I finally managed to get Lisa out of the house yesterday for the first time since it snowed.  For once we didn't have a big discussion on where to go, I said it's a new business and with the weather they need support so we went to Game On.
We ran into several friends and it took a while to get around to actually ordering, I did manage to order an appetizer of their "in house" mushrooms.  I thought they were very good and so did the other people that tried them.  They have another kind of mushrooms that Mike and Pam said weren't near as good as the ones we got.  Thanks to the owner Tracy for telling us this on our first visit.
Once we got around to ordering I ordered the fish bites appetizer and Lisa got slider sandwiches and a cup of chili.  The fish bites were really good but were a bit too salty for Pam but I really liked them.  Lisa like her slider but wished they had a burger sliders instead of chicken strips.  Unsurprisingly she liked her chili but it needed to be warmer.  She's had chili she doesn't like but it's rare.
Game On is rapidly becoming our go to place.
We stopped in River Rats for a beer just because some of the people from Game On were going there but as we walked in my old friend KB was at the bar so I mainly talked to him and my former english teacher while Lisa sat at table and talked to Pam.  Nice finish to the day.

I'd been wanting to try the fish sandwich at Southpaw since it was put on the menu so Wednesday we finally made it out there.  It's battered not breaded like most of the fish around here.  Tammy had warned me to get the sauce on the side since they loaded hers up so I did that and also got the slaw on the side along with no tomatoes.  The sandwich was good but it's cod and I really prefer catfish.  I did like that it was battered but didn't care much at all about the remoulade sauce, I ended up dipping it in catsup.  The chips were once again good and Lisa liked her burger.
Yesterday we had to go to St Louis for an early appointment, when we were done we decided to go to Perryville to try Mary Jane's mardi gras menu.  Of course Lisa had to go to Stonies for beef jerky so we went there first.  The last couple times there I haven't been impressed with their beer menu, nothing really in my wheelhouse.  
We split an order of gumbo and an order of etouffee.  Both were a lot better than expected but I probably liked the gumbo better.  We should have got gumbo and alligator tacos.  

After going to Game On Saturday I couldn't wait to get back down and give the food a try so we went there yesterday.  We saw several people we knew and the place was about half full.
After considering most of the menu I finally decided on a smash burger and fries.  Lisa opted for italian beef with dill pasta salad.  While we were sitting there Johnny then Bruce came stopped by our table and Johnny decided to order a fish appetizer while he waited for Carolyn to get off work,.
My burger was good but could have been warmer and I probably should have got a double.  The fries were also really good.  Lisa really like her italian beef but neither of us cared for the pasta salad.  I tried a piece of Johnnys fish and it was very good, probably the next thing I'll get there.
Good time talking with everyone and we stayed a lot longer than we intended.

Yesterday we went to Smoking Ks to get some cajun food.  They've remodeled since we last went there and it's a lot nicer.  There were a lot more people there than I've seen before and we just beat a big group.
We ordered gumbo with fried okra and etouffee with a side of dirty rice.  The food got there a lot faster than I expected with the amount of people there.  Oh and both dishes came with cornbread .
The okra was excellent as it has been every time we've been there.  The gumbo was also excellent and both are quite possibly the best I've had.  The etouffee was good but some of the rice were crunchy as if they weren't cooked long enough.  This really took away from the dish.  The dirty rice was really good too.  We didn't eat any of the cornbread.  There was plenty left to bring home too.
On the way home we stopped at the new bar and grill, game on, to check it out.  We only had beer but the food looked good and the people we talked said it was.  We had a great time sitting at the bar talking, it's been a long time since we've really done that.  I can't wait to try the food.

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.