and several people joked as they were brought in that they felt like they were at a wedding reception.
No worries, though. Our server was apologetic, although she didn't have any need to be; the huge prime rib was great quality, despite probably being cranked out in large quantities all night; my petite filet was great and served just as I had ordered it; my sweet potato was superbly done and about the size of a football; my French onion soup was good; the bread was doughy and delicious; our wine was quite decent and we had a fun time. StfRon ordered the au gratin potatoes, and they were fine, but he prefers the sweeter version some other restaurants serve.
I'm actually in the process of reading a novel right now set in 1949 where the main character just took his date to the Lariat Steakhouse for a date. The place certainly knows their steaks and has obviously been doing a lot of things right for a lot of years.
For an unplanned stop, our night out more than met our expectations. We won't stay away for so long this time!

Alexanders Steakhouse

Tuesday night we headed to Alexanders Steakhouse, 100 Alexander Street in Peoria in honor of StfRon's nephew's 12th birthday.
At Alexanders, you can cook your own steak over one of their large grill pits, or you can pay an extra $2.49 to have it cooked by a chef.
If you dine with a party of six on your birthday, you can dine for free.
When we arrived around 6:45, the place was packed with Caterpillar employees. There was a line of people waiting for the salad bar and the grill was lined with people, elbow to elbow.
StfRon ordered the ribs, which are not a cook yourself option, and I went with the Santa Maria top sirloin. Priced at $19.99, I love the seasoning on this sirloin. It can be a little salty, but it has great flavor.
Almost everyone else went with a filet, either au natural or teriyaki, but our brother-in-law had a bone-in steak, which could later benefit their dog with an unexpected treat. He and our guest of honor chose to cook their own steaks, while the rest of us languished at the table.
Alexanders has added Boylan's old fashioned sodas to the menu. Our older nephew went with the black cherry variety, while the birthday boy tried the orange cream. Both sounded very good.
One thing I like about Alexanders is that they have one of the last great salad bars in the area. There is a decent variety of vegetables, fruits and salad toppings featured. We enjoyed our salads while waiting for our entrées to arrive.
When our food arrived, we also enjoyed a couple of skillets of their mushrooms, which are buttery and delicious, and a favorite of our guest of honor.
The birthday treatment at Alexanders also includes a skillet cookie topped with ice cream. Our waiter, who had been entertaining and had been checking on us periodically all night, brought us an extra unclaimed cookie, which we managed to scarf down.
Alexanders, owned by Mercedes Restaurants, also has locations in Springfield, Normal and Champaign, and their sister restaurant is Vonachen's Old Place in Junction City in Peoria. Alexanders also provides banquet rooms for special events.
With the good service from our waiter, and some great company, this outing made for an enjoyable break early in our work week.

Mona's

Being in the pasta club at Bernardi's, we heard that Mona's and Capponi's in Toluca were celebrating their 75 anniversary in February.
The pasta club signup is available at the web site. Once you join, you will get e-mails detailing the pasta of the month, and notice of special savings and events.
StfRon used to have lunch at Mona's every Sunday after church when he was a wee lad, so that's where we headed last Saturday night.
On this cold, blustery night, we entered through the bar, where StfRon was not allowed as a kid.
The lounge decor is quite nicely vintage, with a white marble look to the tables and bar top, vinyl booths and barstools with wooden backs. The rat pack tunes complete the feel.
The restaurant was bustling at 5:00, and there were several large group tables being set up. We're talking tables of 12 and 20.
We noticed that all the employees were wearing pink shirts, and there was a board proclaiming that there was a Suzanne B. Coleman breast cancer benefit. Seemed odd, because it sounds a lot like Susan G. Komen. Either quite a coincidence, or someone dictated it over the phone. In any case, $1 of each meal was going to a good cause.
We were seated in one of the back dining rooms, which has a neat stone fireplace along one wall. The walls are covered in nicely darkened paneling with a nice scalloped wood trim at the ceiling. You can't find trim like this at Lowe's.
In the dining room, we were a little disappointed to not hear the same tunes from the bar being piped over the sound system, but there was some lighter music playing.
Looking around, there were several older patrons dining with kids and friends, who have probably been coming to Mona's for decades.
Our waitress, Teresa, was funny, cheerful and efficient throughout our meal.
We each went with meals we've had at Bernardi's many times over the years. I had the chicken Parmesan, an unbreaded, marinated chicken breast next to some spaghetti, the whole thing topped with their signature meat sauce and cheese, accompanied by two hearty slices of garlic toast.
StfRon had the 1/4 fried chicken, all white meat, with a side salad topped with thousand island dressing and a side of tortellini with meat sauce. StfRon claims the dressing at Mona's still tastes like he remembers it as a kid, but that Bernardi's is good, but not exactly the same.
I had some of their new dipping oil with the bread that was brought out when we were seated, mixed with a little Parmesan cheese. It was very good and nicely seasoned. You can buy the oil to take home, for about $5 a bottle.
We could tell our meals were prepared by a different chef (since we're used to Bernardi's) but everything was very good, nonetheless.
We finished our meal by sharing a dish of peppermint ice cream, another treat from StfRon's youth at Mona's. The ice cream did not have the peppermint crunchy candy in it that we remembered, so we asked our waitress, and she said the ice cream used to be Prairie Farms, but now is Blue Bunny.
Sunday while at Kroger, we looked for Prairie Farms peppermint ice cream, and found no Prairie Farms ice cream at all, so maybe they don't even make it any more.
I did notice that Mona's had something on the menu that Bernardi's does not, tortellini served in chicken broth. It sounds like a refreshing light meal, and I almost ordered it.
On our way out to pay our bill, the manager seemed flustered by the crowd and was explaining to a couple that they do not accept reservations for groups less than 12. The couple said they had called and were told they could get in no problem, with a table of six. The manager said they must have spoken to someone in the kitchen. If so, it's too bad the person who answered the phone did not tell the caller that they would not have a reservation.
The good news is, the wait for a table was only 30-45 minutes, which would be on the low side at a restaurant in Peoria on Saturday night at 6:30.
75 years is something for a restaurant in central Illinois to be proud of. If Mona's keeps the food, service and atmosphere going the way they are, they should be around for many more decades.

Ozark House Restaurant

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

Weaver Ridge

Thanks to Numero magazine and StfRon's geocaching prowess, we scored ourselves a gift certificate to Weaver Ridge and dined there a couple of months ago.
Located at 5100 WeaverRidge Blvd. in Peoria, Weaver Ridge is a newer championship golf course, and has a restaurant to boot.
We took our mothers there about three years ago for a Mother's Day brunch, but other than that, had never really spent much time there. On that occasion, due to some late people and such, we all darted off and filled up on breakfast food without listening to our waitress' instructions. It was only after we ate that we realized there was prime rib being carved on the other side of the room!
I heard that Weaver Ridge has a good rack of ribs, though, and that, combined with the gift certificate, convinced StfRon to dine there.
StfRon and our dining companion had the ribs, I tried the Thursday special, the hickory smoked chicken. The food was good. The decor seemed a little like a hotel restaurant. And our service was also good.
Weaver Ridge also has a popular brunch every Sunday, and golf packages for the golfers out there. They also run coupons often with http://localvaluesonline.com.

Paparazzi

I remember hearing of the mysterious Paparazzi restaurant in Peoria Heights when I was in high school, but I never had figured out where it was. This was in the days before Google Maps and all of those great things.
A few years back, I would take walks down Harvard Ave. to Prospect (Harvard changes into Lake), and lo and behold, tucked next to some industrial buildings, there was Paparazzi.
My friends and I booked our Christmas dinner there a few years ago, and I finally got to check the place out.
Dining there, you almost feel like you are in a basement or something, albeit a great basement. The cement block walls are painted in thick bands of green, white and red in honor of the Italian flag colors. Black and white photos grace the walls.
The service is always wonderful when I visit Paparazzi, the last time being Saturday night. I had my usual dish I settled on after my first couple of visits, the stuffed filet of sole. The sole is stuffed with spinach and cheese, then broiled to perfection. It's served accompanied by a tomato half stuffed with ricotta cheese and herbs, which I use to dip my fish in.
The house wine prices are great here, about $3 for a glass and $14 for a bottle, and they serve it in the stubby European glasses, which I think is a cool touch. Buca di Beppo (gasp...a chain!) does this as well, and we love it there. We love it so much, in fact, we're having our wedding dinner there in July, after our Big Fun Wisconsin Wedding.
Back to Paparazzi...StfRon has also settled on his favorite dish there, the lasagna. It isn't as meaty as some, so, based on a great recommendation from our waitress one time, he orders it with a side of meatballs. Perfection, says he.
And last, the icing on the cake...Paparazzi's desserts. They are Divine, with a capital D. They have a gelato of the day, cannoli, rum cake, and the be all to end all chocolate mousse, if you ask me. This mousse is FANTASTIC! It tastes to me like it has the cannoli filling mixed in with the chocolatey goodness. It isn't as whipped as some, but the flavor is excellent. We like it topped with the raspberry sauce, and we're in heaven. Several times I've had to hold myself back from licking the glass they serve it in!
Paparazzi features live music some nights, and the prices can be reasonable for dinner. Keep in mind that salads, soup and I think even bread, cost extra.
We have been turned away before due to not having reservations, so if you plan to check it out, you might want to call ahead.

Wildlife Prairie State Park

I remember Wildlife Prairie State Park, 3826 N. Taylor Rd. in Hanna City, from when I was a kid. Looking at the bison through the binoculars you paid a quarter to use; sitting on the back of the bronze pony; looking to spot the bears in the trees.
A few years back, StfRon and I even went to Wildlife Scary Park and rode the train through the haunted park.
AND we visited the park to look at the banquet rooms for our upcoming wedding. We wanted something rustic and cozy, not so sterile and banquet-y like most places around here. They have some great rooms at the park.
We have also tried to partake in the Mother's Day brunch, but, alas, this books up a year or more in advance. Maybe in a few years, Mom.
Wildlife Prairie Park has all of this to offer and more. They opened for the season March 1, and are serving brunch each Sunday. You can even spend the night at the park in a caboose or cabin. Central Illinois is lucky to have this wonderful park, thanks to Mr. Bill Rutherford.

Rizzi's

Rizzi's has been a standard in Peoria for Italian for quite some time with a location on Sheridan next to Jeffrey Alans, 4613 N. Sheridan Road, to be exact. A more recent addition is the Rizzi's at 112 State Street downtown.
The two are different as far as atmosphere, and the menu differs as well. At Rizzi's on Sheridan, you can enjoy lunch or dinner in a smaller, cozy atmosphere. My long-time favorite here is the calzones. Plan to bust a gut, or take half home with you!
Rizzi's downtown is more of an upscale feel in an old, renovated brick building.
Almost every Italian restaurant now does the olive oil with bread and Parmesan before your meal. Let me tell you, though, I had lunch at Rizzi's downtown this week, and I think it is by far the best olive oil I've ever been served in a restaurant. The tomato-basil salad dressing is excellent, too.
Rizzi's downtown is also available for parties.
Peruse the menus at http://www.rizzisrestaurant.com.

April, 2007 - I met a group at Rizzi's on State for a party, in their small party room behind the bar. There were about 10 of us.
The olive oil for the bread was as good as always. And I tried a new dish, pollo francaise, which was FABULOUS. Boneless breast of chicken dipped in egg sauteed with lemon butter and white wine sauce. I had it over angel hair pasta, with the garden salad topped with tomato basil dressing. My entrée was served piping hot, despite our large group, plus the restaurant was full of prom-goers. A very nice meal, indeed.

Mackinaw Valley Vineyard

A great place we have discovered, thanks to some friends, is the Mackinaw Valley Vineyard on Rt. 9, four miles east of Mackinaw. On a nice Sunday afternoon, StfRon and I went so he could check out the place. I had been before with friends and knew that the grounds are very well landscaped and relaxing.
StfRon and I started in the tasting room and ended up buying a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers and sharing it down by the lake, where the area was still set up from a wedding the night before. This also gave us the idea to consider the winery for our upcoming reception.
The winery normally has about six or seven different wines available for free sampling, or you can buy a glass to enjoy indoors or on the grounds, or you can buy a bottle to share (or several to take home). They have cheese and crackers available for purchase. If you want something more substantial, you can bring along a picnic.
The grounds are very nice. You can walk along the grape vines, sit on the deck in a rocker or walk around the lake nearby. The owner told us about an historic cemetery out at the end of the lake, which was neat to see.
For more information, see the website at http://www.mackinawvalleyvineyard.com.