If fair food is your passion, my local newspaper today had coverage of a new establishment in Altamont that opened in January specializing in fair-food items (read; battered and/or deep-fried):
http://www.herald-review.com/news/local/state-and-regional/all-s-fair-with-this-fare/article_5dbb3756-5bc0-11e1-bd8f-001871e3ce6c.htmlAltamont is just a hop and a skip west of I-57. Take I-70 west from I-57 to the Altamont exit. Same county (Effingham) as the notable Firefly Grill, which has its own thread.
Edited to include the name: Mater's Diner.
Davooda
Life is a garden, Dude - DIG IT!
-- anonymous Colorado snowboarder whizzing past me March 2010