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.
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