I went up to Effingham with the Ted, Danny and Shea for the Red Devils playoff game this past Saturday while the Glue stayed home with the twin terrors.  We left a little early so we could get something to eat before the game but we underestimated the number of people who thought the same thing. 
We went to the Gabby Goat first but there was a half hour wait before we could get seated and that would have made it a little too tight getting to the game.  Shea found another place so we went to Gopher's Grill for lunch and a couple pregame beers.  Cj and Kenny were following us and there was plenty of room for all of us.  Gopher's is a nice place and they have indoor golf screens and run a winter league which would be cool.  I ordered a classic burger with swiss and pickles only plus an order of fries based on the waitresses recommendation.  Beer was nice and cold and the burger and fries solid with the only problem being when I looked at my bill they charged me $6 for pickles only.  Obviously a mistake an the waitress took care of it.

With the Glue out of town shopping with our favorite daughter I decided I needed a sandwich that was a little different than a burger type sandwich.  No doubt this was caused by watching an episode of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives about embellished burgers.
I decided to go to 17th Street and after having a 17th Street amber ale to help me decide I went with a lotta bull sandwich and a side of cole slaw to go.  I'd never had egg as a topping for a sandwich although I've had a lot of sandwiches made just of eggs. 
The brisket in the lotta bull was real good and the overall sandwich was too.  The slaw was decent but it seemed like a small portion.
While I was at the bar the guy next to me ordered chicken wings and had them made crispy.  They looked and smelled so good they'll probably be the next thing I get there.  If not it'll be the 1-7 sandwich made with brisket.

Yesterday we decided to go to Quatros for a late lunch.  We got there just before the closed off the downstairs area which is where the Glue always wants to sit.
We were getting ready to order when the Glue mentioned the thin crust instead of the the normal thicker pizza.  I'd been wanting to try it since I had a piece that our Packer friend Chuck had gotten.  My first boss at SIU had a spell when all he wanted was a thin one there but that was a long time ago.
Anyway we gave it a try and while it was good all it really did was make me want the normal thicker one.  For thin there are several better pizza's in the area such as Cummares, Downtown Abbey and IV's but Quatros thick is still the gold standard in the area.
After we were done we decided to go one last time to Pinch Penny Pub since it is closing the end of the year.  We had a lot of great memories there from when we played volleyball there many years (and pounds) ago.  It's a shame that it's closing and is an Carbondale icon to a lot of people.  Too many places are closing or are for sale in the area.
Our next stop was at Brews Brothers and then on to Molly's Pint which are two of our favorites.  When we left there the Glue mentioned she was hungry so I called in a couple BBQ's to long time favorite Kilby's which was once again very good.

This past Friday we went to Cindy B's to meet some friends for breakfast.  I got sausage links, eggs and fried potatoes while the Glue got eggs, bacon and a biscuit and gravy.  The eggs and potatoes were good but the sausage wasn't very good, next time I'll either get bacon or sausage patties.  The Glue's b&g was real good though.
The real attraction was the conversation and all the memories that came out.  We got there around 8:30 and didn't leave until a little before 11.  Good thing it wasn't real crowded. 
The Glue had mentioned a few times about wanting a bloody mary which got Apryl started so the three of us headed to the Kinkaid Marina to try one of theirs.  I'm not a big fan of bloody mary's but the taste I had of the Glues was real good.  We'd been there a little bit when I looked out the window and saw Scott and Angie who'd managed to get out of an obligation.  Things went even further downhill when Julie and Lynn showed up and that one drink turned into a lot. 
More stories poured out and a lot of laughter.  Apryl left first followed a little bit later by us but the rest were going strong when we left.  A great day and I can't wait to get together with them again.

We don't eat at chain restaurants very often but last week we went to Marion to eat at Logan's Roadhouse but on the way over the Glue offered up Pookies as an alternative.  This sounded a lot better to me so we went there instead.
We split an order of sweet and spicy wings and a creole burger with jalapenos on the side along with a couple of Shiner Bock drafts.  The wings were good but sticky which was to be expected.  The creole burger we great, just enough spice for me and of course the Glue put the jalapenos on her part of the burger.
As we were finishing up our Shiner Bocks several of the Herrin Wednesday bocce players came in so we went in and watched while we finished our beer.
We decided to stop at  618 Taphouse on the way home.