We’ve been in NYC since Monday and have had some outstanding meals. I’ll list them all here.

Monday – Bello (863 Ninth Ave, corner of 56th Street) – Usually when we stay at the Mid-town Holiday Inn on 57th St, we walk to a local place for dinner the first night. We’d passed Bello several times and have always talked about stopping in someday. Well we finally did. We had no problems getting a table and the service was excellent. The menu is typical high-end Italian. Three items on the specials list that night caught our attention. We split an Avocado Salad, which was very tasty. Sarah ordered the Chilean Sea Bass, which was prepared with a leek and tomato sauce. I had the Rigatoni with bacon and peas in a tomato cream sauce. Both were superb. Sarah’s fish was a sizable portion and was light and sweet. My pasta was perfectly prepared and not overwhelmed with sauce. Not to sound like Hannibal Lecter, but I enjoyed mine with a fine Chianti. We finished up with a piece of Tiramisu and a cappuccino. It was a great way to start our stay in NYC. Five Spoons – High End

Tuesday -Mitali East - 334 E. 6th St – Mitali East has long been one of our favorite places to eat in NYC. I’ve rated it very highly in the past. We invited one of Sarah’s friends with us this time, so I guess we set ourselves up to be disappointed. Always happens that way when you rave about a place and then bring friends, no? There was nothing particularly wrong with our meal this time. It was just missing that special something that makes for a memorable meal. Sarah had the Shaag Paneer, I ordered a favorite, Chicken Balti, and Sarah’s friend had the Chicken Tikka Masala. Sarah’s saag was a bit overwhelmed with a sourish cream sauce. My balti was ok, but virtually devoid of spices. The chicken tikka masala was the same, decent, but lacking zip. The service was, as always, excellent. Maybe it was just an off-night for the chef. Three Spoons – Family

Wednesday – Thai Basil – (860 Ninth Ave) – Thai Basil is another of our favorites. It is also an easy walk from our usual hotel. Thai Basil is a typical NYC hole-in-the-wall eatery. Not much atmosphere, but really good food. Luckily, that hasn’t changed for Thai Basil. We started with Vegetable Dumplings, which were, as you would guess, minced veggies wrapped in lettuce. Very tasty. Sarah ordered Eggplant Basil Sautee (which included tofu) and I went with Siam Beef (which came on fried rice). Sarah really liked her eggplant and my beef was perfectly done. I loved the fried rice that came with it. It was truly rice and veggies fried up in a wok, not some mixture of rice and sauce or the yellow rice we get in the midwest. As always, an excellent meal. Four Spoons – Family

Thursday – Bistango Ristorante - (415 Third Ave at 29th St) – We chose Bistango because we were joining a friend of Sarah’s who happens to have a gluten allergy. Bistango has many gluten-free offerings. They even have gluten-free beer. The atmosphere is dinner casual and very comfy. The service was excellent and the waitstaff was very knowledgeable about every detail of the food preparation, which can be a godsend to those with allergies. Sarah’s friend was very pleased and surprised at the wide choice of gluten-free food as well as the staff’s knowledge. She ordered the gluten-free ravioli, which she said was the first time she’d ever seen it in a restaurant. It looked pretty tasty, which she confirmed. She had started out with the calamari appetizer, which she said was also very good. I’ll take her word for it as I don’t like calamari. Sarah and I split a Caesar salad, which was served wedge style. Not my favorite way to enjoy a salad. The Caesar was ok, but a bit pricey considering it was basically a wedge of romaine with some grated cheese and dressing on it. For entrees Sarah had rigatoni and meat sauce. I had the boneless pork chop. Sarah’s rigatoni was good, although the meat sauce had shredded meat instead of the typical crumbled hamburger. My porkchop was pounded flat and breaded, like a schnitzel. It came with a small portion of mashed potatoes, a large helping of spinach, and was served over sauteed onions and hot cherry peppers. The porkchop was quite good, as were the potatoes. I’m not a big fan of spinach and the onions and peppers were very spicy, so I only had a couple bites of those. We all had the excellent Gelato and Sorbet for dessert. Sarah and I split coffee gelato and mango sorbet. The gelato was creamy and rich. The mango sorbet was eye-opening strong. If you really like mango, you’ll love the mango sorbet. Sarah’s friend had vanilla gelato and blackberry sorbet. She raved about both. Despite my little nitpicks, the meal was quite good, the service was, as I said, excellent, and the atmosphere was enjoyable. Four Spoons – Family

Friday – Molyvos – (871 Seventh Ave) – We originally tried to get into a smaller Greek place close to our hotel, but it turned out to be basically a tiny cheese and wine bar and was, of course, packed on a Friday evening. So we walked on over to Molyvos on 7th Ave, which the bus to the Javits Center passed every day. We were able to walk in and get a table right away. It’s a surprisingly large place. The atmosphere is very upscale, yet comfortable. We were expecting the usual Greek fare with gyros and moussaka and such. No gyros to be found here, although they do have moussaka. The waiter quickly supplied us with warm pita triangles and bread with a spicy feta spread. We also ordered the Tzatziki. We went through the first basket of bread and were promptly supplied with another. Both the feta spread and the tzatziki were excellent. For entrees Sarah ordered the stuffed pepper and I had the beef short rib (Vodino Stifado). Sarah’s pepper was stuffed with eggplant and rice and such. It was very, very good. My beef short rib was melt in your mouth tender and delicious. We split an order of potato kefte, which was quite good, although we really could have done without it as the entrees were more than ample. I had a couple glasses of a really good mavroudi wine, which went perfectly with the beef. We will definitely return to Molyvos. It seemed only right that we should bookend our trip with two fantastic meals. Five Spoons – High End

We were heading out to the Celtic Crossroads show at EIU tonight and were planning on eating at the Thai place here in Charleston. As we were passing by Two Flowers by the first set of lights in Charleston, Sarah said, “Why don’t we stop in here?” So we did. It turned out to be a good decision.

Two Flowers always has a seasonal menu, and tonight was apparently one of the last nights for the winter menu. We both ended up ordering off it. Sarah started out with African Peanut Soup and I had the Red Pepper Bisque. Both were excellent. For entrees Sarah got the Orange Roughy and I had the Beef Tenderloin and Scallops in Champagne Vanilla Sauce. Sarah’s roughy was very tasty. Not fishy at all and accompanied by a light, but noticeable citrus glaze. My beef was outstanding. It was accompanied by two scallops and a sauce that was like having dessert with dinner. I had a nice glass of cab sauvignon with mine. Once again, great gourmet food right here in Charleston.

We’re in Chicago for the American Library Association (ALA) conference. Tonight we went to dinner with four of Sarah’s colleagues and settled on Roy’s  at 720 North State Street in Chicago, IL. Roy’s is billed as Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine. That’s a fancy way of saying “delicious.” We had no problem getting a reservation for six and were seated immediately. Sarah and I arrived a couple of minutes early, so I ordered a Hawiian Martini, which is their signature drink. It’s “pineapples infused in SKYY Vodka, Stoli Vanil Vodka, and Malibu Coconut Rum.” It was dangerously drinkable. Very refreshing. Sarah had a Mai Tai, which was also very good.

The rest of the gang arrived so we ordered dinner. Sarah had the Butterfish, which was a tasty whitefish in a cream sauce. I went with the Prix Fixe menu, which at $35 was a steal. I had the Crispy Shrimp Lumpia for an appetizer and shared them with Sarah. There were four shrimp eggrolls in a spicy/sour mango sauce. Quite good. For an entree I went with the Pulehu Sirloin with truffled fries, accompanied by a nice merlot. The sirloin was nicely prepared, although smallish. The truffled fries were like crispy angel hair. I figured out the best way to eat them was to mash them down to a manageable size. They were very good, though. For dessert most folks went with the chocolate souffle, but I opted for the Keris Creamsicle, which was an orange Yazu cake (heaven on earth). I wanted something coffee-like, so I ordered a coffee martini and was surprised it was served cold. I guess I should have known. It was awesome, but I was still in the mood for hot coffee, so I ordered that before dessert was done. 

The entire meal was superb as was the service. We were there for at least two hours and happily enjoyed every minute. It’s not a place we can afford to go often, but for the occasional splurge, I can’t think of any place I’d rather be.

This afternoon we finally made it to Milo’s at their new location on Philo Rd. in Urbana, just south of Windsor. The last (and only) time we had eaten at Milo’s in the past was well before I started this blog. We’ve been meaning to try them again, but just haven’t made it until today. We got there at our usual early dinner time (around 5PM) and had no problem getting a table. It was busier when we left, but there were still tables available. The new place is very nice with pleasant views of the landscaping and ponds around the restaurant.

Sarah wasn’t particularly hungry tonight, so we thought we’d split a salad and then each order one of their signature pizzas. But then our waitress told us of the special of the day, which was halibut on a sweet corn sauce with mashed potatoes, a duck-based hash, and a dab of pesto. That sounded great, so no pizza for me. Sarah decided to skip the salad and just got an Upside-down Pizza with artichokes, olives, spinach, five cheeses, and chunky tomato sauce. It was that last ingredient that missed on the pizza. There were tomatoes, but really no sauce. It was what is known as a “white pizza” with no discernable tomato sauce. It was well prepared, but Sarah was disappointed with it. My halibut was just a tad on the dry side, but the sweet corn sauce and duck hash and mashed potatoes made that not too noticeable. My meal was otherwise delicious. I had a nice glass of Riesling with it.

There were a couple of ambiance/service misses tonight, though. First, the evening’s soundtrack was Motown oldies. I’ve always been of the opinion that restaurant music should be instrumental and entirely ignorable. If you choose a style of music like Motown or country or rock or easy listening or oldies, you are bound to have patrons who really don’t like the music, which detracts from the experience. There were at least two songs this evening which I cannot stand listening to. That may seem petty, but some music really grates on my nerves. Better to have something that fills the silence, yet remains forgettable.

And secondly, when I’ve finished a meal and the table has been cleared, I like to be able to pay and be gone in less than 10 minutes. Tonight we sat for nearly 20 minutes before we lost patience, retrieved the credit card, and cobbled together enough cash to cover the bill (minus a few dollars in the tip). As we left, we saw our waitress chatting pleasantly with new arrivals at another table. It wasn’t all that busy, but she seemed to have forgotten about us once the bill was delivered.

Tonight we went out for my birthday dinner to Escobar’s on E. Columbia Ave. in Champaign, IL. We’ve never had a meal at Escobar’s that was less than stellar. Tonight was more of the same. We were able to park right in front and got a table right away, although it was about 3/4 full when we left. The special tonight was Scallops over Fried Rice in a Thai Red Curry Sauce. That was Sarah’s pick. I went with the Cowboy (bone-in) Ribeye with Mashed Potatoes and a port merlot demi-glace. We both started with salads; Sarah’s was the spinach with goat cheese and pears and mine was a classic Greek salad. Both were a good size and very tasty. I opted for a Horseplay “Rollicking Red” Cab-Merlot-Syrah wine with dinner. I wanted something hearty to go with the steak and this one was perfect.

Sarah’s scallops were quite large (4 of them) and nicely browned. She thought the curry sauce was spicy but delicious. Her only nitpick was that she thought the dish could have used more rice. My steak was perfectly prepared and absolutely delicious. The demi-glace was a great accompaniment, and the potatoes were excellent. We finished off the meal with a Guatemalan rum and mango cheesecake and two lattes. A perfect ending. Escobar’s continues to be the best Champaign has to offer.

Today we had an early dinner at Escobar’s on E. Columbia Ave. in Champaign, IL. We’d been there once before and had a great meal, so we were hoping for a repeat performance. We were not disappointed. As before, we got there early and had no problem getting a table. We even were able to park right in front of the restaurant, although there is plenty of parking right across the street.

One of the specials tonight was Great Lakes Whitefish in a cilantro-lime beurre blanc sauce with cilantro-lime rice and vegetables. That sounded perfect to me. Sarah went with the Crab cake stuffed chiles rellenos with guajillo cream sauce. A commenter on my original Escobar’s review told me that the house White Sangria was very good, so I ordered that for dinner. It was indeed good and went well with the meal. (Thanks, Keri.) 

Sarah’s stuffed chiles were excellent. I even liked them and I’m not a big fan of chiles rellenos. They weren’t overpoweringly spicy, but they did have a nice, slow burn. My fish was nothing short of spectacular. Easily the best meal I’ve had in a long time. The fish was sweet and the sauce was very rich. The rice was also quite tasty and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. I ended up with a second glass of Sangria, which finished off the meal perfectly. The biggest surprise was that we got out of there for just about $60 with the tip. Fanatastic food at a reasonable price.

Last night Sarah and I took her friend to Firefly Grill in Effingham, IL. We’ve been there several times before, but it was the first time for Sarah’s friend. We were a bit concerned about the show going on at the new Rosebud Theatre next door, but the crowd wasn’t bad. We were seated immediately at a table in their screened-in porch, which turned out to be a comfortable place to sit. Still, you may want to check to see if there’s a show at the Rosebud when planning your visit.

Once thing that was apparent during our visit is that they seemed to be shorthanded. Our waitress was responsible for all the tables on the porch and I think a few inside. She seemed a bit overworked, but still managed to do ok by us. Our appetizer, Artichoke Heart Gratin with House-Made Flatbread, was very good, but it took a while to arrive. Sarah and her friend had salads; Sarah’s was the Knife and Fork Caesar side salad and her friend’s was a normal Greek Salad, which was enormous. I started with a glass of merlot because I had planned on having steak. But then I saw Grilled Seabass on the menu and decided to go for that instead. I finished my merlot with the appetizer and ordered a glass of Relax Riesling from Germany. It was very good and went well with the fish. My seabass was delicious and came with one crabmeat stuffed ravioli and a huge head of broccoli. Even the waitress joked about the amount of broccoli, although it was also quite tasty, so I didn’t mind.

Sarah ordered the 12-oz Oak Fired Rib-Eye and her friend had the Chicken Pot Pie with Shells & Cheese for a side. She liked the pie, but thought the shells and cheese were too light on the cheese. Sarah thought her steak was quite good. As I said, my seabass was excellent. We finally got some bread near the end of the meal, but the poor waitress couldn’t find any thawed butter anywhere. Again, I think they were running understaffed. I don’t blame the waitress for that. We didn’t order dessert, but the ones we saw passing by looked fantastic. Maybe next time.

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’re staying at the incredible Amelia Island Plantation. You could spend a week here and never have to leave the property for anything. There are shops and restaurants and a spa right here, as well as a great shuttle service so you don’t have to drive. We took the shuttle tonight down to PLAE (which stands for People Laughing and Eating) for dinner. PLAE was listed as casual dining and as I packed only short and jeans, we needed casual. The atmosphere at PLAE was really a notch or two above casual, but no one gave me any grief about my jeans.

The service at PLAE was outstanding. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive and she knew the menu and specials inside and out. We started off with a Domed Caesar Salad for Sarah and a bowl of Potato Leek Soup for me. The “dome” on Sarah’s salad was some toasted grated cheese over a well prepared Caesar salad. My soup was delicious and also had some sort of cheese added to it. Sarah ordered Snapper with Asiago crust and I went for the Prime Rib special. Sarah’s fish was served over garlic mashed potatoes. My prime rib was huge and came with au gratin potatoes and Yorkshire pudding, which is really more of a popover pastry. I also ordered a wine flight consisting of two California Syrahs and an Australian Shiraz. I was so impressed with the Shiraz that I ordered another glass. My side dishes were really good. The prime rib, which I had requested medium rare, actually was very close to rare, though. It was good, but not at the level of, say, Lawry’s Prime Rib. There was just something a little bit off about it. Sarah’s fish was quite tasty and the presentation was unique, to say the least.

If you stay at Amelia Island Plantation, be prepared to pay High End prices for food. This meal, with tip, ran to $150. Breakfast for two runs between $36 and $40.

Tonight we decided to splurge and went to Kennedy’s at Stone Creek. I had recently read about their Fall Pairs specials which feature lobster tails or shrimp or crab cakes paired with each other or a filet mignon. That sounded good to me, so we went there hoping the main menu had also changed. Our past meals at Kennedy’s have always been excellent, but the menu tends to be pretty static. The specials interested us, though.

We got there about 5:30 and were surprised at how few people were there. Never a good sign. Sarah started off with the Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola and I had the Mushroom Explosion soup. Sarah ordered the Sirloin Tips and I got the Lobster Tail with Filet. The salad and soup were excellent, as always. Our meals were less so. There was nothing wrong with them, per se. But they were just ok. My lobster tail was a bit mushy and somewhat tasteless. The filet was good, as were the garlic mashed potatoes. The grilled veggies consisted of a squash and carrot combo that I rarely eat. The fact that they were soggy kept me from even picking at them. Sarah’s sirloin tips were a tad overcooked and she wasn’t happy with the mushroom gravy they were tossed with. Last time she ordered tips there, they were in a teriyaki-based sauce and were much better.

Before I started this blog, we had eaten at Kennedy’s many times and always had a great meal that would have easily been Four or Five Spoon ratings. But tonight’s meal was just ok, and as such, it rates Three Spoons.