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Steve Jetton
BN food –
Oh yeah, Lucca Grill is legendary. The “A la Baldini” was the best pizza ever. I can’t remember the name of the gal that made them for years …. but I don’t think it was ever quite as good after she died.
In the 70s I worked in State Farm’s art deco downtown home office and we’d often lunch at Lucca. The waitress …. darn it! can’t remember her name either, but she was awful because she could not keep track of when people came in, so getting serviced was a frustrating lottery. The Steak on Dago was the classic g o to. So good! Again, I think it deteriorated a bit as time passed. My buddy Alan and I always had a beer. Felt like you were getting by with something. SF had a pretty stiff necked “official” attitude about alcohol. Fridays called for two beers.
And then there was Suzi’s Café on Front St. Recall the Buford boys from our HS days. Suzi was a work of art …. you had to be there? Jeff Secord once complained – in a quiet voice - about not getting a requested substitution on the blue plate special. She was in the back of the café and somehow miraculously hearing his complaint bellowed out that if you don’t like it he didn’t have to eat here. In fact, she decided, you’re banned for coming in here for the next two weeks! Ha! Ha! What a depravation.
The gag – fav was chili mac. Got a recipe that’s a perfect knock off. I think I may have posted it several years ago. Easy, except she specified “must be Brooks ketchup,” which is hard to find. Meijer in Normal has it. Once I tasted Brooks, I refuse any other kind of ketchup.
Finally, there was a time when I used to bicycle from Blm to Green Gables. All that work just to have one of their burgers. Well, and a beer.
Most of this stuff became off limits when I found out I had celiac disease 5 or 6 years ago. Bah.
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