Illinois Road Trip- 8/26/05 to 8/28/05

27 hours, 9 minutes of driving, 1,183 miles, 44 MPH average speed, top speed- not putting that in print!, no interstates, 9 restaurants, 8 bakeries, 5 ice cream stops, 4 candy shops, 3 donuts shops, and 3 drink stops. And the highlights are…..




Light was just starting to fill the sky at the trip’s first stop in Harvard. At Swiss Maid Bakery a fork was required to lift the syrupy layers of buttery crust and sweet cherry filling of what the lady (with a Swiss accent?) called a Cherry Slice.



Although it was a standard Pancake the meal was worth it in tiny Capron at the quaint Village Café to take in the waitress helping locals start their day.



Speaking of locals, Lena’s were packing the misleadingly named The Coffee House since the menu is all about down home cooking and in my case a cup of stick to your ribs Oatmeal.



Forgive me in advance. The Heavenly Hash from Galena’s Kandy Kitchen is heavenly. A planned two bites turned into polishing off this melt in your mouth concoction of homemade marshmallow covered in homemade chocolate and pecans.



Downtown Hanover has maybe a dozen buildings, most empty. It was good to see one busy at Jenny Kay’s Café. Since you eat with your eyes first this presentation started with disappointment but turned to delight when biting through the crunchy coating to mind spinning juicy and tasty pork.



The magnetism of a roadside drive-in pulled the car off the road for Bear’s Drive-in along the Mississippi in Thomson for a made-with-the-real-thing Strawberry Fruit Cooler.



How did they get it so moist? Didn’t have the stomach or cooler room for a pie but that was OK since the Blueberry Muffin at Pies ‘n Such in Hampton made it on my favorites list.




The next destination of Moline was solely for a Hot Fudge Sundae at the legendary Lagomarcino's. A formula of a fudge recipe bought in 1912 for lofty $25 at a place started in 1908 that features 1918 mahogany booths, tiffany styled lamps and soda fountain has garnered national attention that I could not resist. Alas, the homemade ice cream is beat by any grocery store brand, hot fudge not unique as hyped and they used generic Redi-Whip.



In the same town I faired much better for ice cream at Whitey's Ice Cream. The trio of high schoolers behind the countered egged me on in trying samples as I reciprocated by soliciting what their favorites were. It was a tough choice with strawberry shortcake, coffee toffee, fresh banana, and mint chocolate chip. Graham Central Station was the victor with its graham cracker flavored ice cream and graham cracker swirl.



It is a town like Franklin Grove that would need Lincolnway Services providing coin wash, video rental, mini storage, Rug Doctor rental and ice cream- English Toffee Yogurt for me.



Passing through DeKalb I stumbled upon their annual Cornfest so felt obligated to stop and have some Corn-On-The-Cob, in this case provided by the Kishwaukee Kiwanis.




The Geneva Diner in said town is a great place for breakfast with its 8 decades of history, snaking counter, regulars and visible kitchen. The Greek Omelette’s bitter spinach and salty feta played well together.



Along the past-its-prime main street in Streator in Steve’s Bakery the kindly lady in front of me in line spoke admiringly of the Blueberry Fritter. Thanks ma’am.



Don’t call it a corn dog here! The state capitol’s Cozy Drive In invented the Cozy Dog back in 1945 and still creates them from scratch making my mouth happy with the crunchy shell and moist interior shielding a plump dog.



Among the Abraham Lincoln sites in downtown Springfield a Milk Chocolate Raisin Cluster proved Pease's Candy & Nuts makes some great chocolate.



Another darn roadside stand! Sure, I’ll stop. A Bahama-Mama Slush Puppie from Dairy Dee in rural Ramsey was an excuse for hydration.



Anyone who knows me or has read this site before is familiar with my fondness for Sonic America's Drive-In; and that there are none in Wisconsin, it is one of three chains I will go to, blah, blah, blah. So the nearest locations in Southern Illinois had been scoped out and this one in Vandalia bestowed a scrumptious Grilled Chicken Wrap.



“Oh my, now that’s a donut”, tumbled involuntarily from my mouth as it was delighting in the Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake Donut from Effingham’s Dixie Cream Donut Shop. Sweet glaze, deep chocolate moistness, marvelous texture.




On Toledo’s town square The Fillin’ Station Restaurant isn’t just a cheesy name; within the interior is the counter to pay for your meal and…gas or a lottery ticket. Jumping off the menu I asked what Fried Mush was. “Corn mush, deep fried”. Didn’t sound healthy, but when am I going to come across this again? It was actually good. Like crispy cornmeal.



A Peach Fried Pie might not seem like a logical choice for a place named Bly’s Donut Shop, but this dark paneled Mattoon wayside has been serving them since 1944.



Located in the heart of central Illinois Amish country is Dutch Kitchen in Arcola. Let’s cut to the chase on this plate- Country Egg good because of butter, menu-pushed Dutch Sausage too salty and Warm Biscuits moist yet average. But those biscuits became the carrier for the highlight- sweet sumptuous Apple Butter.



What?! This Sonic in Savoy was not on their locator site?! Bonus! Isn’t this Jr. Banana Split cute? This marks 13 Sonics visited in 10 states and 18 menu items enjoyed.



I’ve said it before; you can’t pass up a place that has an ice cream cone on the roof. Alice’s Place in Elburn.