Help is now available for anyone who gets hungry while driving along I-74 in Illinois. Six convention and visitors bureaus, including the Quad Cities, have unveiled a new effort to publicize the best places to eat, called "Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins."
Terri Reifsteck, from Visit Champaign County, says as people become more interested in eating "local" food, they want to find unique and different restaurants.
"What we hope to accomplish with this brochure is people will discover these new and unique places and come back and go for more and explore our area more, and see all the different things we have to offer."
She thinks a good example is the Black Dog Smoke and Ale House in Urbana.
"It's a renowned barbeque place - it's one of those places where you will stand in line for 30 minutes to get in. Over in Bloomington-Normal, they have the Lucca Bar and Grill which is known for its pizza and it's the oldest free-standing building in Bloomington-Normal."
In the Quad Cities, "Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins" lists the Belgian Village and Bud's Skyline Inn in Moline, in Rock Island the City Limits Saloon and Grill and Jim's Rib Haven, Harris Pizza, The Brothers Family Restaurant in Rapids City, and the Ice Cream Palace in Silvis.
Reifsteck says brochures are now available at highway rest-stops across Illinois, at the 7 participating convention and visitors bureaus, and on their websites, The 7 include the Quad Cities, Galesburg, Peoria, Champaign, Bloomington and Normal, and Danville.
(galesburg: Chez Willy's, Innkeepers Fresh Roasted Coffee, Landmark Cafe and Creperie, En Season, Old Peking, Sidetrax, and the Packinghouse. )
(photo courtesy of Visit Champaign County - Maize Mexican Grill in Champaign)