Witches Brew

About three weeks ago Shane White from Two25, a new restaurant at the Mark Twain Hotel in Peoria, sent out an invitation to area bloggers: enjoy a free dinner at Two25 in exchange for a review on our blogs. A dozen of us took him up on his offer last night, March 26th.

When I decided to follow up on the invitation, I sent the link to Witches Brew. I am a infrequent blogger with a Pagan perspective, and nobody reads my posts. I thought maybe that would be the end of it, but Shane sent a warm reply. I had checked out the menu online, and it looked pricey, so I fully expected that we would be given a choice between two or three entrees and maybe given a sample of the desserts, but when my coworker and I sat down, we were handed the same menu I had read online. Wow! Where to begin?

For an appetizer Jenn and I decided to split the Crab and Artichoke Au Gratin; warm, rich, and creamy, it was served with crispy little slices of toast. The first bite broke the crispy little piece of toast and sent dip down my black top–I am ,indeed, my mother’s daughter. Many years ago my father took a fancy to a movie with Walter Mathau and Elaine May, called A New Leaf; he was a fortune hunter on the make, she was an heiress collecting bugs in the rain forest. While trying to return her to her native High Society, he says, “Here! Let me check you for crumbs!” Dad loved that line, and always had to give Mom that last inspection before they went out.

Folks started sharing the appetizers. Against my will, I consented to take a taste of the last piece of breaded calamari. I’ve tasted squid–like chewing a rubberband–so I grimaced and dunked it in the marinara sauce. Actually the calamari was tender with a delicate flavor which was almost lost under the sauce. Next time I won’ be a baby (but I am not trying the escargot…).

A delicious spinach salad with bacon, hard boiled egg, red onion, and a vinaigrette dressing soon followed the dip down my top. I love spinach, I am already jonesing for another salad, but next time I will ask for the vinaigrette on the side.

It was hard deciding on the entree. I was sorely tempted by the rack of lamb and by the pressed duck breast. Octopus and snails aside, I like to try different things when I am out for dinner. However, since I am about to become an unemployment statistic, I knew it was going to be a long time before I saw another premium steak. My filet mingon was a bit of heaven, medium well done, but still succulent! Our server recommended the 30 layer potato gratin, and it was tasty. I brought the last bit of steak and potatoes to work this morning for breakfast, and it was the best part of the day!

And let me say that all of the staff were impressively proud and knowledgeable about the menu. Our server Sam was attentive but not intrusive, and timing of the courses was very smooth. (And I see that several reviewers have noted that he is extremely cute. C’est vrai! )

For dessert Jenn ordered the taffy apple pie with nuts and I ordered the chocolate peanut butter pie; then we split them. The peanut butter pie was good, but I perferred the apple pie which was warmed with a caramel taste that was not overwhelmingly sweet.

The only disappointment was the iced tea. Jenn said her raspberry tea was delicious but mine–a regular tea–tasted like the water had been run through the coffee filter. James, Problems are for Solving, gave enthusiastic praise to the Ridge vineyard Geyserville (2006 vintage) Zinfandel. It was a lovely red, a little dry, but very pleasant on the tongue. Just one glass gave me a (small) headache, though, and I was still feeling a little “gritty” when the alarm went off at six this morning. Note to self: save the red wine for the weekend. I was sorry I didn’t try the Booker’s bourbon.

So, a great big thank you to Shane and to Bob Eid, one of the partners at Two25, for their hospitality. Bob Eid is one of the owners of One World. –Before I forget, there are a number of striking paintings by local artist Vin at One World, but my new favorites are at Two25! And a thank you to James and all the other articulate bloggers who came out for the dinner. The conversation was rich as the dinner. I will certainly recommend Two25 for anyone who wants an exceptional meal in a comfortable envirnoment.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 27th, 2009 at 10:31 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.