I figure this blog is pretty well abandoned by any readers that may have looked here more than once or twice. But if the Pundit says I should let people know, then so I shall!
Been a busy month, with school and work and getting ready to move. Oh yeah, there's that, too. I'm moving from Central Illinois to Western Illinois, so I can no longer be the Central Illinois Gourmand. And it's pointless to want to be the Western Illinois Gourmand, because in Macomb, there's 5 non-fast-food restaurants. Pointless, indeed.
Thanks to those who stopped by to take a look. I sure appreciate it! I like writing, so this concept will probably follow me to my next metropolis, wherever that may be!
Friday, December 23, 2005
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving!!! Gobble 'til you Wobble!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who have come across my site. Hopefully your day went well and you got lots of good food. I know I did! And still another meal or two this weekend!
Monday, November 21, 2005
Yamamoto
I remember the old days when an evening of drinking ended at a little local restaurant called Lums, up on Knoxville near the top of the hill. Wienerwald chicken for the win!!
Sadly, the place is long closed, and has been two or three different restaurants since then, all with little staying power. Hope the newest incarnation lasts, because it's such a treat!
Yamamoto Japanese Grill and Sushi Bar has brought us back the spatula-and-fork banging chefs who scared away the evil spirits inhabiting the big stainless steel grill that is in front of every table. Used to be a place over on Brandywine that did the same kind of thing, place called Shogun. I was never rich enough to go there, but it was a place like that, or if anyone's ever been to Benihana. The magic of your food cooking takes place before your very eyes!
The decor is pretty typical of an Asian cuisine place, no real variance to be had in any situation. The station we sat at was a horseshoe-type sitting arrangement around the grill in which the chef would wheel out his cart of foods to be prepared in accordance with our orders.
Following a rollicking night of bingo, seven of us headed to Yamamoto. Dining with me and the wife were Angie of Angie & Joseph fame (Joseph got a headache and skipped dinner), Katie of Katie & Ron fame (Ron's sick, poor little magical feller) and Greg and Heather, the newliest of newlyweds. Only myself and Jenny were new to the place, so everyone chipped in with advice on stuff to get, except for Angie and Katie who were wrapped up in their Hurricanes. We sampled some sushi, which thankfully was cooked, I think even deep-fried, making it all the better. It was known as the Peoria roll, which had typical sushi stuff, only cooked. Heather had something that wasn't as cooked, but it was still quite tasty.
For dinner me and Jenny split a stir-fry thing with shrimp and lobster. Greg had everything in his dish-beef, shrimp, lobster, and chicken, I think. Looked hella good. I think Katie had some beef and maybe something else, and Angie had vegetables cooked up on the big griddle.
Preceding the dinner was bowls of onion and miso soup, and a salad with a ginger-orange dressing. I liked the onion soup, and the dressing on the salad was good, but I didn't want to eat more than my forkful.
This food is stuff that you can probably make at home for a cheaper price, but the premium paid is for the entertainment, and it was definitely worth it.
Yamamoto-HIT LIST!!
Sadly, the place is long closed, and has been two or three different restaurants since then, all with little staying power. Hope the newest incarnation lasts, because it's such a treat!
Yamamoto Japanese Grill and Sushi Bar has brought us back the spatula-and-fork banging chefs who scared away the evil spirits inhabiting the big stainless steel grill that is in front of every table. Used to be a place over on Brandywine that did the same kind of thing, place called Shogun. I was never rich enough to go there, but it was a place like that, or if anyone's ever been to Benihana. The magic of your food cooking takes place before your very eyes!
The decor is pretty typical of an Asian cuisine place, no real variance to be had in any situation. The station we sat at was a horseshoe-type sitting arrangement around the grill in which the chef would wheel out his cart of foods to be prepared in accordance with our orders.
Following a rollicking night of bingo, seven of us headed to Yamamoto. Dining with me and the wife were Angie of Angie & Joseph fame (Joseph got a headache and skipped dinner), Katie of Katie & Ron fame (Ron's sick, poor little magical feller) and Greg and Heather, the newliest of newlyweds. Only myself and Jenny were new to the place, so everyone chipped in with advice on stuff to get, except for Angie and Katie who were wrapped up in their Hurricanes. We sampled some sushi, which thankfully was cooked, I think even deep-fried, making it all the better. It was known as the Peoria roll, which had typical sushi stuff, only cooked. Heather had something that wasn't as cooked, but it was still quite tasty.
For dinner me and Jenny split a stir-fry thing with shrimp and lobster. Greg had everything in his dish-beef, shrimp, lobster, and chicken, I think. Looked hella good. I think Katie had some beef and maybe something else, and Angie had vegetables cooked up on the big griddle.
Preceding the dinner was bowls of onion and miso soup, and a salad with a ginger-orange dressing. I liked the onion soup, and the dressing on the salad was good, but I didn't want to eat more than my forkful.
This food is stuff that you can probably make at home for a cheaper price, but the premium paid is for the entertainment, and it was definitely worth it.
Yamamoto-HIT LIST!!
Friday, November 18, 2005
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Dynasty Chinese Buffet
This is the one way out north on University, not the one in the middle of town. It's weird that there's two of the same-named places on the same street. Weird... and coincidental? No, not really. I think they're owned by the same person/people.
Anyhoo, I know it's risky to go to a buffet later in the evening. We showed up around 8:00, thinking they'd be closing at 9:00, so I was prepared to see a few empty pans and some pans that looked like it was cooking hours-old meat right there in the buffet. To my astonishment, they were open until 10:00! Well hot damn! Gonna get some decent food and not have to worry about the final hour bad buffet doldrums!
Dammit. I was wrong. A number of the pans were almost empty, and some of the meaty-type stuff like the mongolian beef and the pork and some-damn-thing were but a few strips of meat that looked like I wouldn't have been able to get them out of the pan for their having been laying there for hours. Sweet and sour chicken-only about two pieces. The very bottom of the pan egg drop soup. Beef brisket that looked to be about 80% fat. Damn. And their new mongolian stir-fry option closed at 8:00. That didn't make me upset, just disappointed that I didn't get to try it.
I discussed the situation with my wife. I said that if a buffet is going to be open for another two hours they have to attempt to provide some fresh stuff now and again. Otherwise, close the place and don't try to make a few extra bucks just from the leftovers. They'll get the extra bucks, but they won't get any more from that customer at any time of the day. I mean, even if they just took a handful of food and cooked/fried it and put it out just to make it all look shiny, at least there's an attempt, and there's another happy plateful for moi. I know that we didn't eat $24.07 worth of food.
So, do the smart thing-don't go so late, because chances are this could happen to you. Allow enough time that they HAVE to put more food out.
I do prefer the two Chinese buffets over in East Peoria. The China Gate hasn't ever let me down, and the new one by Wal-Mart, Ming's, has a great selection of dishes, but are a bit spendy. S'alright, though. I'll pay for happy belly time!
Anyhoo, I know it's risky to go to a buffet later in the evening. We showed up around 8:00, thinking they'd be closing at 9:00, so I was prepared to see a few empty pans and some pans that looked like it was cooking hours-old meat right there in the buffet. To my astonishment, they were open until 10:00! Well hot damn! Gonna get some decent food and not have to worry about the final hour bad buffet doldrums!
Dammit. I was wrong. A number of the pans were almost empty, and some of the meaty-type stuff like the mongolian beef and the pork and some-damn-thing were but a few strips of meat that looked like I wouldn't have been able to get them out of the pan for their having been laying there for hours. Sweet and sour chicken-only about two pieces. The very bottom of the pan egg drop soup. Beef brisket that looked to be about 80% fat. Damn. And their new mongolian stir-fry option closed at 8:00. That didn't make me upset, just disappointed that I didn't get to try it.
I discussed the situation with my wife. I said that if a buffet is going to be open for another two hours they have to attempt to provide some fresh stuff now and again. Otherwise, close the place and don't try to make a few extra bucks just from the leftovers. They'll get the extra bucks, but they won't get any more from that customer at any time of the day. I mean, even if they just took a handful of food and cooked/fried it and put it out just to make it all look shiny, at least there's an attempt, and there's another happy plateful for moi. I know that we didn't eat $24.07 worth of food.
So, do the smart thing-don't go so late, because chances are this could happen to you. Allow enough time that they HAVE to put more food out.
I do prefer the two Chinese buffets over in East Peoria. The China Gate hasn't ever let me down, and the new one by Wal-Mart, Ming's, has a great selection of dishes, but are a bit spendy. S'alright, though. I'll pay for happy belly time!
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Joe's Crab Shack
So me and the wife, along with Ron, Katie, Jason and Krista met down at Joe's Crab Shack on the riverfront (or is that the Riverfront?) on Saturday night. It wasn't packed to the gills with people waiting, but we still had about a 45 minute wait. No big deal, I had a pretty green drink with a goofy name and we stood around the bar doing our thing.
Soon we were seated and the server was nice. Got our drinks, refills were forthcoming, and the food was hot. The food, however, doesn't seem to be as good as it used to be. Now I've always preferred the Big Red Lobster for my franchise seafood eatings, but Joe's was always decent enough. I had Jumbo Shrimp Pasta, and it was a cheesy pasta with fried shrimp ringing the plate. Meh. Jenny had some kind of lobster, crab and crawfish pasta and that was better only because there was another flavor besides... cheesy parmesan.
Jason had the chicken fried steak (?) and Krista had a pound of dungeness crab legs. It looked fun and she didn't complain about them. Ron had calamari and Katie had fries. Didn't hear complaints from either of them. (Katie makes great hashbrown casserole).
The menu seems to be set up oddly. Now I consider myself rather a pro when it comes to dissecting a menu and finding the best selections. This one was just odd.
And so, for Joe's Crab Shack, I'm not giving them a negative remark, but for my money, I'm going to Red Lobster and eating many of their little biscuits.
Soon we were seated and the server was nice. Got our drinks, refills were forthcoming, and the food was hot. The food, however, doesn't seem to be as good as it used to be. Now I've always preferred the Big Red Lobster for my franchise seafood eatings, but Joe's was always decent enough. I had Jumbo Shrimp Pasta, and it was a cheesy pasta with fried shrimp ringing the plate. Meh. Jenny had some kind of lobster, crab and crawfish pasta and that was better only because there was another flavor besides... cheesy parmesan.
Jason had the chicken fried steak (?) and Krista had a pound of dungeness crab legs. It looked fun and she didn't complain about them. Ron had calamari and Katie had fries. Didn't hear complaints from either of them. (Katie makes great hashbrown casserole).
The menu seems to be set up oddly. Now I consider myself rather a pro when it comes to dissecting a menu and finding the best selections. This one was just odd.
And so, for Joe's Crab Shack, I'm not giving them a negative remark, but for my money, I'm going to Red Lobster and eating many of their little biscuits.
Off the Shnide...
Well, as me and the wife slowly come back from our life-threatening illnesses, the hunger grows. There have been various and sundry food-outs such as Wendy's (rocks!) and McDonald's (only if you have to), even a Taco Bell (goodish). Mostly, it's been finding stuff around here to eat.
So I think I'll put up a new post and briefly discuss our latest outing.
So I think I'll put up a new post and briefly discuss our latest outing.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Dang it all to heck...
I've been down with a cold since Wednesday, so I haven't been going out and doing too much. Even skipped school on Thursday, and I don't know why, but I feel like I'm letting my teachers down if I don't show up. Heh, makes me sound all full of myself! The only other time I've missed class this semester was for my appendectomy back in late September, so I've got a pretty good attendance record going.
Anyhoo, hopefully I'm back up and eating again real soon!!
Anyhoo, hopefully I'm back up and eating again real soon!!
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Chili's
Good ole Chili's. It's a fail-safe, and a chosen delight. It's been a favorite since they came to Peoria back around 1987 or 1988ish. It's especially dear to Dad. Just ask Mom, because they end up going there if he has his choice (or Cracker Barrel).
Me and the wife hit the East Peoria store last night around 9:30ish. It was either that or one of the other late nighters, and we had to go to Wal-Mart for important business (trash bags and caulk), so off we went. It was very uncrowded, especially in the dining area. I beleve when we got there only one table full of customers was around.
We ordered up a plate of the classic nachos, which are how nachos oughta be. Each individual chip has some kind of beany-meaty dip covered in cheese, topped with jalapeno peppers and ready to dip into sour cream or pico de gallo. Really, I oughta just get two orders of that instead of doing an entree, but what fun is that?
For our dinners Jenny had the soup and salad deal. Hard to mess up a side salad, and the broccoli cheese soup was thick and yummy. Last time she had it I dipped my fries in it. Maybe the start of a trend? I had the chicken tacos, which was new to me. Came with rice and beans, which I didn't actually care for. The tacos were pretty good, but I've had better stuff there, like the burgers and the monterey chicken, plus the chicken fried steak. All good stuff! Every once in a while they have a build-your-own-burger deal going, where you get a little notepad to check off ingredients and styles of burger. It's as close to nirvana as I'll ever get in the burger realm.
All in all, a good experience. I will indeed write about this place every time we go, because I'm always trying something different.
Chili's-HIT LIST!
Me and the wife hit the East Peoria store last night around 9:30ish. It was either that or one of the other late nighters, and we had to go to Wal-Mart for important business (trash bags and caulk), so off we went. It was very uncrowded, especially in the dining area. I beleve when we got there only one table full of customers was around.
We ordered up a plate of the classic nachos, which are how nachos oughta be. Each individual chip has some kind of beany-meaty dip covered in cheese, topped with jalapeno peppers and ready to dip into sour cream or pico de gallo. Really, I oughta just get two orders of that instead of doing an entree, but what fun is that?
For our dinners Jenny had the soup and salad deal. Hard to mess up a side salad, and the broccoli cheese soup was thick and yummy. Last time she had it I dipped my fries in it. Maybe the start of a trend? I had the chicken tacos, which was new to me. Came with rice and beans, which I didn't actually care for. The tacos were pretty good, but I've had better stuff there, like the burgers and the monterey chicken, plus the chicken fried steak. All good stuff! Every once in a while they have a build-your-own-burger deal going, where you get a little notepad to check off ingredients and styles of burger. It's as close to nirvana as I'll ever get in the burger realm.
All in all, a good experience. I will indeed write about this place every time we go, because I'm always trying something different.
Chili's-HIT LIST!
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Lonestar Steakhouse
Over yonder by the mall (the old school mall, not the big cold one) rests the Lonestar Steakhouse. I've had a particular aversion to this place because of the tendence for three ribeyes to be ordered, and mine invariably is the ugly, small, curled up one, yet I'm paying the same price as the other lovely ones (when I say three steaks ordered, that means that three of us each ordered a steak).
But good ole Don caught my attention when he uttered the words "all-you-can-eat ribs". Immediately my aspersions went out the door, only temporarily. I would save final judgment for post-ribs.
So the Don and I, accompanied by Jason, met up Monday night at the feast site. After turning down alcoholic drinks and salads, we waited for our meat portions to arrive. In no time at all, we were faced with a rack each of very good, tender, tasty pork ribs. They weren't over-saucy and were warm and yummy. Absolutely good stuff, for sure. Jason really liked his rice side-dish with the peas and mushrooms, the goof. The Don and I had two more portions, while Jason felt that "personal comfort" was more important than getting your money's worth, the goof.
All in all, a good experience. I'm still hesitant about going there on a non-feast day, but I may not put up so much of a fight the next time it is suggested.
But good ole Don caught my attention when he uttered the words "all-you-can-eat ribs". Immediately my aspersions went out the door, only temporarily. I would save final judgment for post-ribs.
So the Don and I, accompanied by Jason, met up Monday night at the feast site. After turning down alcoholic drinks and salads, we waited for our meat portions to arrive. In no time at all, we were faced with a rack each of very good, tender, tasty pork ribs. They weren't over-saucy and were warm and yummy. Absolutely good stuff, for sure. Jason really liked his rice side-dish with the peas and mushrooms, the goof. The Don and I had two more portions, while Jason felt that "personal comfort" was more important than getting your money's worth, the goof.
All in all, a good experience. I'm still hesitant about going there on a non-feast day, but I may not put up so much of a fight the next time it is suggested.
Chez Richman
A lovely little chalet overlooking Heritage Lake was the setting for me and the wife's Saturday night of fine dining. To satisfy the view of fall foliage overlooking a sunset on the lake, we had nothing but the best fare-hot dogs, baked beans, and s'mores!!!
Our friends Greg and Heather Richman, not quite married a month yet, invited a few of us over to their new home out in Mackinaw. Other guests include Ron and Katie, who should have brought the hashbrown casserole, and Joseph and Angie, who brought their own gourmet feast, Not Dogs. A fire pit was prepared, and while the womenfolk gabbed, the fellers took a boatride out on the lake. Us and the dog.
The fire was great, the food was exactly the way I wanted it, the melted marshmallow of the s'mores got all over my hoodie. I couldn't have asked for a better evening out with friends like these folks! Topping off the night was a visit to a haunted schoolhouse in Gilson, Illinois. It's only a shame I frightened the help more than they frightened me.
Thanks to our hosts and friends for a great night!
Our friends Greg and Heather Richman, not quite married a month yet, invited a few of us over to their new home out in Mackinaw. Other guests include Ron and Katie, who should have brought the hashbrown casserole, and Joseph and Angie, who brought their own gourmet feast, Not Dogs. A fire pit was prepared, and while the womenfolk gabbed, the fellers took a boatride out on the lake. Us and the dog.
The fire was great, the food was exactly the way I wanted it, the melted marshmallow of the s'mores got all over my hoodie. I couldn't have asked for a better evening out with friends like these folks! Topping off the night was a visit to a haunted schoolhouse in Gilson, Illinois. It's only a shame I frightened the help more than they frightened me.
Thanks to our hosts and friends for a great night!
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Perkins
Thursday evening found me and the wife having a late-night dinner at Perkins following my night class. This has become a typical move for us, as I don't get out of class till 8:45 and sometimes the wife works till 10:30, so neither of us really want to do any cooking that late.
Perkins has been a place for the nighttime denizens to meet on the weekends and do whatever they do. Used to be a 24-hour place but they only do that on Thursdays-Saturdays now.
This restaurant is a typical family-type restaurant, nothing real special about it, but in my experiences, they do everything just fine, especially breakfast. I've never had a bad breakfast, as they have lots of choices, especially the omelettes!
The wife had a bread bowl chef salad. I guess you can't really mess those up, so no further comments needed for that. I had a spicy chicken finger sandwich with fries. This sandwich is chicken fingers wtih pepper jack cheese and tomatoes on sourdough toast. It is awful dang good, and big to boot! Fries are decent, but you can catch them on a bad day and get subpar fries. Nothing I hate worse than subpar fries!!
SOoooooo.... if you're looking for a good breakfast or a late night dinner of some sorts, this is a good choice. There's not a lot of choices for this kind of thing in Peoria, so this is the one I typically will go for.
Perkins has been a place for the nighttime denizens to meet on the weekends and do whatever they do. Used to be a 24-hour place but they only do that on Thursdays-Saturdays now.
This restaurant is a typical family-type restaurant, nothing real special about it, but in my experiences, they do everything just fine, especially breakfast. I've never had a bad breakfast, as they have lots of choices, especially the omelettes!
The wife had a bread bowl chef salad. I guess you can't really mess those up, so no further comments needed for that. I had a spicy chicken finger sandwich with fries. This sandwich is chicken fingers wtih pepper jack cheese and tomatoes on sourdough toast. It is awful dang good, and big to boot! Fries are decent, but you can catch them on a bad day and get subpar fries. Nothing I hate worse than subpar fries!!
SOoooooo.... if you're looking for a good breakfast or a late night dinner of some sorts, this is a good choice. There's not a lot of choices for this kind of thing in Peoria, so this is the one I typically will go for.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Pizzeria Uno
Long a favorite pizza of mine, when it came to town a few years back I was quite ecstatic. I really cannot stand the cheap-0 pizzas like Papa John's and Domino's and, to a degree, Pizza Hut. The one thing about Uno is that they are truly a Chicago deep-dish variety.
If you're not familiar with the placement of Peoria's Uno outlet, it's in the lobby of the Mark Twain Hotel down on the corner of Adams and Fayette. With the new overpass at Adams over I-74, it's even trickier to get into the parking lot from Adams, but there is a spot. Plus you can access it from Fayette.
With said new overpass, it's a bit raised, so if you're sitting inside along Adams, there's a bit of a small courtyard (could have big possibilities when the nice weather returns!), but then a wall is the rest of your view.
About the food-the only thing I've ever had as an entree is the pizza, specifically the Chicago Classic. Twice the cheese, twice the tomatoes, and twice the sausage on an extra crispy crust. This is the kind of pizza with the sauce and such on top, which is the way real deep dish pizza is.
Me and Aaron dined there on Wednesday night. Sat at the bar and watched game 4 of the World Series and had ourselves the pizza noted above. For appetizers we had the buffalo chicken quesadilla, which instead of tortilla is made from pizza crust and grilled. It's pretty tasty. The big surprise was the... I forget how it's listed in the menu but it means to be a sort-of potato skin, only it's more of a pizza with mashed potatoes, topped with cheese and bacon. How tasty!!
Our server/bartender, Lea (or Leah, forgive me) was nice and kept the refills coming and even let us sit there and watch the game while the place was closing all around us.
Pizzeria Uno-HIT LIST!!
If you're not familiar with the placement of Peoria's Uno outlet, it's in the lobby of the Mark Twain Hotel down on the corner of Adams and Fayette. With the new overpass at Adams over I-74, it's even trickier to get into the parking lot from Adams, but there is a spot. Plus you can access it from Fayette.
With said new overpass, it's a bit raised, so if you're sitting inside along Adams, there's a bit of a small courtyard (could have big possibilities when the nice weather returns!), but then a wall is the rest of your view.
About the food-the only thing I've ever had as an entree is the pizza, specifically the Chicago Classic. Twice the cheese, twice the tomatoes, and twice the sausage on an extra crispy crust. This is the kind of pizza with the sauce and such on top, which is the way real deep dish pizza is.
Me and Aaron dined there on Wednesday night. Sat at the bar and watched game 4 of the World Series and had ourselves the pizza noted above. For appetizers we had the buffalo chicken quesadilla, which instead of tortilla is made from pizza crust and grilled. It's pretty tasty. The big surprise was the... I forget how it's listed in the menu but it means to be a sort-of potato skin, only it's more of a pizza with mashed potatoes, topped with cheese and bacon. How tasty!!
Our server/bartender, Lea (or Leah, forgive me) was nice and kept the refills coming and even let us sit there and watch the game while the place was closing all around us.
Pizzeria Uno-HIT LIST!!
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Congratulations...
...to the Chicago White Sox, for their four-game sweep of the 2005 World Series.
I don't ever root for the Sox, but I think I'm happy for them, and for the city of Chicago.
Next year it's my turn to celebrate. Next year is the year of the Chicago Cubs!
I don't ever root for the Sox, but I think I'm happy for them, and for the city of Chicago.
Next year it's my turn to celebrate. Next year is the year of the Chicago Cubs!
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Back Into Town
I've so ignored the Peoria area eating establishments for a week now! For this, I apologize to all the restaurants for their lack of my business. I can't help it if I've been getting good home-cooked meals and otherwise dining in other states.
On our trip through Iowa, Minnesota and back, we ate a great deal of good food. We started with Hardee's in Macomb. Anyone who's ever attended Western Illinois knows that the Hardee's on West Jackson serves a breakfast called the Harold. If I recall correctly, it was named for a special man who ordered his meal the same way every morning: biscuits and gravy, with scrambled eggs on top and hash rounds on top of that, all self-contained in one nice tray. It was as I remembered it from 14 years ago.
Now I'm not going to go through every place we ate, because for most everyone, it doesn't apply. But a few highlights: the wiener schnitzel at the Ox-Yoke Inn in Amana, Iowa, Bubba Gump's in the Mall Of America, the Sunday Brunch at the Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel. The rest of the places were good eatins. We stopped at a place in Hudson, Wisconsin and had a sandwich. For an appetizer we had tortilla chips and pico de gallo. The chips tasted awful, like they were fried in nasty grease. But the pico was good stuff.
Anyhoo, keep reading. The restaurants will soon once again be repeating the same phrase-"Thank you, Floyd. Thank you for giving us your money for all the food you just ate!"
On our trip through Iowa, Minnesota and back, we ate a great deal of good food. We started with Hardee's in Macomb. Anyone who's ever attended Western Illinois knows that the Hardee's on West Jackson serves a breakfast called the Harold. If I recall correctly, it was named for a special man who ordered his meal the same way every morning: biscuits and gravy, with scrambled eggs on top and hash rounds on top of that, all self-contained in one nice tray. It was as I remembered it from 14 years ago.
Now I'm not going to go through every place we ate, because for most everyone, it doesn't apply. But a few highlights: the wiener schnitzel at the Ox-Yoke Inn in Amana, Iowa, Bubba Gump's in the Mall Of America, the Sunday Brunch at the Mystic Lake Casino and Hotel. The rest of the places were good eatins. We stopped at a place in Hudson, Wisconsin and had a sandwich. For an appetizer we had tortilla chips and pico de gallo. The chips tasted awful, like they were fried in nasty grease. But the pico was good stuff.
Anyhoo, keep reading. The restaurants will soon once again be repeating the same phrase-"Thank you, Floyd. Thank you for giving us your money for all the food you just ate!"
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Out Of Town
Me and the wife are leaving out of here Friday morning for a night in a bed and BREAKFAST in Amana, Iowa, then on to the Mall of America on Saturday, so there won't be any reports from Peoria area restaurants.
However, when we get back, I'm sure I'll be wanting to talk about Bubba Gump's!!
However, when we get back, I'm sure I'll be wanting to talk about Bubba Gump's!!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Avanti's
So Monday night found myself, the wife, her friend Steph and all of our's friend Jarrett at Avanti's up on Main Street.
Even people who come here for a visit remember the name Avanti's. What wonderful bread you have, you Italian cheapo-bistro you!
Cheap is the indicator here. And by cheap, I mean good prices, not tawdry or weakened or anything like that. Besides ordering a pizza, is there an entree on the menu over $7.00?
This place has the run of everything pasta, as long as you're okay with meat sauce, marinara or alfredo. You want fancier? I suggest Ponte Vecchio. Rizzi's is good, too. But i'm getting off track. We're talking about Avanti's.
Spaghetti, linguini, tortellini, ravioli, some meatballs, maybe a piece of chicken breast. All makes for decent eating. The spaghetti sauce tends to stay with you for a few hours longer than you want. One single burp lets the entire neighborhood know that you dined out tonite!
Pizza's are good, too. Not thick, not thin. Right there in the middle. I've always liked the sausage and black olive pizza. Me and my old buddy Scott used to order those up quite a bit, so there's probably some sentimentality clouding my judgment. It's a far sight better than the Pizza Hut's, Domino's and Papa Johns.
But, of course, they've made a name for themselves with their famous sweet bread, and especially the Gondola. Former Peorians who come home to visit the loved ones will, on occasion, fill a cooler up with Gondolas for their eating enjoyment at home, wherever that may be. I've noted this happening with MANY different people. The guts of a Gondola are simple-lettuce, American cheese, ham and salami (mayo and mustard optional), but when thrust upon that sweet, yummy bread? It's like a chewy heaven.
Eaten tonight-a 6" sausage and black olive pizza (guess who), pizza burger (sauce, meatballs and cheese) X 2, pizza bread deluxe, or whatever they call it (onions, mushrooms, green pepper, pepperoni, cheese, some kind of sauce), and the Monday night special-all you can eat linguini for four bucks! Just awesome!
This place is suggested if you're not in the mood to cook but don't have a great deal of money. Hey! Which describes me! And most everybody I know, too.
Even people who come here for a visit remember the name Avanti's. What wonderful bread you have, you Italian cheapo-bistro you!
Cheap is the indicator here. And by cheap, I mean good prices, not tawdry or weakened or anything like that. Besides ordering a pizza, is there an entree on the menu over $7.00?
This place has the run of everything pasta, as long as you're okay with meat sauce, marinara or alfredo. You want fancier? I suggest Ponte Vecchio. Rizzi's is good, too. But i'm getting off track. We're talking about Avanti's.
Spaghetti, linguini, tortellini, ravioli, some meatballs, maybe a piece of chicken breast. All makes for decent eating. The spaghetti sauce tends to stay with you for a few hours longer than you want. One single burp lets the entire neighborhood know that you dined out tonite!
Pizza's are good, too. Not thick, not thin. Right there in the middle. I've always liked the sausage and black olive pizza. Me and my old buddy Scott used to order those up quite a bit, so there's probably some sentimentality clouding my judgment. It's a far sight better than the Pizza Hut's, Domino's and Papa Johns.
But, of course, they've made a name for themselves with their famous sweet bread, and especially the Gondola. Former Peorians who come home to visit the loved ones will, on occasion, fill a cooler up with Gondolas for their eating enjoyment at home, wherever that may be. I've noted this happening with MANY different people. The guts of a Gondola are simple-lettuce, American cheese, ham and salami (mayo and mustard optional), but when thrust upon that sweet, yummy bread? It's like a chewy heaven.
Eaten tonight-a 6" sausage and black olive pizza (guess who), pizza burger (sauce, meatballs and cheese) X 2, pizza bread deluxe, or whatever they call it (onions, mushrooms, green pepper, pepperoni, cheese, some kind of sauce), and the Monday night special-all you can eat linguini for four bucks! Just awesome!
This place is suggested if you're not in the mood to cook but don't have a great deal of money. Hey! Which describes me! And most everybody I know, too.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Casa del Floyd
Big ole pot of chili sitting on the stove. Not as absolutely wonderful as some of my various and sundry chili's of the past (I am the Chili Master among my friends, and if they don't think so, then CHALLENGE!!), but for my first attempt in close to two years, it'll do.
I cheated on the first bowl, however. Put some cheese in it, which is something I never do.
And no, you can't come over. 8-)
I cheated on the first bowl, however. Put some cheese in it, which is something I never do.
And no, you can't come over. 8-)
Golden Corral
Following a good whipping in the first game of our softball tournament this morning, we decided to drown our sorrows in as much scrambled eggs and bacon as we could. Our happy crew, consisting of Jason (a name you'll see often on this website), Charlie, Russ and his ladyfriend Jennifer, Pat, Jared, Herb and Mike, set off for Washington, Illinois, to the Golden Corral breakfast buffet.
Very typical fare, but a lot of it. Highlights-the Omelet Bar (my capitalization for reverence), smoked sausage, chipped beef and toast (S.O.S.!!!), and all things worthy of receiving syrup. Jason accidentally forgot to read the label on the bottle of the no-sugar syrup, so he corrected his faux-pas with a packet of sugar. Caveman.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time breaking this place down, but I just wanted to highlight that such a place exists, and for $7.38 or something like that (and that includes the drink), you can have anything, practically, for breakfast that you want. What you receive in the number of choices, you do lose in quality, but come on. How bad can ham be? Or hash browns? Or little boxes of Lucky Charms? Or French toast?
But what really made it special was two things-the company in which I shared my meal, and the fact that we got there at such a time that after a while, they switched to lunch. Too bad-the omelet sacked me, else some fried chicken would have been heading my way.
Very typical fare, but a lot of it. Highlights-the Omelet Bar (my capitalization for reverence), smoked sausage, chipped beef and toast (S.O.S.!!!), and all things worthy of receiving syrup. Jason accidentally forgot to read the label on the bottle of the no-sugar syrup, so he corrected his faux-pas with a packet of sugar. Caveman.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time breaking this place down, but I just wanted to highlight that such a place exists, and for $7.38 or something like that (and that includes the drink), you can have anything, practically, for breakfast that you want. What you receive in the number of choices, you do lose in quality, but come on. How bad can ham be? Or hash browns? Or little boxes of Lucky Charms? Or French toast?
But what really made it special was two things-the company in which I shared my meal, and the fact that we got there at such a time that after a while, they switched to lunch. Too bad-the omelet sacked me, else some fried chicken would have been heading my way.
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