Cracked Pepper Catering and Bakery, Inc.

I've been wanting to try Cracked Pepper Catering and Bakery, Inc. in Peoria for lunch for quite some time.The NE Adams location seemed just a bit too far to drive during my workday lunch, and I had not seen them open on weekends.

Once I saw that the new, closer-to-me Main Street location was open, I made plans to meet some friends there, and tried the Caprese panini.

The Main Street spot is a nice location, in the former City News Café/Jane Dough spot. They have taken out the wall of newspaper racks and replaced them with an interesting selection of pepper mills.

This Saturday we decided to drive by Cracked Pepper at NE Adams and if they were open we would stop in, otherwise we were headed to the Ice Cream Shack.

As we neared the bakery, I could see a couple sitting at a table by the window, so we pulled in.

This location also was decorated with a variety of pepper mills and there were a few tall tables inside.

Both locations featured colorful chalkboard menus done with great artistic flair.

This time, I decided to try the "award winning" Italian beef. My husband selected the sweet BBQ pork sandwich.

I was asked if I wanted mozzarella and Giardiniera on my sandwich. I passed on the cheese but went for the relish.

During the brief wait for our sandwiches, I noticed that the bakery case featured a couple of bacon logs, which I have heard about both from my friend J who has enjoyed a few of them, and in the newspaper.

My Italian beef was quite good, the Giardiniera not nuclear, so it didn't overwhelm the beef and the bread it was nestled in was outstanding. My husband also commented on the bread his BBQ pork came on.

The pork tasted smoked, and when I sampled it I really enjoyed the juicy bite. I would order either of those sandwiches again.

To cap off our meal, we figured we'd better try the bacon log, a long john-style donut slathered with rich maple icing, crowned with a slice of thick-cut bacon coated in brown sugar.

This picture oddly makes it look a bit like the heavens were shining down upon the delectable donut.

We split the luscious log and it was a delight, the pastry fluffy and fresh, the icing creamy with a good maple flavor and the bacon hearty yet sweet.

In addition to more tempting pastries, Cracked Pepper also offers salads, more sandwiches including some breakfast varieties, and a wrap or two. You can upgrade to a boxed lunch for a bit more, which adds a side and a cookie.

Noted

It looks like the tapas restaurant Noir in Peoria Heights may have had their soft opening. I happened to walk by tonight and there was music with a nice Latin flair being piped onto the front patio, lanterns on the tables and a menu on a podium on the sidewalk.

If we had known earlier, we probably would have checked it out. We have made a note and will be by soon to give it a try.

Billy's Phillys

Saturday we decided to try Billy's Phillys which opened last fall on Farmington Road in Peoria.

The small building is adorned with a fun vintage star sign. Inside we found a combo of six tables and booths, bright white walls and red, white a blue decor adorning the walls.

We stepped up to the counter to read the menu and place our order.

My husband chose the original (ribeye steak, grilled onions and Cheez Whiz) and I opted for a cheese steak with sliced provolone. Including a bottle of water, our total was just over $17.

We took a seat at one of the booths and soon our foil wrapped sandwiches were delivered in a plastic bag.

We unwrapped them and dug in. The cheese was layered on the bottom of the bun, then onions, then a pile of thinly sliced ribeye, and the sandwiches were piping hot. The meat and onions had made quick work of melting the provolone and the steak, seemingly unseasoned, was good quality. We heard a lady talking to another table of customers mention that they get the buns from Philadelphia, which added a nice touch.

I sampled my husband's Cheez Whiz philly, which he enjoyed, but I preferred the provolone version.

We also found a foil wrapped set of pickle spears in the bag, which I noshed on after the sandwiches were gone.

The man who took our order, mostly likely also cooked it and brought it out to us asked us a few times how everything was and if we needed anything else.

As we headed out the door, a group of six filed in, ready to enjoy a quality meal from Billy's Phillys.

Noted

I noticed the work going on at Diana's Family Restaurant in East Peoria recently, and yesterday I heard that the restaurant had closed and been sold. It will be turned into a sports bar and will open later this year.

I hope they keep the retro "Eat" sign on top of the building.

Also in East Peoria, the Burger Barge's Tiki Barge opens tonight. We've been seeing the banners for this for a long time, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

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.

Round up

We hit the Peoria RiverFront Market this past weekend and came away with some eggs, blueberries and grass fed hamburger patties.

I enjoyed some hummus, sourdough bread and an everything cookie from Goodness Café in Peoria.

We took in another movie at Peoria Theater, after which it occurred to me what a value it is. The show tickets were $6 and I noticed they have a 7" pizza and soda combo for $5. A glass of wine is $4 and domestic beers are $2.50.

Great ticket prices, great concession prices AND an interesting movie selection.

We enjoyed lunch at Emo's in Peoria while watching road construction crews working on a Saturday afternoon. I still have not encountered a better specimen of cheese fries in the last 10 years or so.

We also took a look at a timeline of sorts they have posted on the side of the building. Oddly neither my husband nor I remember Emo's being torn down and rebuilt in the 1980s.

Noted

I hear that the former Ned Kelly's/Feldan's location in Peoria will have a new occupant some time next month.

The restaurant 309 opens tomorrow in Peoria Heights. I am looking forward to trying the artisan cheeses and the local meats and produce.

Peoria Theater

The movie we chose to see on our first visit may not have lived up to my expectations, but the Peoria Theater was a nice change from the same old.

The theater, which uses a couple of the screens in Peoria's Landmark cinema building, shows some different and independent films compared to what the megaplex theaters showcase.

You have the option of enjoying beer, wine or even Jager bombs during your movie, and if you're lucky you might score a seat on one of the plush couches located behind the traditional theater seating.

Peoria Theater also hosts events in conjunction with some of their showings, and will host private parties.

Sitting waiting for our feature to start, I couldn't help but think what a neat thing the Peoria Theater is and was a bit sorry that I hadn't thought of it first and had the entrepreneurial spirit to see it through.

Noted

This week I noticed that a olive oil/vinegar/wine sampling shop will soon be open on Prospect in Peoria Heights. We have visited stores like this on our travels and are looking forward to checking it out.

I also spotted a new sign at the former Velvet Freeze in East Peoria. The sign said simply "The Original" Wonderdog, and there was also a grand opening banner on one of the windows. People were already inside enjoying the fare.

We were on our way to lunch somewhere, but will keep this in mind.

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.

The Fox Pub and Café

A couple of months ago we stopped by The Fox Pub and Café for a drink and checked out the menu, after my dad mentioned he had eaten at the Peoria pub a few times.

The Fox is hidden a bit off the beaten path, in the strip mall on N. Sommer Street next to the former K's Merchandise.

The decor was comfortable, kind of like what I would want my home library to look like with dark wood furniture and rich colors, but of course I would want brown leather chairs instead of tapestry dining chairs. There were a few beer mirrors and other things hung about, but nothing overdone.

Reading the menu, the Ploughman's Cheese Board caught my attention. Paired with one of my favorites, a Rodney Strong Cabernet, which they had by the glass, this could be quite a treat.

The Duke of Wellington also sounded good, a slow roasted beef brisket sandwich with cheddar and a horseradish sauce.

A customer stopped by the bar and asked if the salsa was homemade, to which the bartender said yes. She then proceeded to rave about how good the salsa was.

After finishing our drinks, we headed out, agreeing to come back soon.

We visited The Fox again a couple of weeks ago to sample the fare.

I opted for the Wellington ($7.95) and StfRon selected Ye Olde Fish and Chips ($8.95), deciding to go with the pub sauce for his chips.

Our "Dining Companion" and her husband soon joined us and ordered chili cheese fries, a side of homemade cole slaw and a burger.

The food arrived shortly. The tender brisket indeed tasted slow roasted, with a liquid smoke flavor. The cheddar melted on top was real cheese, none of that pasteurized processed food product. The Fox fries turned out to be skinny fries, hand cut and cooked to a lovely crispiness.

The fish my husband had was meaty and mild, nicely battered and the tangy pub sauce made a nice accompaniment to the chips.

The menu also features appetizers, wraps, salads and more and they provide live entertainment every Wednesday and Saturday night.

Local produce

We hit the long-awaited farm market yesterday morning at the Methodist Atrium. By the time we arrived, all the veggies were gone save for some herb plants, and Organic Pastures had a small amount of meat left. We picked up a pasture-raised beef roast, and look forward to trying it this week.

I'm glad to see there was such a great response and plan to get there earlier next month!

Speaking of garden plants, I didn't buy any at the market as I had already bought mine and planted them a week or two ago. Our local greenhouse, Washington Greenhouse, grows the plants themselves each winter. So far we bought oregano, peppers, rosemary, eggplant, cabbage and are growing carrots and leeks from seed.

We also asked them about red onions, which I thought would be nice to try this year, but they said they don't grow them anymore because they weren't a popular purchase, and most got thrown away.

The Riverfront Market in Peoria will start back up in June, and the Metro Centre market begins in May.

Bone Appitit

Enjoy my husband StfRon's review of Bone Appitit, as I've been a bit swamped ;-). — Peoria Peepers

A somewhat unfortunate name, Bone Appitit...the last part of the name brings memories of Beavis and Butthead.
Bone Appitit is the new BBQ joint just east of the square in Washington. We had heard rumor of a possible rib joint over a year ago, and it came to fruition this month.

Stickers placed on the window last year indicated breakfast would be available, but the hours changed and the breakfast part of the menu had a large ink "x" over it. Chicken, a huge favorite of my wife, was also sadly not available.

No worries for me though, this rib joint had RIBS. I chose the six rib meal with two sides ($7.50) and the wife chose the three rib meal with two sides ($6.50). We both opted for slaw and baked beans as sides, and a cornbread muffin came with, too.

As BB King wailed in the background, our meals were shortly presented. The ribs had a nice distinguishable smoke ring and a light hickory flavor. Dry ribs were not on the menu, so I ordered the "Sweet & Spicy" while my wife got the "Sweet and Tangy"

I must say, the spicy ribs had a very nice kick, and were presented with Jalapeno slices on top ( a nice touch I've never seen before on ribs) but my favorite was my wife's "tangy" ribs. The rib end pieces were a little dry, but I think the cook knew because my six rib combo had eight ribs, and my wife had five ribs in her three rib meal.

Overall the BBQ was decent and the prices reasonable. Hopefully a liquor license is in their future as tasty beer would have been nice.

July 2012— Bone Appitit is closed.

Round up

My recent local outings have taken me to Mi Familia (Peoria) for tacos; Leaves-n-Beans (Peoria Heights) for a lunch wrap and an iced cap; Apple's Bakery (Peoria) for chicken salad sandwiches and coffee; Super Liquors (Peoria) where I scored some decent sale wine; Heading Om (West Peoria) for some much needed yoga; Maria's (Washington) for dinner and dessert; the C-Note (Washington) for a glass of wine and Washington Greenhouse for some spring plants.

Sherman's

At long last, our house is graced with a new couch.

Pretty sure it would not qualify as a davenport though, which is one of those words Grandma always used.

Thanks to my readers, I got several good local furniture store ideas. The couch we decided to go with came from Sherman's in Peoria.

We visited Sherman's in early March. Willie, the gentleman who approached us, was very helpful, friendly and gave us no pressure. He had all the right answers at hand about where the couch was made (in the US, of course) and gave us print outs and final quotes on two couches we were considering.

We then went to a big box store where the salesman didn't seem to be listening to what we were saying we wanted and couldn't give us answers about where their couches were made, nor did he offer to go find out for us.

We were back at Sherman's later that day and made our fabric selection for both couch and pillows, paid and arranged delivery for a Sunday.

We ended up not choosing leather as our fabric, even though it was available. It didn't quite fit the look of this couch.

Plus, my friend D mentioned that leather is cold to sit on, which is one thing I hadn't considered, having never owned one before.

After she said that, I had visions of summer when you sit in a vinyl restaurant booth with shorts on, then feel like you left half the skin from your legs on the booth when you get up. Yikes!

Last Sunday, the appointed delivery day, we heard the delivery truck pull up outside and within 10 minutes our new couch was right at home in our living room.

Everyone we dealt with from Sherman's was friendly and helpful, and so far we're pleased with our purchase.

My only regret is that Grandma isn't around to give it a try.

Noted

I have known for about a month that Harold's Hamburgers in Washington is closing, but forgot all about posting about it until one of my readers sent me a message regarding them closing, which will happen this week.

We were hoping it wasn't true, but about a week and a half ago we stopped in for lunch (burgers and fries for my husband and a cherry pie for me) and talked to our cashier who confirmed it, and we noticed that some of the pictures and things in the restaurant were for sale.

My husband remembers the place from the Mr. Quick days, but I just enjoyed it for the nostalgia, friendly employees and some good eats. I will be sad to see them go.

The Ice Cream Shack in Peoria opens for the season this Friday.

Speaking of ice cream, Emo's will open for the season April 1. This could be the last season of Emo's as we know it, as the Peoria restaurant is for sale.

Last Chance Bar & Grill

On a recent Sunday we decided to try out the breakfast at Last Chance Bar & Grill in Peoria.

We found the main dining room and the one to the left to be full, so we headed to the room to the right, where there were some pool tables and dart boards.

We were soon joined by our "Dining Companion" and her husband, and were advised by our waitress that a large group was on their way, so we got our orders in quickly.

StfRon and I each ordered biscuits and gravy plus a side of corned beef hash and our companions ordered selections off the breakfast skillet menu.

The food was tasty and hot and service was friendly and prompt.

Can't wait until we pick up our new bikes and plan a breakfast and ride outing on the adjacent Rock Island Trail!

June Restaurant

We dined at June Restaurant in Peoria Heights recently, a restaurant which has received much praise from both local media and the Wall Street Journal.

We arrived early, about 5:45 on a weeknight and were able to get a table without a wait.

Our dining experience took about two hours, and by the time we left business had picked up quite a bit.

The decor at June was simple and contemporary in style with soothing colors, concrete floors and nature-inspired artwork.

Even the table settings were simple, yet elegant.

Our server was knowledgeable about the wine list, the menu items and the food preparation methods, which include Sous-vide, slow cooking under pressure in a heated water bath.

The ingredients for many of the menu items are from local farms, which I think is great. Not only are local ingredients likely to be fresher, the support of local farms helps them prosper, which in turn can make these items more readily available.

We selected a bottle of Albak Tempranillo wine and sampled that while still pondering our dinner choices.

We were also served some of the breads baked in house daily, a ciabatta bread and a black olive bread.

After hearing from our server about the farm fresh egg on the first course menu, we decided to share that prior to dinner.

He described the egg as being cooked for about an hour and a half, placed on homemade brioche and topped with fresh herbs, hollandaise, bacon and shiitake mushrooms smoked with espresso beans.

The egg was extremely soft and fresh tasting, the brioche nicely crisped and the bacon had a good smoky flavor. The espresso smoke flavor of the shiitakes was a bit strong for our tastes.

We selected our dinner entrées, Branzino (sea bass) for me and a New York strip for my husband, and were not planning on having a second course item until the waiter mentioned a mozzarella salad, which we agreed to share. I don't recall the entire description of the dish, but the description of the cheese was very appealing, especially to us cheese lovers, and the dish had sunchokes, which we had to have a refresher on.

When this dish arrived we found the cheese to be wonderfully creamy and smooth, the plate sprinkled with fresh herbs and balsamic. The dish also included a caramelized onion garnish bursting with flavor. The sunchokes were prepared chip style and scattered throughout.

The kitchen at June is open to the main dining room, and most tables have a clear view of everything going on there. This also allowed us to experience several of the tantalizing scents the food preparation was generating.

Once our entrées arrived, we found that every element of them was notable, and we ended up passing our forks back and forth across the table so each could experience everything.

My Branzino had an amazing meaty yet tender texture, the thinly-sliced chorizo and sauce served with it was wonderful and the chickpea spaetzle was great.

My husband's New York strip (aged 45 days) had such a buttery texture it almost melted in your mouth and could easily be cut with a fork, topped with a smoky au jus and served with a seasoned potato puree, accompanied by carrots and other root vegetables.

Throughout our meal our server would stop by and top off our wine glasses without being intrusive, checking to see how everything was.

The food portions were reasonable enough that we could eat every last morsel and still consider dessert without being miserable.

After hearing the dessert offerings from another member of the team who was taking care of us, I selected the dark chocolate pot de creme which was described as having some heat to it, if I recall correctly it was ancho pepper, and was topped with a smoked cherry mascarpone.

StfRon opted for the peanut butter cake with brown butter paired with homemade caramelcorn ice cream.

He especially enjoyed the caramelcorn ice cream.

My pot de creme started out very good, and first seemed rich and almost fudge like, the cherry mascarpone subtly flavored. By the time I was done, I was loving and raving about the spiciness, and the texture of the creme reminded me of a ganache. I drove home with the heat from the peppers still lingering on my palate, recalling a wonderful meal.

Our bill came to $178 pre-tip.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. We haven't had a dining experience anywhere near this caliber in close to two years, and even before that it was few and far between.

Midway Duck Inn

On our way to Lacon a few months back, we drove past the Midway Duck Inn in Lowpoint. I made a mental note to make plans to dine there, and this month we did.

My husband and I arrived at the cabin-style restaurant about 15 minutes earlier than scheduled to meet my parents, so we took some seats at the bar after being greeted by a lady who was seating people in the dining room. We told her we'd be back for a table in a little bit.

StfRon ordered a beer and I decided to go for a margarita, which turned out to be very good.

The bartender, who was a young lady, and the rest of the bar patrons were friendly. This was not one of those places where everything falls silent and everyone turns to stare when "outsiders" walk in.

We checked out the menu while we waited and noticed duck tenders and frogs legs among some of the notable items, plus tenderloins, catfish and a selection of burgers. We also overheard that one of the day's specials, the hot beef, was sold out.

Most of the dinners were around $7-$9, with catfish priced at $11.95.

My parents arrived a while later and we headed to the dining room, taking a seat by the windows. If we had taken our seat about 15 minutes earlier, we would have had a great view of the sunset.

The tidy dining room was paneled in horizontal car siding-type wood, stained in a nice lodge look, with some hunting decor throughout.

I had heard that one of their specialties was pan fried chicken, so that's what I ordered when our friendly waitress took our order. Actually, everyone at the table ordered the same, some the 1/2 chicken, some 1/4, some all white and some mixed.

For sides we got salads, bread and potato, mine was baked and everyone else sprung for the au gratin version, plus a racquetball-sized corn fritter for each of us.

The breading on the chicken was nicely seasoned and crispy, the au gratins were good and the corn fritter was positively covered in powdered sugar, the outside crispiness giving way to the soft corn goodness inside.

My dad, who probably somewhat grudgingly came along, was appreciative of the decor and enjoyed his meal, eating practically every last morsel. He also commented that he could go for some more fritters, and I pointed out that he could place an order for $3.95.

During our time at the Midway Duck Inn, I had noticed the bartender took the time to say goodbye to each group as they left and thank them for coming in. We were no exception.

Round up

Willett's Winery and Cellar will open their restaurant, The Ironstone Room, 101 East Market Street in Manito, today. There are several items on the menu I would like to try. Check it out here. The hours are also posted on that page.

This weekend catch comedian Danny Storts March 12 and 13 at Mason City Limits in Mason City. Tickets are $12.50.

The Hyacinth in Peoria's Metro Center will hold a spring open house March 12 and 13.

A session on leafless tree identification will be held March 13 at 10 a.m. at Peoria's Forest Park Nature Center. This event is free, but donations are appreciated.

The Bogside Zukes will perform March 14 at Kelleher's Irish Pub & Eatery in Peoria from 2-6 p.m.