Good restaurants hang on in struggling economy
When you're footing the bill for a child's college education, your visits to area restaurants are likely to diminish. Still, you can dream about those menus.
I got a hold of a menu from FoxFire in Geneva and this jumped out at me immediately: Bleu Cheese Crusted Filet.
That's how you tempt someone to go back out for dinner.
But you also have to be on the hunt for a new restaurant opening its doors, because it's not a common occurrence during the current economic struggles.
St. Charles welcomed one recently when T-Bones opened on West Main in the location vacated by Fahrenheit. A peek at the T-Bones menu also has your mouth watering for steak.
It's not a rosy picture for restaurants these days, though some seem to remain busy. On the downside, it was odd that I mentioned more than a month ago that I couldn't get through by phone to the new Shawn Michael's Bistro on River Street in Batavia, and then found out a week or so later that everyone was having the same problem - because the restaurant was closed. It's a case where this venture, where Venice Tavern used to operate, never got off the ground.
We'll keep an eye on how other eateries fare, and if anyone is interested in the current slew of empty ones.
A bumper crop? If you have a keen eye for such things, it has been easy to find a bumper crop of raspberry plants along any number of hiking or bike trails in the area.
One can't be sure if it's the crop or the bad economy that is causing us to see so many people picking berries this year. If the land provides food at no cost, you may as well start picking.
With the odd cool weather we've had this summer, it would be hard to predict how long this "free food" will be in bloom for hungry pickers.
Water to spray: At Moore Park on Geneva's east side, it's called a "Sprayground." It's a nice setup for youngsters to get sprayed by water in a colorful playground setting, and it's an excellent idea for a hot summer day.
It again makes me realize how things have changed since my youth. In my Chicago neighborhood we had to create our own sprayground, or wait until a city official did it for us. It was called taking the cap off the fire hydrant and letting the water spray all over the place.
A quiet zone: That's a beautiful new park Geneva has added to its neighborhood mix. Sandholm Woods Park, on both sides of Sandholm Street on the city's east side, has the look of the perfect setting for some quiet time.
If you work in that area, it looks like a great spot to take a breather during lunch hour or read a book on one of the park benches.
People in that neighborhood should be glad to see what has happened to that parcel of land, thanks to money from an open-space vote that was passed nearly 10 years ago.