Hidden Gems In Peoria: Jerusalem Restaurant

 Hi y'all,

This past week I had the privilege of eating at Jerusalem Restaurant, a Mediterranean restaurant that serves items like kebabs, shawarma, and salads. It's located on Farmington Rd right by Crusens. I saw on Yelp that this place had nearly a 5-star rating and every review had good things to say so I was very much intrigued to try some of the food. When I first walked it I was asked, "Have you ever been here before?"

by a man who I think was the owner. I told him I hadn’t and he seated me along with a glass of water and told me about their most popular food items that people tend to love. I decided to go with the beef shawarma which came along with pita bread, Arabic salad, hummus, and rice. One of the things I always love about Mediterranean food is that I don't feel sick after eating it and my meal lived up to that.

The beef was tender and rich with flavor. I also poured some of the sauces on it to give it an extra kick. I also loved the pita bread as a side along with hummus as well as the rice. The salad wasn't anything special but was nice to have as another side of the meal. I was really satisfied with the beef shawarma and would definitely get it again. I would highly recommend coming here if you like Mediterranean food. 

Rating: 10/10

Hidden Gems In Peoria: Connected

Hi y'all, 

This week I had the privilege of going to Connected this week for a work dinner and to my surprise it was some of the best food I've had in while. For those of you who are unaware, Connected is an Italian restaurant that's located on University right by Walmart. I didn't know what to expect other than high-quality food and atmosphere and that's exactly what I got. Right when I walked through the door I was greeted with a beautiful interior with small ponds of water and rocks. As we reached the main dining room it was dark but had this charm to it that made you feel like you were important. Our dining room was one of the private dining rooms they had meant for 20 people. We were given a menu with a lot of options that sounded so good.

My meal from Connected

I decided to order the Bistecca Al Barolo which was a filet mignon in a barolo wine sauce with caramelized pearl onions and mushrooms. Along with that, I had a side of potatoes and a glass of wine. The meat was cooked to perfection and could easily be chewed which I liked. It had a very rich flavor to it that was representative of the wine sauce. It was also the right amount of food as well. We also had dessert as well which included Pasticeria Assorta which was an assortment of Italian desserts some I didn't even know existed. Overall, I had a really amazing experience at this place and while i
t's expensive, I would highly recommend coming here at some point with friends, family, or with your partner. The food will not disappoint.

Hidden Gems in Peoria: Sugar Wood Fired Bistro

Outside Sugar

 Hi yall, 

This week I was in the mood for some pizza so I found myself in the doors of Sugar Wood Fired Bistro. This is a wood-fired pizza restaurant that specializes in a variety of pizzas with various toppings. However, I decided to be very boring and just order a pepperoni. I often don't get wood-fired pizza mainly because it's not as convenient as picking up a pizza from one of the big pizza chains like Papa John's, Domino's, and Little Ceaser's. So I always look forward to trying a different kind of pizza. The restaurant itself is located in the Warehouse District on Adams St. just west of Zion. It's easily walkable if you are in that area. As I walked in I was greeted by someone at the register which was really nice instead of having to get seated and wait for someone. I put in my order for pepperoni pizza but some of the other menu options I saw were BBQ chicken, Hawaiian, and Margherita. The food came out really quickly (less than 10 minutes) since there weren't a lot of people there. I had to wait for it to cool off because it was too hot but the first bite was super yummy. They used the right amount of pepperoni. I really like the crust of wood-fired but one of the things I didn't like was just how greasy it was. I've had Sugar before but this time for some reason it was nearly as good. I'd still recommend going here if you have the chance. It's a quick dinner or lunch. 

Rating: 6/10

Pepperoni Pizza

Hidden Gems in Peoria: Industry Brewing

Hi yall, 

Front Entrance Sign

I decided to have a quick dinner this week and I found myself at Industry Brewing located farther north of Bradley's campus about 8 miles away. I always do enjoy good bar food and Industry Brewing didn't disappoint. The atmosphere was what you would typically see at breweries/eatery establishments. It was dark and cozy with a bar along with a menu of various beers on

Brisket Mac and Cheese

draft. I sat at the bar and ordered their Happy Hour beer which was really tasty along with Brisket Mac and Cheese. This was smoked brisket along with jalapeno cured ham mixed with smoked gouda mac and mozzarella cheese, topped with jalapeno chips. It was quite literally one of the best mac and cheese dishes I have ever had. However, it felt as if the portion size was small and I thought it was more expensive than it should have been due to the size you get. I still felt hungry after I ate but wasn't willing to spend more money. I still was blown away by the flavor of the meal. It was just right when it came to its spice level.

Rating: 7/10