Two25

March 31st, 2009 by Brandon

Last Thursday night I had the opportunity to attend a blogger’s dinner at Two25 in Peoria. Two25 is a new “polished casual” restaurant located in the Mark Twain Hotel on Adams, where Uno’s used to be. I had the opportunity to meet local bloggers, have a fabulous meal, and just have an overall enjoyable and unique experience. Some of the the writers in attendance write for Blonde Mafia, Easy as Pie, Just A Thought, Keep Passing the Open Windows, Morton Malaise, Pointlessly Hypertechnical, Problems are for Solving, Secret Server, The Rotund Reader, and Witches Brew.

If you read this blog closely, you may remember that this wasn’t my first time at Two25, but I held on the review because I didn’t feel I could adequately place judgment. I will save some of my comments about that experience for the constructive criticism part of this review, mostly because Thursday was such an ideal experience, that it honestly would be difficult to write about or expect all future visits to compare.

I really enjoy the atmosphere. The interior is pleasant, clean, and sets a proper mood. They kept all the good parts of the old Uno’s décor, with the pipe hand rails and exposed duct work, then added paintings, many by local artist Vin Luong, and nicer accessories. It’s apparent that a lot of care went into all of the little details. Bob Eid, one of three partners in Two25 along with former mayor Bud Grieves and Dryke Hutchison, will proudly tell you the silverware is from Prague.

When it came time to order food, I decided to take a risk. I had, after all, ordered something off the menu, previously. I said to the waiter, “Is it all right if I just say the chef’s choice?”  He said that it was fine. I did this partly because the strongest aspect from my previous experience was taste. So I trusted chef Ryan Dunkle, and I wanted to experience his best. This was also fun, because I had no idea what I would be receiving. The suspense actually heightened when I was not given a salad.

Upon my entrée being served, I found out that I would be eating the rack of lamb served with red wine demi glace. The plate also had steamed asparagus and thirty-layer au gratin. I may have been hesitant to order this on my own, because of price and the fact that in the past I’d never been thrilled about asparagus. I say ‘in the past’, because I’d never had this before. I could eat that asparagus every day, and it was probably mostly there for garnish. The thirty-layer au gratin was tasty, and impressively presented into somewhat of a pie shape, considering au gratin typically is kind of a saucy mess. The lamb was cooked perfectly, and it just melted into my mouth, leaving me wanting more. If there is such a thing as a foodgasm, I had several. I have a feeling the taste of that lamb will remain in my memory and on my imaginary palate until I can return.

For dessert I had the crème brûlée, which was absolutely text book. I’ve never had one so perfect.

The only criticisms I have for Two25 are quite fixable and relatively minor. The wait service I received from Sam on Thursday was quite good, but my previous waiter was only fair. Both waiters did seem to be gone from the table for longer periods than I personally care for, but in the case of Sam it is quite understandable, our table was quite large. Another criticism I have from my first experience is that about 1/8 of the lasagna I ordered was charred or hard. I am quite aware that this happens when cooking lasagna, but don’t serve it to the patron like that. Cut those parts off or it goes against the whole polished part of “polished casual”. The menu may be a work in progress, but it also seems to not have much for those with dietary restrictions, such as vegans or people with a gluten allergy or interstitial cystitis, but this is a common issue with restaurants, as I have discovered lately.

One aspect of the evening I could not participate in was the wine. It’s not that I don’t drink, but due to some facial side effects of past medical procedures I have had, I just prefer not to endure the pain that would accompany many wines. I will say that everyone around me that had wine, seemed to very much like theirs. I also know that they are putting some thought and effort into their new Wine Flight Fridays program, I respect this greatly whether I can ever participate or not.

Despite the “polished casual” term, the prices are in line with fine dining. For me, it’s a definite special occasion price, but I whole heartedly feel it was worth every penny. In fact, if I could have something different and truly unique every time I would pay $50 for chef Ryan Dunkle to serve me whatever he wished. I wish Two25 the best of luck, here in Peoria. They have exciting potential.

 
Brandon is a designer and foodie located in the Peoria area. He started circa both as an outlet for himself, and as a guide to what is good and unique in Central Illinois.


 

Have You Heard? - Karen Ann

March 27th, 2009 by Brandon


 

For more, check out her myspace.

 
Brandon is a designer and foodie located in the Peoria area. He started circa both as an outlet for himself, and as a guide to what is good and unique in Central Illinois.


 

Bradley International Print & Drawing Exhibition

March 6th, 2009 by Brandon

This is a big weekend for art in Peoria. Friday night, the 6th, I urge you to attend the Bradley International Print & Drawing Exhibition at Bradley, The Peoria Art Guild, and the Contemporary Art Center.


 

Local area food

March 6th, 2009 by Brandon

So, I went to Tilley’s in the River Station right before they closed. I was going to write a review, but they went out of business before I got the chance. It is a shame too, because I really liked it.

Recently I’ve also been to Two25, and Kaiserhof, both also in the Peoria area. Both experiences were pleasant, in the case of Kaiserhof, I had one of the best reubens I’ve ever had, but for both I still want more info before writing a full review.

I went to the website for June in Peoria Heights, and it made me drool. Anyone been yet?

 
Brandon is a designer and foodie located in the Peoria area. He started circa both as an outlet for himself, and as a guide to what is good and unique in Central Illinois.


 

Have You Heard? - Mr. Hudson and the Library

March 6th, 2009 by Brandon


 

For more, check out his myspace.

 
Brandon is a designer and foodie located in the Peoria area. He started circa both as an outlet for himself, and as a guide to what is good and unique in Central Illinois.


 

Fritch Heating and Cooling

January 15th, 2009 by Brandon

I try to stay very positive with this blog. I don’t write about many places I eat, because it’s really not worth promoting a place if it’s mediocre, but I don’t want to be negative either. Over the last week I’ve had dealings with two local businesses.  One experience has been very good, the other hasn’t. This review will only commend the good. That business was Fritch Heating and Cooling. Since I’ve had my home, I’ve had a contract with Fritch. Not because I knew anyone there, or because I had any bias. Simply, because they were the name on the thermostat in my house when I bought it. It’s my deduction that while Fritch may have installed my furnace, they did not have a contract with the previous owner. It was clear the furnace had been neglected for awhile. Since I have had the service contract, the furnace runs great, they fixed an moisture exhaust problem on the first visit, and every single person that has been out has been knowledgeable and very nice. Even on this visit, when the service man had to tell me that my Second Wind system, which was not under contract, was broken and basically dead, he handled it in a way that made that ok. He didn’t charge me for the bulbs I had just bought for him to install into it, because it wouldn’t have worked. This honesty and good service gets a big thumbs up from me. Thank you Fritch.

 
Brandon is a designer and foodie located in the Peoria area. He started circa both as an outlet for himself, and as a guide to what is good and unique in Central Illinois.


 

The winds of change

January 15th, 2009 by Brandon

Lately, I haven’t been able to contribute as much to Circa as I would like. This is four fold. 1. Due to the holiday season I haven’t had as much time. 2. I’m kind of surprised how much the events drop off in this area during the winter season. 3. A real life situation with my wife’s health has completely changed what we can eat and almost entirely eliminating the ability to eat out. 4. That same real life situation has affected my time even more, as I am now cooking more than ever. Circa is still very much an interest of mine, but the food reviews will no doubt significantly decrease unless someone else takes over that part. I’m still trying to find other directions to take Circa in the meantime, as food I’m sure it was clear to the reader that food is a definite interest of mine. I may also be starting a more personal blog about myself, a foody, learning to cook with the very restrictive diet of someone with institial cystitis and still keep things interesting and tasty.


 

Happy New Year

January 1st, 2009 by Brandon

Hope everyone has had a happy New Year, and continues to have a great 2009. Now that the holiday’s are over I’m excited to get back into the normal swing of things.

I also want to congratulate my good friend Vin Luong on his article and making the cover of the Art and Society magazine.


 

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