Enemy Territory

Tonight Mom and I ventured into enemy territory, that's right, the mean streets of downtown O'Fallon, otherwise known as: O-Town. This evening we flew solo; with both boys down in Arkansas, we decided it was time we continue our mission and explored a new restaurant. Mom had seen a small restaurant that she always thought would be fun to go to, so we decided to check it out.




So. #2 is: Papa Vito's Pizza









An inside shot from where I was sitting. It was a pretty small restaurant with a small bar on the other side and some more seating outside. (A sign on the wall said max occupancy was 46)



















For all of you not so familiar with the area, Panthers = O-Town and Lancers = Belleville East (our school). We just found this amusing; this was on one of the walls. (The Panthers only wish they could beat us that bad!)








Okay. So let's get to the point shall we? I'm rambling, what can I say, high school English has taught me to over detail everything. Anyhow. We decided that if we ordered an appetizer and a pizza that qualifies as ordering different food (Hey, we made the rules so we can change 'em).








We started out with Papa Vito's Stuffed Cheese Bread. It was french bread with melted cheese, diced tomatoes, sausage, covered in Parmesan cheese, and accompanied by some really great marinara sauce. I have to say, these were some really great breadsticks, and mom agrees.
















We weren't incredibly hungry this evening, so we chose to order only a 9" pepperoni. This pizza reminded me of Imo's, but with less cheese. Mom said it was better, but I'm not so sure, but that's not the point here. This pizza was thin crust and crispy. Just how we like it.





So. our thoughts on Papa Vito's: Definitely good pizza, great appetizer, and a fun atmosphere. Looks like we had a good idea for #2, now we just have to hope #3 turns out as good; we've been lucky so far.


~Pictures and blog provided by Kelsey.

11 New Restaurants this Summer

Yes, it is a somewhat shallow goal, but that is the goal that Kelsey and I have set for ourselves this summer. It all started one day as Kelsey was driving us through Caseyville and I told her to turn right after the Happy Cow. Kelsey remarked as to how she knew right where that was, but had never eaten there. We decided then that it would be fun to try 11 new restaurants this summer. Why 11 you ask? Good question for which there is no good answer. We just thought it sounded like an interesting number.

Our rules for this quest:

1. Terri & Kelsey must both be present and neither can have eaten at the restaurant before. Guests are allowed (Yes, Joe is a guest).

2. We will not order the same thing. Joe can have whatever he wants.

3. Out of town restuarants don't count. Our goal is to try new places locally. And the MO side of the river is NOT out of town.

That's it! Sounds simple, doesn't it? We hope to keep a blog and let everyone know our review of the various restuarants we try.

So tonight we began our quest with the restaurant that started it all. Yes, tonight we ate dinner at the Happy Cow in Caseyville, IL. Joe joined us on our first excursion.

The Happy Cow is a small restaurant in Caseyville. I suppose it gets its name from the large collection of cows that were EVERYWHERE. It is a very down home kind of place with food that is fried and dripping with gravy and butter. YUM!

Kelsey ordered the Happy Cow burger with bacon and cheese and chose mashed potatoes as her side. This burger was huge - a whole 1/3 pound! She says it may be the best burger she's ever had (of course all she had to eat all day was a bowl of cereal so maybe she was just really hungry). It was covered with crispy strips of bacon and cheese, and was very juicy. The potatoes were awesome.

Joe ordered the meatloaf and gravy. He chose mashed potatoes and green beans as his sides. I tasted his green beans and they were very good. He says his meatloaf was really good.

I chose the chicken strips and my sides were potato wedges and corn. These were no fast food chicken strips! I was served two good-sized pieces of juicy chicken breast that had been deep fried. YUM! The potato wedges were really yummy too.

We really enjoyed our trip to the Happy Cow. And the best part was - the 3 of us ate for less than $25 including the tip. This place has very reasonable prices. We saw that they serve breakfast too, so we may be trying out breakfast one day. We would recommend the Happy Cow to anyone wanting a good old-fashioned meal.



~Terri (with a little help from Kelsey).