Two25, A Treat

Last night, I was among a group of bloggers who went to Two25 for dinner. (Edit: This dinner was provided free of charge by Two25 in exchange for writing a review.) Rotund Reader and I were the first to arrive and sat at the bar. I ordered a Grey Goose and tonic. When a few others arrived, we moved to the table, and were soon joined by the rest of the bloggers. Manager, Shane, thanked us for coming and told us about the upcoming wine flights the restaurant will offer starting next week. (More info in the Journal Star article here.) He introduced us to one of the co-owners, Bob Eid, one of the owners of One World Cafe (one of my favorite restaurants in Peoria).

At the table, I ordered the Dark Horse IPA, on the recommendation of Problems Are For Solving. I didn't order an appetizer, (the only vegetarian appetizer was baked brie, which I love, but I knew I was ordering Fettuccine Alfredo and felt that would be too much creamy-cheesiness for one meal.) The other diners near me sampled each other's calamari, escargot, and crab and artichoke dip, and seemed very content.

I had a small house salad that was fresh, crisp, and perfectly dressed with a red wine vinaigrette. I liked that the menu offered size choices for the salads. There were a variety of salads to choose from as well as French Onion soup and soup of the day.

I chose the Fettuccine Alfredo with a side of steamed asparagus as my entree. Shane verified from the chef that the Alfredo was vegetarian. The pasta was perfect and the sauce was creamy and rich. I ended up mixing my asparagus in the dish and it was heavenly. I had a glass of the Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel ordered by PAFS and it was delicious; not too sweet, not too acidic.

I ended the meal with a lovely creme brulee. The whole menu can be found here. I was a little disappointed there were not more vegetarian offerings, especially after learning that Eid is one of the co-owners, because One World is a vegetarian Mecca here. But between the pizzas, pasta, and salads, I could eat here many times without being bored.

The highlight of the evening for me was the great service from our server, Sam. I know from experience it can be a challenge to wait on large groups arriving at differing times, ready to order at different times, etc. Sam was perfect as far as I could tell. His wine presentation was great. He got everyone's order correct, as far as I know. He was helpful describing items such as the 30 layer au gratin. The meal was timed perfectly and he was prompt with drink refills and offering cracked pepper. Also, he was pretty cute. I'm sure it is a joy working in such a well thought out and unique restaurant. Thanks, Shane and Bob, for inviting us to experience Two25, and thanks Sam, for making our experience wonderful.