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| - Radio Maria really is a bright spot in downtown Champaign. It's sort of criminal that its average rating isn't higher (particularly compared to duller visits like the unremarkable Esquire's and Applebeesian Destihl).
While there may be little in Champaign to compare to bigger-city fine dining, Radio Maria (and Bacaro, to a more intimate extent) shoot pretty satisfyingly close to the mark. Radio's selection of beer and spirits is dizzying and its bartenders have been, in my experience, charming and skilled. Their tapas menu is a little uneven, but with that topography come some nice peaks.
For sit-down dinners, there's a dining area and outside seating, both of which are quite nice. The dinner menu is small but far more evenly excellent. Their desserts are also wonderful. Other restaurants in the area with comparable pricing can't deliver meals this nice.
And finally, go to Radio Maria for brunch. You'll spend about as much as you might at, say, "Le Peep," but your meal will be ten times as good. Getting there at 10:30 on a weekend morning and sitting outside off North Walnut Street is a pleasure unique to Champaign, and it's one I'll miss when I'm gone.
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