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HI,

On Monday evening, we visited my sister in Bloomington on our way home from the State Fair. My sister has been here a few months, making friends and getting food recommendations. Where I was leaning toward Texas BBQ, she leaned toward Italian, which pleased my other sister who really wanted to visit Italian Garden. Since everyone was leaning toward Italian food, why should I stop the train?

As we were driving to our destination, I learned this would be my sister's first visit. Her recommendation derived from a co-worker who thought the bread was the greatest. Beyond the bread and this restaurant serves Italian food, we knew little else.

Avanti's was bustling when we arrived, yet we were quickly seated in a circular booth. Our waiter was quite likely a college student working his way through school. When I asked him what was the best offering of Avanti's, he replied, "To be honest, it is our bread." Bread! Where have I heard this before? "What do you recommend beyond the bread?" As he threw straws at us he recited what he liked with little enthusiasm, "Chicken parmigiana and the pizza burger. We are known for our sandwich the Gondola, an Italian submarine, but I don’t like it.” My niece inquired about the lasagna, we were advised, “Our vendor recently stopped making it. We now make it in-house but most of customer’s don’t like it.” “If I order the pizza burger, will it be cooked medium rare or cooked through?” “Well, it is really a meatball sandwich and the meatballs are already cooked.” He gave thumbs down on the ravioli and tortellini suggesting they were tasteless. In frustration, I finally ordered a pizza with toppings my sister might like for leftovers the next day. As he walked away, my sister began laughing, “Our waiter just doesn’t like the food served here.” This was a big clue, one that would have saved me time and money if I had listened to it, but it was ignored.

Dinner was awful from stem to stern. The lasagna was nothing we’d have recognized as lasagna with a distinct burnt taste. My semi-veggie sister’s spaghetti with marinara sauce heavily doctored with parmigiana cheese was half eaten and not to brought it home. The two who had Chicken Parmigiana also left most of their meal largely unfinished. I had two-three pieces of pizza and by design left most for the next day. I did try the bread with the lofty reputation. It reminded me of store bought Parker rolls in the ready-to-heat aluminum pan with a plastic twist tie bag over it.

As we strolled back to the car, my other sister said, “What makes you think we would have had a worse meal at Italian Garden?” I admit on this occasion Italian Garden would have been the better choice.

Yet there are real fans of this restaurant. One guy said the thing to get is their Gondola or grinder type sandwich. Again, there are clearly fans of this restaurant though we’re not one of them.

Avanti’s
407 S. Main St.
Normal, IL
Phone: 309/452-4436
www.avantisnormal.com

Monday - Thursday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. to midnight
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

_________________
Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

My in-laws live in Peoria and dining out with the extended family is always a chore because they tend to lean to chains. I had high hopes the first time they took us to Avanti's because I had heard the same thing, "their bread is wonderful". I have even had people who had gone to school downstate ask me to bring back bread from Avanti's when I have gone to Peoria for the weekend. I have had their carryout gondola's once and it was an ok basic sub and the time we ate in with the whole family I just remember it being very bland. The bread has a sweet taste to it.

So sorry for you, Cathy2! I'd say you took one for the team but to me that implies taking a risk to perhaps find a pleasant surprise... There are no pleasant surprises at Avanti's.

The place is simply a mystery to me. The bread isn't slightly sweet - it's SWEET! Personally, I can enjoy a hearty whole-wheat bread with a little sweetness to it but chalky, processed, non-crunchy, industrial baguettes (I'm very reluctant to type that word in this context...) that are overly sweet to boot?! Yuck! Add some processed ham, processed cheese, a smear of sandwich spread and a limp lettuce leaf and you've got a Gondola. A Bloomington institution.

I'm sorry that had to happen to you!

Can't you please stick to pizza and go to Lucca Grill next time you've got the Italian itch?! It's still not the caliber of what we often see posted here from the thin-crust places in Chicago but it's miles above Avanti's...

I came to Bloomington for college in 1987 so I've had many years of Avantis experience. It is total schlock italian, perfect for the college student budget. Their pizza is mediocre at best and I've had better pasta from a can, although their meat sauce isn't the worst in the world.

However, I have to admit that I do love their bread, processed or not. Yes, it's sweet, but I like sweet italian bread so when my unit get lunch delivery from Avantis, I get either pizza bread with pepperoni or garlic bread with cheese. It may not be a crusty, delicious baguette (which are very hard to find in this town) but it does have its place.

If we go out for good italian food, we go to Biaggi's. I love the basket of different kinds of bread they bring to the table and their menu is different from anywhere else in town.

btw, you mentioned Italian Garden.....are you just poking fun at Olive Garden or is this a new restaurant in town? I've not heard of it.

I mixed Olive Garden and Italian Garden in my mind. I guess some days I need a proofreader.

I just find it fascinating how the cult of the bread surrounds this restaurant. At the State Fair, when I mentioned Avanti's the next thoughtful comment was about the bread. I didn't counter with my less than stellar opinion of the bread. I would probably not even begin to comment on the bread, if there was so not so much chatter about it. I certainly do appreciate the nostalgia and something-from-home-base-which-I can't-get-everywhere feelings people have over Avanti's bread. Unfortunately for the stranger walking into it, it's a mystery why it has this legion of fans.

Bridgestone - At least with the Avanti's, we had an opportunity to try a local institution. I hope to try Lucca Grill one of these days.

Lucca Grill
116 East Market Street
Bloomington, IL 61701
http://www.luccagrill.com
309-828-7521

_________________
Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

Cathy2 - your desire to stick to the local stuff is hugely appreciated and admired! At least you can scratch Avanti's off of the list...

Lucca's pizza is very good. I'd say it's easily one of the best thin-crust pizzas I've ever had, but they are so overpriced that we haven't gone in years. As for their pasta....the one time I got it (fettucine alfredo), it tasted worse than the box noodle side dishes from the grocery store. I've never heard anyone else rave about it either.

Avantis bread is more of a nostalgia thing, at least for me. Perhaps those who don't know any better think their bread is "gourmet." As I said, I do like the taste, but I would never confuse it with high-end bread. I lived in France for a year and it took me a very long time after getting back to get used to soft bread again.

I heartily recommend Schooner's and Luca Grill also! I lived in B-N for 2.5 years when I worked for State Farm...of course, that was 10 years ago...hm...am I that old?

There is now a Biaggi's at Algonquin Commons for those who are interested.

Is Delgado's the Mexican place on the south side of town? Back then there wasn't really anything around it, just a stop off either Main or Veterans on the south side of town. Anyway, there is/was a mexican place on the south side of town that got me hooked on chili rellenos. Theirs were non-eggy in their batter and I have yet to find any similar. (Perhaps the eggy is more authentic, but I dislike it, it detracts from the flavor of the pepper, IMO.) Also, the place I ate at (Delgado's or not) had a weird rep for being a front as a drug dealing place. Never figured out if they just hid it in the basket of chips or what...of course, at age 23, it could have been a silly rumor we were happy to repeat purely for entertainment purposes.

There is a 'Third Sunday Market' there....every third Sunday of the month, April-Nov (?), at the county fairgrounds on the east side of town, off route 9 (??? again, going by memory...) lots of crafts and antique dealers, although I heard it has degraded lately. But I have fond memories of it, and a lovely princess dresser to boot! (See here for a picture of a princess dresser: http://www.bargainjohn.com/F750PrincessDresser.htm)

Also, one of my favorite local bands of all time plays regularly in Bloomington (they have only been to Chicago a few times, despite good turn out and my repeated begging emails):

http://www.mropporknockity.com/index2.htm

I loved my time there. When I lived there it was the fastest growing town in the nation and the restaurants per capita were the highest in the state (or vice versa?). Not sure of the current stats, but it can't have changed *that* much.

Oh yeah, the chinese place in downtown Bloomington was very good. The beef chow fun is great - they used thin noodles (like lo mein) and pan fried them with beef and green onions...not typical chow fun (wide noodles), but it was yummy and a huge plate for like $6.95.

Oh yeah, and everyone always loved Avanti's Gondola sandwiches. The bread is great (which you can buy separately), I personally never like the sandwiches.

And if you didn't know, the original Steak and Shake is there. And they make Been Nuts there.

Ok, I think I am done now...

Also, how is the construction thru there?

Christine

Just wanted to let you know about a couple of new restaurants in town.

Flat Top Grill is a chain you in Chicago are probably somewhat familiar with. It's at the new Shoppes at College Hills where the old mall used to be (Target, Von Maur, and Hobby Lobby are still there). It's a stir-fry restaurant and both times we've been, we loved it! There are tons of items to choose from, all kinds of sauces to mix and match, five kinds of meat, plus tofu, and at least a dozen other seasonings/additions. See www.flattopgrill.com

We were going to pick up our CSA veggies tonight when we heard an advertisement on the radio for Harold's Chicken Shack #32. It's a tiny little hole in the wall place at 912B W. Market (in the 'hood) where Z's used to be and is open really late. So after we picked up our healthy veggies, we headed over for some fried chicken. For $6 we got 4 pieces of white meat (2 breasts, 2 wings), fries, slaw, and bread. It was quite possibly the best fried chicken I've ever had! Great breading, just enough sauce, decent fries (soaked in sauce), and hubby liked the slaw, although there wasn't much of it. It wasn't very greasy, either. The place was packed so we had to wait about 15-20 minute, but it was worth it.

I've been to the Beer Nuts factory outlet, which is possibly the food destination most worth visiting. Free samples are available, plus a 15-minute video factory tour, and, of course, a gift shop, selling more varieties of the sweetly coated nuts than you'll find at a typical store.

In 2001, I also had a pleasant meal at Le Radis Rouge, a country French restaurant in what is now the Chateau Hotel. I can't say what it might have suffered since the hotel disassociated from Jumer's, however. Nor the castle-like hotel, which was lovely and unique.

Next month, I am going to an event in Bloomington. For one dinner, I'm stuck going to a Chinese buffet place called Ming's. However, I'd be interested in hearing about interesting places on the route down there, particularly anything likely to be open late on Friday night, as well as places in Bloomington-Normal, especially for weekend brunch/lunch. In 2001, most of the dining options seem to be regional or national chains.

Do any of the fried chicken options mentioned above serve worthwhile food beyond that? (Himself isn't a chicken fan.)

Ming's Restaurant
309/663-2883
407 N Hershey Rd
Bloomington, IL 61704

Le Radis Rouge
309/662-2525
www.chateauhotel.biz
Chateau Hotel
1601 Jumer Drive
Bloomington

Beer Nuts Factory outlet
309/827-8580
www.beer-nuts.com
103 N. Robinson St.
Bloomington
8 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F

_________________
LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

One of the great pleasures of the trip to Bloomington-Normal is to bypas it by about 15 miles to visit the treasure of Dixie Truckers Stop in MacLean. Right off I55 good classic diner fare-much better than average, a cute little Route 66 museum, quirky signs and traditions("Truckers get served first"), and the best biscuits and gravy served all day (it's a good side dish for meatloaf) servered 24/7/365.
While TDS is good anytime of the day, finding your way there for breakfast is sublime.

HI,

Dixie Trucker's Stop is also home to the Illinois Route 66 Hall of FAme. Just north of there is Funk's Maple Sirup Grove.

Thanks for the tip on biscuits and gravy.

Regards,

_________________
Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

All of the places that I listed in the little towns on the way down to B/N also serve fine steaks, chops, and fish dishes.

Thought I'd let you all know what has been going on recently in B-N.

First, an update on Viv. Love it!! It's non-smoking, has entertainment two or three nights a week, and some of the best "gourmet" pizza! I especially love the one with bbq pork, carmelized onions, smoked gouda, and goat cheese ($9). Hubby likes the one with spicy sausage, prosciutto, red peppers, and mozz. See their schedule and menu at www.vivwinebar.com

One mexican restaurant has closed - Dr. Margarita - and another has opened up north of the Wendy's on College, called Los Portillos. We have only gone once, but the fajitas were fresh and plentiful, the salsa adequate, and the service outstanding. I will say that my fajitas had no seasonings to speak of, but hubby got chorizo added so his tasted better. The pico de gallo was rather weak as well. I'll save final judgement for after our next visit or two so I can try other menu items.

It's a shame that Dr. Margarita closed. Their food was mediocre, but their salsa and chips were to die for!

Another new restaurant is a tearoom where the old College Hills cheap theater used to be (I think). It's called Sisters Victorian Tea Room and is open Tues - Sat. from 10:30 - 3pm. They have an afternoon tea for $14.95 as well as regular lunch items.

There is a new international grocery store behind Krispy Kreme called World Gourmet Foods, and it is excellent! You can find most anything there including around 300 varieties of cheeses, a dozen different olives, fresh tabouli, hummus, and babaganouj (bland IMO), and specialty meats such as duck, rabbit, and buffalo. There is a wide selection of indian foods as well as a whole aisle devoted to flavored oils and vinegars. The official open house is April 1, and they have smaller tastings each Saturday.

I went to ISU 16 Years ago. Alexander Steakhouse was probably my favorite. Is it still there? Is it Good? Remember, I was in college the last time I was there.
Thanks
Tom

Yep, Alexander's is still there, and still yummy. They could use some remodeling, though. I haven't been in quite a while, but it's still probably my favorite steakhouse in town.

I went to the Sisters Tea Room on Saturday for afternoon tea. It is connected with a craft mall, either in or next to the "lifestyle center" that they've turned the old mall in Normal to. The selection of teas isn't vast, but it is enough. The tea, which costs $14.95, consists of sweet breads, sandwiches, and desserts.

The sweet breads included apricot scones and tiny croissants, which were both dry, and chocolate/nut bread with strawberry jam filling. This came with jam and lemon curd -- no devonshire cream. You get one slice of quick bread, a croissant, and a scone.

The sandwiches were nice -- a ribbon sandwich with ham salad and roast beef salad, a cucumber, a chopped carrot with sliced olives, and a spinach item in puff pastry. Additional sandwiches are available, and we had a pineapply cream cheese sandwich along with repeats of the others. You get 4 sandwiches initially.

The atmosphere is nice -- lots of flowers, and our table's centerpiece was a shoe (!) with flowers in it. A party of red-hatters was in attendance.


Dessert consisted of: chocolate dipped strawberry, a tiny sugar cookie that was really yummy, an eclair, a piece of lemon cake, and an interesting date thing on a cracker (!) with frosting. It was good.

Also revisited ViV wine bar. It's still great, although the menu has changed -- no more satay, and the cheese plate is now $9. Still great prices on the wine -- we had a bottle of Gruet sparkling wine for $25, which is not bad. I highly recommend ViV! Please go and recommend to others so it can stay open!

Hmm...from reading your post, it doesn't sound like the tea at Sisters is worth the money. That's too bad.

I will sing Viv's praises to whoever will listen. I got a kir royale last time I was there, and it tasted very different from what I'm used to, but it was good. Turns out they use cassis lambic (a wheat beer) instead of crème de cassis which makes for a very interesting drink! Story is that they ran out of crème de cassis one night and used the lambic. They had so many people remark on how good it was that they started using it all the time. I asked if they had crème de cassis if we preferred it, and the owner said not normally, but sometimes they have it on hand to use in their desserts and to just ask next time I'm in.

I've been craving a goat cheese pizza....I think we'll have to stop in there again later this week.

I didn't want to imply that the tea was a bad experience. Let's face it -- you're not going to get Four Seasons or Ritz style tea in central Illinois. But it was quite nice. The room is decorated nicely, with pretty chandeliers and lots of flowers. All oak tables and chairs, old tea cups and saucers, plates and tea pots.

I think it's the only game in town for tea now that the other team room that was near Eastland closed (some years ago, actually). So it's a pleasant experience, and I appreciate having a place to go for tea.

Update - Crazy Planet Kitchen closed in downtown Bloomington and was replaced by a restaurant called Reality Bites. As far as I can tell, they're making it into more of a regular bar as they've installed two 50" plasma TVs and are serving sandwiches and typical nightspot entrées. My reaction is, who cares? Those kinds of restaurants are a dime a dozen in this town. CPK had a great ecclectic menu with a nice casually-elegant ambiance. Not to mention a killer hummus plate appetizer

There is also a new place opening downtown at Front and Center called Your Mother's, a sports bar-themed restaurant that will have thick, gourmet hamburgers with topping choices such as avocado and zucchini. It is run by one of the owners of the Castle Theater and will be open late.

Was in Bloomington a few weeks ago for only a couple of days. Tried a new place or two and was reminded of a recommendation (see number 2, below) that should have been made a while ago.

1) Tried the replacement restaurant to the old Delgado's mentioned early in this thread. It does for me what Delgado's did - provides a decent tex-mex meal without needing to visit and support yet another corporate chain in BLN. I had a massive platter and it was hot, arrived quickly and really hit the spot for someone currently living (since 10 years back) in a tex-mex/mexican vacuum. Greasy tex-mex but steaming hot, served quickly and with attentive service. I apologize but the name didn't stick in my head...

2) I'm pretty sure that the name of this place is currenly "Orient Gourmet" or so. It's next to/near Best Buy and the cinema on this corner of College and Veteran's (I think, sorry for being so fuzzy here...). We've followed the owners of this restaurant for years now as they have moved and split and etc. Why? Well, I personally think that their Chow Foon noodles are far and away the best tasting Chinese food Bloomington-Normal has to offer. Slightly crispy, slightly soft (I wouldn't order "crispy" as I usually do in Chicago as you already get enough crispy bits and I'd hate the lose the non-crispy bits) noodles. You're pretty much free to order any combination you want - we had seafood/asparagus/black bean and beef/chinese broccoli. They also have an excellent hot & sour soup. Extremely friendly service.

3) Also did Culver's for lunch. My grandmother loves the walleye sandwich they have as a special and they do a fine fast-food burger. Had a chocolate shake made with their signature frozen custard and more-or-less enjoyed it until I read the fine-print in the nutritional info pamphlet and noticed that it had close to 900 calories packed into it. In fact, I just used the Culver's Nutrition calculator (on their website) to calculate that my lunch weighed in at 1821 calories... for lunch... Could partially explain why I've been panting so much lately on the jogging path. Granny needs the calories but unless I take up arctic exploration, I don't.

O.K., not dining but, 4) Visited a new liquor store on the east side of Bloomington, Friar Tuck and was postively blown away by their selection of beer! Truly massive selection of domestic and imports. As I currently live in Europe, I didn't check out the imports but the domestic selection, especially midwestern microbrews, had me reeling. If you like beer or know someone that does, this is an incredible addition to Bloomington-Normal.


"Delgado's replacement"
201 Landmark Dr.
Normal, IL

Orient Gourmet Chinese and Japanese Restaurant
2103 North Veterans Parkway, Suite 312
Bloomington, IL

Culver's
901 Hershey Road
Bloomington, IL 61704

Friar Tuck
2401 Maloney Dr
Bloomington, IL

The Delgado's replacement is Los Portillos. We have only been once, but we enjoyed it in general. My combo fajitas, while plentiful and fresh, had no real spice or seasoning to them at all. Hubby's did only because he had chorizo added. The chips and salsa were adequate, but the pico de gallo was not that great, and the horchata was terrible. I'll give it another try and order one of their combo meals instead. The service was oustanding.

So....not bad, but definitely better than Delgado's. Then again, a tv dinner is better than Delgado's.

Hi,

I found this wood bar-b-que place just 26 miles east of Bloomington via the internet. I haven't been there though others may know of this place:



Bull's Bar-B-Que
103 S. Center Street
P.O. Box 107 (mail)
Colfax, IL 61728
bullsbbq@hotmail.com
309-723-6083

Regards,

_________________
Cathy2

"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways, Road Food 2012: Podcast

This was reccommended for an upscale Saturday night restaurant. It opened in January of '06 in the old OTB building. Anyone tried it?

Thanks

We stopped and looked at their menu when we went to the adjacent comedy club one night. I don't expect them to stay open very long. The owner is in financial trouble and has a few very unhappy contractors who haven't been paid for the remodeling work they did last year. He's also facing losing his liquor license. Not a class act, that's for sure.

While I cannot personally rate their food, the menu didn't impress me and I thought it was ridiculously priced for central IL. It was comparable in price to Babbo, and I'm sorry, but I'm not going to pay that much money for a place that gets mixed reviews at best.

Are you speaking of Alexander's Steakhouse? If so, they have the best steaks in Bloomington in my opinion. You get to choose which one you want out of a large, upright cooler. We went about a month ago with a group of friends and I got a filet ($19.99) which I had butterflied as I don't like my steaks red inside. I cooked it between medium well and well, and it just melted in my mouth. Their salad bar has quite a few items, and you can have as much texas toast and baked potatoes/fries as you want.

Another cut we often get is the Santa Maria sirloin ($18.99). The spice rub on it is excellent.

I would have pictures of our last outing except my camera was stolen.

http://www.mercedesrestaurants.com/alexanders.html
Here's the website for Alexander's. I was just down there last summer and as usual, it was satisfying. I love a place where you can show off your grilling skills.

We have a new bbq place in town called Bandanas (http://www.bandanasbbq.com) and we went there with my parents last night for the first time.

They are a chain out of St. Louis, and we are their first franchise site. They are planning to open in all the surrounding cities in central IL within one to two years.

All of their meat has a dry rub and is smoked without sauce. That isn't my favorite way to have bbq, but it was still pretty good, especially with the four sauces we had at our table to choose from.

Hubby and I got the sampler for two which came with 1/4lb pork, 1/4lb beef, 1/2 slab of ribs (pork), and 1/2 chicken as well as four huge slices of garlic bread and two large sides. All of that was $24.99. The ribs were the leanest, most meaty pork ribs I've ever had. I even enjoyed the chicken, and bbq chicken isn't usually something I go for.

I still don't have a camera (my digital was stolen when our house was burglarized) but hopefully I will the next time we go.

I have been to the Alexander's in Peoria and was not impressed, when I eat out, I want someone else to cook and serve! I went with in-laws and 2 of the younger ones brought friends so we had 10 people, my SIL got stuck cooking for herself and the two ten year olds who were busy running around the firepit. Everyone's food was done at different times depending on what they selected and how they made it which meant everyone was eating at different times, some done while others still off cooking. It was not my idea of a family gathering.

I am new to joining this forum, but have read for quite awhile.

I have read what many of you have said about some of the Bloomington Restaurants and lots has changed in even the last week.

Coffeehound; a local downtown coffee "hangout" is opening a second location in downtown Normal. Goal is September 1. The chef at Crazy Planet Kitchen will be the new manager at the downtown Bloomington location.

ViV closed yesterday. They are officially out of business, as is Villa di Vino, a wine shop in Downtown Bloomington. A Renee is a local shop on Center St. that still sells a lot of the local wines.

The Park, a high scale restaurant closed recently; as did it's adjoining nightclub.

Rosie's in downtown is a really nice place to eat for lunch or even dinner. Their back dining room is quaint and non smoking.

For those of you looking for a maze to make it through before you get to your restaurant, but like it local, Benningo's is a cute Italian place in the middle of a residential area. Really sweet people.

I am all about the local stuff; if you have any questions- please feel free to ask.