Seasoning Bistro

Traveling back from Kentucky, I used an app called Roadtrippers on my phone to find somewhere close to us to eat for dinner. One restaurant that stood out, since I like restaurants that use fresh ingredients rather than frozen or out of a can, is Seasoning Bistro. Seasoning Bistro is owned and operated by two classically trained chefs. I would describe the food as upscale versions of home cooked meals. There is a very comforting feel in this small bistro. Their goal is to bring a healthier lifestyle and food to the southern Illinois area, and help local businesses by taking advantage of the local farms, artists, businesses and the community as a whole.

I don't normally post pictures of my coffee (which was much needed on the long ride home), but this mug just cracked me up and I felt like I had to share. If you get cream with your coffee you also get a mini glass milk jug that is chilled, which I thought was a nice touch.

My husband decided to try the soup of the day, which happened to be Wisconsin Beer Cheese. Living so close to Wisconsin, broccoli cheddar and beer cheese soup are two of my favorites. It was very good. There was only a slight hint of beer, which left you being able to taste the richness of the cheese.

For an appetizer, we ordered the sweet potato fries with a chipotle ranch dressing. The fries were nice and crisp and had larger flakes of sea salt on them for seasoning. They are probably some of the best sweet potato fries I have had at a restaurant. They were not greasy, not soggy, and the dip had a great kick from the chipotle seasoning.

For my main course, I ordered the Chicken Carcioffi. It is breaded chicken topped with mushrooms, artichoke, white wine, lemon and butter. It comes with two sides, but I decided to go with just the broccoli which is my favorite. The sauce was packed with a lot of lemon and the chicken was cooked perfectly.

After a long drive, this meal was perfect because after eating junk in the car, we had a nice light and healthy dinner. If we lived closer, and not in Michigan, I would eat here all of the time. Everything tasted amazing and was very fresh. If we ever drive back through here we will definitely stop again to try something new! And of course, if you live near here and have the ability to eat here frequently, I am sure you agree that it is absolutely delicious!

Seasoning Bistro, Main Website
https://www.facebook.com/SeasoningBistro/timeline

Charlie Parker's Diner

Ready for another Diners Drive-ins and Dives restaurant? We were! On our trip down to Kentucky, we stopped overnight in Springfield, Illinois and found out about this little beauty. Great for breakfast and lunch (open 6 AM to 2 PM most days), and located in a Quonset hut of all things! They have received numerous awards since the air date on Diners Drive-ins and Dives, and have been published in many magazines and articles. This truly is a unique place to visit!

When we arrived, it was of course breakfast time and absolutely packed. The waiting area was tiny, but they take down your name and number and you receive a text when your table is ready, so we got to wait in the car. This small building is packed with signs, neon lights and a few famous faces on the walls. I attempted to take a few photos of the decor (and I apologize, because it was so packed and crowded that I didn't use flash for any photos in this post).

Now onto the food.....and I yet again apologize for the quality of the photos but I didn't use flash while in the building.

My husband ordered the Bacon Waffle and a side of Biscuits and Gravy. I tasted a bite of each. The gravy wasn't over salted, had the perfect amount of crumbled sausage and was very creamy in consistency. The biscuits were dense, but in a gooey good way. At home, bacon is usually one of my go-to items for pancakes and waffles, so of course a waffle is always better when you add bacon to it!

This is what I ordered....I know I know, it looks like a plate of hash browns with bacon sticking out. But here's a better picture after I scraped some of the hash browns over to the side...

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the smaller version of the "Breakfast Shoe", otherwise known as the "Breakfast Pony". It is an over easy egg on top of toast, with bacon, smothered in a cheese sauce, and topped with hash browns. A shoe would be double the egg and toast. It looked a mess but was like fireworks going off inside of my mouth! The pony version was so filling I couldn't even finish it. I don't even want to know what size of plate they would have to put this on for the shoe version!

This is a must stop! If you want to preview some great food to eat here while you are planning your trip to visit, be sure and check out the episode on Diners Drive-ins and Dives from 2007. Otherwise, a link to their main website and Facebook page are below!

Charlie Parker's Diner, Main Site
Charlie Parker's Facebook Page

Weezy's Bar and Grill

While on our car journey driving from Michigan to Kentucky, we hopped onto old Route 66 to grab a bite to eat for a late lunch. I used the RoadTrippers app to figure out what was near us and the restaurant with the most stars that popped up was Weezy's Bar & Grill. It looked unique and wasn't gas station food so we were ready to try it out. 

We sat up front in the bar area at a booth. The waitress kindly told us that they just received a call that a bus party of 30 would be coming in for a quick celebratory birthday stop before hopping to the next bar. We didn't mind and didn't feel like moving. They were fairly loud, but it was a birthday gathering after all involving booze. The decor in the bar was awesome. There were Route 66 signs all over the walls and definitely had that theme throughout. 

For an appetizer, we ordered the Jalapeno Cheese Ravioli. We were both slightly hesitant because neither of us like super hot things, and for the most part jalapeno isn't bad when the seeds are removed. These were amazing. If I lived near this area, I would order this for my main meal. It is more like a jalapeno flavored cheese that the ravioli is stuffed with, and has just the right amount of kick. 

My husband ordered the Ham and Cheese sandwich on a pretzel bun, with a side order of sweet potato fries. I got to taste a bite, and the pretzel bun, which soft pretzels are one of my favorites, was delicious.

I ordered the Philly Burger. The burger, that I ordered to be cooked at medium, was cooked perfectly. No pink in the middle and still very juicy. It was topped with melted cheese, caramelized onions and green pepper, and served on toasted bread. I subbed the fries for onion rings that were golden brown, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. It definitely hit the spot.

The only negative point that I have to comment on, is that the bathrooms (even according to my husband in the men's) were pretty disgusting. The food is delicious, and worth coming for, but wait and go elsewhere to use the restroom if you need to. It was some of the best "bar" food that I have had in a long time. The were also voted in the top ten restaurants on the old Route 66 (check out the link below).

Weezy's in top 10 

Weezy's Facebook Page