Could be a burger bonanza for one ECC student
Talk about tough choices.
Imagine staring at a menu of 20 gourmet hamburgers, and your guest encouraging you to try any one you'd like. And make the setting the Spartan Terrace restaurant at Elgin Community College and you've got a very enjoyable lunch hour on your hands.
Any on-the-ball publicity person would know from reading my column that it is difficult for me to turn down a good burger or Italian beef sandwich.
It must have been what Deanna Chrones in the marketing department at the college had in mind when she invited me to sample one of those 20 burgers, many of which are entries in an upcoming contest for ECC culinary arts students. A $2,000 scholarship from the Grand Victoria Casino, plus the placement of the burger on the Grand Victoria menu, is at stake as the first prize in early December.
I chose the Burgana, a burger stuffed with ricotta and Parmesan, topped with eggplant, zucchini and a lasagna noodle. If reading that made your mouth water, you should have tasted it.
With names like the Bailout Burger, the Pretzel and Beer Burger, Terriyaki Turkey Burger, and the Killer B's - Bacon, Buffalo and Bleu, among others, this should be very competitive.
Plug for Terrace: The burger contest aside, eating lunch at the Spartan Terrace at Elgin Community College remains one of the more enjoyable lunch experiences in this area. I would encourage anyone to do so from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays when it is open to the public. Reservations at (847) 214-7822 are recommended.
Geneva 'Spirits': They didn't really need to add "ghost stories" to get me interested in another pub-crawl through downtown Geneva.
It fits with Halloween, so the Geneva History Center is using good timing to offer the "Spirits of Geneva" event Saturday.
We've been along this trail before, visiting the various pubs and restaurants to enjoy food and drink, while taking in a history lesson about each establishment. This fundraiser will toss in scary stories for good measure.
These events are definitely a great way to learn interesting things about your town. The proceeds of $25 for history center members and $35 for nonmembers support the center's programs. Tickets are $5 more the day of the event, with a check-in of 5:30 p.m. at the history center.
Links and books: It figures that local golf coach and instructor Rich Flores would figure out a way to set up a golf course in the Batavia Public Library.
Flores helped set up an 18-hole miniature golf course in the library to help the Batavia Public Library Foundation kick off "Library Links," a fundraiser from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Organizers are hoping this event catches on, as players of all ages are encouraged to play for $5 per person. Kids wearing a Halloween costume get a $2 discount.
Anyone needing absolute quiet, as would be expected at a library, will be able to use the Reading Room. Library officials assure patrons that the golf course is a "one day deal."
Information is available at (630) 879-1393.