Greasy Spoons

As promised, we stopped by to check out Joe’s in the former Gunner Buc’s building on Lakeland Blvd. in Mattoon, IL.  Lots of changes. No more ordering at the counter. It is now traditional waitress service. The liquor store is also gone. That probably wasn’t the best idea in the first place. And the music volume is much more conducive to conversation now.

On the food side, there are still 50 cent tacos on Thursdays and they’re still very tasty. We were starving, so we had a couple as appetizers.  I went with a traditional cheeseburger and Sarah had a black-and-bleu burger with bleu cheese on it. Both came with fries.

The burgers arrived very quickly, although there was not a very big crowd. Still, great service. The burgers themselves weren’t bad at all, but not nearly as good as Gunner Buc’s burgers. Note to Joe: Find out where GB’s got their hamburger and buy the same stuff. Maybe it’s the fat content (which gives burgers their flavor), or maybe something they did in preparing them, but GB’s had super tasting burgers. Same deal with the fries. Joe’s fries just didn’t have that same “so good it’s bad for you” deliciousness. 

The menu at Joe’s had some other interesting looking things, so we’ll be back to try other stuff. Stay tuned.

It is my sad duty to report the passing of Gunner Buc’s. We went by yesterday afternoon and were dismayed to see the sign had changed to Joe’s along with a Cooks Wanted sign. The last time we were in Gunner Buc’s, which was a couple of months ago, we had to wait 45 minutes for our burgers, which ended up overcooked. The normal grillmaster, who was efficient, friendly, and a master at making burgers, was nowhere to be seen. I think the owner was grilling that evening and he just wasn’t up to the task. Now the name has changed, so I’m thinking they must have changed hands. Gunner Buc’s made the best hamburgers ever. Sad to think they’re gone. We’ll try Joe’s and hope for the best. I’ll keep you posted.

If anyone knows the inside scoop on the passing of Gunner Buc’s, please leave a comment and let me know what happened.

And since we’re on the subject of change; we stopped in to Basmati in Champaign last weekend and didn’t recognize any of the staff. The food quality had suffered, too. Does anyone know if it changed hands?

We went for dinner early tonight and had no problem getting a table at Don Sol in Mattoon, IL. Being Sunday evening, there was a buffet. First time at that buffet for us. It won’t be the last. The buffet is a low carb dieter’s dream with meat of the steak, pork, chicken, and shrimp variety. You could make your own fajitas or grab one of the mini-chimichangas or a couple quesadillas. There was another buffet with non-Mexican food and yet another with salad fixins and salsa/guacamole. There was dessert, too. All for $9.99 per person. I tried a little of several meats, a quesadilla, and a mini-chimi. The chimi was  a little doughy, but the meat and everything else was excellent. Sarah opted for the fajita fixins and was equally happy with hers.  To top it off, I had one of their excellent margaritas. Don Sol does ‘Ritas right. Great meal for short money. Really good discounts for kids, too, which would explain why there were so many there.

We tried to get into the new Little Mexico on Charleston Ave. in Mattoon, IL on Friday evening, but there was a half hour wait. Too long for us. So we went back around 5PM tonight and had no problem getting a table. The decor in Little Mexico is Vegas-like in that it makes you feel like you’re sitting at an outdoor cafe in Mexico. There seem to be about twice as many waitstaff as needed, although when it gets really busy it may be necessary to have so many.

We received a basket of tortilla chips and two bottles of salsa within a minute of being seated. The salsa bottles are similar to salad dressing carafes and contain mild and spicy salsa. The salsa was different than most I have tasted, but they were both quite good. We also ordered a margarita each, but were disappointed with them. Don Sol makes far better ‘ritas.

The menu at Little Mexico is not as extensive as other Mexican places in the area, and we hoped that would translate in to better food; fewer things to concentrate on makes the remaining items of better quality, or so we thought. Sarah ordered the Green Chile Burrito plate and I ordered the Beef Chimichanga plate with an enchilada. Both meals came with a scoop (just like ice cream) of refried beans covered with a ground beef sauce. Sarah’s burrito was also covered with it. The only thing not covered with the sauce was the shredded lettuce which passed as salad. The lettuce came with Thousand Island dressing (no choice there), which was a bit out of place with Mexican food. One thing we could not find on Sarah’s plate was any trace of green chile. She got a burrito stuffed with finely ground beef and little else.  My chimi was fair, but the enchilada, which was covered in the missing green chile from Sarah’s meal, was tasteless. The taco on the side that came with my meal was passable, but nothing to get excited about. The 50 cent tacos at Gunner Bucs are better, for what it’s worth.

Our tab for the meal was relatively cheap, but it matched the meal. The $4 margaritas were overpriced. It’s a shame the owners didn’t spend less on decor and more on the kitchen staff. Don Sol is still sets the bar for Mexican in this area.

This afternoon we finally made it into Escobar’s on E. Columbia Ave. in Champaign, IL. Escobar’s menu has always caused us to shy away, as non-traditional as it is, but we had a fantastic meal today. We had no problem at all getting a table, as we were there well ahead of the dinner crowd as usual. Sarah started with a spinach and goat cheese salad which had strawberries and walnuts with a chili-mango vinaigrette. I opted for the Baked Brie en croûte with fresh fruit and baguette slices. I was expecting brie to spread on the baguette, but got a large pastry with brie inside. It was much larger than I had expected. This is definitely better shared by two. It was very good, though, as was Sarah’s salad.

For dinner Sarah went with the evening’s special, which was Sturgeon in a tempura batter with a mango red curry sauce, and fried rice. It was delicious and perfectly prepared. I had the Medallions of Filet Mignon in a Vanilla Sauce (and some other reduction they didn’t specify) with Monterey Jack mashed potatoes. The vanilla sauce was not too sweet and it went perfectly with the steak. I also had a glass of Hob Nob 2006 Pinot Noir. It was excellent with and was quite a generous pour. All in all it was one of the best meals we’ve had in quite some time. I don’t think it will be long before we’re back there for another.

Tonight we were in the campus area looking for dinner and ended up at Crane Alley on W. Main St. in downtown Urbana, IL. We’d eaten there several years ago, but we hadn’t been back since. We got there right around 5, so the place was practically empty, except, unfortunately, for one other booth in the restaurant area which had four noisy and obnoxious students who ate nothing, yet were there the entire time. So it goes sometimes.

Sarah started with a salad and had a Turkey Reuben for dinner. I went with a New York Strip steak with garlic mashed potatoes. I also got a glass of merlot and was quite disappointed with the stingy pour. The price was right, 1/4 of a full bottle price, but the pour was far less than a 1/4 bottle. The steak itself was ok, although nothing special. Same with the potatoes. The highlight of my meal was the green beans, which were sauteed with bacon. Very tasty. Sarah’s turkey Reuben was fine and she liked the sweet potato fries. The meal was pretty decent, but the steak was overpriced, as was the wine.

Last week we were in Bermuda. The island is stunningly beautiful and we had perfect weather for exploring. We also tried a variety of different restaurants. For the most part, the food was ok, although nothing to rave about. Saturday night, because of flight delays, we got to the hotel near midnight, so we took advantage of the hotel bar and split a sandwich.

The next day we had lunch at Frog & Onion Pub at the Royal Naval Dockyard. The Frog & Onion has great atmosphere and excellent service. Sarah had a North Rock Cornish Pastie and I had Fish & Chips and great India Pale Ale (IPA) from the Dockyard brewery. It was one of the better meals we had the whole trip. My rating - Three and a Half Spoons. That night we ate at the Hog Penny Pub, which was supposedly the inspiration for the Bull & Finch Pub in Boston, which in turn was the model for the set of Cheers. Whatever. The hype certainly outweighed the food. Sarah had a curry dish (vegetables vindaloo) which could have been a microwaved TV dinner. I had bangers and mash, which were just ok. I also asked for a good bitter beer, but all they had were the standard American drafts and one German draft. So much for being a British pub. My rating - Two Spoons.

On Monday we ventured over to the south shore and had lunch at the Fairmont Southampton, the sister hotel to the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, where we were staying. I started with a really good Margarita on the rocks and I had a BBQ Chicken quesadilla. Very tasty. Sarah had a Caesar salad which was ho-hum. My rating -  Three Spoons. That night we went Thai and had dinner at Silk in Hamilton. The special that night was Thai BBQ ribs, which I had. Sarah had Chicken Penang. Again, mine was quite good. Sarah thought hers had a lot of flavor, but the chicken was tough and chewy, which became a running joke the rest of the trip (”old bird out back“). My rating - Three Spoons.

Tuesday we went cheap and local and grabbed sandwiches at the supermarket in Hamilton. It was very much like a Whole Foods with a half-dozen different fresh food counters. It was pretty good for the cheapest meal we had the whole trip. That evening we took a cab over to the House of India, which is unfortunately located in the worst part of Hamilton. If you plan on going, take a cab there and have the waitstaff call you a cab when you ask for your bill. The food there is worth the trip, though. Sarah had Coconut Curry Chicken and I had Chicken Tikka Masala, which was served Balti style (in a brass bucket). The CTM was very good, as was the raita and naan. Sarah’s dish was once again, just ok. Not the best culinary week for her. My rating - Three Spoons.

On Wednesday we grabbed a quick lunch at some pub in St. George. Nothing at all worth mentioning, though. That evening we stopped in at the Ristorante Primavera, which was basically across the street from our hotel. This turned out to be the most expensive meal we had in Bermuda. Sarah started with a Spinach Salad with gorgonzola, pine nuts, and walnut dressing. It was tiny and basically tasteless due the paucity of gorgonzola and dressing. I had their Bruschetta which wasn’t bad, but not something I’d order again. Not a lot of flavor there either. For dinner we both ended up with a ravioli dish. Sarah’s was the cheese ravioli special and mine was Ravioli Neri with lobster meat. Both dishes were well prepared and nicely presented, but were sort of underwhelming for the price. The highlight of the meal was the Tiramisu I ordered for desert. It was real Tiramisu with the cake at the bottom soaking in brandy and espresso. It was superb. Still, overall the meal rates Three Spoons, which is sad considering the bill just topped $100.

So there, in a nutshell, was our dining experience in Bermuda. Bermuda is a gorgeous place to visit. Just be prepared for sticker shock at mealtime and don’t expect to be wowed by the food.

I had to bring my car to the dealer in Springfield for service today, so we stopped for dinner at the Chesapeake Seafood House on Clear Lake Ave. We’d been by it many times and have often talked about stopping in to try it, but being from New England, where good seafood is a given, we were skeptical. Plus, we were in the habit of stopping at Gateway to India when we were in Springfield, but as our last trip to Gateway was a disappointment, we decided to try something different.

We were early for dinner, but there were still quite a few cars in the lot. Not sure if there was a function or something going on. It wasn’t crowded at all inside, although it’s a pretty big place. The maitre d’ sat us in a small room (looked like a former porch) off the main dining room. The main room looked more inviting. I guess he was trying to spread the customers out among the waitstaff. The service was excellent, though. Our waiter was attentive, but not a pest.

We both decided on entrees off the early dinner menu. The prices were considerably lower than the full menu, although I suspect the portion sizes were accordingly smaller. I ordered their Fried Fish dinner, which was essentially fish & chips. Sarah went with Baked Cod. Hers came with rice pilaf and broccoli. Sarah had a rather tasteless salad made mostly from the white parts of iceberg lettuce and some bottled blue cheese dressing. I tried their clam chowder, which was ok, but there were more vegetables than clams in it and it was a tad bland. Our entrees were both similarly unremarkable. The food was passable, but nothing to write home about. Anyone who has had really fresh seafood will understand. Still, considering we’re in the middle of the prairies, I guess I shouldn’t be too picky.

After several folks wrote comments Sushi Kame in my review of Kamakura, we decided to try it and see for ourselves. The comments were right. Sushi Kame (on Church St next to Nitaya Thai) is excellent, although the atmosphere is a notch below Kamakura’s. That’s not to say the atmosphere isn’t pleasant, though. Just different.

Tonight we both opted for their Bento Box dinners. Sarah got Teriyaki Chicken and I got Teriyaki Steak. The Bento Box dinners come with soup, salad (iceberg lettuce with a ginger dressing), tempura, California roll, rice, and whatever main dish you pick. It’s a decent meal in a tidy presentation. Both the chicken and the steak were quite good. The tempura consisted of a shrimp, sweet potato, zucchini, and a green bean. Very tasty. According to Sarah, the California roll was pretty good. I’m not big on them, so she got mine to take home.

With the beer I had with dinner, we got out of there for just under $40. Not bad for a very good meal. Next time I think I’ll try one of their full entrees and maybe an appetizer. Check back for an update.

I was recently interviewed for an article in The Morning News, a small local paper in Northwest Arkansas. Greasy Spoons is mentioned about halfway down through the article. The writer got a few things wrong, like the site’s name and the fact that I live in Charleston, not “Champagne.” Still, I’m happy to have been able to contribute.