{"id":3918,"date":"2018-05-20T08:08:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-20T06:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bleisuretraveller.com\/?p=3918"},"modified":"2020-02-19T05:44:59","modified_gmt":"2020-02-19T04:44:59","slug":"food-tour-through-illinois-with-mirko-reeh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bleisuretraveller.com\/en\/food-tour-through-illinois-with-mirko-reeh\/","title":{"rendered":"FOOD TOUR THROUGH ILLINOIS WITH MIRKO REEH"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Illinois is an almost unknown state with enjoyable strengths – and not just in Chicago”, Mirko Reeh,TV cook and guest author of the Bleisure Traveller<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When I first heard about Illinois, I couldn’t imagine anything. But several TV shows led me to the US state and I was quickly surprised. The biggest city in Illinois is Chicago, but Springfield is the capital, and this is where I start my culinary journey, because the city where Lincoln and Obama come from is a good 90 minutes away from Chicago and offers a culinary metropolitan flair. A speciality is for example the Horseshoe Sandwich, of course from the best and old-established Maldaner’s restaurant, which was founded in 1884. The sandwich consists of a mixture of tomatoes, onions and minced meat, topped with ham, served on French fries and served with plenty of cheddar cheese sauce. A not quite calorie-conscious snack, but delicious.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The “Springfield Corn Dog” should also be on the menu during the visit. A sausage in a dressing gown, which is already in its fourth generation in the Cozy Dog Drive Inn, for example. The fast food restaurant is located on the old Route 66 and is furnished in a 1950s style. The Corn Dog is a Frankfurt sausage that is baked in a thick dough. Cucumber relish, sauerkraut and French fries are served, indecently delicious!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

From Farm to Table
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A little further inland you come to Alton, a place you really don’t have on your radar. But it\u2019s a small town with culinary crazy people. There is, for example, the shop Anns my Just Dessert, which, apart from a few soups and salads, focuses exclusively on desserts – more than 150 different ones spread over the year. The pies are divine and the guests come from all over the country to buy the creations. The next highlight is the Old Bakery Beer Company, a brewery with 100% organic products, including classic German beer. A total of over 30 types of beer can be savored at the tasting. In the Italian restaurant Tony’s you will find yourself in the middle of Italy. The cuisine is in the typical Italo style, from the ingredients to the serving. Moreover, nowhere else in the area can you get better steaks than here. From rearing to hanging out and grilling, everything, but also everything, is done right here. An absolute must in Alton.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On the way back to Chicago you should not miss the Firefly Grill in Effingham. “From Farm to Table” gets a new meaning here, because here the cuisine is very European with Asian influences. Everything comes directly from the farm or from neighbouring farmers. In tomatoes alone there are over 30 varieties and well over 50 herbs are cultivated.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Burger and more in Chicago<\/strong><\/h4>\n

But now to the biggest city in the state: Chicago. Here you get everything your heart desires and you can let off steam all day long. In the Heritage Bicycles, for example, a bicycle shop, you sit with the hipsters, drink coffee, enjoy delicious cakes and vegan vegetarian cuisine. You can work at community tables, get to know each other or just relax. It’s a good start to explore Chicago’s many attractions. At noon you should go to Cafe Tola. A leap into the 1980s is guaranteed here, as the Taco and Tortilla restaurant is a journey through time. But the food is not at all eighties, but modern, American-Mexican cuisine.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Those who like it meaty are very well off the beaten track at Swift & Sons. This classic steak restaurant offers everything from fillet to T-bone steak that is desirable in terms of meat. It is best to book in advance.<\/p>\n

There remains a must mention: The burger shop Billy Goat Tavern was founded in 1934 and belongs among the best places of the city. Here you get a paddy with meat and cheese, and all other toppings and sauces you have to put together yourself. Here, mostly entertainers and journalists meet. A great place.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Mirko Reeh …<\/h3>\n

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is a German cook who founded his own cooking school in 1997. In addition to his own television studio in Frankfurt and his numerous TV shows, including “Koch Undercover” on Sat 1, he has written over 40 cookbooks as a bestselling author. Some of his books are excellent and are published in several languages.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Fotos: \u00a9<\/span> iStock\/filo, \u00a9<\/span> iStock\/Tiago Fernandez, \u00a9 <\/span>iStock\/Lauri Patterson<\/p>\n