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| - I took the Amtrak down to U of I for a football game this past weekend vs. Michigan (Illinois won - SWEET). The train got in over an hour late (which seems to be a common occurrence on this route), but I was still a few hours early for the game, so I grabbed some lunch at this place, which is right across the street from the Amtrak station. I was happy to see that it was not jam packed on game day morning. I was by myself so I sat at the bar. I was impressed with the large selection of beers available, both on tap and by the bottle. I'm used to Chicago prices, so being able to get a good draft beer for under 5 bucks was great. They also have Miller High Life on tap for $2 if you're looking to go "cheap."
Food wise, I went with a couple turkey sliders, since the menu claims that is what they are "famous" for. I also had some of the sweet potato fries. The sliders were just okay, I wasn't blown away by them or anything. Same thing with the fries. The portion was large, but I wasn't crazy about them (I went ahead and doused them in ketchup after I realized they weren't that good). It was a meal that was adequate, and
not expensive (each slider was $2.50 and the fries were $1.99 if I am remembering correctly), so I'm not complaining. My total for 2 draft beers, the food, and tip was just over $20.
The bartender introduced himself as "Billy Mays" and had on an Oxyclean shirt, which was his Halloween costume. He was nice enough and occasionally engaged in small talk, even as the place started to get more crowded. I didn't have any problems with him keeping my water and beer full, and my food was correct, so no issues there.
When all is said and done, I can't give this place 5 stars simply because I wasn't blown away by anything. But this is definitely a sold 4 star establishment.
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