Visiting a landmark restaurant in north central Madison County recently, I decided to try the masterpiece on their menu for the first time and I definitely wasn’t disappointed.
It’s hard to miss this place, sitting along the main drag through town as it has since 1942. The large paved parking lot wraps around the gray stone building with plenty of spots for patrons.
There have been some upgrades to this place in recent years, including an outside deck for dining in good weather. A ramp leading up to the patio area also offers an entrance into the back of the restaurant.
On my recent visit I entered through the bar, which has just always been the entrance I have used. There is a tiny vestibule with large wooden doors which lead you into the bar area. The bar is situated on the right side of the room, with several tables in the middle and booths along the left wall. Walk straight back and you’ll see the entrance to the kitchen, another entrance from the backside of the parking lot and then a hallway to the right leading to the restrooms and more seating.
Strolling down the short hallway you’ll see old pictures from the evolution of this long standing establishment, which is pretty cool. It then opens into a large dining room with gray tables featuring padded black chairs. There are also booths along the walls.
Keep walking and there is still another smaller dining space up a short set of stairs filled with more tables and featuring a gray tile floor. The entrance from the outside patio feeds into this back dining room.
This joint is big and it needs to be, because it stays busy. The business is from that long tradition, but also of course the excellent menu. Prepare good grub and the customers will come and I’ll attest that the food is indeed good.
I’ve eaten here many times through the years, but this time I wanted to order their heavyweight menu item which I had actually never tried previously. That all-star is the 10-ounce pepperloin which I’ve heard bragged about locally forever, so I had to finally see what all the fuss was about.
Accompanying my steak I got a side of green beans and also ordered an appetizer of fried mushrooms. I added grilled onions to my steak, too.
We’ll start with the fried mushrooms. They were definitely GBD (golden brown delicious) and plump as heck. They were popping in flavor and so plentiful. I had to get a to-go box for a big portion of them. They were just as good the second time around also. I added a cup of ranch for dipping.
As for my pepperloin, just looking at it I was stoked. I ordered it medium and it was cooked to perfection. It was perfectly pink and oh-so succulent. The pepper on the steak added a slight kick, but nothing overwhelming, just adding to the overall flavor. All of the boasting and bragging I’ve heard through the years are well warranted, this steak is worth the visit.
If I had one complaint, it’s the amount of onions they threw on top. Flavor-wise they were scrumptiously caramelized and added another level to the experience, but I did have to discard a few to the side. I asked for steak sauce just in case, too, but quickly realized there was no need for that. This treat just melted in my mouth and didn’t need any assistance.
Not to forget the green beans, they were big ole honkers mixed with bacon and very good. There wasn’t anything unique, but definitely a healthy, flavorful, comforting companion for the steak.
My dining companion ordered a small bacon and black olives pizza for her meal and was satisfied. I pilfered one piece and it was good and totally driven by the taste of bacon, which you can never go wrong with in my opinion. Bacon is king.
If steak and pizza aren’t your bag, there are plenty of other options here also. There’s goodies like the brown sugar pork chop, fried chicken, burgers, the pepperloin sandwich, a pork tenderloin sandwich, a horseshoe, pastas, salads and their famous strombolis to name a few choices.
There’s something for everyone, including adult libations if that’s your thing, too.
Any idea of the name of this long standing, all encompassing restaurant in north central Madison County?
Overall - four and a half stars
Cleanliness - four stars
Service - four stars
Food - five stars
Price - $$
.
.
.
.
ANSWER: Geno’s 140 Club, 120 West Bethalto Blvd., Bethalto
