Messana’s Candy Land – Tinley Park, IL

4 05 2009
  • 7062 183rd Street
  • Tinley Park, IL 60477
  • (708) 342-2244
  • Website
Messanas Candy Land on 183rd Street in Tinley Park

Messana's Candy Land on 183rd Street in Tinley Park

Since we didn’t have enough time to make a trip to my parents house south of Chicago, I talked them in to meeting us for lunch a little closer to the city. It had been over two months since J got a chance to see my niece, so I sweet talked my dad and brother with pizza.  J and I got to the restaurant about 15 minutes before they did and when we pulled in, we noticed a candy shop a couple storefronts down. 

Messana’s Candy Land is near the corner of 183rd and Harlem Avenue not far from I-80.  The store is in a mixed used building that looks to be pretty new.  There are a row of stores on the bottom floor and a few floors of apartments above them. 

When we walked in, we didn’t know what kind of candy store we were walking in to.  It was just before noon on a Sunday and we were the only ones there.  There was a man and a women working behind the counter making popcorn and stocking shelves.  I didn’t really have an intention of buying anything, but some of the things were just too good to pass up.

Like most candy stores, they have some throwback candy that were popular when I was a kid.  J found something she wanted and since she was grabbing some candy, I decided to pick up a package of Fun Dip.  They were reasonably priced at $1.15 and who doesn’t like raw sugar? Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Candy, Illinois, Reviews, Tinley Park

TGI Friday’s – Oak Lawn, IL

3 05 2009
  • 5420 W. 95th Street
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60435
  • (708) 422-0339
  • Website
  • Menu
TGI Fridays on 95th Street in Oak Lawn.

TGI Friday's on 95th Street in Oak Lawn.

After seeing the best basic cable clip show host perform at The Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, IN, we needed food.  It was a little after 10:00 by the time we left the casino and even though we were only 15 miles or so from home, taking surface streets in Chicago can take a really long time.  The neighborhood we were driving through really wasn’t a neighborhood we were wanting to stop in, so we all started talking about places to eat back in an area where J’s parents were more familiar with the options.  There were, of course, the two 24 hour family restaurants, but I think everyone was wanting something more than classic diner food.  J tried calling a couple chains to see how late they were open and didn’t have any luck until she called TGI Friday’s.

The Oak Lawn TGI Friday’s is on 95th Street in downtown Oak Lawn.  A few years ago, you would have only found houses were the building stands, but the Village board had a different vision for the area.  They made the area a TIF district and used emminent domain to get rid of the houses.  Now, a bank and Friday’s share a parking lot along the very busy commercial artery of Oak Lawn.

By the time we made it back to 95th Street, it was about twenty after eleven.  J was told on the phone they stopped taking orders at 11:45 so we actually made it with plenty of time to spare.  The business itself didn’t close until one, but I was still surprised to see so many cars in the parking lot. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Illinois, Oak Lawn, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Whole Foods Market – Willowbrook, IL

2 05 2009
  • 201 63rd Street
  • Willowbrook, IL 60527
  • (630) 655-5000
  • Website
The Whole Foods Market on 63rd Street in Willowbrook, IL

The Whole Foods Market on 63rd Street in Willowbrook, IL

When you’re within a couple miles of a Whole Foods Market, you have to go.  Right?  That’s the case with us anyway.  We were in Willowbrook for lunch at The Chicken Basket and J said there was a Whole Foods right down the street.  It’s the store where she was first introduced to the store we’ve come to lovingly call Whole Paycheck (thanks Amy).  When we lived in Peoria, J would make the drive to her parents house quite often.  On those trips, she and her mom would run to Whole Food and stock up on pre cut fruits, veggies, and those delicious pre-made salad.

Whole Foods has a number of markets in the Chicago area.  The Willowbrook location is on 63rd Street right off of Kingery Highway (IL-83).  We actually drove by it the first time because J thought it was visible from Kingery, but we found out pretty quickly, it’s not.

The store is a stand alone and the parking lot is really tight.  Whole Foods is definitely not your typical mega mart with concrete parking lots as far as the eye can see.  There’s plenty of parking, but it’s not spread out and there’s not a lot of empty spaces.

The Willowbrook Whole Foods sets the standard for J.  She compares every Whole Foods we go in to to this one.  I actually thought the store was cramped compared to the two Ann Arbor stores, but she thinks there’s more room.  The theme of the weekend was Cinco De Mayo and there were a number of sample tables throughout the store.  It’s too bad we just came from lunch because we really could have eaten our way through. Read the rest of this entry »


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Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket – Willowbrook, IL

2 05 2009
  • 645 Joliet Road
  • Willowbrook, IL 60527
  • (630) 325-0780
  • Website
  • Menu
Dell Rheas Chicken Basket on old Route 66 in Willowbrook, IL

Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket on old Route 66 in Willowbrook, IL

Yup.  We hit another Chicago area Diner’s, Drive-In’s, and Dive’s place.  J and I are back in Chicago for another weekend trip.  We have tickets to a show in Hammond, IN tonight which isn’t far from her parents house.  Her mom and step-dad had a prior commitment during the day, so J and I were on our own for lunch.  I had been wanting to check out another place we saw on Triple D that was only about 20 minutes from her parents.  After they left for the morning, J and I got going and headed to Willowbrook for lunch.

Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket has been on Joliet Road in Willowbrook for almost 70 years.  Of course, in the early days, Joliet Road was Route 66.  A lot has changed since then.  Interstate 55 is in Dell Rhea’s backyard and the old Mother Road is hidden behind an office park. In fact, J is very familiar with this area.  Her high school speech team used to stay at a Holiday Inn down the road and her grandma was in an area nursing home for a few years yet she had never seen our destination.

It’s not really hard to find and there are signs from IL-83 for the out of towners like us.  The building is a classic Route 66 icon.  There’s a big neon sign out front and the decor hasn’t aged in fifty years.  Parking is a little wierd.  The spots out front are spots that are perpendicular with the building, so you take a sharp 90 degree turn off the road into a spot crossing a lane of traffic in the process. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicken, Illinois, Local Flavor, Reviews, Sandwiches, willowbrook

The Elusive Horseshoe

7 04 2009

When it comes to regional food, there are very few thing more regional than the horseshoe.  I grew up in Eastern Illinois and had never heard of the culinary creation until I moved to Peoria.  It’s a dish you can’t get outside of a 100 mile radius of Springfield, IL where the “sandwich” was created. 

Like most dishes, there is some conflicting reports on who actually invented it.  The most common and generally accepted story is that the sandwich was invited by two guys working at the Leland Hotel in Springfield in 1928.  That recipe lives on at Godfather’s Pizza.

It’s not very often I blog about my adventures in the kitchen, but I thought this one might be interesting to people who have never heard of this artery clogging disaster of a meal.  It’s not something I would want every night, but it’s a good “sometimes food”

The sandwich starts with two slices of toasted bread.  On top of that, just a regular hamburger.  I used some angus 80/20 I picked up at Kroger.  The next layer is a handful of fries.  I like to bake my fries in a 500 degree oven for 25 minutes….and yes, I cut my fries fresh. 

The final layer is what makes a horseshoe a horseshoe is the cheese sauce.  The recipe I’m using is supposed to be close to the original recipe.  It’s called a Welsh Rarebit sauce and uses white cheddar.  I don’t have white cheddar, so I’m just going to substitute regular Cheddar.  I also halved the recipe since I’m just cooking for myself.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Li’l Porgy’s Bar-B-Q – Champaign, IL

30 03 2009
  • 1917 W. Springfield Avenue
  • Champaign, IL 61821
  • (217) 398-6811
  • Website
  • Menu
Lil Porgys Barbecue on Springfield Avenue in Champaign, IL

Li'l Porgy's Barbecue on Springfield Avenue in Champaign, IL

My last day in Champaign and I needed something good for lunch.  As I was driving away from Eichelberger Field on my lunch break, I remembered a BBQ place I ate at a couple years ago.  I was pretty sure I remembered how to get there once I found Springfield Avenue off of Neil Street. 

Li’l Porgy’s has two locations in the Champaign/Urbana area.  I chose the Champaign location which is on West Springfield Avenue near Mattis Avenue.  There are a number of other restaurants in the area including a Famous Dave’s. 

The building is nothing more than a run down old fast food joint.  It’s not much to look at and I wondered if it was even open on a Sunday morning when I pulled in.  As I was nearing Mattis Avenue, I knew I was close, but it wasn’t until I got right up on the sign that I noticed it.  As I turned in the parking lot, I noticed a couple other cars, so I figured I was go for Q.

Inside gets a little wierd and I remember I didn’t quite get it my first trip.  There obviously used to be a huge order counter like you’re familiar with at the fast food joints, but they put an oven or food warmer or something right in the middle and divided it up into two windows.  The openings are very small.  There’s not really room for anything but the cash register at the order window. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : BBQ, Big Ten Tour, Champaign, Champaign/Urbana, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Eichelberger Field – Urbana, IL

30 03 2009
  • 1201 W. Florida Avenue
  • Urbana, IL 61801
  • (217)
  • Website
Eichelberger Field on the campus of the University of Illinois

Eichelberger Field on the campus of the University of Illinois

Nothing like getting up early on a Sunday morning to drive in blizzard like conditions to a softball game.  That was how my day started. 

After getting rained out Saturday at Illinois Field, I made the trek back to Champaign/Urbana from my parents house for a softball game between the University of Illinois and Michigan State University.  Unfortunately, the weather didn’t want to cooperate.

The University of Illinois softball team plays their home games at Eichelberger Field in Urbana.  It’s actually just a few hundred yards from the men’s field, but the city limits for the two towns lie just outside the center field wall at Illinois Field.  Even though the street addresses are different, they’re on the same street. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Big Ten Tour, Champaign/Urbana, Entertainment Venues, Illinois, Live Entertainment, Urbana

Mia Za’s Cafe – Champaign, IL

28 03 2009
  • 629 E. Green Street
  • Champaign, IL 61820
  • (217) 352-2697
  • Website
  • Menu
Mia Zas Cafe on Green Street in Champaign, IL

Mia Za's Cafe on Green Street in Champaign, IL

Another Saturday.  Another Saturday working.  Actually, that’s been rare the last year and very welcome.  I was back in Champaign for game two of a three game set between the University of Illinois and Michigan State University’s baseball teams.  Once again, lunch time rolled around and I went in search of good food.

Yesterday, I ran into some trouble finding businesses open on Green Street, but I did notice a cafe open near the end of the stretch of businesses.  I was craving an Italian beef and knew this place wouldn’t have it, but today, I just wanted a sandwich, so I headed back.

Mia Za’s Cafe is on Green Street near the corner of Green and Sixth.  The cafe is one of three locations in Big Ten communities.  The other two stores are in Madison, WI (University of Wisconsin) and Ann Arbor.  If the name sounds sort of familiar, but not really, they used to go under the name Za’s Italian Cafe.  The Ann Arbor store is located at 615 E. University. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Big Ten Tour, Cafe, Champaign, Champaign/Urbana, Chicken, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Niro’s Gyros – Urbana, IL

28 03 2009
  • 1007 W. University Avenue
  • Urbana, IL 61801
  • (217) 328-6476
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Niros Gyros on University Avenue in Urbana.

Niro's Gyros on University Avenue in Urbana.

The Italian beef craving set in again.  I’m just not going to go back to Illinois and not get one.  I left Illinois Field on my lunch break and headed towards Green Street to get lunch like I always do.  Problem is, when I got there, everything was closed.  U of I is on spring break and everything closed up with them.  I panicked a little.  Where else was I going to go?  I was driving around and I came up to University Avenue.  Then it clicked.  There was a little Greek place up the road where I could get my Italian beef.

Niro’s Gyros is located on University near Lincoln in Urbana.  Niro’s has several locations in the Champaign/Urbana area and there are even stores that I know of in Bloomington, IL.  I have no idea why Greek places tend to have Italian beef in Illinois, but it’s fairly common.  Places like Niro’s are almost cookie-cutter to the extent that you know what’s on the menu before you get there.

There’s not much to this Niro’s location.  There’s a drive thru which I should have used and a walk up window.  There’s no seating inside.  They have some concrete tables outside, but that’s it.  When you walk in, there’s just enough room for a menu board and a window. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Big Ten Tour, Champaign/Urbana, greek, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Illinois Field – Champaign, IL

27 03 2009
  • 1605 S. Wright Street
  • Champaign, IL 61820
  • (217) 333-3630
  • Website
The view from the press box at Illinois Field in Champaign, IL

The view from the press box at Illinois Field in Champaign, IL

I freakin love baseball.  I played growing up.  I played a couple years in college.  I can’t get enough of it.  I’ve never been much of a football person, but I love when baseball season comes around.  I know…that’s weird.

Now that I work in broadcasting, spring is my favorite time.  I love it when I get a call to shoot a baseball game.  Yes, chances are it’s going to be cold and rainy, but that’s ok with me.  I got a last minute call to make the trek to Illinois for three games in three days.  The first two days were U of I vs. Michigan State University baseball.

Illinois Field in located on Wright Street right at the boundry for the cities of Champaign and Urbana.  It’s just down the street from Assembly Hall and Memorial Stadium.  The grassy lot next to the field is actually used for overflow parking during football season. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Big Ten Tour, Champaign, Champaign/Urbana, Entertainment Venues, Illinois, Live Entertainment, Reviews

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