Edwardsville and Glen Carbon Real Estate Chat: July 2008

Although I'm a real estate professional by day, my night time guilty pleasure is watching Food Network.

I grew up right here in the Midwest, and as a kid my palette was pretty much limited to any vegetable you could fry, meat and potatoes, and sweet tea.  Don't get me wrong - I love the Midwest culture - and that, of course, includes the food.

I moved to Las Vegas shortly after broadcasting school.  It was here that I was forced to try new and exotic foods.  Yes, a jalapeno pepper was exotic to me at that time.  You see, in the arid desert atmosphere of the southwest food is far from bland.  A college favorite of late night crammers, Taco Bell, suddenly tasted a lot spicier than it used to back home.

It was in Nevada that I discovered an entire world of culinary excitement I never knew existed.  I was exposed to all different food cultures, and I'll be the first to admit that in the beginning I was dragged kicking and screaming to a Thai restaurant.  But it was good.  Really good.

So, in short, that's how I became a "foodie".  I'm up to try just about anything.  Which finally brings me to the topic of this post.

Tucked away in the corners of the Metro area are a lot of surprisingly good restaurants.  I'm not just talking about fine dining, or your typical bar food after a Cardinals game.  Even more surprising?  They aren't all in St. Louis.

Far and away, my favorite restaurant on our side of the river is Fazzi's in Collinsville.  Greek, Italian, and American all rolled into one.  The chicken kebabs are my personal favorite, but I've heard rave reviews about everything from the gyro plate to the rib-eye sandwich.  Did I mention it's very affordable?  In my opinion it is the "diamond in the rough" of Madison County.  One of the few places I can honestly say I've never had a bad experience.  Period.

Fazzi's Bar and Grill
1813 Vandalia St
Collinsville, IL 62234-4845
Phone: (618) 344-5440

Periodically, I'll post about other great restaurants in our area.  Next post... Bella Milano in Edwardsville.

I love the 4th of July.  It's been my favorite holiday since I was a little girl for so many reasons.  I've always been fascinated by the sizzle and loud booms of fireworks, I love summer, and most of all I love my country.  The 4th of July is all that is great about America - from the flag lined streets in local cities and villages to the smell of St. Louis style ribs and hot dogs on a hot grill.

However, the 4th of July has had a more important meaning since our country has been at war.  While we are celebrating our independence with our families, friends, BBQs and fireworks let us not forget to take a moment to remember our veterans and active duty troops that make it all possible.

Due to the recent flooding on the Mississippi River, the fireworks in my hometown of Alton have been canceled until September.  There are plenty of other Metro-East communities with fireworks displays, here are a few:

Holiday Shores
July 4th, 9 pm
309 Holiday Dam Rd
Edwardsville, IL 62025

Bunker Hill Lake 
July 4th, 9 pm
Bunker Hill, IL 62014

Lake Williamson
July 5 @ 9:15pm
Carlinville, IL 62626

Bethalto Fireworks
July 4th   9:20pm 
St Louis Regional Airport Airport Dr
Bethalto, IL 63010

Alhambra Fireworks Display
July 4th   9:15pm  
610 W Main St Alhambra, IL 62001

Troy Tri-Township Park Fireworks Display
July 4th - Dusk
Tri-Township Park
Troy, ILL 62294

Granite City Fireworks 
July 4th
Wilson Park 2900 Benton St
Granite City, IL 62040

Collinsville Fireworks
July 4th  - Dusk
Collinsville, IL 62234

Caseyville Park Display
July 4th - Dusk
W Reynolds St Caseyville, IL 62232