Bill’s Content

I hadn’t been inside Pizza Inn on North Sterling (at the northernmost point of the strip mall at Forrest Hill Drive) for many years. Last time I was there, it gave off the aura of a business on the verge of closure. The food wasn’t very fresh, there were young people there just to hang out and the wait staff seemed surprised anyone wanted to actually order their food.

I went there today with Dad and his best friend Burnie to have their dinner buffet. I was apprehensive, but Dad says the place had gotten a lot better. The pizza was tasty and fresh. The goulash was spicy and the spaghetti was adequate, better than the slop now served at Avanti’s.

The buffet also included two choices of soup and a salad bar with plenty of fresh fixings.

The wait staff was friendly and moderately attentive (it took just a little too long to pay the bill; she got a nice tip anyway).

And the place was busy. Lots of working-class families choose to eat there. But it didn’t seem crowded at all.

I’m not saying it’s fine dining, by any means. But it’s a good place to take the kids or to have a filling dinner without a lot of fuss on your part.

The price: $6.49 per person, not including drink.

I’ll be back.

[tags]Pizza Inn,restaurants,pizza[/tags]

So what’s the deal with Avanti’s?

It used to be one of The. Best. Places. to eat pizza or spaghetti in Peoria. Honestly, I was more fond of the spaghetti than the pizza, although owner Albert Zeller’s minions used to be able to cook up a mean thin crust special. It was all in the handmade dough. One of my fondest childhood memories was of Dad loading my brother and me into the station wagon to go to their Tuesday night Spaghetti Feast. Mom stayed home to a) have some time to herself and b) avoid having to see the men in her family shovel plate after plate of pasta into their mouths.

Well, a recent family outing took the entire extended brood to Avanti’s. The pasta was watery and overcooked. The sauce was right out of a can. The meatballs were frozen and smelled of preservatives. Remember that sweet tasting, homemade bread for which Avanti’s was famous? No more. It’s frozen now.

Aparently, the owners — I have no idea who owns the chain now — has decided to coast on memories and good will and serve its diners the cheapest stuff they can get away with these days.

Feh. It’s a mistake they will regret.

Full disclosure: When I was in college, I worked for Avanti’s as a delivery person, and got fired for blowing off work to interview for a job I thought I would like better. No anomosity, though, I obviously deserved it. I’ve eaten there many times since.

[tags]vantis,Italian food[/tags]

As I’ve reported before, the guy who starting a bar and grill at the site of the former Gaslight II on West Main Street is also behind a similar eatery/drinkery in Sunnyland called “Chubby’s.” My brother, Eric, is running the kitchen at Chubby’s and he reports they are going to start serving foot at 11 a.m. Monday. Eric is one of the better known cooks in Peoria. He recently left his job at The Firehouse on Galena Road for this new gig. Cubby’s is located from the former Wild Bill’s/Uncle Al’s Steakhouse site. As soon as the lazy b*****d gets off his ass and sends me the address, I’ll print it.

Cross posted from Peoria Pundit.