As we had breakfast somewhat late today, we opted for lighter fare for lunch. We stopped in to Artopolis on Halsted in Greektown. I’ve eaten there many times when I’ve had to work at our Chicago office, which is just around the corner. Artopolis is part cafe, part bar, part food store, and part bakery. You order cafeteria style from a variety of daily specials or every day offerings. The specials usually have example plates to view so you have an idea what you’re ordering, but everything is fresh, especially the salads.

One of my favorite Greek dishes, Stuffed Pepper and Tomato, was on special today, so that’s what I ordered. Sarah went with a Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad and a Tiropita, which is a round pastry with Kasseri and Feta cheese. Both meals were excellent, but Sarah really enjoyed the Tiropita above all. It was very tasty. We sat out front in their open air patio-like area, which is nice because it separates you from the sidewalk while still making you feel like you’re outside. Good choice for a quick, but delicious lunch in the Greektown area.

We’ve been talking about a trip down to Effingham to try the FireFly Grill for months now. Folks at EIU have been raving about the place. Well tonight we finally made it down there for a very uncustomary (for us) late dinner. We called ahead and learned they don’t take reservations for less than 8, but that you could get on their waiting list by phone so you’d be near or at the top when you arrive. As it turned out, there was no need as there was no wait. On the one hand it’s surprising there is no wait as the food is superb. On the other hand, it is Effingham. 

The menu at FireFly is eclectic, to say the least. Something here for everyone. We were really hungry, so we started out with the Artichoke Heart Gratin, which is a really tasty dip with flat bread triangles. Entrees come with a choice of two sides, one of which can be a salad. Sarah and I both decided on a Rib Eye. Sarah ordered hers medium with a side of broccoli and a Knife-and-Fork Caesar salad (so named because you need both a knife and a fork to eat it). I asked for medium rare with a side of Hand Cut Fire Fries and a house salad with Catalina French dressing. Both salads were excellent. Sarah raved about hers, while mine was surprisingly spicy for Catalina dressing, which means the dressing is probably made right there. Impressive.

Both steaks were perfectly prepared and very good. They must use a salty rub, but it wasn’t overpowering. The steaks were nicely marbled without being “fatty.” The fries and broccoli sides were also excellent. I had two glasses of Night Owl Shiraz with my meal. I’ll have to look for that next time I’m wine shopping. It was really good. All in all, the meal was the best we’ve had in quite some time.

Another plus for FireFly is the atmosphere. It’s the perfect mix of casual and elegant. Very high ceilings, “porch” seating, open floor plan (which affords views of the grill area as well as the bar), and easy parking make for an unexpected island of cool chic in a town best known for its truck stops. They appeared to be doing well and still had a healthy crowd when we left at 9PM, so I hope they can stay in business. We’ll certainly do our part to keep them busy. 

We decided to give Pasha another try. The last time we were there, I had a good meal but Sarah’s was mediocre, to put it kindly. But seeing as this weekend is Mom’s weekend at the university, we figured we’d need to be well away from campus and avoid the clone places. Pasha fit the bill. We got there right at 5PM and had no problem getting a table.

We were disappointed with the tzatziki last time, so tonight we opted for the Saganaki (Opa!). Saganaki is cheese soaked in brandy which is heated and ignited. It’s a very common appetizer at Greek places and is very tasty. Between the saganaki and the excellent bread, we were half stuffed by the time dinner arrived.

Tonight I ordered the Pasha Special again. It’s a nice helping of various types of meat served with rice and cabbage salad. Again, it was excellent. I just wish they’d include a small dollop of tzatziki with the meal. Sarah had the Stuffed Eggplant. She was much happier with her choice this time. It was eggplant and ground beef in a tasty tomato sauce. We brought a good amount of each meal home, thanks to the “appetizer” and bread. 

Much better visit this time. I’m glad, because I’d like Pasha to become one of our regular places.

We stopped in for lunch today at Shanghai 1938 in the Village at the Crossing complex at the corner of Duncan and Windsor in Champaign, IL. Champaign has loads of take-out Chinese places, so it’s nice to have a real sit-down place to visit. And it’s very nice to not have to eat Chinese food from styrofoam containers.

Shanghai 1938 has a lunch special where for $5.95 you get a choice of soup, eggroll, choice of white or fried rice, entree, and dessert. Sarah had the Hot and Sour soup and I had the Eggdrop. Sarah thought hers was a bit bland, but the eggdrop was tasty. We both went for the Pork Eggroll, although Sarah enjoyed it more than I. For entrees, Sarah had the Hunan Beef and white rice. I considered it, but it was listed as spicy and I was wary of having spicy in a new place, so I went for my favorite stand-by, Cashew Chicken with fried rice. The beef was a tad spicy, but not overwhelming. My chicken was similar to that found at most other Chinese places in this area.

So to sum it up, Shanghai 1938 is similar to Hot Wok or No 1 Wok or any of the other Chinese restaurants in the CU area except you get a nicer atmosphere and real plates. And I’ve classified it as Cheap Eats because the lunch menu items fall in that range. The dinner menu is in the Family range.

I’ve found that the old rating scheme didn’t leave me enough options, so I’ve added a Five Spoon rating. It’s pretty much what the Four Spoon rating was, except I’ll be a lot more judicious about using it. The Four Spoon rating will be for the many restaurants we’ve been to where the food is really good but the atmosphere is more pedestrian. Three Spoons will be just what it should be, the average. I’ve changed just a few former Four Spoon ratings to Five Spoons, but I’ve found that I really didn’t need to change any Three Spoon ratings as they seem to be right where they should be in the new rating scheme. I hope this will help to separate the really outstanding places from the simply good places.