These are the worst of times and all restaurants are struggling. Some have already closed permanently due to the lack oof business from the coronavirus pandemic. We are trying to support as many restaurants as we can. Not all but many restaurants have opened for indoor dining but we feel safer doing take out but will consider sitting on a patio because it is far less likely to catch the virus outside in the open air.

Our first take out this week came from Twisted Italian in north Peoria.

I went with the Friday Dinner Special and they gave me a WHOLE BUFFET PAN OF FOOD. I got pan fried walleye in citrus cream sauce. It came with vegetables and a whole dinners worth of angel hair pasta (this was only $17.50) My husband had the Italian Relleno. It was a poblano pepper stuffed with house made Italian sausage, provolone cheese, mozzarella cheese, peppers onions basil. It was in a creamy tomato sauce and came with three fried raviolis. As per usual our fur buddies didn’t mind a bit helping us eat all that food.

Next take out was from Pane Bianco Van Buren.

I got the line caught tuna salad and my husband got a sandwich called the Italian Combo. We also took home a side of olives. The tuna salad is very good and comes with a large piece of that famous crusty Bianco bread. My husband just loves his sandwich. My dogs anxiously wait for some meat and cheese.

Our last take out for the week was from Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante in Glendale/Arrowhead. They offer a new variety of Pizza called Pina Romana so I wanted to try it.

We tried a Margherita (cheese, sauce, fresh basil) and a Patata E Cipolla (mozzarella, provola, multi color potatoes and red onion.

It’s completely a different dough and crust from regular pizza. It doesn’t sit heavy in your stomach like regular pizza.

It’s thin and airy but shattering crisp and the bottom is covered with either corn meal or semolina. It has heavier toppings than a regular pizza would have. I saved some of the cheese from the margherita for my dogs.

I think a reduced balsamic drizzle goes really well with the potato pinsa Romano.

This week we did take out from –

Twisted Italian – North Peoria (#UpperWestSide)

Pane Bianco Van Buren – PHX

Bottega Pizzeria Ristorante – Glendale/Arrowhead (#UpperWestSide)

We also did our first Patio Dining during the pandemic at Confluence in Carefree. The Patio stayed mostly empty the majority of the time we were there and the food was truly amazing.

I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.

Everything is subject to change and we hope it does for the better.