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galena suggestions?
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  • Post #31 - May 1st, 2009, 8:33 pm
    Post #31 - May 1st, 2009, 8:33 pm Post #31 - May 1st, 2009, 8:33 pm
    Here's a short but interesting story which begins with a torn receipt dating from July of 2008 that I've kept in my wallet because I dearly wanted to put a recommendation on LTH for the place.

    Last year my wife to be, stepson and I were searching for a place to have dinner at in Galena. We traveled from one place to another, some expensive and most crowded and found ourselves on a back street saying how bout pizza?

    Procento's Pizzaria (http://www.procentos.com/) it was and the owner's son Jack Jr. greeted us. The place was doing a bang up delivery business to the locals and we found ourselves in a rather quiet part of the dining room. We settled on ordering their double decker pizza special...and darned if it wasn't one of the best pizza's I've ever had and I was raised on the south side of Chicago!. Darned that was good...now they did error on our order because of the volume but Jack Jr. did us right and popped for their Double Chocolate Cake which was nothing short of phenominal.

    So, if you're in the area...check them out @ 105 Franklin St, Galena 815-777-1640, you won't be dissapointed :D

    Best Wishes,

    Jeff and Donna
  • Post #32 - August 31st, 2009, 12:03 pm
    Post #32 - August 31st, 2009, 12:03 pm Post #32 - August 31st, 2009, 12:03 pm
    I spent the last weekend in Galena and had a great time. I stayed at Marcottes Family Hotel just east of Elizabeth,IL which was fantastic with very clean, large rooms with a wonderful host and very homey atmosphere at a great value.

    Friday night we headed into Galena and I ate at the Market House Restaurant. The restaurant had a Friday Fish Fry and Fried Chicken special. We were started out with complimentary pate and garlic butter with different crackers. The pate was a whipped version that was spreadable on the crackers which I thought was tasty. We then ordered the fried green beans with the raspberry vinaigrette sauce. Hot and crispy were tasty and the cool dip went well with the hot green beans. I had the fish which came with catfish and flounder with the sweet potatoes fries. I particularly enjoyed the catfish with a crispy breading and moist, juicy, fish inside. My dining companion had the chicken which she enjoyed quite a bit saying it was juicy with good seasoning. I had a taste of her garlic mashed potatoes which were addictive with the butter and super creamy texture. A very warm hostess and waitress made us really like this place.

    Saturday dinner was at 111 Main. Started with the jalapeno calamari which were good. I liked the spiciness with the calamari. The restaurant gave us complimentary salad and soup. The salad was a simple greens with a vinagrette. The fresh greens really made the salad shine. We had the bone in rib eye with mashed and green beans and the pulled pork with roasted potatoes and sweet corn on the cob. I enjoyed the bone in rib eye but i think they missed the mark a tiny little bit on the medium rare. The steak was on the low side of medium rare, but still very juicy and tender. The pulled pork was good, but I don't believe it was smoked. Corn was delicious with the natural sweetness. I liked it here and thought the prices were very reasonable considering chicago restaurants with a similar focus on local seasonal cooking.

    All in all, a very enjoyable weekend getaway.
  • Post #33 - June 22nd, 2010, 10:12 am
    Post #33 - June 22nd, 2010, 10:12 am Post #33 - June 22nd, 2010, 10:12 am
    I see it's been years since my original request in 2004. My husband and I will be joining my sister and her husband for Galena's fourth of July festivities. We have lodging, just wondering if there are any new suggestions for restaurants (breakfast/lunch/dinner) and bars (all casual). Thanks.
  • Post #34 - August 14th, 2010, 10:39 am
    Post #34 - August 14th, 2010, 10:39 am Post #34 - August 14th, 2010, 10:39 am
    This is slightly off topic, but I'm driving from Chicago to Galena on Friday during the day and was wondering if there are any good places to stop for lunch along the drive, rather than in Galena proper. If it's worth it, a 20-30 min detour would be acceptable. Any recommendations would be much appreciated.
  • Post #35 - August 14th, 2010, 10:59 am
    Post #35 - August 14th, 2010, 10:59 am Post #35 - August 14th, 2010, 10:59 am
    I posted upthread (a couple of years back) about "a fun and potentially repeatable lunch at the Crooked River Cafe on the lovely main Street of Pecatonica. We were a week early for the Winnebago County Fair, but it was made up for by a meal at the counter that was like eating at the wet bar in your uncle's den, if your uncle happened to have a pretty, intelligent and oppressed 16-year old Mexican-American girl apprentice cook who (in your Uncle's opinion) just couldn't seem to get it that that sandwich was on "whole wheat ... whole wheat ... NO! Whole Wheat! ... No, no, no! WHOLE WHEAT! OK, that's whole wheat. What the? Bacon! Make more bacon!" I felt for the old man, and the girl, in equal parts, as they seemed doomed to torment each other, but not intentionally, as if on the third-and-a-half circle of Heck. The hamburgers we ordered (actually patty melts) were perfection. Excellent, flavorful and properly seasoned meat, not too thick or thin, cooked just below medium (suppose they'd customize something more rare on request), a real treat. No fries, chips. Insane volumes of framed art on the walls, all available for purchase from a neighboring gallery."
    JiLS
  • Post #36 - August 15th, 2010, 9:32 am
    Post #36 - August 15th, 2010, 9:32 am Post #36 - August 15th, 2010, 9:32 am
    Abraus, there's a Dog N Suds along the way, just north of Rockford:

    Dog N Suds
    1421 Harlem Road
    Loves Park, IL
    http://www.dognsuds.biz/
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #37 - August 22nd, 2010, 3:56 pm
    Post #37 - August 22nd, 2010, 3:56 pm Post #37 - August 22nd, 2010, 3:56 pm
    Thought I'd provide a couple data points re my recent trip to Galena.

    1. Dogs N Suds - very poor. Great frosty mugs of root beer, but the "all beef hotdog" my wife ordered was literally off-white and served on a cold stale bun. She took one bite and said "this is gross." She asked the owner if it was indeed "all beef" as it certainly didn't taste like it. The owner went and pulled the "all beef" and the regular dogs from the FREEZER and showed them to my wife. Remarkably, the regular dogs were even whiter. That IS gross. Poor business form too as a clearly dissatisfied customer was sitting there and instead of offering to remedy the problem, the owner simply proved that she uses craptastic hot dogs. I had some big mac clone that was fine, but again showed no attention to detail. the food service slice of cheese was not even remotely melted. fries were bad, onion rings, ok, both food service stnds. The owner had the gall to ask how we liked our meal. I just said it was pretty bad and we wouldn't be returning. She didn't even ask what the issues were. Bizarre. They apparently have been open 6 months and there was no one in there at 12:30 on a Friday. I can't imagine they'll be around much longer with the poor quality of food/service.

    2. Gobbie's pizza - Pretty mediocre, but certainly a good value. Wasn't bad, just not a pizza that I'd ever recommend to tourists (as it was recommended to me by a person at Eagle Ridge).

    3. 111 Main - For lunch, best meal of the trip. Crisp pork tenderloin sandwich on a nice bun w/ garlic saratoga chips. Wife's soup was pretty blah, but it was largely due to the fact that it was described as a tomato soup and was really a black bean soup with tomatoes.

    4. Family Affair Diner - on the way back in Freeport for lunch. Decent diner fair, mind-blowingly cheap, our tab for two entrees/salads/soups/dessert was $11! Ha. Nothing unique, but a good diner option en route.
  • Post #38 - December 14th, 2011, 3:13 pm
    Post #38 - December 14th, 2011, 3:13 pm Post #38 - December 14th, 2011, 3:13 pm
    In search of x-mas cheer we headed off to Galena this past Saturday.

    Hit the MarketHouse restaurant for lunch, nice place with a good view of the main drag from an upstairs vantage point. Burger was pretty good, perfectly cooked, but places need to learn to season their meat before cooking. Reuben with house made corned beef was really good. Overall a decent cheap lunch option.

    None of the other spots in Galena really interested me on the surface for dinner and I knew we were within easy striking distance of the SW corner of Wisconsin and its bounty of supper clubs.. Probably 20 minutes at most from Galena.... One could easily do a crawl of the 6-7 supper clubs all within 15-20 minutes of each other. I sampled Old Fashioneds from 2 supper clubs in Hazel Green, WI, and hit the Kall in Supper Club for dinner. (Posted pics of these drinks in the "something to drink" sections Old Fashinoed thread.))

    Classic supper club, large bar packed with local folks having a good time. Relish tray with liver spread, Spotted Cow, and typical supper club fair. The broasted chicken was the star for sure, crisp crust, and a flavor packed, juice popping interior. This chicken was great.

    broasted chicken:

    Image

    Kall Inn Supper CLub
    4089 Sandy Hook Road
    Hazel Green, WI.

    I was intrigued by Timmerman's Supper Club in East Dubuque when we passed it perched on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi, but kept moving towards Wisconsin, next time perhaps

    Timmermans' Supper Club
    7777 Timmerman Drive
    East Dubuque, IA.

    http://www.timmermanssupperclub.com
  • Post #39 - May 1st, 2012, 3:21 pm
    Post #39 - May 1st, 2012, 3:21 pm Post #39 - May 1st, 2012, 3:21 pm
    I spent a weekend in Galena over the mild winter and enjoyed my first visit back since the annual 8th grade ropes course trip my school did to there. I took it back in 1996, with of course a visit to US Grant's old home included on the overnight field trip. This time around it wasn't spring but still really pretty and reminded me much of Deadwood. Even though I'm a city boy, I enjoy getting to see these old school towns where much of the past is still preserved today.

    Image
    Where U.S Grant stayed at while in Galena just before he hit it big and went to the White House

    I enjoyed the town as much as I remembered I would. Even back in 8th grade when I could of cared less about the historic charm of places like this I remember at least thinking how the houses were cool. Nothings changed and alot remains the same. There were a few food stops but there wasn't really anywhere I wanted to go and didn't so not as many places caught my eye. I had hoped to hit up East Dubuque for a prime rib one night but heavy snowfall foiled our plans for that. We stayed on Main Street and not too far from there was the Galena Brewing Company.

    Image
    Main Street

    Started in 2009, this place isn't old but once upon a time there was another Galena Brewing Company and as I learned at this spot, they were famous for their Red Stripe Beer. Yep as it turns out, the popular Jamaican lager enjoyed by many alongside a spliffy isn't even from the islands mon. It's from Galena, Illinois where it was brewed until the late 1800's and then the recipe was sold to a couple of British businessmen who brought it to and started brewing it in Jamaica. In fact due to it being the first Mineral rush city in the USA, Galena had nine breweries in the 1800's. A few of those breweries old buildings still stand today and you get can get tours thru GBC.

    Image
    From the relics display case on hand at GBC

    The lady was telling me about their Red Stripe history and showed me some of the old things from then that they still have on display such as the kegs for which it was named, they have a red stripe across them. Every summer they have a big reggae weekend and get some, from what I was told, well known acts to come in for their celebration of it. It'd be cool to be there since I really liked the space and thought this was the best place for a drink and snack around town. We went here a few times and the food ranged from really good (roasted bone marrow) to pretty good (stuffed 'shrooms) to bad (empanada) and the beer was very nice. I liked their amber ale the best. Great service and the $5 menu, which all the items I ate came from, was a nice pair to go with the beer. I had at least five orders of the bone marrow on my three visits. You cant ever get enough of that.

    Image Image
    $5 Food Menu and their house brewed beer is a good way to go...

    For a more upscale sit down place for dinner and such we both really enjoyed One Eleven Main. The name (it's address) might be corny but the seasonal menu served with locally influenced dishes tries to take the food most people are familiar with to an unfamiliar level. According to their website "we've forged special partnerships with local and regional farmers, artisans and food purveyors." We ended up eating here twice and because of that I was able to eat a few things off their winter menu as well as have a few specialty cocktails since it was a short walk back to where we were at. Nice.

    Image
    Downtown Galena

    The cocktail menu features the classics and also hand muddled/homemade options and sours n' such and housemade pitchers of punch. There's lots of spots like these popping up all over as we had just enjoyed a similar spot, Merchant (In Madison), the night before. They use many local Midwest distilled spirits including Templeton Rye (IA) North Shore Distillery (IL), Deaths Door (WI) and so on. The drinks were very nice and I've become a cocktail snob of late. Food wise I liked what we had. It was winter so I bet the summer menu is better but their housemade pasta selections were very good as are the cheese curds. I liked the pork ragu very much and the beef stroganoff alot. Both did what they said they were trying as a restaurant to do. The gnochhi not as much as those two, but still good. Also great is their "daily feature menu" which had a special pork, fish or beef dish that changed by day. I liked what I had off of there. I'd stop back when in town again and that I will do that next time I need a break from the concrete jungle of cement.

    Image Image
    Noodle Selections (Pork Ragu, Beef Stroganoff)

    Image
    Galena, IL

    Galena Brewing Company
    227 North Main Street
    Galena, IL 61036
    (815) 776-9917

    One Eleven Main
    111 North Main Street
    Galena, IL 61036
    (815) 777-8030
  • Post #40 - July 8th, 2013, 12:03 pm
    Post #40 - July 8th, 2013, 12:03 pm Post #40 - July 8th, 2013, 12:03 pm
    I was in Galena on Saturday, and I was a little upset with myself that I didn't research or prepare for it like I normally do. That, plus zero cell phone reception meant I was back 20 years ago where I had to get lucky finding good food. For some reason my girlfriend and I wanted pizza for lunch, so we checked out a few of the places Galena had to offer. After glancing at Procento's and Gobbie's, we decided on Cannova's. We split a sausage pizza (we wanted to save room for all the little things in Galena) and it was decent, but nothing special. Other items sounded interesting, so maybe another time.

    Later on we had some terrific ice cream at the American Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor which is definitely going to put you in an Americana-kind of mood when you step in. They get a lot of negative reviews for their service, but I can only imagine the kind of demanding customers with their kids that never stop coming in as the ones who are complaining.

    I'm a big popcorn fan and you'd think the Great American Popcorn Company would fit the bill. Loaded with every imagined popcorn flavor plus every possible bottle of pop/soda there is. But I thought their popcorn was nothing special and pretty expensive.

    We ended up at Gobbie's in their outdoor area with my girlfriend having some drinks (I do not drink). They claim to have Chicago style pan and stuffed pizza. My first warning to this was looking at the menu and seeing Italian Beef with pepperocini peppers on it - no giardiniera anywhere. When we got up to leave, I looked over at some pan pizzas that didn't look like Chicago style deep dish or stuffed. I didn't try any, but didn't really want to.

    Next time I go back, I am definitely going to do some more research, although if I'm there just for lunch, I'm sure a burger will be fine. But if I am there for dinner, maybe Fritz and Frites, Fried Green Tomatoes, Log Cabin, 111 Main, or drive over to Timmermann's in East Dubuque.

    Cannova's Pizza
    247 N Main St
    Galena IL

    American Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor
    102 N Main St
    Galena IL
  • Post #41 - August 14th, 2022, 9:51 pm
    Post #41 - August 14th, 2022, 9:51 pm Post #41 - August 14th, 2022, 9:51 pm
    We arrived in Galena today. Jonathan and I visited for the first time about a year ago and decided it would be a nice family getaway before the start of this year’s school year. So here we are are with the 10-year-old and the 7-month old puppy.

    I settled into our rental townhome with the pup while Jonathan and Audrey headed out to the Piggly Wiggly for our necessary morning provisions. During their absence Niko (puppy) and I placed our dinner delivery order with Campeche. Delivery choice was made by the placement of a magnet on the fridge. It wasn’t a bad choice. Easily ordered on-line and delivered hot in under the estimated time. Fresh chips, hot Salsa, entrees as expected. Audrey appreciated the Tamarind Jarrito.

    We liked Fried Green Tomatoes on our initial visit and plan to return this week. Other than that we are winging-it and open to suggestions.
  • Post #42 - August 15th, 2022, 9:03 pm
    Post #42 - August 15th, 2022, 9:03 pm Post #42 - August 15th, 2022, 9:03 pm
    Lovely day in Galena. We headed to Main Street with the pup mid-morning. Shiba Inu puppies make fast friends of both humans and canines. Met lots of nice people and dogs. Several told us that Galena restaurants were more dog-friendly pre-pandemic. Currently, none were allowing dogs in their outdoor areas unless they are service dogs.

    We decided to order online and pick-up lunch from Bread & Vine Bakery. Ordered the following:

    Croque Monsieur
    Pullman bread, bechamel, ham, gratinated gruyere cheese. 

    French Hotdog
    Baguette, bechamel, Vienna frankfurter sausage, gratinated gruyere cheese.

    Classic French Alsacian Flammekueche
    Créme fraiche, caramelized onions, bacon. 

    I was really excited to try the Flammekueche as I’ve had it in Germany with Federweisser and it’s one of my favorite food memories. It was delicious, very European. I enjoyed it but it didn’t quite live up to my taste memory. Not complaining, just comparing it to perfection…

    We did the 7 minute walk over to Grant Park and enjoyed our lunch in the tranquility of the picnic table area. Audrey said the French Hot Dog was perhaps her best hot dog ever.

    Not a lot of choices currently available for dinner on a Monday night in Galena. We left the pup crated in the rental and went to Little Tokyo. We arrived at 7pm and waited about 10 minutes for a table. It was then that we realized the kitchen was not able to keep up with the dining room. Fortunately, we had a good server who when the wait time for food got a little uncomfortable she brought over miso soup and salads, even though they were not included with all of our meals. Shortly afterwards our appetizers arrived and entrees followed in a reasonable amount of time. Sushi was fresh and Audrey enjoyed her first Tempura Udon. Overall, this was a nice meal and pleasant experience.

    Golfing tomorrow but haven’t figured out dinner yet. TBD….
  • Post #43 - August 17th, 2022, 9:07 pm
    Post #43 - August 17th, 2022, 9:07 pm Post #43 - August 17th, 2022, 9:07 pm
    Last night we chose Cajun Jack’s as our dinner spot as we wanted to take the pup with us. Phoned ahead to make sure she would be welcome in their outdoor space. Their expansive outdoor area with 2 volleyball courts was empty on a Tuesday night. Weather was perfect for outdoor dining but we quickly discovered why we were alone in this space despite many occupied indoor tables - the flies. We made the best of it but they were definitely a distraction that hindered us from fully enjoying our meal.

    That said, our server was great. We started with Angels on Horseback to share and they were delicious. Thick-cut, smoky bacon, not too crispy or greasy, gently enrobing the oysters and smothered in creamy, yet crispy around the edges cheese.

    Audrey and I shared the shrimp basket with fries and coleslaw and an order of crab cakes. Jonathan had the jambalaya. Minus the flies, this would have been a great experience. Would not hesitate to come back without the dog and eat inside.

    Tonight was dinner at Fried Green Tomatoes. We started with the signature appetizer, and it was tasty. Entrees include a nice garden salad and bread. I had the Cedar Planked Walleye with a side of roasted red potatoes. It was good, but not as good as the Pecan Crusted Walleye @ L. Woods, my touchstone for the best walleye, IMHO. Audrey enjoyed the lasagna & Jonathan went with the pork loin with blackberry glaze. I can see why this is perhaps considered Galena’s best restaurant. Service was friendly and professional. Food quality high, decent wine list, nice ambiance. We enjoyed it.

    Considering heading over to Dubuque for lunch tomorrow, with dog. Not sure yet about dinner…

    Definitely enjoying Galena. For the relatively short trip from Chicago, it’s a nice change of scenery and a relaxing getaway.
  • Post #44 - August 19th, 2022, 9:04 pm
    Post #44 - August 19th, 2022, 9:04 pm Post #44 - August 19th, 2022, 9:04 pm
    We did do a day trip over to Dubuque yesterday. Took the pup and enjoyed a very nice lunch at 7 Hills Brewing Company. They were very dog-friendly and due to light crowd dining outside let us sit in an area not designated for dogs. I’m not a big beer drinker, but I enjoyed their Town Clock Pilsner. Jonathan did a flight and then chose their Bloktoberfest as his favorite. Audrey gave thumbs up to the cream soda. The grownups did entree salads. I went with the Greek and added grilled salmon. It was a nice version with very fresh mixed greens, tangy Kalamata olives, cukes, red bell pepper, and a bright house made vinaigrette with feta cheese. The salmon was fresh and had a nice char from the grill. Not over cooked at all. Jonathan had a similar favorable experience with their Chicken Caesar. Audrey loved the mini corn dogs and super-crispy fries.

    We stayed in a rented townhome in the Galena Territories in the heart of the Eagle Ridge Golf complex. Our final dinner was on the resort at the Highlands. Great view, good service, something for everyone menu. We shared a tuna poke appetizer that was very simple in presentation but really shined in texture and flavor. Audrey devoured her “Cav & Cheese” with add-on of grilled chicken. They have a wood fired pizza oven and I went with a mixed mushroom pizza with cauliflower crust. I’m not gluten intolerant, I just really like cauliflower and enjoyed the pizza with it’s super crispy crust. Jonathan had a half slab of the bbq baby back ribs and it scratched the itch for him.

    Would happily rent the same townhome and come back to Galena in the future.
  • Post #45 - August 22nd, 2022, 10:12 am
    Post #45 - August 22nd, 2022, 10:12 am Post #45 - August 22nd, 2022, 10:12 am
    LynnB-

    Thanks for sharing your Galena adventures with us!
    -Mary
  • Post #46 - August 25th, 2022, 1:09 pm
    Post #46 - August 25th, 2022, 1:09 pm Post #46 - August 25th, 2022, 1:09 pm
    I will splice in here that next year's American Breweriana Association's Convention will be in Dubuque, IA. on 13-17 June.
    Depending on when and where the American Homebrewers' Association places its annual Homebrewers' Conference, I am inclined to motor to Galena | Dubuque and bring a lot of the artifacts that have accumulated here at the abode since 2017. :)
    Valuable links for survival, without the monetization attempt: https://pqrs-ltd.xyz/bookmark4.html

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