Thanksgiving Detour! (1)

Ah yes…the best laid plans do often go awry!  On the Tuesday before the Holiday Laurie and I were on our way to Omaha to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family.  We were about an hour and a half away from our overnight stop in Jacksonville Illinois…a point more than halfway north in Illinois.  That’s when we got the phone call from our son, David II.  He hadn’t been feeling too good and he had just taken 2 Covid-19 tests.  Unfortunately, he tested positive both times!  Whoa!  A change in plans was required…

We’d been really looking forward to visiting with the family but Covid had shut down that opportunity.  I just couldn’t take the risk.  So we cancelled our reservation with Hampton Inn in Jacksonville Illinois and turned south to Effingham Illinois where we found overnight lodging at another Hampton Inn. (Many thanks to the Hampton associate who cancelled our reservation without penalty in Jacksonville!  He was very understanding)

OK, once we checked in we asked the desk clerk for a nearby restaurant recommendation.  We wanted good food in a casual atmosphere.  She didn’t even hesitate and her choice was no more than a quarter to a half mile away!

The street leading to the restaurant was dark and had little traffic…but the outside of the restaurant lite up the area, providing a cheerful welcoming look for patrons as they neared their destination!  It was on the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving and the restaurant was quite busy with most folks having reservations.  The good news is that despite the number of reserved tables, we were seating almost right away...

Inside Firefly Grill, the lighting and décor carried on with that welcoming and warm feeling.  It is a cross between a bit of ‘glam’ and comfort with a bit of wood, glitter and spark thrown in.  The tables were well spaced too and the bar lighting really made the liquors ‘pop’…as an extension of the ‘look’.

To lead off, I will say that this is not a restaurant for those watching their expenses.  However, given our canceled family Thanksgiving celebration we felt that we deserved something special.   

We decided to skip appetizers per se, opting for two different soup offerings instead.  I had a bowl of this Butternut Squash Soup…with brown butter sage, pumpkin seeds, and crème fraiche. ($12.00) It could have been a tad warmer but it was excellent…

Looking back at the menu, appetizers aren’t really featured or at least they aren’t called appetizers.  Instead they offer “Boards” and “Small Plates”.  Some of these included: Crispy Crab Purses - $15; Firefly Bread Service with a variety of breads - $14; the Charcuterie Board - $38; Puerto Rican Beef Pastelitos - $17; a half pound of Jumbo Shrimp - $24, and; a selection of pizzas…8” or 12” priced from $12 to $22.

A chef special this evening was a bowl of French Onion Soup, one of Laurie’s favorites and one of those things that just doesn’t ‘happen’ at home. ($16.00) While it was a bit pricy for French onion soup, Laurie assured me that it was worth it…just excellent!

I know what you might be thinking.  This doesn’t look like an ‘upscale’ entrée.  I agree…but it was very good indeed!  This was Firefly’s Chicken Fried Chicken dinner. ($26.00) The chicken fried chicken was a couple large portions of chicken breast over whipped potatoes and smothered with sausage and sage gravy…then surrounded by the English peas and carrots.  Simple dishes made with quality ingredients make all the difference… It was much more colorful after I sprinkled on my Tabasco.

After the very filling bowl of French Onion Soup, Laurie didn’t want to order anything too big.  She ended up with a small plate, the Carnitas Street Taco Steam Buns. ($15.00) The taco steam buns were filled with smoked and roasted pork shoulder, chili lime aioli, tajin, red onion, cilantro, and beer cheese.  She did enjoy them…two of them at least…and I picked the pork out of the last one.  Waste not, want not…or at least that was my excuse!

Laurie capped off her dinner with a cup of Hot Chocolate. ($5.00) It was good if not quite excellent. 

The menu at Firefly grill is quite inventive and crosses over from one type of cuisine to another.  You can order a 16 oz. New York Strip Steak with sides for $87.00; a 14 oz. Ribeye Steak for $58.00, or; Bangers and Mash with ‘smoking goose’ fennel sausage, red onion jam and roasted spinach for $32.00.  There is even an All American Burger with French fries. ($17.00)

There also are some ‘special sides’ available.  These include Truffle Fries with shaved parmesan, truffle oil and roasted garlic aioli ($14); Seasonal Risotto…butternut squash, dried cranberries, crispy brown butter sage and crème fraiche ($14), or; Ditalini and Cheese…Ditalini pasta with smoked Gouda, parmesan, cheddar and chives. ($10)

Firefly Grill in Effingham Illinois is located at 1810 Avenue of Mid-America.  Phone: 217-342-2022.  They are open 7 days a week.  Website: www.ffgrill.com.  Menus: Firefly Grill Menu (ffgrill.com).

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas!  Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave