Another fun place we stopped to eat on our recent anniversary trip was The Fox Pub and Cafe in Peoria. This place with English flair was fun and had great food.
Our overall rating was 4.44 (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 3 Stars While we'd feel comfortable bringing our kids there for lunch, it is a pub and could be more bar-like in the evening. Also, there were not many things that were kid focused (high chairs, kids menus, etc).
Menu: 5 Stars Everything looked good, and after the food was good (see below) we want to go back and try something else!
Taste of the Food: 5 Stars The Fish and Chips were why we went to the Fox, and they did not disappoint. The Reuben was the best Reuben we've ever tasted.
Appearance of the Food: 5 Stars Everything looked great too!
Restrooms: 5 Stars
Atmosphere: 4.5 Stars The English flair/theme was cool. The '.5' off was that you really couldn't avoid seeing a TV anywhere in the restaurant.
Service: 4 Stars We did have to ask for water refills, but overall the staff was very friendly and helpful.
Ethical/Sustainable: 4 Stars They didn't have any information on where there food was from, but many of their items were 'homemade' or 'made from scratch'.
Pricing: Lunch entrees were about $10 each.
For our anniversary dinner, we ate at Chez Willy's in Galesburg. We had been there years ago, and were eagerly anticipating eating there again. It did not disappoint!
Our overall rating was 4.63 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 4 Stars We really don't know for sure, since we didn't bring our kids along. There was nothing family unfriendly, but neither did we see any other kids, high chairs or kids' menus.
Menu: 5 Stars Simple, but good. There is a chalkboard on one wall where you can see all of the daily specials.
Taste of the Food: 5 Stars More stars if we could!
Appearance of the Food: 5 Stars You have to try the Bananas Foster! They make it for you at your table and it's really cool to watch. Not to mention how amazing it tastes!
Restrooms: 4.5 Stars
Atmosphere: 4.5 Stars It's a sweet, cozy place that invites you to linger and enjoy the great food. There is a TV in the bar area, which seems out of place for such a classy restaurant.
Service: 5 Stars
Ethical/Sustainable: 4 Stars. We don't know the source of all the ingredients, but everything seems to be made from scratch. (All of the salad dressings are even made in-house.)
Pricing: $20-30 a plate. (Great place for a special date!)
We stopped in Galesburg for dinner on our way home from vacation. Our boys love crepes and going to a "creperie" was very exciting for them!
Our overall rating was 4.31 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 5 Stars They accommodated us well and tolerated a cranky toddler without batting an eye.
Menu: 3 Stars There are many choices on the menu, almost too many. It's hard to focus and find something because there are so many types of options. But the biggest knock down here is their kids' menu. It consisted of Spaghetti-Ohs, Hot dog, Grilled Cheese and PBJ. Not only is such fare overpriced, but it goes against the principle of teaching kids to appreciate good food.
Taste of the Food: 5 Stars The dessert crepes are to die for!
Appearance of the Food: 4 Stars The entree crepes taste great, but they don't look very impressive.
Restrooms: 5 Stars Very clean restrooms...and we know because our family used them so much while we were there.
Atmosphere: 4.5 Stars Cool building with a lot of neat vintage decorations. The floor near our table was very sticky (before we got our food!).
Service: 5 Stars
Ethical/Sustainable: 3 Stars It seems like most things are made from scratch, but there wasn't any mention of where ingredients are sourced from.
Pricing: $10-20 range for dinner.
Met with a couple friends at Kouri's Pub in Pekin over lunch. It was a fun time and I would definitely go there for lunch again.
My overall rating was 3.75 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 3.5 Stars It was fine while we were there, but one of my friends mentioned how it wouldn't be the best place for your kids all the time.
Menu: 4.5 Stars There were a lot of options that looked great. In the end I texted another friend who regularly goes to Kouri's to get his recommendation...
Taste of the Food: 3.5 Stars ... and I went with the Chile Garlic Boneless Oven Seared Wings. They were good, but not over the top amazing. The soup I had was also good, and the fries I 'borrowed' were good but not great.
Appearance of the Food: 3.5 Stars It looked good, but there wasn't much presentation to speak of (Maybe there's not a lot they can do with wings.)
Restrooms: 4 Stars
Atmosphere: 4 Stars They have a great hometown feel. The popcorn as a free appetizer is also pretty cool.
Service: 4 Stars
Ethical/Sustainable: 3 Stars It seemed made from scratch and genuine, but there was no mention of any sourcing.
Pricing: Most lunch items were between $6-10.
I went out to Perdue's Grill to say good-bye to a friend who was heading away to college. He had bragged about their burgers so we gave it a try.
Our overall rating was 3.88 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 3 Stars I wouldn't feel uncomfortable taking my kids there for lunch. However, the front section of the restaurant is a bar and some of the pictures weren't very classy.
Menu: 4.5 Stars It was mostly typical 'Grill' food, but it all sounded good. The burgers (about 5 different choices) all sounded great.
Taste of the Food: 4 Stars The Cajun Burger I ordered was really good. The smothered fries were good, but not as good as I was expecting from the menu and their appearance.
Appearance of the Food: 5 Stars For 'Grill' food it all looked great.
Restrooms: 4.5 Stars Very clean, although I couldn't get the door to lock.
Atmosphere: 3 Stars It was an older building with some built in character, but nothing too special overall.
Service: 4.5 Stars The waitress did a great job keeping my water filled, which isn't the easiest when I'm eating a Cajun Burger with jalapenos.
Ethical/Sustainable: 2.5 Stars Nothing to go on here, but the cheese on the smothered fries seemed processed.
Pricing: Burgers were about $7.
To celebrate a birthday we made the trek to Bloomington and ate at Station Two-Twenty. It was all-around fantastic!
Our overall rating was 4.81 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 4 Stars Awhile ago we took our whole family for lunch. They accommodated us well and were very hospitable. The reason for a 4 Star rating is now that they are only open for dinner it would be pretty pricey to take a family.
Menu: 5 Stars It had plenty of great choices, but was simple enough to not be overwhelming.
Taste of the Food: 5 Stars Mmmmm... So Good!
Appearance of the Food: 5 Stars Everything looked great. The presentation was awesome.
Restrooms: 4.5 Stars The only knock-down here is that the guys bathroom is set up a little awkward, although they did the best they could in an old fire station.
Atmosphere: 5 Stars Speaking of old fire station, this is a really cool place. They also had bright pictures from their farm all around the restaurant.
Service: 5 Stars Everyone, not just our waiter, was focused on meeting our needs, be it new silverware or refilling glasses of water.
Ethical/Sustainable: 5 Stars Most of what they served came from their farm. They didn't have specific percentages, but at the time we visited all of the produce was from their farm and everything else was as local as it could be.
Pricing: $20-$30 a dinner entree.
After visiting the Peoria Riverfront Museum on a date we hit up The Rhythm Kitchen for a dinner together.
Our overall rating was 3.5 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 2 Stars We didn't actually have our kids with us for this one. However, the family friendliness took a huge hit because of several nude paintings behind the bar. Artsy, yes...something I want my kids to see? Nope.
Menu: 3 Stars It was a simple menu, which we like. But there weren't a ton of things that appealed to either of us.
Taste of the Food: 4.5 Stars The salmon BLT was pretty good, but the chicken and sausage gumbo special was really good.
Appearance of the Food: 4 Stars
Restrooms: N/A
Atmosphere: 3 Stars It has a lot of cool character, but it also felt kind of overstimulating with all of the lights and decorations.
Service: 4.5 Stars
Ethical/Sustainable: 3.5 Stars They make all of their food from scratch, but there was no information on the sourcing of their ingredients.
Pricing: $10-15 for a dinner entree.
After a morning business meeting we went out to lunch at Michael's Italian Feast in Germantown Hills with our new friends. I have to be honest that I was impressed and surprised at the place. Here's why:
Our overall rating was (rating) (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 4 Stars This could maybe be higher, but some elements of the atmosphere (see below) could be an extra burden depending on the energy level of your kids.
Menu: 3.5 Stars Michael's is an 'order at the counter' place. The menu overhead was good: not to expansive but still with enough options. The only downside is that everything on it was pretty typical of an Italian place. I guess that's what you want, but it was so similar that I could have been at a couple other local Italian restaurants and not known the difference.
Taste of the Food: 4 Stars That being said, the food was great. I really enjoyed my Pizza Bread. It probably could have had less cheese, but it was still good.
Appearance of the Food: 3.5 Stars Whatever Italian food you're picturing, picture it covered in cheese. That's what everyone who ate with us experienced.
Restrooms: N/A
Atmosphere: 5 Stars This is why I want to take my family to this Michael's location specifically. Half of the sitting area felt like you were eating outdoors in Italy. No joke. They did an excellent job of painting, decorating and construction. There was even a decent sized working fountain in the middle. (See Family Friendly).
Service: 5 Stars For a seat yourself place, service was excellent.
Ethical/Sustainable: 3 Stars Just the average rating here.
Pricing: Lunch entrees were $7-10.
I met a friend for lunch at Thanh Linh next to Bradley. It was packed, as I hear it is most everyday. It was an enjoyable lunch... a great conversation to be sure... Here's how I would rate the restaurant.
Our overall rating was 3.75 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 3.5 Stars It would be a little intense to have young kids there during the lunch hour rush. This isn't anyone's fault, it's just a tiny restaurant that's popular enough to be completely packed. (Word is that they will be moving to a bigger location down the road in 2013, but as it stands now, it's a tiny place.)
Menu: N/A I didn't even look at the menu as there was a lunch buffet. I did see a few gentlemen order off the menu and their dishes looked great!
Taste of the Food: 3.5 Stars The friend I ate with would disagree with me here, but I found the food to be okay. It was a step above most Asian buffets, but never did I find it "great".
Appearance of the Food: 4 Stars For a buffet though, the food all looked great.
Restrooms: N/A
Atmosphere: 4 Stars Despite being packed, or maybe because of it, Than Linh has a great feel. Just a fun place to be and talk with a friend.
Service: 5 Stars Top-notch. Great service, especially consider the full room.
Ethical/Sustainable: 2.5 Stars I have to be careful here. Like most restaurants there really isn't anything public about their buying and cooking practices. The reason they scored so low is that while and after eating it, I felt terrible. I'm not sure if it was MSG or what, but I didn't end up with a cold or flu later, I truly think it was the food.
Pricing: Under $10 for the lunch buffet
We tried out the Savory House in Morton Illinois for a business breakfast. This place was formally known as Main Street Deli and only open for lunch. But after a remodel they are now open for every meal. Overall we weren't too impressed, although for a quick breakfast meeting it did fine.
Our overall rating was 3.31 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 4 Stars It's tough to tell when you're meeting before most kids are awake, but it seemed like a fine place to take kids.
Menu: 3 Stars
Taste of the Food: 3 Stars Considering this was breakfast, 3 stars is pretty low. Nothing was bad, but nothing was great either.
Appearance of the Food: 3 Stars Again, nothing specifically bad. But nothing was impressive about the appearance.
Restrooms: 4.5 Stars
Atmosphere: 3.5 Stars The old Main Street Deli was sort of in a weird facility, and while things have been remodeled, the new restaurant still feels like you're eating in a food court.
Service: 3 Stars
Ethical/Sustainable: 2.5 Stars Not having real butter is a huge downside here.
Pricing: Breakfast was about $6 per person.
I finally made a trip to Wild Berries for the first time. It's been open for awhile and is right next to my office, but I had never gotten over there before. The biggest highlight for me is that even though my brother and I met there for a late lunch, breakfast was still on! I could eat breakfast any meal of the day. On to the rankings...
Our overall rating was 3.94 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 5 Stars I didn't bring my kids to this visit but I saw a handful of kids throughout the restauarnt.
Menu: 3.5 Stars It almost has too many options. I realize it's good to have a lot of choices, but it is one of those menus that overwhelms you when you get it. The kids menu has some notable failures: hot dogs and dino-nuggets anyone?
Taste of the Food: 4.5 Stars I just ordered biscuits and gravy, but they were very good.
Appearance of the Food: 4 Stars I can't say much about my biscuits and gravy, but the skillet breakfast my brother got looked outstanding.
Restrooms: 4 Stars
Atmosphere: 3.5 Stars It's funny that this should be a knock against the place, but it just seemed empty. I think there were plenty of people there, but the buildings is huge, so it felt like we were dining alone. Not bad if that's what you're going for but it's also nice to feel that others are into the restaurant too.
Service: 4 Stars
Ethical/Sustainable: 3 Stars Everything seemed made from scratch, but there was also nothing about their purchasing practices.
Pricing: Prices were reasonable. My half order of biscuits and gravy were about $4 and my brothers' HUGE skillet was about $10.
A friend and I met for lunch at Red Rock Bar & Grille this week. It was the first time I had been there since the place was The Brick Oven, so awhile ago.
Our overall rating was 3.35 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 3 Stars Red Rock very much feels like a bar. Nothing was that bad while we were there, but the presence of numerous TVs and wall size Beer mural ads made me rate this lower
Menu: 3.5 Stars The menu had some good options but didn't leave me thinking: "I need to come back and try something else."
Taste of the Food: 4 Stars The burger I got was good. The house made chips were really good.
Appearance of the Food: 3.5 Stars It was just a burger, but at the same time nothing looked that special about it.
Restrooms: N/A
Atmosphere: 3 Stars Red Rock had a weird entrance. At least I think we went in the entrance. If we missed the actual entrance then that probably says something about the atmosphere as well. The biggest knock however was after we got inside we wandered through the restaurant before we knew what to do or were directed to seat ourselves.
Service: 4 Stars Once we were seated however the service was great.
Ethical/Sustainable: 2.5 Stars
Pricing: Reasonable priced. My decent sized burger was only $8.
On a recent date we spent some time at The Blend in Washington.
Our overall rating was 4.33 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 5 Stars It seems like a fine place to take kids if you would want to. They even have high chairs!
Food: 3.5 Stars They have a pretty decent selection at The Blend. But the cinnamon roll we ate was average at best.
Coffee: 4.5 Stars On this particular date we didn't get the coffee. But the specialty drinks were quite good. Any time we've gotten coffee it's been excellent.
Restrooms: N/A
Atmosphere: 4 Stars For a newer building, this place has a great atmosphere. We've been to coffee shops that feel like waiting rooms, and this is definitely not that: It's casual and comfortable. The in-house coffee mugs are glass, which is just cool. The only knock is the line at the counter: There's really no place to step out of the way if someone's behind you and you haven't decided on your purchase yet.
Service: 5 Stars Friendly and fast!
Ethical/Sustainable: 4 Stars From what we can tell The Blend does a great job sourcing and roasting it's coffee beans.
Pricing: Specialty drinks are $3-$5 depending on sizes. Food items are in the $3 range. A small coffee is $1.65.
After visiting the new Peoria Riverfront Museum we headed up to One World Cafe for lunch time. We had the whole crew with us, which is always quite an adventure.
Our overall rating was 4.5 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 4 Stars The staff was very accommodating. The host set up our table perfectly with a high chair and booster seat. We were even in a great little corner of the restaurant with not too many other guests around. The main negative that prevents a 5 star rating is the location at the busy intersection of Main and University. We've never been able to park close, which means juggling little kids and holding hands as you try to make it inside.
Menu: 5 Stars The menu features a good variety without being overwhelming. There are options for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free needs. The kids' menu is one of the best we've seen. Even the "classic choices" have a healthy, from-scratch flair.
Taste of the Food: 5 Stars We split a couple of pizzas between all of us. Both the Classic Primo and BBQ Chicken were great! Pizza is so easy to do an average job at... so great pizza really stands out.
Appearance of the Food: 4.5 Stars It was pizza, which is pretty hard to make look fancy. Any other time we've gotten other entrees, they look nice too.
Restrooms: N/A on this visit, although they have been decent in past visits.
Atmosphere: 4.5 Stars One World is noisy, but it's just a general din of happy conversations and people connecting (way better than TV noise in our opinion). It's in a cool building and is set up well.
Service: 4.5 Stars
Ethical/Sustainable: 4 Stars They make a lot of food from scratch. Their plastic cups for kids are compostable. It's the little things!
Pricing: Pizzas are $12-$15. Other lunch sandwiches and entrees range from $8-$20.
This review is based on a couple of visits to Avanti's Ristorante in Pekin.
Our overall rating was 3.81 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 5 Stars Avanti's is always very accommodating to our family.
Menu: 3.5 Stars If you're in the mood for pizza or pasta, this rating could jump to a 5. They have a lot of variations, but it all boils down to pizza, pasta, and sandwiches.
Taste of the Food: 4 Stars Avanti's bread is really, really good.
Appearance of the Food: 4 Stars The food always looks good, but there's really no special presentation to speak of.
Restrooms: 5 Stars
Atmosphere: 3 Stars The Pekin Avanti's is set up really weird. Depending on where you sit you can be in a high traffic area or have a straight view into the kitchen.
Service: 5 Stars Every time we've gone, the service has been outstanding.
Ethical/Sustainable: 3 Stars Like most restaurants, there's not a lot to go on here. The score could be higher if they provided information on where they sourced their food... then again it could be lower.
Pricing: Sandwiches are $5-$7. Entrees are $8-$12. Pizzas are pretty standard for a sit-down restaurant.
Recently before attending an all day conference I met a friend at Judy's Restaurant in Morton.
Our overall rating was 3.71 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 4 Stars Judy's used to be a smoking restaurant. Newer Illinois legislation keeps that from happening, which makes it a lot more family friendly.
Menu: 3.5 Stars It was a pretty standard breakfast fare and not much grabbed my eye as interesting or unique.
Taste of the Food: 3.5 Stars This is a half star lower because the coffee was absolutely bad. The friend I ate with liked it though, so maybe it's just a personal preference. (But really, it wasn't good.)
Appearance of the Food: 4 Stars
Restrooms: N/A
Atmosphere: 3.5 Stars
Service: 5 Stars Our waitress was quick and on top of things, despite the restaurant being full.
Ethical/Sustainable: 2.5 Stars I seriously doubt Judy's has ever given ethical food sourcing or sustainable practices much thought. I only didn't score it lower because I don't know that for sure.
Pricing: Breakfast items were between $5-10.
If I'm choosing the restaurant next time, I would probably pass on Judy's. But I'll a meet a friend there if they request it.
For a fun family outing we took a lunch visit to The Harvest Cafe. This is our family's favorite restaurant and we were glad to finally get there since starting this blog. Why do we like it so much? We've never not had a great experience.
Our overall rating was 4.81 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 5 Stars
Menu: 5 Stars One reason we keep going back is everything we see on the menu looks so good we want to try it again!
Taste of the Food: 5 Stars Always good. They could get a bonus for their coffee. So good.
Appearance of the Food: 5 Stars
Restrooms: 4 Stars
Atmosphere: 5 Stars It's just a fun place to be and eat.
Service: 5 Stars
Ethical/Sustainable: 4.5 Stars
Pricing: Lunch sandwiches are $7-10, Pizza is $10-12, and lunch entrees are $12-15
We can't wait to plan another trip to The Harvest Cafe.
We couldn't resist stopping by Thirty-Thirty on our way out of town for our anniversary.
Our overall rating was 4.36 (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 4.5 Stars
Coffee: 5 Stars As a friend of ours has said: You forget how good 30/30 coffee is until you're drinking it.
Food Choices: 4 Stars Anything we've tried tastes really good, although there isn't a ton of selection.
Restrooms: 4 Stars
Atmosphere: 5 Stars
Probably one of the coolest coffee shops we've ever been to. Watch out for the bear!
Service: 4 Stars
Ethical/Sustainable: 4 Stars Good grades on the coffee here. Everything else is an unknown however.
Pricing: A small drip coffee will cost you $2. Pricey but good.
We'll be back. In fact, we try to swing through anytime we're in Peoria.
After a crazy adventure trying to find a Walmart in the Starved Rock area, we needed a hearty snack to lift our spirits. We stumbled upon the Country Cupboard Ice Cream Shoppe in Utica, Illinois.
Our overall rating was (3.14) (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 5 Stars
Menu: 3 Stars The menu had too many choices and was too random.
Taste of the Food: 3 Stars We both got a bowl of chili that was pretty mediocre. The ice cream, however, was a rockin' 5+ Stars. It was seriously delicious.
Appearance of the Food: 2.5 Stars There were big drips of chili and cheese down the side of my bowl.
Restrooms: N/A
Atmosphere: 3 Stars
Service: 3 Stars
Ethical/Sustainable: 2.5 Stars There was no information on the sourcing of their ingredients, and only a few things were even possibly made from scratch. But the napkins were 100% recycled.
Pricing: The (very full) single scoop ice cream cones were $2.50.
On our way through Eureka we stopped by Mika's Coffee House to celebrate our 8th anniversary over a cup of coffee and a great conversation.
Our overall rating was 4.83 Stars (out of 5 stars).
Here's how that breaks down:
Family Friendly: 5 Stars
Food Options: N/A
We're being a little generous here. There wasn't hardly any food out at all, but we also were there in the mid-to-late afternoon and close to closing so we'll give Mika's a pass this time through.
Coffee: 5 Stars
Restrooms: 5 Stars
Atmosphere: 5 Stars
They've done a great job keeping the "cool old building feel" while also incorporating the Eureka community into the decor.
Service: 5 Stars
We ordered one decaf coffee. And since it was nearly out and cold, our barista offered instead to make us a decaf Americano. It was good as well!
Ethical/Sustainable: 4 Stars
There coffee is great. The food is made-from-scratch, although I'm not sure on the sourcing of the ingredients.
Pricing: A cup of coffee runs about $2 with tax.
We wish we could get to Mika's more often!
