EP's Timeout and Sports Eatery

EP's Timeout sits along East Washington Street where Diana's Family Restaurant once did in East Peoria.
I've eaten at the sports-themed bar and restaurant about three times, twice for lunch and once for breakfast.
The most recent time we had lunch there, they had $5 lunch specials that included a soft drink, which is quite a deal. My husband and I both had hot beef, the comfort meal featuring white bread, roast beef and a scoop of mashed potatoes drenched in beef gravy. With the weather turning cooler, that meal sounds great about right now!
In addition to a Sunday breakfast buffet, which we have not tried, EP's breakfast features a good selection of the usual suspects: eggs, biscuits and gravy, waffles, French toast, pancakes, meat and the like. The food was better than the cheap breakfast fare some places offer up.
The menu runs the whole gamut, from pizza to wraps to salads and healthier fare, plus stuffed burgers and hot dogs. And yes, there are plenty of TVs in case you want to catch a game while you're there.

Bullpen Sports Bar & Grill

After the closure of the off track betting parlor at Landmark in Peoria, the Bullpen Sports Bar & Grill took over the space.

I met my husband for lunch there a couple of weeks ago, and found a few of the tall tables in the dining area were already occupied.

Looking over the menu our waitress promptly delivered, I noticed they had a hand battered Buffalo chicken sandwich ($6.25), so I decided to try that.

Besides chicken the sandwich selections also include a hand cut tenderloin, a fish sandwich, a turkey wrap, a hot dog and a sub, an Italian beef, a prime rib and Philly beef steak. They serve wings, some nice sounding salads including a Caribbean version, pizza and 1/3 pound burgers. All sandwiches come with home made chips.

After ordering, I took notice of all the 50" flat screen TVs lining the room near the ceiling. All the better for those sports fans.

Video games were scattered throughout the sports bar.

There was also a second room with more intimately arranged tables and smaller TV screens that may become an Internet café in the future.

Our food arrived in good time. My chicken breast was juicy, and rather than being doused in the standard tabasco sauce, this bird was packing some heat! The sauce had quite a kick to it, and I noticed some pepper flakes on it as well. The sandwich left a satisfying burn on my tongue long after it was gone.

The home made chips were an nice accompaniment to my meal.

The Bullpen serves lunch seven days a week, is open until 2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday and features food specials several days a week.

Leaves-n-Beans Roasting Co.

We stopped by Leaves-n-Beans Roasting Co., 4800 N. Prospect Avenue in Peoria Heights, to pick up some gifts a couple of weeks ago.
We used the downstairs entrance, since we were looking to buy some beans, and found ourselves at the end of a line of coffee buyers.
There was a lady busily scooping and bagging coffee, and soon the new owner popped down, saw the line and happily pitched in.
We ended up getting some of their Snickerdoodle, a long time favorite, and a vanilla variety as gifts, and some bananas foster beans for us on a whim. We aren't as much into flavored coffees as we used to be, although I still appreciate a good brew with cinnamon flavor, especially during the holidays. But bananas foster seemed interesting enough to give a try.
Since visiting Leaves n' Beans, we have noticed our regular home brew, Yuban, which I've drank for 15 years or more, at least the can we are using now, is not as bold as it always was, so we may be on the lookout for a new bold home brew.
The owner had us set in minutes, and I was surprised to find the old punch cards still on file from several years back when I started one. He said that he would add us to the computer, and that he has plans to do some demographics studies as far as where customers are coming from and such.
The lady in front of us was actually from the suburbs of Chicago, and he mentioned that they offer shipping, but she said she does make it to the area often enough to stay stocked up.
We then popped upstairs and each ordered a cup of brewed coffee to go and found a few people sitting at tables visiting.
The coffee shop is featuring live music some evenings, and has added dining options. I am looking forward to making it over there for lunch one day soon.
It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm the new owner has for the business, and great to see them doing so well.

April, 2009 — Leaves-n-Beans is now serving both breakfast and lunch, including some vegetarian options. They also carry organic coffees.

Two25

While my husband is still mourning the loss of Uno's in the Mark Twain Hotel, we took a chance on lunch at the restaurant now occupying the space: Two25.
Walking through the lobby of the hotel at 225 NE Adams Street in Peoria, I noticed it has been updated since I last walked through. I liked the decor, and the library looked like a great place to park myself and hang out for the rest of the day. Too bad I had to get back to work.
Stepping into the restaurant, we were greeted by a gal manning the hostess stand who showed us to a booth.
The dining room has seen some decor changes since Uno's as well, which were a nice touch.
With loungy hits by Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra playing in the background, we checked out the menu.
On the appetizer list, the crab & artichoke gratin sounded good, as did the baked Brie. There were a couple of salads that I would like to try: the pear and the spinach salad. Moving on to pizzas, the thought of the White Pie had me salivating: olive oil, ricotta, spinach,
artichoke hearts and garlic. The menu also featured steaks, chicken and seafood, burgers, pasta and sandwiches.
Being lunch, however, I went with something a bit lighter, the salad bar with soup. The lunch endless salad bar was priced at $7, and adding French onion soup or the soup du jour is an extra $2. We had scoped out the salad bar after noticing it on the menu, and it looked worthy.
StfRon went with the salad bar as well, and added a sausage pizza bread for $1.
This salad bar made its way to my list of top three in Peoria since it had three choices of greens, a tri-colored pepper mix, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, onions, sunflower seeds, candied walnuts, a couple of fruit choices, broccoli, cottage cheese, several dressing choices and more.
Our food arrived fairly quickly. The French onion soup was served in a large cappucino style mug on a saucer and the rich broth filled with onions was topped with some bread and melted cheese.
StfRon's pizza bread was sprinkled with chunks of savory sausage and had a nice crispness to the edges of the submarine style bread.
Glancing around as we were finishing our meal I noticed the dining room we were in was almost full and the voices of the patrons floated up into the high ceilings, mingling and echoing down, lending a nice touch to the atmosphere.
Our waitress was bustling around and cheerful, johnny-on-the-spot with refills, even after we paid our bill of $22 before tip, which included two iced teas.
On our way back to work we declared the last-minute decision for lunch a nice success, and we'll be sure to come back to Two25 again soon.

Eyesal's Coffee Roasters

Last week on our way back from East Peoria we had a chance to stop at Eyesal's Coffee Roasters, 400 E. Washington Street in East Peoria.
The coffee shop has an unusual name which I thought must be the last name of one of the owners. I found out instead that Eyesal's is an acronym for Espresso Yourself, Smile A Latte.
So the owner's name is not Eyesal, but he made us feel very welcome and recognized that it was our first time visiting the quaint shop, furnished with dark leathery chairs and couches situated on bright red carpet.
Eyesal's roasts their own beans, and both my husband and I were pleasantly surprised at the bold flavor of our chosen coffee drinks.
The menu features teas in addition to the coffees, and smoothies as well. There is a meeting room available, and free WiFi access. They also offer a punch card that they will keep on file for you in the shop, in case you're tired of toting around all of those membership cards.

Ginger Asian Bistro

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

TNT Sports Bar & Grill

Sunday we took another ride on the River Trail of Illinois in East Peoria, thinking the fall colors would be out in full force. Either they're not quite there yet, or they aren't going to be that stunning, but the weather was great for a ride nonetheless. Some friends of ours met us for the ride.
The trail passes right behind TNT Sports Bar & Grill, so we made plans to stop there for a bite to eat.
TNT is located at 3304 Meadows Avenue in East Peoria.
We stepped inside to find a dark (especially coming in from the noontime sun) dining room behind the bar, walls lined with wood planks. Through some window openings into the bar that were covered with Plexiglas, we could see a row of several flat screen TVs, each displaying different football games.
Along the bar wall in the room was a nicely maintained shuffleboard table.
When we took our seat, there were about three other tables of people in the dining room, but once noon hit a pretty steady stream of customers flowed into the restaurant.
We had been tossing around the idea of Bloody Marys and breakfast at the bar. Our waitress came by to take our drink order, and since I hadn't seen any sign of a breakfast menu, I asked for an iced tea. StfRon looked at me and said "What, no Bloody Mary??" Our waitress piped up and said they had a Bloody Mary bar. We were all intrigued, and three of us ordered one.
The waitress delivered three glasses of vodka on ice to our table, then escorted us to the Bloody Mary bar to give us the rundown.
There were several bottles of Bloody Mary mix, one of which is TNT's own creation, which she mentioned has won some awards. We all decided to try that one. There were seasonings like Worcestershire, celery salt, salt and pepper, and garnishes including Slim Jims, celery, green olives, pickles and green onions. There was also a pot of chili and some bowls on the Bloody Mary bar.
We loaded up our drinks and headed back to the table to enjoy our creations.
We decided to go with pizza for our lunch. StfRon and I ordered the sweetfire chicken pizza and our friends went with a deluxe. We also ordered some wings in honey BBQ (StfRon's doing) and mild for me.
TNT's pizzas are thin crust. The sauce on the sweetfire chicken pizza ended up having a pretty good kick to it. Between that, the Bloody Mary and the mild wings, my taste buds were heading toward a mild inferno. If I order that pizza again, I think I would have to cut down on the amount I ate.
StfRon enjoyed the honey BBQ wings. I don't particularly care for sweet wings, but I liked the mild ones.
Service was good, and several servers checked on us from time-to-time. I also visited the women's restroom and was fairly surprised at the decor and cleanliness. I really had prepared myself for a more low-end utilitarian restroom, but this was definitely a few steps above.
We were also pleasantly surprised when we got the bill. With the Bloody Mary bar priced at only $3, wings at 35 cents and pizzas at a few bucks off on Sundays, we made off with a bargain, and had we not been on bikes, we could have taken home some leftovers.
TNTs has daily specials and offers free WiFi.

TNT opened a second location in Peoria Heights at the former Penguin Tap in early 2009.

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.

The Blend

For weeks we've been driving by the banner that said "The Blend Opening Soon" in Washington at 1128 Peoria Street.
This week we saw The Blend was open, and stopped in to check it out.
The decor is upscale coffeehouse, with orange and yellow walls, pendent lights, eclectically upholstered booths and glossy cement floors.
The Blend roasts their own coffee, and on the day we were in, the bags were marked "fresh roasted on 10-4". There are several varieties of coffee to choose from. Next time we need some, we'll go buy some so it's fresh and we'll brew it up at home and see what we think. I also have my eye on some flavored varieties for Christmas presents.
The Blend serves bagels, muffins, scones and something called Wally Biscotti, which look awesome with flavors like Ginger Binge-ers, The Lemon Sisters and Pistachi-o-wie. They also have huge cinnamon rolls. We opted for the bagels, covered with poppy seeds. I had mine with garden veggie cream cheese, which was very savory. StfRon's been raving about the softness of the bagels. Our only complaint: they should see about a faster toaster, maybe one of those chain dealies where you put the bagel it and a few minutes later it pops out on the conveyor belt ready to go.
To quench your thirst, The Blend has espresso drinks, hot chocolate, chai, teas, smoothies and juices. I opted for some Minute Maid orange juice, having already caffeined up at home that morning.
If you decide to hang out at The Blend, they have some magazines and books to read and WiFi access, and so far are open in the evenings as well as mornings.

August, 2008 — We rode our bikes to the Blend before a weekend road trip. We were disappointed to find that they had seemingly changed both their bagels and cream cheese. The bagels were not as soft, and the cream cheese was not as savory. They are still roasting their own coffee on a regular basis, though, which will make for great gifts for coffee lovers.

The Butcher Block

In the newly-renovated Junction City shopping center, there is a great market/cafe, The Butcher Block.
You will still find great cuts of meat, sausages, pork, chicken and more you expect from The Butcher Block with the added bonus of cheeses, sodas, beer, wine, breads and specialty items.
The café is a great addition, with nice deli sandwiches featuring Boar's Head brand meats, subs, wraps and salads. You can even enjoy a beer or glass of wine while you're visiting.
StfRon tried a BBQ brisket sandwich, which was very good. I've had the Reuben, which is good as well. I think next time I need to try the smoked pulled pork and coleslaw wrap.
Check out their web site at http://thebutcherblockpeoria.com/.

June, 2009 — The Butcher Block has removed much of their market items and is now focusing on meats and the deli, which now offers breakfast.
September, 2010 — The Butcher Block is under new ownership, and no longer offers deli items. They do offer dinner with a focus on steaks.

Nick-N-Willy's Pizza

OK, so they are not exactly local, but their concept is unique enough, and I don't think they are putting great Mom and Pop pizza joints out of business...
Nick-N-Willy's, with locations in Peoria in the Metro Centre, and off Allen Rd. near the Super Sh!it-Mart, is known for the take & bake pizza concept. You pick up a pre-made pie, toss it in your oven when you get home, and you have fresh gourmet pizza on the table in no time flat.
Dining in, you used to get served a large slice of pizza. Must have been some complaints on the portions or something, because now you get a personal pizza when you dine in. My favorites include the Big Kahuna and the Outback (mmm...bacon).
There are so many great topping combinations to choose from. Nick-N-Willy's also has great salad selections and unique sandwiches. Plus, they carry a huge cookie you can take and bake.

While I'm blogging an N business, I want to give some kudos to Nikki's Cookies of Milwaukee. I was on a quest to find something local, but not perishable, to put in some welcome baskets for distribution at the hotel for our Big Fun Wisconsin Wedding. While in the Milwaukee Public Market, I finally spotted it: Nikki's Cookies! Made in Milwaukee and preservative free to boot! I got online when we got home and ended up ordering them direct from Nikki's Cookies website. They have lemon shortbread cookies, cinnamon butterfly cookies and even Key Lime shortbread cookies, to name a few. I have seen these cookies from time-to-time locally, mostly at tea room gift shops and the like.
I placed an order, and also threw in some toffee cookies for my dad. My order arrived neatly packed a few short days later, complete with ice packs for the toffee cookies, and a handwritten note. In this day and age of Internet shopping, it's rare to see a handwritten note.
In my ordering frenzy, I hadn't realized that the toffee cookies were considered "chocolates" and you are supposed to order a $5 ice pack to keep them cool during shipping in warm months. The note simply stated that they had added the ice pack free of charge to make sure my cookies arrived in the best condition possible, and reminded me that for future orders I should add an ice pack. I appreciated them taking the extra effort to make sure I was pleased with my purchase.
Of course, I sampled a pack of the cookies as well, to make sure no one would be disappointed. Very good!

Adams Street Café & Catering

My brother used to rave about Adams Street Café & Catering in downtown Peoria about 7 years ago. For some reason, I thought the place was a burger joint, and not being a big burger kind of gal, I never tried the place.
Recently, I was treated to a box lunch from Adams Street Café. I had the Popeye, a spinach wrap filled with hummus, tomato, red onion, pepper jack cheese and fresh spinach. It was a little heavy on the hummus, but otherwise a great lunch. The meal came with Sun Chips, pasta salad and a cookie.
The sandwich menu looks great (the Dagwood, Tweety Bird Turkey, 3 Little Pigs...), and they also have homemade soups and homemade chips. And yes, they do have burgers, which I hear are very good, too. I've also heard they make a mean lemon cake. I know that the peanut butter tops are very tasty, and the raspberry white chocolate scone, as well.
Adams Street Café also serves breakfast during the week. Find out more on their web site at http://www.adamsstreetcafepeoria.com.

August, 2007 - I stopped in to Adams Street Cafe to order some carryout for lunch. This place was hoppin'! And the decor is neat, kind of boutique hotel style walls and upholstered chairs (upstairs) and lots of vintage-styled tin signs and photographs. I had a tuna salad on multi-grain and picked up a Famous sub on wheat for StfRon. His sandwich came with some chips, so I got the homemade ones. A very tasty lunch!

Cyd's Sendsationals

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

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

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

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

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

Sol Azteca

We were anxious to try Sol Azteca when it debuted in Washington. In a town short on nicer sit-down restaurants, any sign of a new one causes a lot of interest. And we were not disappointed by this one.
Sol Azteca, 1289 N. Peoria St., Washington, is a fine example of great Mexican food.
The salsa is fresh and delicious. The service is quick and very efficient. And the food is great. It comes out faster than you can say, "Do I have time for a quick siesta?"
Seriously, your order comes out very quickly, on a nice hot plate, and it tastes great. Wash it down with a margarita or cerveza, and all is good.

One World Café

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