Noted

The Ice Cream Shack of Sunnyland is now open.

Noted

A Perfect Pear Boutique in Peoria Heights is celebrating five years of business today. Stop by from 10-7 and enjoy champagne and cupcakes while you shop.

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I heard that Carnegies 501 has reopened in the Pere Marquette Hotel in Downtown Peoria.

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Dane's Bar and Grill on Brandywine in Peoria is closed. I'm not yet sure if the closure is temporary or permanent.

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S'more Couture (2700 W. 2nd Street, Alta) is now featuring locally-designed clothing made right here in Peoria. Kudos for that!

Beignets on the Corner is now open at the former Water Street Wines Café and Coffee location at the corner of State and Water streets in Peoria.

Noted

Some of you may have heard that Quizno's on Main Street in Peoria has closed. Today I noticed a new sign over the entrance of the former Quizno's that reads: Haddad's Downtown, since 1980 and there appears to be some activity there.

Rolando's Supper Club

Having heard tales of a huge serving of tasty prime rib, we decided to visit Rolando's Supper Club in Hennepin.
The restaurant (which I believe was formerly known as George O's) uses the slogan "Home of the Prime Cut" in their advertising.
Dinner is served Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Tuesdays they serve fried chicken and a special, and on the weekend nights they serve prime rib, other steaks, seafood and several other menu items including pasta and chicken.
We took a seat in the dining room, which was without music on the evening we were in, but a few other tables of people kept it from being uncomfortably quiet.
We both decided to order the prime rib ($26.95), of which there were no size details on the menu.
Our meals came with choice of potato, for which my husband chose the house potatoes for an extra $2, bread and salad bar. The salad bar consisted of iceberg lettuce, a three bean salad, which I enjoyed, cottage cheese, pickle spears and beets.
Before we had finished our salads, our friendly waitress was on her way to the table with two huge slabs of medium rare prime rib, nicely crusted with pepper and other seasonings.
These steaks were practically three inches thick, and covered most of a standard dinner plate.
After making a small dent in our meal, we stopped by the adjoining bar for a cocktail. Customers and staff alike were both friendly there, and we learned that the building that houses Rolando's has been around since about 1939.
On our way to the car, we saw our waitress outside who again greeted us and told us to have a nice evening.
The steaks were good, so if you are looking for a huge meal or leftovers for several days after and friendly service, Rolando's is worth checking out.

Cabin fever?

If you've been cooped up due to the snow and are ready to get out, here are a few things going on in the area during the next couple of days.


Chic Mcgee, heard on the Bob & Tom Show with Rob Haney is performing at Mason City Limits in Mason City Friday and Saturday night.


Willett's Winery in Manito still has a few tickets for their murder mystery to be held Saturday evening.

Forest Park Nature Center in Peoria is having a book sale Saturday and Sunday.

Lori's Kitchen Store in Washington will offer a Dinner for Dimes class on Monday.

Noted

I recently learned of two more restaurant closings. Paul Kelley's at 401 in Peoria closed late last year.
Chef John's Wine Bar & Grill in Dunlap was last open New Year's Eve.

Amber and Marty's Fillin' Station Family Diner

Sunday my husband wanted to go out for breakfast, so we took the opportunity to try Amber and Marty's Fillin' Station Family Diner in Sunnyland.
We arrived shortly before lunch and there were a handful of tables available in the automotive-themed restaurant, but within 30 minutes there was only one table left.
The menu features several breakfast combos (breakfast all day), omelets, appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches and dinners.
As soon as I saw combo #5, the Straw boss ($7.75), I knew that's what I would be having. Smoked country ham, two eggs and choice of potato or grits. Of course I chose grits.
My husband had The buzz combo with pancakes and corned beef hash for $4.25.
Despite the restaurant being busy, it didn't take too long for our food to arrive.
The ham was tasty, and the hearty grits had just a few lumps, just the way I like them, and my husband's hash had a nice crust on top.
Our waitress was friendly and efficient. I'm glad the Fillin' Station is open on Sundays as I could see this being a fairly regular stop.

Round up

Last week I met some friends for dinner at Two25 in Peoria after a stop at I Know You Like a Book and Leaves 'n Beans in Peoria Heights.
It was my first time for dinner at Two25, but I have had lunch there several times.
Our service was top notch, my twin filet Madeira medallions almost melted in my mouth and I enjoyed finding Klinker Brick Zinfandel on the wine list. Also not to be forgotten is the pistachio gelato we all enjoyed for dessert.

This weekend we were headed north to do some cemetery searching and stopped by Jane's Icebox in Dunlap for a bite. The menu featured a surprising number of items, but we are looking forward to visiting in summer as they are located right on the Rock Island Trail, have outdoor seating and serve ice cream.

Noted

Lee's Family Restaurant in Peoria has closed.

Noted

Deany's Sippys & Eats (in the former Grant's Inn in Mossville) has closed.

Round up

My recent Peoria dining experiences include hummus, pita and a garden salad with strawberry poppyseed dressing at One World and a combo featuring garlic tomato soup and a half of a chicken salad sandwich on soft wheat bread at Café 401.

At long last I also had dinner at PV II in Peoria. The standout here was the food: acorn squash soup, like a decadent dessert, served piping hot; rich spinach rotolo, again served piping hot, with an incredible flavor;
and my husband's lasagna, topped with a vibrantly red tomato sauce. The bread was standard fare, accompanied by a quality olive oil. We also tried the flourless torte, which, despite not saying so on the menu, I thought it had a distinct coffee flavor which I preferred over a chocolate only torte.
Service was fine and we also got to take advantage of a bottle of half price wine, which is a Thursday special at the restaurant.

We also stopped for wings and a thin crust pie at Firehouse Pizza in Washington. Yum on both counts!

The Flame Family Restaurant

Some friends of ours told us that The Flame Family Restaurant in Metamora was a great place to eat, so on a recent Sunday we headed over to give it a try.
Walking in to what my husband says long ago used to be an A&W, we were greeted by a case filled with scrumptious-looking pies.
We were welcomed by a hostess who took us to a booth, and soon had placed our drink orders with our waitress.
Once my husband saw they had hot turkey on the menu, he ditched the breakfast section of the choices. I almost did the same, but I decided I could try a bite of his turkey, so I ordered French toast with bacon.
My French toast was well-coated in egg batter and the bacon was surprisingly tasty compared to a lot of breakfast places we've been.
My husband had selected a cup of French onion soup to go with his turkey dinner. It arrived not looking like the ordinary variety capped with cheese, but had an almost tomato-looking base, and had a great flavor.
The turkey was not some pressed turkey loaf but was a nice quality bird, and once he took a bite of the mashed potatoes my husband exclaimed with excitement "They're real, with lumps!"
Service was good and all of the employees seemed to be working together, grabbing plates when they were empty and keeping things tidy.
The bill was reasonable, well under $20 for two meals and two drinks.

Noted

The Dome Tap in Peoria has closed.

The Loft salon and spa opened in East Peoria last summer.

Closing the book on 2010

Here we are just a week into the new year, and my thoughts have turned to the locally-owned businesses we lost in 2010.
The list includes:

Happy Hanger
Water Street Wines, Café & Coffees
Mushrush's Irish Pub
The Bean
Youssef's Deli
Diana's Family Restaurant
Kaiserhof Restaurant
Velvet Freeze
Goodness Café
Cummins Drive-Thru
Sullivan's
Tingleff Pharmacy
Twin Tower Cafe
Jane Dough
Chef Leo's
Heavenly Delights BBQ
Harolds Hamburgers
St. Pauli Pub
The Sports Page
Jane Dough

I'm sure I missed a few.
We've already lost a couple of businesses this year as well. Let's keep supporting those businesses we love and may they thrive in 2011 and beyond!

Caffé Italia Ristorante

My husband works in Bloomington every so often, and he has been raving about a little place called Caffé Italia Ristorante.
He had been hooked by their cheese pizza, and had also tried one of their pastas of the day and raved about the sauce.
I had a chance to have lunch at Caffé Italia a few weeks ago. I ordered the Pizza al Formaggio and a drink and took a seat in the café to await my meal.
Several of the diners appeared to be regulars, possibly from nearby State Farm. Many of them were also partaking of the Italian holiday treats the restaurant had in stock.
My pizza arrived shortly, and it was indeed delicious, with a wonderfully crisp crust.
Beer and wine is available, as well as a couple of my favorites: Gelato and cannoli.

Over Easy Café

We've eaten at the new Over Easy Café on Lake in Peoria twice now.
The first time we ordered off the lunch menu. My husband had a burger and I had turkey.
The restaurant, open for breakfast and lunch, features a daily lunch special and a soup of the day.
A couple of weeks later we sampled the breakfast fare. I had a corned beef hash skillet, which was tasty and plenty to fill me up. If I recall, the husband had biscuits and gravy. We were drinking coffee, and this is one place where they know how to keep the customers' coffee warm. Our waitress and others stopped by several times to top our cups off.
A menu item of note is their cinnamon roll pancakes, which we are eager to try. We weren't feeling the sweet tooth on our last visit, but we'll be sure to try them soon!

Noted

Mickie's Pizzeria has closed their Peoria location. Visit them in Dunlap, East Peoria or Pekin.

I just heard the sad news that Haddad's grocery in West Peoria has burned down and the building is a total loss.