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PatM 13 years, 1 month ago.
We ate at a darn good place in Marion, IL 2-1/2 years ago called Sugarbaker’s (or maybe Honeybaker’s.) It was a little bit like a ladies luncheon place, but the food was great.
It’s been about a dozen years, but I’ve eaten at Mary Lou’s, and I can vouch that it’s a winner.
I was there about 2 years ago and it is a true diner style spot. I have freinds who still frequent it and say it is the proverbial home of the blue plate special. Great pies too.
Anyone ever been to Mary Lou’s in Carbondale? It appeared in some of the older Roadfood books and I have been curious about it.
2 thumbs up for Uncle Joe’s Pat. I tried it today and I concur that it is a winner. My son had them whip a pretty decent pork tenderloin which the gal said would take 2 mins and 45 seconds and she was right on.
There is also a good BBQ place off I-57 in Marion, a few miles north of there. "17th Street bar and grill" has it’s original branch in Murphysboro, about 20 miles west of there, but they just opened a branch right off the highway. The original has better atmosphere, but the food is still quite good.
Pat,
I agree – we need more potential RF spots around there. Hope you post more!
[:)]
Keep ’em coming Pat!!
Go for it, PatM! Do for southern Illinois what I try to do for the western Kentucky/southern Indiana area. Just give us the best information that you can. We’ll find out for ourselves if it’s any good.
Thanks for the feedback. It wasn’t intended to be a free ad only a sharing on that long lonely hungry road. I keep my own file of Road eats, some learned from Roadfoad.com and other I’ve fallen into. I’ve never posted before and thought it would be fun to share. I have a few other roads I might try.
Thanks for the tip. That area is something of a culinary wasteland to me. I haven’t explored it in any depth, but who knows? A single meal will determine its worth.
Got it…Ina exit. Thnx for the heads up.
What town is at the 83mm? Thnx
PatM,
Great first post. [:)] Welcome to RF!
You might get a few skeptics here asking about why your first post is promoting a place… just fyi people are wary of "free advertisers", so be prepared. But I think you sound legit and wish I’d read this post when I was in that area trying to hit a place from the RF book – I missed it by 5 minutes.
Cheers!
Cruising down the heartland of a flat Midwest farmscape is hard enough but wondering what s between Effingham and Cairo Illinois is a little bit easier knowing that Uncle Joe s Deli lies waiting at exit 83 I-57.
We stumbled on Uncle Joe s as we stopped for gas at the Love station and weighed having to munch on the so-called Mac food. My wife noted a sign across the road for the aforementioned Uncle Joe s. Ahh, a chance for more road food adventures. But being from Memphis I was skeptical about own smoked pork and home made sauces. Skeptical no more. WOW! What great taste, the pork sandwich was moist, smokey and could be flavored by four varieties of sauce. I had the Chipotle, my wife tried the original. Both passed muster. The sandwich could be had with Slaw on top, that’s the way we like it in Memphis. Reasonable prices. $3.99 for a smoked pork sandwich! The homemade baked beans were a great side
They have other goodies smoked beef, chili, gizzards and livers, fried bologna, breakfast biscuits, and all the other regulars.
Three small tables inside, and weather permitting picnic benches outside. We know we finally have something to look forward on that long, long stretch of southern Illinois.
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