Seeking Charleston, IL area recs

Sorry for the short notice. Tomorrow (Fri, Jan 12) is my youngest brother's 21st bday and I'll be heading to the town of Charleston, Illinois where he attends Eastern Illinois University to help him party it up. I won't be going till Saturday afternoon and it'd be nice to have a nice dinner spot in mind when I arrive. I've only been to the area once and, while it's a bit rural, I certain there's some hidden treasures. I'd also be looking for Sunday breakfast recs.

Thanks in advance!
brendan

There's a new place called AJ's on Fourth St, right across RT 16 from campus. It's where the old EL Krackers was. They have a mix of dinners and sandwiches, but their dinners, especially the steaks, are decent. Won't cost you and arm and a leg either. Their surf and turf combos are tasty.

Another place with good ribs is Roc's Blackfront up in the main square. Northwest corner. Not much atmosphere, but really good ribs.

M_Six wrote:Another place with good ribs is Roc's Blackfront up in the main square. Northwest corner. Not much atmosphere, but really good ribs.

Thanks, M_Six. We did manage to make it to Roc's Blackfront. It has an old-timey, unlawful gambling feel. Pat and I both got the ribs and even though I forgot to ask for the sauce on the side, they were fine. I give the saladbar about a C-. I do kind of wish I'd tried the frog legs but given how full we were after the ribs, it was probably for the best.

BrendanR wrote:Thanks, M_Six. We did manage to make it to Roc's Blackfront. It has an old-timey, unlawful gambling feel. Pat and I both got the ribs and even though I forgot to ask for the sauce on the side, they were fine. I give the saladbar about a C-. I do kind of wish I'd tried the frog legs but given how full we were after the ribs, it was probably for the best.

I agree, the salad bar there is sub-standard. I HATE the salad dressing bottles. Roc's is, after all, a bar. In this area, you are not going to find "fine dining." If I lived in Chicagoland, I have no doubt my standards would be higher and I'd be a lot choosier. But here in the boonies, you learn to find the few shiny stones among the dross.

M_Six wrote:I agree, the salad bar there is sub-standard. I HATE the salad dressing bottles.

That's really funny. The dressing bottles cost them half a letter grade. I recall mentioning how terrible they were to my brother.

I was quite pleased with the ribs and the meal overall. I think my earlier post comes off more negatively than I'd intended.

Any new recommendations for the Charleston, IL/Mattoon, IL area? I'll be visiting my nephew over Easter weekend and would like to avoid the usual chain places.

Tobermory wrote:Any new recommendations for the Charleston, IL/Mattoon, IL area? I'll be visiting my nephew over Easter weekend and would like to avoid the usual chain places.

One of my friends is a long time local there. When I went to visit, he took me to the near by local airport ( http://www.colescountyairport.com/ ) to have an "Elephant Ear Sandwich". ( A tenderloin sandwich that covers the plate )

It may not be what you are looking for on Easter, but it was very good.

Ron

Thanks RonJS - maybe not for Easter, but since I'm there the whole weekend I think I can squeeze in a tenderloin sammy at some point! I wish there was somewhere down there I could pop for a nice traditional hotel style brunch on Easter, but I think I'm SOL.

Tobermory wrote:Thanks RonJS - maybe not for Easter, but since I'm there the whole weekend I think I can squeeze in a tenderloin sammy at some point! I wish there was somewhere down there I could pop for a nice traditional hotel style brunch on Easter, but I think I'm SOL.

I contacted my friend down there and said that "outside of Charleston a few miles on Route #16 is the Stove Pipe Grill (the old Spring Haven Resort)-- a totally unique experience with good food." Maybe something special for Easter ?

http://www.lincolnspringsresort.com/ind ... 6&Itemid=4

He also mentioned Cody's Roadhouse in Mattoon West of the Exit # 190B off Interstate @57. It's west on Route #16 about a mile on the right next to Steak N' Shake.

http://www.codysroadhouse.net/

While I'll bet it's closed on Easter, the Moonshine Store in Moonshine, IL is my favorite place to eat in the area. It's hard to find and around 35 miles south of Charleston. ( http://www.themoonshinestore.com/ ) There's a YouTube video from when CBS TV stopped there at ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGkBilF6GU8

I helped set the record there last April by eating 2 cheese Moonburgers.

Ron

RonJS - coming through with the recommendations!

I'm definitely going to try to get an Easter reservation for the Stove Pipe Grill.

I love Moonshine too - I have a family reunion every year in Effingham and Moonshine is a must-stop on the way home. I have dreams about their burgers...........

Hi,

Paris, IL is only 28 miles away. You can decide whether to visit the pizza, but the diner with the pie is high on my list of places to return.

Moonshine is a pretty neat place to visit. If you drive out there when the corn is high, you might want my detailed instructions in my post.

There is good food out there, it just takes some effort to find it.

Regards,

Tobermory wrote:RonJS - coming through with the recommendations!

I'm definitely going to try to get an Easter reservation for the Stove Pipe Grill.

I love Moonshine too - I have a family reunion every year in Effingham and Moonshine is a must-stop on the way home. I have dreams about their burgers...........

Two Flowers is excellent. Top notch food in Charleston. Who'd have thought? Was there last Thursday and had an awesome beef tenderloin with scallops in a champagne vanilla sauce. Wifey had Orange Roughy, which was also very good.

M_Six - THAT (Two Flowers) is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for the tip - reservations for Saturday night dinner are in order. Very sophisticated menu for the area - it looks like a place I'd like to support.

Tobermory wrote:M_Six - THAT (Two Flowers) is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for the tip - reservations for Saturday night dinner are in order. Very sophisticated menu for the area - it looks like a place I'd like to support.

You'll love it. Great food and decent wine prices.

M-Six -we ate at Two Flowers no less than three times while we were in Charleston. Friday dinner (I had the delicious Tilapia w/ golden cous cous), breakfast on Saturday (the chef made me an outstanding egg white omelet) and again for Easter Brunch. Everyone was so pleased with their food. It was really nice to find a non-chain place in Charleston that had heathy but tasty options.

Tobermory wrote:M-Six -we ate at Two Flowers no less than three times while we were in Charleston. Friday dinner (I had the delicious Tilapia w/ golden cous cous), breakfast on Saturday (the chef made me an outstanding egg white omelet) and again for Easter Brunch. Everyone was so pleased with their food. It was really nice to find a non-chain place in Charleston that had heathy but tasty options.

Very cool. Glad you liked it. I've never been there for breakfast. Have to try that some day. I saw they had a healthy crowd for Easter Brunch.