Lindenhurst/Champaign, IL: January 31, 2015. This past week has been absolutely jam packed. Brooke was crammed with tests and quizzes all week long, and McKenzie was on her death bed with the flu. We know that’s no excuse for the lack of posts, but definitely an explanation! We want to take a moment, even though we are a week behind, to fill you guys in on last weekend. January 23 is our mother’s birthday, and to celebrate Brooke, her mom, and dad all went out to dinner. Mckenzie went out for any early birthday dinner too for her birthday, January 27, also on the January 23.
ad-lib (Lindenhurst): For my mother’s birthday I went to this delectable restaurant, ad-lib. With this being a new place for my family to dine at, we learned all about the restaurant and how they operate their business. Hence the name, the menu changes every night with different appetizers, main courses, and desserts. The norm was to choose one of each, or to do their “spontaneous tasting” which is where the chef decides what you eat. Not only was the food actually to die for, but being exposed to all these novel tastes was unmatchable by any other restaurant. I was told by my mom and dad that the wine list was great, and you can even bring your own bottle of wine for a twenty dollar corking fee, which turned out to be worth it. All of their beers also come from local distilleries. Despite having to look up every single word on the menu, I would 100% recommend dining here. It is a little bit expensive, however the quality of the food you will get surpasses the prices. A piece of advice, do not be alarmed when you walk in to the restaurant because it was definitely not what I thought it was going to be, but once you get a table and your food you forget about everything else. My one last piece of advice, call the hostess to try to plan out when you get there because it gets quite crowded and they do not take reservations!
Appetizer: Maine Lobster Broth+lobster essence+lobster meat. The waitress serves you a bowl with actual pieces of lobster, and then pours a broth out of an adorable mason jar. It was so good, I neglected to take pictures!
Main Course: Tile Fish+roasted nori+butter poached. Originally I ordered the chicken, but they ran out of chicken, and I must say I am happy they did! I think the picture speaks louder than my words do. There is fish, mushrooms, an assortment of other vegetables, and a mashed potato under it that was drool worthy. I know the portions seem small, but believe me the food is so rich you'll find no trouble becoming full.
Dessert: Because it was my mother’s birthday we decided to stick with tradition and have birthday cake at home. The cake was of course delicious: Red Velvet Cake from Marianos (one of our local grocery stores).
Biaggi's (Champaign): I 100% believe that my birthday should last an entire month, and this one being my 21st made it that much more important. In typical McKenzie fashion, I had to start my birthday on the Saturday before with a “pre-birthday dinner” at one of my favorite restaurants near campus, Biaggi’s! Besides Mexican food, Italian is definitely up there with my favorites. Biaggi’s is a somewhat large chain, I usually tell people it’s a slightly upscale Olive Garden, but students here love to use it as the fancy date place and I am no exception. This time I went with the special, the Fettuccine with Red Sauce and Shrimp. It was excellent, as is everything I ever eat there, but my absolute favorite is the Fettuccine with Lobster. The noodles are dyed black by squid ink and the lobster is always so fresh! Jeff ordered the Rigatoni Alla Bolognese, and then we split the Creme Brulee and Tiramisu for dessert. As a self-proclaimed foodie, I couldn’t have had a better first birthday celebration.
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