10 June 2013

Caseyville Cafe re Restaurant Impossible.

This is a tough one to write about as I love to root for the underdog but I have to say, I am NOT surprised. Having been born and raised in the area it was kind of exciting to see a local restaurant being featured on Chef Irvine's show, Restaurant Impossible.

As somewhat of an amateur chef who loves everything that is food with a devoted passion, I have always found it fun to visit restaurants featured on some of televisions great food programs. So today as I was passing through Caseyville I decided to pay the Caseyville Cafe a visit and try a few of the dishes that Chef Robert tried to improve in not only quality but cost as well.

It didn't get off to a great start I must say, while the interior decor looks 150% better than prior, there was a disturbing odor that hit me right in the face as I entered. Okay, I decided to get around the smell and try a couple of dishes that Chef Robert added/changed to the menu. First thing I looked for on the soda and/or coffee stained menu was the Shrimp and Asparagus,Gone. Okay, despite how great it looked on the show, I was skeptical it would be a hit with the culinary tastes of Caseyville.

Since there was no Shrimp I decided to move on and try the new version of Country Fried Steak ala Chef Robert. I was served a tough, dry tasteless piece of a low grade beef that most hospital cafeteria's wouldn't serve. The sides, "mashed potatoes" and fried corn on the cob. My first comment, someone owes my taste buds an apology for implying that mashed potatoes were on the way, they were highly offended by the soupy instant potatoes that arrived topped with a "just add water gravy".

I could discuss the deep fried corn on the cob but it's simply not worth it.

Disappointed to say the least.