Yesterday we decided to go to the recently reopened Bandanas, had we known Game On was open and serving food we probably would have gone there.  Anyway the first thing we noticed was they have streamlined the menu and of course raised prices but so has everyone else.
We decided to go with a three meat combo with turkey, ribs and brisket, I changed to brisket from chicken as we were ordering.  We chose fried okra and slaw as our sides. As we were sitting there Robyn and Dan came in who were a couple years ahead of me and D comes to cards on Monday.
The turkey was really good but not much of a bbq flavor which is okay by me.  The ribs were a nice bite through rib instead of the normal overcooked fall of the bone however they didn't have a lot of flavor but were decent.  The brisket was also okay, not bad but nothing special.  The slaw solid and the okra was good but not as good as some other places in the area.
Overall it's much better than the previous incarnation there.   We'll add it into our local rotation of places to go.

Catching up a little.  A few days ago we ordered Martels for the first time in a long time, in fact we weren't aware they didn't have chicago style pizza anymore.  We decided to go with a medium meat deep pan.  The pizza arrived relatively fast and was really good.  
On Wednesday we had some free time before having to be home for the twins to get off the bus so we went to Frenchmans Widow.  Both me and Debbie got cubans and Lisa got a chili and an order of pretzels, Mike got a burger.
My cuban was good but not as good as it was before.  The fries were once again really good.  Lisa liked both her chili and pretzel.  Mike and Debbie both liked their food.  
On the way home we stopped at the American Legion and Elks so I could pay my dues at both places.  For the first time in a long time I wasn't late with them.

We had a few free hours yesterday so we decided to try out the Tomahawk bar and grill in DuQuoin.  It was previously the Salty Boar and we were not impressed with it so it took awhile before we finally went to the new place.
Same basic inside but a much better menu than previously, at least what I can remember.  We both ordered Yuengling drafts and then found out they were a $1 off, woohoo.  After much perusing of the menu we finally ordered an appetizer of mushrooms.  I ordered a breaded pork loin sandwich with slaw while Lisa ordered a gyro and house chips
The barmaid didn't think the mushrooms were handmade but when they got there they sure seemed like they were.  Really good but not quite as good as what we had at brunzeez.  The breaded pork loin was also really good, the pickles, onions and mustard complemented the sandwich really well.  My slaw was vinegar based but different from other that I've had, having said that I really enjoyed it.   Lisa's gyro was burned but the inside was very good.  The chips were cooked well but didn't have any seasoning.
Good stop that we'll have to try again.

On New Years eve day we went down to Bottoms Up for a quick meal.  The twins were at a movie so we had Dooter with us.  As usual we got 1/2 fried chicken all white and two salads.  We also got fries for Dax and the staff was kind enough to bring out cherry tomatoes for Dax who loves them.
My chicken breast was a little drier than usual but still good and the salads are real solid.  We also had a variety of fried food, chips, okra, onion rings and two kinds of fries.  As always we had a great time there.
Yesterday we went to Emily's for a late lunch.  After much contemplation I got a shrimp po boy and onion rings.  Lisa went with a salad and soup while Mike and Debbie both got smash burgers.  
The shrimp on my sandwich were overdone, just short of being burned which was also the case with my onion rings, they were much darker than Debbies.  Disappointing.  Lisa's salad was real big and there was a lot of soup too.  The soup needed to be hotter but she said it was good as was the salad.  Both Mike and Debbie said they liked the smash burgers.
Overall a disappointing stop for me. 
We stopped in a the Vet for a beer and then stopped at Da-Nite for a couple.

I've been wanting fried chicken lately but didn't want to drive very far for it so with Botoms Up closed I decided on Gabbys.  Lisa mentioned Brunzeez mushrooms on the way up and that's all it took to change my mind.  As I've mentioned before we rarely go someplace that doesn't have beer but we went anyway.
We ordered a 4 piece all white and finally decided on two sides of mushrooms.  It's a bit of a wait for fried chicken but they say that beforehand so you're aware.  The chicken was very good but the mushrooms were even better plus there's a lot of them.
Overall a great choice.

On Thursday Lisa wasn't feeling good and said that soup sounded good so after going through several options decided on El Jalisco to get the caldo de pollo that my cousin Joey turned us on to.  After checking out several options I saw steak tapatio which comes with a skewer of shrimp, street corn, grilled veggies and rice plus a sauce to put over the steak.
I called it in and they said 10 minutes and it was almost ready when I got there.  First for the bad, the steak tasted about what you would expect from a mexican restaurant.  Tough and not much flavor.  Not for the good.  The shrimp and corn were great and the veggies were also good.  With all the other food I only had a bite of the rice and it seemed okay.  Lisa's soup was real good but had way too much rice in it.  Next time we order it I'll see if we can get it with no rice and extra broth.  I doubt I order the steak again unless I could sub a couple more shrimp skewers instead of the steak.

We had to go to Menards yesterday and had some time before we grabbed something to eat so naturally we went to 618 Taphouse.  We'd originally planned on going to Sam's but just didn't feel like it so Taphouse won out.
While we were there we decided to get Popeyes and bring it home.  Popeyes used to be one of our favorite places but Carbondales shut down and wasn't very good before that plus they always seemed to be out of things we liked.  I looked online and saw they had a 5 piece chicken all white for less than $10 so we got that and two large red beans and rice and a large coleslaw.  When we went through the drive through I didn't see the five piece so I parked and ordered online.
When I went in the lady started working on our order and it was a good thing I was there because the chicken and red beans and rice would have been wrong.  Once we got home it was still warm enough to eat.  The chicken was good however the slaw wasn't.  I didn't think the red beans and rice were all that good but Lisa did and she's the main reason we got two orders.

Yesterday morning was a lazy kind of morning but we finally got motivated and went to Moonshine Run for a late lunch.  It has become one of my favorite places due to it's menu and quality of food.
I went over thinking ribeye but I changed to a cheeseburger and onion rings.  Lisa hasn't been feeling well but she got an italian beef and side salad.  Mike got a burger and Debbie got a steak sandwich both got fries.
It took an inordinate amount of time for our food to arrive.  With the temp dropping this wasn't a good thing.  When the food arrived mine and Mike's burgers were mixed up, I'd ordered medium and him well done.  We couldn't change because I'd ordered grilled onions on mine and he doesn't like onions.  I didn't care much for the burger, it was dry and the cheese wasn't real great.  My onion rings were great though.  Lisa's italian beef was okay but different from when she got it last time and I didn't think as good.  Debbie said her steak sandwich was okay but I don't think she loved it.  Mike liked his burger and the fries were real good.
Overall my first subpar experience there, hopefully it will be better next time.
On the way home I was worried about black ice and my windshield kept freezing making the long wait for food worse.

Since we were on the other side of Carbondale yesterday we decided to go to Frenchmans Widow only to change our minds on the way over and go to Champs.  We hadn't been there in a while and it seems like they've gone through a lot of new management changes.
When we walked in the place has undergone some renovation with new booths and new floor being the most noticeable.  The booths were not real comfortable so we moved to a table that had a bench on one side and chairs on the other.  I finally decided on fish and chips while Lisa went for the italian beef and onion rings.
When the food came to the table mine was a fish sandwich not the cutups.  I didn't want to wait so I said it was okay but it was mediocre and the fries were what appeared to be frozen crinkle cut.  Once again the fries were just okay and the sandwich was very sloppy, falling apart as I ate it.  Lisa's italian beef was really good as were the onion rings.  The italian beef could have used more au jus though.
In retrospect I should have gone with one of the burgers.

Yesterday we went to long time favorite Quatros which is something we've done quite often on the day before Thanksgiving.  I've been going there since shortly after it open 50 years ago.  
We've been getting a large dinner salad and a small deep pan meateaters lately.  After the waitress took our order she said we had to get a medium to get a $5 picture, that's a long way from the 99 cent pitchers we used to get.  We'd had a couple pizzas from there lately that just didn't seem the same, this one did and it was very good.
The waitress I mentioned, we only saw her to get our order, bring our food and bring the check except the one time I flagged her down to bring us a couple napkins.  The place wasn't busy and the downstairs was closed off.  She used the downstairs to be on her phone most of the time we were eating,  Very disappointing service, not the worst we've had there but it wasn't good.
Oh well.  I'd rather have good pizza and poor service that bad pizza and good service.

We had to go to Sam's to get some stuff for Thanksgiving.  Naturally we'd go somewhere for lunch while we were out.  Of course when going to Sam's you'll buy more than you intended and this time was not exception.
Monday is very limited on places that are open so we finally decided on Moonshine Run.  They were training a new person so service was a little slow but not terrible.  We finally decided to split 1/2 fried chicken all white and both of us got side salads.  The salads were a nice size but I didn't care for the tomatoes in it.  I got french and it was good while Lisa got their made in house ranch.  I'm not normally a big fan of french but this seemed really good in the bite I had.  The fried chicken was very good, maybe not quite as good as Bottom's Up but close.  
As we both said "we'll have the chicken again soon".  Moonshine Run is turning into a regular stop since a couple others have gone ob or changed.

We haven't been going too many places lately, no particular reason just haven't been going out as much.  Yesterday we decided to go out and since it was Debbie's birthday weekend she got to chose the place.  After going through several places she said let's give Cross Eyed Bear a shot since we hadn't been there so off we headed.
It's a small dining area in a marina on Lake of Egypt, I really don't think I'd ever been to Lake of Egypt before which kind of surprised me.  We went earlier than normal but the place wasn't too crowded.  We found out the menu on their website isn't right and that they change it every few months.  
We started out by ordering garlic cheese curds and they were spectacular, really good.  I finally decided on a steak sandwich instead of wings while Lisa got soup and salad bar.  Mike also got soup but with a grilled cheese and Debbie got a sandwich with fries but don't remember what sandwich.
I'd opted for sweet potato fries and they were very good but I really didn't care much for the steak sandwich.  It was supposed to be swiss cheese but didn't taste like it.  Lisa and Mike both liked the soup but said it needed to be warmer.  I'd ate way too many cheese curds and only ate half my sandwich and about half my fries.  Really friendly place.
We got stopped by a train and so I went down a side road with no idea where it went.  We got to see some of the lake and surrounding area before we finally got back on track.  
We made a brief stop at Honker Hill where there was a party bus with some very "happy" people on it.  All of us had some punch that was good but sweet.  
After a trip around Giant City we went home to take it easy.

I haven't played much golf this year but I took advantage of a beautiful November day and played 18 yesterday.  It wasn't pretty but there were some good holes too.
Lisa is shopping with Bailey so after golf I went into the clubhouse and ordered some catfish to go.  The fish there rivals any other place around and Deloras makes sure to put plenty in.  Before she left Lisa made some homemade tartar sauce in case I got some fish after golf.
The fish was once again on point and really hit the spot after a round of golf.  Try it before they close for the season at the end of November.

Saturday we had Greyson most of the day and all night.  He's been asking about when the garden would get torn out so we did that first.
Next he mentioned he wanted to go on a hike so off we went to Giant City.  I'd called to see if there was any hunting on Indian Creek Shelter trail and she said there were some archery hunters there so we finally decided on Devils Standtable.  It's a short trail but has a lot of bluffs and boulders that he enjoyed climbing on.  There were some kids learning repelling up and down the face of the bluff which was interesting.  
After a stop for him to go to his cousins birthday party we went to Southpaw mainly because he wanted to play the machines.  I got a mushroom swiss burger while Lisa got a Cesar salad and Greyson got some boneless wings and fries.  
My burger was solid and the tots I got with them were really good.  Lisa was just okay with the salad and Greyson surprisingly ate almost all his wings after having two pieces of pizza at the birthday party.
We went through way too much money on games for Greyson but it was enjoyable.

Wednesday we decided go to Emilys Eatery in Dowell since we hadn't been there in a while. 
I ordered the catfish special but subbed out a side salad for the fries. Lisa ordered their new Korean wrap special.  The waitress came back a little later and said the cook who knows how to make it was gone so they couldn't make it.  She then ordered a club sandwich and chose potato soup as her side.  I also had a Yuengling while she got an Modelo Negra.  
When mine came out were fries with it instead of the side salad I'd ordered.  The catfish was okay but nothing special.  The fries were your typical crinkle cut frozen fries.  Lisa's said her sandwich was good.  She said the potato soup was real good but not very warm.
After we left we went next door to the Vet for a quick beer then headed home so we'd be there in time for the twins to get there.

We hadn't been to Southpaw in a while so we decided to go there yesterday since we couldn't go anywhere very far from Murphysboro.  There always seems to be a few tables with people at them when we go not matter the time.
Anyway I ended up deciding on wings instead of a burger.  I ordered the wings plain with a side of bbq sauce.  Lisa wanted screwballs which is a corn ball filled with stuff.  I wanted some so we got an app instead of a side.  She also got a kids burger with tots.
Everything was hot when it got to the table, in fact it was so hot we had to let it cool off some just to eat it.  The screwballs were better than I remember but my wings weren't.  Don't get me wrong they were still real good but something seemed off from before, I guess it could have been I got them plain.  Lisa's burger was a nice size for her and the bites I tried were really good plus the tots were great.
We ended up with a lot of food left but when we got home the twins and Bailey took care of a lot of it.  As fate would have it they released a new menu today that had a few more options on it but I wish they would add a few more items to the menu.

Another octoberfest season is coming to a close, here are my thoughts from this year.  Here is last years www.roll-em.com/life-in-the-slow-lane/octoberfest-2024

Sam Adams - still my favorite and first out this year
Shiner - not tasting as good as previously
Schlafly  - first out but just ok
Excel - really good
Point - very good
Boulavard Bob's 47 - not that great
Breckinridge - very good, right there with Sam Adams
Civil Life - good
Founders - okay, not as good as last year
Yuengling - very good
New Glarus Staghorn - very good
Springfield - didn't care for it,avoid
Hand or Fate - not as good as last year
St Nicholas - really good local beer

We took a long overdue trip to Bottoms Up yesterday.  For a long time favorite we hadn't been there in a while.  No surprise here, we ordered chicken with side salads and an app of fried okra.
The fired okra is really good and so are the salads.  On the other hand the chicken was outstanding as it always is.  We got some chips to go for when the twins get home.
I asked Greyson how he liked the chips and he said they were okay but he really like the chips when we went hiking around a lake and on a boardwalk.  I had to tell him it was the same place.

We made a quick trip to the Landmark yesterday in big part so that Cathy could see the Mississippi.  They still had their octoberfest so that was a good thing but Mike said there was something wrong with his captain and diet coke.
We had an app of the pretzel sticks that were good and the cheese was surprisingly good.  I ordered the garlic mushroom burger with sweet potato fries while Lisa had the king candy blt.  Mike got his usual burger, Debbie got a turkey bacon wrap and I don't remember what Cathy got except she went with the sweet potato fries too.
My burger was real good and the sweet potato fries were on point.  Lisa was disappointed with her sandwich, it was more like a slab of side pork,  Debbie said the same thing about her wrap.  Mike didn't say much about his burger, I think he was so disappointed in his drink it ruined his visit.  Cathy really like the sweet potato fries.  The regular fries and spicy fries were good but I didn't notice much spice on the spicy fries.
While we were there it started raining hard.  We got a little break but by the time I got to the car it was raining pretty good.  I decided it was time to get home in case we got some bad storms.

Yesterday our day became unexpectedly open so we took the opportunity to go Herrin and eat at the Frenchmans Widow.  On the way there I said we should have called my cousin Joey and met him there.  When we got there a car was sitting out front with JOEY on it but I didn't think anything about it.
When we walked Lisa started pointing but my eyes were still adjusting but when they did there was my cousin Joey sitting at a table.  He was finished but he stayed and we talked for a while.  I ordered the cuban and on the advice of my cousin ordered the fries to go with it.  Lisa ordered a gyro with chicken noodle soup.  The cuban was different but was very good and the fries were too.  Lisa said her gyro was okay but didn't care much for the soup, she said it reminded her of progresso canned soup.
I brought half my sandwich and some fries home with the intent of eating the sandwich for breakfast this morning but when the twins got home Greyson took care of the sandwich. 
Great seeing my cousin and I really enjoyed my order, Lisa not so much.

With Cathy in town we decided to go to Ferne Cliff for a little hiking, of course we had to go through several options before deciding on where to go.  We did the Big Rocky Hollow and Rebman trails.  Of course with Southern Illinois in midst of a moderate to severe drought none of the waterfalls were flowing and none of the creeks were moving.  There was a little water in some of the creeks.  Weather was great and the trails weren't too crowded and it was nice to hike again.  
Afterwards we went to the Log Cabin in Marion.  Their special was a rueben with fries and I was tempted but went with a chopped steak with mushrooms and onions and a side salad.  Lisa got a BLT, Mike got his usual burger while Debbie got the special and Cathy got a ribeye but they were out so they subbed a flank steak.  Everyone else got the homemade chips.  My chopped steak was closer to well done than to medium but was still good and I loved the mushrooms and onions.  I looked like soup with a big piece of meat in the middle and was close to a salisbury steak type dish.  The chips were thicker than most places and I really like the ones I had, surprisingly Mike did too since he's a thin and crispy person.  Everyone seemed to like their order but I should have stayed with the rueben, it looked fantastic.

Yesterday we were invited to join Mike and Pam along with Steve and Amy to visit the Italian Club in Coello.  We'd talked about it during the BBQ contest so it wasn't a surprise when it came about.
We were the last to arrive but only about five minutes late.  They go there quite often and I wanted to let them get settled into their routine when we arrived.  Amy ordered fried pickles and Mike ordered mushrooms for appetizers.  The fried pickles were really good and the mushrooms were solid.
On the advice of Pam I ordered the pork tenderloin with pickles,onions and mustard with a side of vinegar based coleslaw,  Nice that they also have creamy coleslaw there.  Lisa wasn't very hungry so she ordered an egg roll.  My tenderloin was nicely done and quite tasty but the star was the coleslaw, it was really good.  Lisa liked her egg roll but the small taste I had wasn't enough to pass judgement.  I also tried one piece of catfish and I liked it and will probably get it next time we go there.
After that we went to Backroads Bar in Buckner for a few drinks.  It's a small hole in the wall type place but had a nice vibe and the beer was cold plus I like hole in the wall places.
That concluded our small town tour for the day and we headed home.

After a pumpkin buy trip to Herrin and the grandkids positioning the pumpkins we decided to grab a bite to eat.  I didn't want to go too far so we decided on St Nicholas MDH mainly because the special was italian beef and they had their octoberfest on tap.
When we got there they said their specials don't start until 5:00 but there wasn't anything about that in their post.  Oh well, I mentioned drinking our beer and going elsewhere but we decided to stay.  I ended ordering brisket tacos and Lisa got their taco of the week, a big mac taco.  We both ordered chips and salsa as our side.  The brisket taco was good and Lisa really liked her big mac taco even though it sounds awful to me.  I didn't care much for the salsa and the chips needed salt.  The octoberfest was really good, probably the best local octoberfest I've had.
I probably should have gone for a burger but for some reason the taco jumped out at me.  Overall kind of a disappointing stop but not bad, just really wanted the italian beef,  

We'd been trying to get together with Buck and Debbie since early summer and yesterday was finally the day.  They hadn't been to Kretzers and both really wanted to go so off we went.
First stop was the Blue Room of course.  They hadn't been there so they got the full blown first timers experience.  It was so much fun we had to have second beer especially after Lisa knocked over a small cup of their hot sauce that went all over the place but managed to miss all of us somehow.  The place got real crowded and we had trouble getting our bill paid and our pint of hot sauce.
On to Kretzers were first times aren't as unique.  We got an appetizer of mushrooms since Buck said he like them.  I got catfish of course while Lisa got wings.  I got onion rings as a side and also a salad bar so that Lisa could have it.  Buck and Debbie also got catfish while the other Debbie got chicken livers and Mike got a bbq. 
I know, why would anyone get chicken livers.  I tried one and didn't care for it.  The mushrooms were excellent and the catfish was it's normal goodness.  The wings weren't as good as I hope but by the time I tried one I was getting stuffed.  I think everyone enjoyed their food and a good time was had but the place started filling up so it was time to go.
On the way home we stopped in to Slip on In for a drink mainly so I could show Buck the Packer and SF Giants stuff on the wall.  Once again the place started to crowded so we were on the road again,
Buck wanted to take a look at Aces and Eights so made a stop there and it was the most crowded and fun time I've had there.  
We finished off the night with a quick drink at the Da Nite mainly for old times sake.  We probably should have skipped this stop and possibly the previous one.
Good time and Buck and Debbie got to experience a few places they hadn't been.

Wednesday was our anniversary so naturally we decided to go out and eat.  I had to pick up my SIU parking sticker from the Durango so I wanted to go in that general direction.  We finally decided on Logans Roadhouse.
I went over wanting a steak and stuck with the plan.  I got a 16oz ribeye knowing I'd bring some home when the grandtwins got home and Greyson is a steak fanatic.  I got a salad and baked potato as sides.  Lisa got grilled shrimp with a salad and mac and cheese.
Both salads were nicely done but had some of the lettuce that looks like tree leaves mixed in.  My steak was surprisingly great.  I got it blackened but it tasted more like just extra seasoning, whatever it was it was very good.  The baked potato was solid, tasting like a baked potato should.  Lisa's shrimp were also good but nothing really special.  She brought the mac and cheese home in case Dax wanted it.