We went back to Michael Domani’s tonight. We’ve had great meals there before, and after the 50/50 split last time, we wanted to give them another shot. Much better tonight, although here’s a personal note to Mike Boksa (the owner); please, please, please change the music, or at least turn it down. The 70′s stuff is just too annoying. The last thing I want to hear when I’m eating a nice meal is young Michael Jackson singing, “A-B-C. Easy as 1-2-3. Ah simple as Do-Re-Me.” I thought the water glasses would shatter. My nerves were certainly close to doing so.

Ok, enough with the music. On to the meal. Tonight we split a mixed green salad. Very, very tasty. And easily big enough for two. The bread was nice and warm, too. I decided to test their “martini bar” again and ordered a vodka martini, straight up, with lemon. Now most bartenders know when you order a martini with lemon, you mean a lemon peel, not a lemon slice. Still, mine came with a slice. I reminded the waiter that “with lemon” means a peel. Not a twist, not a slice, just a peel. He agreed and took it back. It was returned promptly with a peel, although judging from the lemony flavor, I’d guess it was the same drink minus the slice. Still, better than last time.

Sarah had the crab stuffed tilapia. She felt it was just off a bit, but still pretty good. I had the pork chops with apple slices, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans. My meal was really good. I’ve had the same there before and was equally happy. We both took home at least half our meals, so the $50 tab wasn’t hard to take. 

So Three Spoons for Michael Domani’s this time around. Much improved over our last trip. I look forward to eating there again.

Tucked away inside the McKinley Foundation building on the north side of Daniel St between 4th and 5th you’ll find The Serene Bean Cafe. Recently opened under a new owner, this small coffee/sandwich shop is still trying to find a fan base. I’ve bought my lunch there several times now and I’ve always been impressed. The coffee, whether hot or iced, is very good. Other specialty drinks are available. There is also an assortment of very fresh, very tasty sandwiches. I’ve had the tuna salad, the chicken salad, and turkey. All were delicious. Also offered are fruit cups, granola, and a wide assortment of other snacks and soups. And all at very reasonable prices. A sandwich and coffee runs about $5.50. Can’t beat that. Plenty of seating available, too.

So next time you’re out for lunch on campus and don’t want to deal with the lines, stop by The Serene Bean Cafe.

Sarah was in the mood for breakfast food this evening, so we went to the one place in town that serves breakfast any time of day, Lincoln Garden. This place is the very definition of a greasy spoon. It’s very cheap, very simple comfort food. You can sit at the counter on a backless, spinning stool and have a cigarette with your eggs. We opted for the no smoking area.

Sarah got scrambled eggs and corned beef hash and I got the roast turkey special. Eggs and hash are hard to botch, so Sarah was pleased with hers. My roast turkey consisted of a huge amount of roast turkey on a bed of stuffing and a mogul of mashed potatoes, all smothered in gravy. There was also a “California medley” of vegetables consisting of carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli. The turkey was fine, as again, it’s hard to botch turkey. The stuffing and potatoes were edible, but probably canned. The gravy was a standard chicken gravy. The vegetables looked like they’d been sitting in the steamer since lunch. I didn’t realize there was any broccoli until Sarah pointed it out. It was bleached virtually white from way too much time in the steamer.

So Sarah got what she wanted and was pleased with her meal. Mine was certainly edible, except for the veggies. We both have leftovers and we got out of there for just under $15. For a quick meal of comfort food, it’s not a bad place. Just skip the veggies.

El Vaquero is one of three chain Mexican restaurants in the Charleston/Mattoon area. The other two are both called El Rancherito, one in Charleston and one in Mattoon. We prefer El Vaquero. The seating is better and so is the food and service. Tonight we ordered the combo fajitas for two, which is actually a mound of grilled chicken, steak, onions, and peppers big enough to feed six. You get six tortillas, although you can always ask for more. The meal also comes with two plates full of fajita garnishes like pico de gallo, refried beans, rice, sour cream, and guacamole. Chips and salsa are complimentary and always quite good. Refills are gladly served.

Tonight the grilled fajita fixins were piping hot and the guacamole was sublime. We’ve dined there many times and I’ve never had a sub-par meal. My favorite is the steak Burrito Grande, which is also available with chicken. Sarah usually gets one of the numbered combination meals. We’ve tried the same meals at the other two places, but they just don’t have the same quality as El Vaquero, this despite having common ownership.

So if you’re in Coles county and in the mood for Mexican food, look no further than El Vaquero by the Cross County Mall in Mattoon. Show up hungry. 

On the northwest corner of the Charleston, IL town square is Roc’s Blackfront Restaurant and Lounge. It’s basically a bar with a sit down restaurant, smoking in the rear and non-smoking on the side. They have daily specials which are meals off the menu that are reduced in price by removing a side or included salad. Thursday is steak night. You get a decent sized sirloin cooked just the way you like it and two sides for $9.99. You can’t beat that. Now this isn’t Ruth’s Chris-type steak, but a complete steak dinner here will cost you less than an appetizer at Ruth’s Chris. I’ve never had a bad steak at Roc’s. They’re always cooked just as you ask for them and your meal is always is piping hot, a credit to the excellent waitstaff. Tonight I had steak with their tasty fries and I paid the $1.50 to “upgrade” my second side to a salad bar trip. Their salad bar is decent enough, though I have occasionally been disappointed with the freshness of the selections. Not so tonight, however. Everything was very fresh. Sarah opted for the prime rib sandwich (one of the best around), which she likes with their horseradish mayo.

My other favorite meal at Roc’s is their rib dinner. They do ribs better than anyone. Smokey Bones is a close second, but Roc’s almost always has the better ribs. You never have to use your fingers with their ribs, because the meat just falls off the bone. And their ribs are meatier than any I’ve ever had.

As I said up front, Roc’s is a bar. And that’s the basic atmosphere. Very casual. But the bar section is pretty well isolated from the dining areas, so there’s no smoke intrusion into the non-smoking area. I’ve never had to wait for a table, although I have seen other folks wait as it got later into the dinner hour.

So next time you’re in Charleston and looking for a place to eat, give Roc’s Blackfront a try. You won’t be disappointed.

We were out shopping and during a very short break in the rain we decided to duck into a restaurant for dinner. Olive Garden was right there and we found a few open spaces right in front. Decision made. We just made it in before the torrential rain started again. We got in just ahead of the dinner rush, too. We were seated after a very short wait. And although our breadsticks and salad were quickly delivered, we waited more than 30 minutes for our dinner. Apparently there was a large group monopolizing the kitchen.

One of the things about Olive Garden that I find curious is their custom of offering you a free sample of the wine du jour. I think it’s great, but I’m amazed some holier-than-everyone teetotaler hasn’t threatened to sue or boycott over it. Today’s offering was Beringer White Zinfandel. I’ve had it many times, so I declined. But I did order a glass of merlot and Sarah got her usual water with lemon. As Olive Garden gives you generous salads and breadsticks, we opted for no appetizer. Sarah ordered Braised Beef and Tortelloni (one of their specials) and I got the Mixed Grill.

My primary nit to pick with Olive Garden is that their food always looks spectacular, but disappoints the palate. This evening’s meal was no exception. I thought sure when the waiter brought my meal that I had made the right choice. The chicken and steak tips looked perfect, as did the potatoes, onions, and peppers. But one bite of steak and I knew it would be another mediocre meal. I knew I was eating steak. It had the right look and the right texture, but all I could taste was rosemary. The chicken was slightly better. The potatoes, which could have used a bit of livening up, were just blandly roasted. So close, yet so far. Sarah’s dish was somewhat tastier, but it was still fairly pedestrian.

So one hour and $43 later, we were heading back out into the rain (which was very light at that point). I’ll give it Two Spoons. We’ll eat there again, no doubt. Always hoping their meals will live up to their presentation. 

Formerly E.L. Krackers, Domani’s has been in business for about a year now. It is easily the poshest restaurant in Charleston, although that’s not saying much. They try to be high end, especially with the pricing, but they lack the atmosphere and finesse of a truly elegant restaurant. Think of Domani’s as a Family restaurant with High End aspirations. I’ve categorized it as High End because of the entree prices.

We had dinner there this past Friday. Sarah ordered filet of beef tenderloin and I ordered the Italian sausage lasagne. Sarah asked to have rice pilaf instead of the ubiquitous garlic mashed potatoes and I requested meat sauce instead of the alfredo listed on the menu. Both requests were graciously honored. We were going to split a mixed green salad (the salads are huge and tasty), but the recent E.coli scare with spinach meant they had no mixed greens available. Fair enough and I commend them for their caution.

I ordered a vodka martini before dinner. I think the bartender read that a vodka martini is made with vodka and vermouth and mixed them in equal portions. Not the best martini I’ve ever had. Dinner was a mixed bag. My sausage lasagne was delicious and definitely something I’d order again. But Sarah’s steak, which she ordered medium, came out medium-well to well-done. Pretty disappointing for such a pricey entree.

Another detractor was the fingernails-on-the-chalkboard music choice. They were playing some 50′s and 60′s radio station, complete with commercials, at a volume which would not allow you to tune it out. And the station seemed to love ditties and parodies, as we were treated to classics like Snoopy and the Red Baron and On Top of Spaghetti (all covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball…). I mean, what were they thinking?

So I’m rating this one Two Spoons, although since my meal was really pretty good, maybe Two-and-Half Spoons. We’ll give them another chance, as we’ve both had good meals there before.

Update here: Return visit.

Saturday we had originally intended to eat at a place called Greek Islands on S. Meridian, but it was closed. So we followed Meridian to the downtown area and grabbed a space in a parking garage. There are loads of good places to eat in downtown Indy, but PF Chang’s China Bistro sounded good right then. We got there well after the lunch hour, but it was still fairly packed. By the time we left, it was about 50% empty. We were given a table in the middle of the floor with another table very close on our left. A family of four were seated there shortly after we arrived.

We were disappointed to find that our favorite appetizer, the ShangHai Street Dumplings, were no longer on the menu. So we opted for Chang’s Spare Ribs. They were pretty tasty, but a bit messy to eat. Still, they were what an appetizer is supposed to be, a little bit of food to keep you occupied until your meal arrives. These days, appetizers tend to be a meal unto themselves and often ruin your appetite for the main course.

I ordered Mongolian Beef and a Tsing Tao beer and Sarah ordered Ground Chicken and Eggplant and a water. We both got the brown rice. The meals were both excellent. the Mongolian Beef maybe a bit on the sweet side for some, but it’s my favorite meal at Chang’s.

The service was up to Chang’s usual excellent speed and timing, although our waitress seemed intent on sharing a personal crisis with us (and the family next to us). Something about a concert ticket. It was obviously a major issue in her life, although we would have gladly skipped the details.

Teen angst aside, our lunch at Chang’s was excellent. As PF Chang’s China Bistro is a chain, you’ll have no problem finding one around most major cities. Give them a try sometime.