To finish off my whirlwind review of Madison eating this week, I wanted to end on our highest gastronomical note. (I still have a few Madison yummies up my sleeve, but they’ll pop up when you least expect it!) We wanted to have one “nice” meal while we were there and I suggested L’Etoile and Harvest. I hadn’t been to either, but both are known for their sustainable, organic ingredients and phenomenal cuisine. I left it up to R to peruse the menus and decide, since he has a pickier palate than I do.

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Popularity: 12% [?]

Although I’m about as much of a hopeless romantic as you can get, I’ve never been all that into Valentine’s Day. Sure, it’s nice to get the flowers and the chocolate, but as my best friend says, “it’s all about the card.” And it’s true. For me, Valentine’s Day is more about telling someone you love them rather than showing it. Besides, there are plenty of other occasions during the year to give me diamonds that don’t involve a greeting card-created holiday!

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Popularity: 5% [?]

A couple months back I wrote about my “Champaign Heaven,” the place where I went to school. Since I still have friends there, I visit fairly frequently and during my most recent visit (this past weekend) I realized I left out something quite important.
That something is a legendary landmark of a pizza place called Papa Del’s.

I call it legendary because they undoubtedly serve the best pan-style pizza on campus. I call it a landmark because it represents a part of campus life that’s beginning to cross generations. Having opened in 1970, many alumni parents who visit their children at the U of I (Champaign) eat at least one of their meals at Papa Del’s. Why? Because they remember going there when they went to school, and the pizza is still the best. It’s a connecting thread - a place where the past can reminisce and the future can make its own memories.

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Popularity: 8% [?]

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a restaurant review it seems. Hasn’t it? Somehow I’ve moved on to other things like talking about my travels, making videos, and even some cooking. I guess I haven’t been trying as many new places or eating out as much (which is a good thing!) lately either. But this past week I did try something new, and I would love to return to my old ways of sharing it with you all.

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Popularity: 8% [?]

I just LOVE Greek food. Really I do.

Serve me up a plate of chicken souvlaki (skewers of grilled and seasoned chicken) and greek roasted potatoes with all the extra lemon and tzatziki sauce I could ever want, and I’m a happy, happy girl. Add some feta cheese too and you’ve got yourself a fan for life.

Well, it’s no wonder that when I went to Champaign again this past weekend and decided to hit up the new Greek restaurant again for dinner Saturday night, that that is just what I ordered (well minus the feta cheese.)

But the part of the meal that really made my Greek food experience “light on fire” was actually the appetizer.

I ordered saganaki, a favorite of mine since my grandparents started consistently yelling “opa!” at every restaurant that served it (even when we weren’t the table ordering it.) Intrigued by a dish that literally lights up your table, I just had to have it.

Papa George’s (the Champaign restaurant) did a magnificent job with their saganaki. Served with a lemon, the flavor was magnificently tasty. I was, once again, a happy girl.

At the beginning of the meal (I know, I’m going backward - just trying to keep you on your toes), my friend and I were feeling adventurous and decided to order shots of ouzo since they were on special that night. Neither of us were really sure what ouzo was but $2 was a small enough price to pay to find out.

They served the shot with a small glass of water (that you can see behind it). Flavored with anise (a flowering plant from the Mediterranean region), I actually thought the shot tasted like liquid black liquorice. I wasn’t such a fan but my friend, however, was.

At any rate, the meal was delicious and was just what I needed to remind me just how great Greek food really is.

So go home and make some of these recipes. You’ll thank me later.

Greek Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
Greek Style Burgers with Tzatziki
Tomato with Feta and Herbs
-Hillary, reminding everyone they have 2 days left to enter the Halloween Recipe Contest!
Editor, Recipe4Living

Popularity: 25% [?]