24-Hour Fairytale Vacation

The boyfriend outdid himself for real this time!

For our two-year, he whisked me away to a little historic town called Galena 3 hours away from the city of Chicago. It was the first time I’d ever stayed at a bed & breakfast (sooo cute)! Here I share with you my 24 full hours of awesome eats and random escapades!!!

***

We arrived late on Friday night and were greeted by the owner herself with some nighttime treats in the living room. In the middle is an apple-cinnamon almond pastry that the talented lady baked herself, which the bf and I helped ourselves to.

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to the smell of eggs and ham from the kitchen! We joined the other two couples staying at the B&B for some buttered Texas Toast, Baked ham & cheese omelets with homemade salsa, and watermelon.

At the center of the table was a glazed walnut pastry for breakfast dessert, (if there is such a thing) so the bf and I shared one.

We ventured into town (aka Main Street) where pretty much 99% of restaurants and shops were located, stopping in to pretty much every boutique there was.

All the specialty food stores had samples, and we had a good share of popcorn from the Great American Popcorn Company! We sampled some bacon & cheddar popcorn, in the middle is the white chocolate caramel, and then the delicious cookies and cream (which was my favorite)!

A couple more shops later, we found ourselves in the Galena Canning Company, who make their own BBQ sauces, fruit preserves, butter, jams, mustard, chutneys, and salsa!! They had samples for EVERY SINGLE product (over 50)!!! I helped myself to loads of these fruity samples.

The dutch apple chutney was my favorite, it’s the 3rd sample from the front!

From the left, all the chutney’s are served atop cream cheese that you eat with pretzels. There’s strawberry pepper, Peach Jalepeno, and apple!!

After a good few hours of “shopping” and eating, we decided it was time for lunch!

***

We decided on one of the most famous restaurants in Galena called

One Eleven Main

“One Eleven Main’s menu is inspired by the people, products and recipes of the Heartland. We hope your time at One Eleven will be more than just a meal, but instead an opportunity for us to share with you a true taste of the region—an introduction to the people and products that make the Midwest special.”

Both Nick and I ordered from the “between the bread” menu section. I got the Grilled Chicken Sandwich – $9
Grilled chicken breast, La Quercia prosciutto, mozzarella, cured tomatoes and pesto aioli served with lettuce, tomato and onion

This is seriously the best piece of grilled chicken I have ever had. PERFECTLY grilled so it’s moist inside and out, but has the slightly burnt and carcinogenic edge that I love. The pesto aioli (aka pesto mayo) added a TON of flavor to the sandwich, which was served a top a freshly toasted bun. *drool*

The bf ordered the BBQ Pork with White Cheddar Sandwich – $9
Slow-roasted Iowa pork, Galena Canning Company BBQ sauce, melted Darlington white cheddar and apple-smoked bacon

To me, the BBQ sauce was a winner! To him, the bacon and cheddar melting all over the sandwich sealed the deal. The fries were also incredibly fresh, crunchy, and cut in-house, not the frozen stuff you get in many restaurants!

RATINGS:

Taste: 4.5/5 (No complaints apart from the generous portions of sauces and butter on the sandwich)

Originality: 3.5/5 (I’m liking the variety on the menu. Though they don’t seem to have stand-out original dishes, each has its own little spin to it that makes it unique)

Plating: 3.5/5 (The fresh ingredients speak for themselves, no need for fancy plating)

Value: 4/5 (Great ambiance, laid-back setting, high quality of food, and really reasonable prices)

Service: 3.5/5

Overall: 4/5

***

We left the restaurant and made a second trip back to the canning company, where I got a strawberry rhubarb butter to top my oatmeal, and make almond butter, jam, and banana sandwiches with.

Then we revisited the popcorn company to buy dessert! A big bag ($9 bucks worth) of Cookies and cream popcorn!!! This is seriously the most ridiculous popcorn ever. It is SO rich and thoroughly drenched with a creamy coat of glaze. Stuck to the popcorn are bits and pieces of glazed Oreo cookie bits that melt on your tongue.

In the afternoon, we visited a winery for two minutes (literally) before the bf suggested going back to the B&B. Of course I agreed and we spent an hour lounging on the porch, reading on a swing in the sunlight. At 4, the bf surprised me with a 1-hour at-home couples massage!!!!  Amazing!!!! I hadn’t had one since going back to Hong Kong last summer, so this was a major indulgence for me.

***

Soon enough it was dinner time! The bf made reservations at…

The Perry Street Brasserie

A super romantic little restaurant specializing in fresh meats and seafood. (Visit here for the dinner menu)

Both of us ordered from the specials (which weren’t on the menu). I went for seafood and Nick went for veal, which all came with home-baked bread and a spiced olive-oil & shredded cheese dip. Though there was French bread & Rye bread, (and ya’ll know how much I love rye), we HAD to get a second serving of the French bread because it was SO soft and fluffy inside with a crisp crunchy crust.

I started off with a Salad – Mixed organic lettuces with nutty Spanish cheese, fresh vegetables with spicy mango dressing.

Nick started off with soup of the day – Veal & wild mushroom broth with herb crepes & Asiago.

For my main, I went for the Seafood Curry– Scallops, shrimp, and lobster tail served in a spicy Indian coconut curry base along with sautéed vegetables and wild rice.

Though the shrimp were a little tough, the tender lobster tail truly made up for it. The fragrant curry was amazing over the while-rice, which was LIFE-CHANGING.

It was SO good I asked for the recipe. It includes: Wild Rice, Bulgar Wheat, Barley, Basmati Rice, White Rice, and for fun, the restaurant puts in optional Kaniwa, Cous Cous or Quinoa, based on what the chef felt like that night.

Nick got a veal chop, which I cannot describe because I don’t eat beef, but he said it was AWESOME. It was floating in this cheese-infused butter sauce that was apparently “delicious”.

Restaurant RATINGS:

Taste: 4/5 (Overcooked seafood was a tiny bit of a dampener, but everything else was fabulous)

Originality: 3.5/5

Plating: 3.5/5

Value: 2.5/5 (Definitely rather pricey for its location. It compares to Chicago’s higher-end seafood restaurants, but service and ambiance is one in a million)

Service: 4.5/5 (Our super knowledgeable server gave great recommendations)

Overall: 4/5 (A little low on the value totem pole, but it’s good food for sure!)

***

After dinner, we walked around the quiet main street which only had a handful of bars still open with not many customers. We made our way back to our B&B, and huddled with our bag of cookies and cream popcorn until bedtime. And THAT was our 24 hour vacation. Ta-Da!!!!

Can’t wait to catch up with everyone! It’s so nice to be back in the city…hehehe…but so sad it’s back to the grind. *sigh*

What’s your favorite getaway/vacation spot?

Just for Fun!

Canning, Chutney, Galena, Getaway, Illinois, Loster, omelete, Popcorn, Seafood, Vacation, Veal

May 5, 2009

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