Food & Drink

Dawt Mill: An Ozark Canoe Trip Getaway

Connie Attractions & Events, Food & Drink, Missouri , 0 Comment
Dawt Mill: An Ozark Canoe Trip Getaway

We took a Dawt Mill float trip years ago, when our girls were little, paddling a canoe down Bryant Creek from where we were dropped off and ending at the dam at Dawt Mill about five hours later.  Afterwards we bought the girls snacks and t-shirts in the old mill that doubled as a general store.  That’s about all that was there then: the canoe rental, the general store, and a few camp sites.  Fast-forward about thirty years.  My husband and I visited again, and what a change!  Canoe trips are as popular as ever, but now there are several options for dining and lodging.

We stayed in a one-room cabin overlooking the river, a cabin just right for two people.

Cabin _exterior

Cabin_inside

View_from_cabin

If you have a larger party, you can stay in the two-room suites in the Cotton Gin Inn or in the Log Cabin that sleeps six adults.

Cotton_Gin_Inn_2

The general store in the old mill that we visited years ago has been converted to Henegar’s Gristmill Restaurant, open breakfast through dinner, with several tables that overlook the river.  Though fancier entrees were offered, we opted for simple but delicious burgers.

Burger

Sawyer’s Deli, serving sandwiches and snacks, is a more casual eatery.  If you want a splurge meal, consider the Chef’s Table on the weekends for a multi-course meal.  On summer weekends, enjoy a concert or karaoke on the outdoor deck of the Gravel Bar.

Chefs_Table

It was too cold for a canoe trip during our stay, but watching the rush of the river from our cozy cabin and taking a few walks closer to the water to take photos was relaxing.  And since restaurants are few and far between in the area, it was nice to be able to eat right at the resort.  We’ll have to return yet again for an encore canoe trip.

Dawt Mill is located in Ozark County, Missouri, near the town of Tecumseh.  Check the web site for further details.

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Evansville Pizza Taste Test: Turoni’s or Roca Bar?

Connie Food & Drink, Indiana , , , , 2 Comments
Evansville Pizza Taste Test: Turoni’s or Roca Bar?

An Evansville, Indiana, local recommended we try the Turoni’s pizza, voted best in Indiana.  Another local argued that Roca Bar, where the very first Evansville pizza was served, is the best.  As a lifelong Chicagoan, I rarely eat pizza out of town.  When I do, I’m usually disappointed. It’s rare to find one as good the Chicago pizza I grew up on.  However, with such rave reviews of these pizzas, we put them to the test.  So we tried both. Read more

Q Smokehouse, Champaign IL: Authentic Smoky Barbecue

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois , , 0 Comment
Q Smokehouse, Champaign IL: Authentic Smoky Barbecue

I love good barbecue, the kind with deep smoky flavor, the kind that’s everywhere in the south but rare in Illinois.  I tend to gravitate to barbecue restaurants even in Illinois regardless, on the off-chance I’ll find a winner.  So when I was in Champaign looking for a quick lunch, I was drawn to Q Smokehouse.  Walking through the door, I drew in the aroma of an authentic smokehouse.

At the walk-up counter, order your choice of sandwich: pulled pork, pulled chicken, sliced brisket, smoked sausage, or burnt end.  Burnt end—it jumped out at me.  I’d only had a burnt end sandwich once before and I had instantly decided that was my favorite of all barbecue sandwiches.  What are burnt ends? According to Wikipedia, “Burnt ends are flavorful pieces of meat cut from the point half of a smoked brisket…considered a delicacy in barbecue cooking.”  Burnt ends have some char, but they’re also quite tender.

Sandwiches come with two toppings from a choice of ten, including items like bourbon apples and Carolina slaw.  I chose caramelized onions and bacon.  Several different sauces were available in pump dispensers.  I like to do taste tests with different sauces, but unfortunately only two of the dispensers were working properly.

As it turned out, the sandwich didn’t even need sauce, it was that flavorful, and the house cut fries, with enough in the order to feed two, were a tasty addition.  A muffin shaped cookie was a nice finish to the meal.

Sandwich

In addition to sandwiches, Q Smokehouse offers appetizers like barbecue eggrolls and entrees like pulled pork burritos and baby back ribs.

Q Smokehouse, located at 617 E. Green Street in Champaign, is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.  Check the web site for the full menu.

What’s your favorite barbecue restaurant?  Answer in the Comments below.

Thank you for reading Midwest Wanderer.  If you enjoyed this post and would like an e-mail notification when other posts are published, enter your e-mail address below and click Subscribe.  Be sure to click the link when you get the e-mail asking you to confirm. 


 

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Big Grove Tavern, Champaign IL: Farm-to-Table Fine Dining

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois , , , 0 Comment

You would think that a restaurant with “Tavern” in its name would be a casual bar that serves only pub food like burgers.  Not so at the Big Grove Tavern, one of just a couple of fine dining establishments in Downtown Champaign, a fine dining restaurant whose menu changes with the seasons to use ingredients from local farms, sources that are written on a chalkboard in the dining room.

Yes, there is a bar in the Big Grove Tavern, and yes, they do offer bar snacks.  And at lunchtime you can get a burger, too.  But the Tavern Burger isn’t your ordinary pub burger.  Rather, it’s a combination of beef, bison and pork with red onion marmalade and cornichon aioli.

 

At dinner a small pail of popcorn on your table continues the tavern theme, but low lighting from bulbs strung across the ceiling creates an ambiance that complements the elegant dinner menu choices.   Although you can still order a Tavern Burger for dinner if you’d like, entrees like Seared Mahi Mahi served with charred leeks, glazed chestnuts, broken yolk and celery leaf are offered.  I enjoyed the succulent Bistro Filet, medium-rare, on a bed of cider BBQ sauce with sides of roasted root vegetables and crispy fingerling potato chips.

Filet

The uniqueness doesn’t stop with entrees, but follows through to dessert, too.  I was tempted by the Popcorn Panna Cotta just out of curiosity and thought about the grapefruit sorbet, light and refreshing after a beef dinner.  But as usual, I couldn’t pass up the chocolate and went for the Spiced Chocolate Bread Pudding.  Its rich brownie-like texture and flavor, offset by cool vanilla bean whipped cream that topped it, was a decadent finale to a delectable dinner.

Bread_Pudding

As for service, it couldn’t have been better.  Our server was attentive and knowledgeable about menu choices, water glasses were refilled regularly, and service was prompt but not too rushed.

Whether you’re in the mood for a snack, a sandwich, or a full entrée, Big Grove Tavern’s farm-to-table menu offers unique and tasty options.  My opinion is obviously shared by many others, as Big Grove Tavern has won multiple OpenTable Diners’ Choice Awards.

Big Grove Tavern, located in Downtown Champaign at the corner of Main and Neil, is open seven days a week.  Check the web site for hours and menu.

Disclosure:  My visit to Big Grove Tavern was hosted by the Champaign County CVB, but any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Thank you for reading Midwest Wanderer.  If you enjoyed this post and would like an e-mail notification when other posts are published, enter your e-mail address below and click Subscribe.  Be sure to click the link when you get the e-mail asking you to confirm. 


 

Other blog posts you may enjoy:

University of Illinois Museums: Complementary Themes

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Bartlett’s Gourmet Grill & Tavern, Beverly Shores IN: The Name Says It All

Connie Food & Drink, Indiana , , , , 2 Comments
Bartlett’s Gourmet Grill & Tavern, Beverly Shores IN: The Name Says It All

Editor’s note: Unfortunately, Barlett’s is no longer in business.

Who would ever guess that behind this door with the beer drinking deer carved into it you could feast on Grilled Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast or Rigatoni and Smoked Amish Chicken? If you miss the word “gourmet” in its name, from the street you would think Bartlett’s is a typical roadhouse. But one look at the menu tells a different story. Although the atmosphere in Bartlett’s Grill & Tavern is casual and comfortable, the food has a gourmet flair, whether you order a dinner entrée or a sandwich. Read more