Mhays wrote:
We are thinking about taking advantage of the one predicted non-rainy day of Sparky's spring break and heading to Starved Rock and Mattheison to look at waterfalls next Tuesday. I can't tell you all how grateful I am that we won't have to eat at Denny's on the way home...and I was just telling the 'spouse the other day how much I wanted to try boudin!
Ron's is the very obvious place to go to, when headed to Starved Rock IMHO.
Ive been down there about 3 times, maybe.. and to Ron's twice (wasnt aware
of it the first time down to Utica). The Cajun food is good - IMHO not *great*
neccesarily, but very good. The fried stuff is top-notch - they do a wonderful
job with it, and the fried gator is especially worth it. But a couple of the
other Cajun items.. they were solid, but I felt I had had better (at Lagniappe
on the far south side, for example). I havent tried their boudin.
However, one thing - if you go, make absolutely sure not to miss their
pecan pie. Even now, maybe 10 months later, that is the single most
memorable part of my meal I think - just sensationally good pecan pie.
(They also did a pretty decent Bananas Foster bread pudding or
something.. Ron is smart, when we ordered it he switched off all the
lights in the entire room, half the restaurant plunged into darkness,
and then proceeded to flambe it table-side.. as soon as the lights came
up he got 3 more orders for it
It was a very good Banans Foster
puddin too.. but the pecan pie IMHO put everything to shame.
If you find Ron's closed... the first time we were at Utica and unaware
of Ron's, we had eaten at Duffy's Bar in Utica. Decent enough place,
solid bar cheeseburger IIRC.. but, for some reason (maybe its just
me), I thought they had maybe the best fries I had tried, ever! The last
time we were set on Ron's, but made sure to stop at Duffy's just to
pick up a couple fries to go on the way to the park, and even as
takeout in the car they were pretty terrific. You could do worse
than this place (if only so you could independently confirm that
Iam insane, and the fries really arent *that* good
Even if neither of these options work, BTW, you ought not to be
reduced to Denny's
Search the "I-55" thread on LTH, there ought
to be some good options there IMHO. Ive personally always wanted
to try Ripp's in Ladd from reading about it, and IIRC its not very far
away, but have never made it there so far.
c8w
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). Though posts about LaSalle county don't get as much immediate feedback and reaction as do posts on, say, Smoque, some of us are reading along and planning to get out there someday! 
