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222
Artisan Bakery in
Edwardsville
,
Illinois
, supplies coffee and breads to Erato on
Main
.
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SOMEWHERE BETWEEN CHICAGO
AND ST. LOUIS — Eventually, I'm told, Chicago and St.
Louis will be connected by high-speed rail, enabling
people to attend a Cubs-Cardinals day game and be home in
time for dinner. At least, I assume that's the reason they
would build the thing.
But for now, it's still
sensible to get from one town to the other by car. And
once upon a time, that meant cruising down Route 66, which
ran from Chicago through St. Louis on its way, a couple
thousand miles later, to Los Angeles.
As we all know, the
interstate highway system made Route 66 obsolete. But the
route still exists, historically speaking. You can't find
Route 66 on regular maps, but on illinoisroute66.org, you
can find detailed maps, turn-by-turn directions and places
of interest on the way.
And along the way, you'll
need to stop for a meal or two. I spent three days driving
between Chicago and St. Louis (mostly on Interstate
Highway 55, to be honest), stopping at various places on
or near historic Route 66. Turns out, you can eat pretty
well on this path, if you know where to look.
—Dell Rhea's Chicken
Basket
In the good old days, Route
66 ran right past this venerable restaurant, and the Blue
Bird Coach Lines stopped here. The Blue Bird is gone, and
Route 66 is but a memory here, but Dell Rhea's survives,
by virtue of its light, golden-fried chicken, available in
baskets (with fries, biscuits and cole slaw, $10.95), full
dinners (four pieces with rolls, vegetables, and soup and
salad bar, $14.95) or boxes (to go). Start, if you dare,
with the chicken livers, dusted with flour and fried in
butter and very, very rich. The simple decor includes lots
of Route 66 road signs, and live music likely will be
playing. It has been owned by the Rhea family since 1963.
645 Joliet Rd., Willowbrook,
Ill., 630-325-0780. Open for lunch and dinner
Tuesday-Saturday.
—That 50's Place
Billboards along I-55
ensure that you know about this place, a 27-year-old
truck-stop restaurant (formerly Harvest Table) that
adopted a new name and new decor four years ago. Though
fixated on the '50s, the decor strays across multiple
decades; Near the front are statues of '30s icon Betty
Boop (though she was popular well into the '50s) and the
Blues Brothers, which drew its inspiration from music of
the early '60s. The decor is pure '50s diner, and the menu
is full of "Happy Days" references, including
the Ralph Malph mac and cheese. Burgers are decent, just,
but the big draw is the all-you-can-eat prime rib
($15.95), even though owner Laura Feddersen says customers
rarely have room for seconds. The property includes a
Shell gas station, a mini-mart and a parking lot big
enough for 18-wheelers.
600 W. Mazon Ave., Dwight,
Ill., 815-584-1065. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily;
open continuously from 5:30 a.m. Friday to 11 p.m. Sunday.
—The Palms Grill
Yes, Illinois has an
Atlanta, and historic Route 66 runs through it. And back
in 1934, there was a Palms Grill, a restaurant alongside a
Blue Bird stop, named for the palm trees the owner used
for decorations. The Palms closed years ago, but in April
it reopened, with Art Deco look carefully re-created.
Inside it's appropriately and cheerfully old-timey, with a
menu that includes fried bologna sandwiches, if you wish
(actually "why" is more to the point than
"if"), along with burgers and such. Go for the
day's blue-plate special, which is rarely more than $10;
the day I visited, the special featured two slabs of
breaded pork tenderloin, very tender, with lettuce and
tomatoes on a bun. Central Illinois visitors often hunt
for a superior pork-tenderloin sandwich; I nominate this
one. If you have room, order a piece of flaky, homemade
pie; if you don't, get a slice to go. On your way out,
take a peek at the Atlanta museum next door, and get your
picture taken in front of the Paul Bunyan fiberglass
sculpture (rescued from a suburban Chicago hot-dog stand)
across the street.
110 SW Arch St., Atlanta,
Ill., 217-648-2233. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily;
closes at 5 p.m. Sunday.
—Charlie Parker's
This out-of-the-way Quonset
hut in Springfield, about a five-block detour from Route
66, is known for two things: horseshoes — the signature
sandwich of Springfield — and pancakes the size of pizza
pans (they are, in fact, delivered to your table on
16-inch pizza pans). The former consists of white toast
topped with a protein (turkey breast, walleye, chicken
breast, ham or the more-common breaded pork tenderloin), a
blanket of melted cheese and a pile of fries. It's enough
to sate an ox, for just $6.95 to $7.95. The 16-inch
pancake is $3.95, and the infamous four-stack is $8.95; if
you can eat the entire four-stack (more than 800 square
inches of pancake), it's free. "Only one guy has ever
done it," a manager told me, "and he's also the
only one who finished three. Most people don't get past
the first one." The theatrical decor includes posters
of jazz great Charlie Parker, as well as photos of Elvis
Presley and even the Three Stooges. Other walls are hung
with 12-inch vinyl records, including brothers (Doobie and
Blues), sisters (Sledge) and the Mamas & the Papas.
700 North St., Springfield,
Ill., 217-241-2104. Breakfast and lunch daily; 2 p.m.
close.
—Erato on Main
There should be a nice
reward at the end of a long journey, and this Edwardsville
outpost, about a half-hour northeast of downtown St. Louis
and three doors down from historic Route 66, is it. This
is a serious, locally focused restaurant; chef Kevin
Willmann gets his vegetables from nearby farmers and his
breads and coffee from the artisanal bakery down the block
(222 Artisan Bakery, which has killer croissants in the
morning). I started with a terrific raspberry salad with
house-made ricotta, delicious fried green tomatoes topped
with goat cheese and a fillet of blackened mahi-mahi over
souffle-light spoon bread with pickled vegetables and
coins of andouille sausage. A trio of shrimp over creamed
corn was drastically oversalted, but that was the only
disappointment, and I washed it down with a selection from
sommelier Tim Foley's remarkably deep and reasonably
priced wine list. Knowing and friendly service, unfussy
but attractive decor — if you're ever in the St. Louis
area, this place should be on your list.
126 N. Main St.,
Edwardsville, Ill., 618-307-3203. Open dinner
Tuesday-Saturday.
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