Firefly Grill in Effingham IL

[kbear]

Anyone been? I saw it was named #2 in Bon Appetit for Eco Restaurants. #1 is one of my favorite restaurants in the whole wide world, so I was thinking about getting people together for the roadtrip from St. Louis. The menu looks pretty good but I am wondering if it is worth the drive from here?

Thanks.

[ddfry3]

I have been...take a look at this post-

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/426265

[kbear]

Now that link made my mouth water. 2 questions. Is it worth a special trip to go there and turn around and drive back to STL? Should we wait until summer so we can eat outside - their site says they have a big deck, does it look like more fun than inside (especially b/c of noise)?

Thanks!

[ddfry3]

Well, there are certainly some fine places to eat in St. Louis, but I would say this place compares with them. I saw posts on tripadvisor from guests who I think mentioned that it may be a little humid outside on the deck during the summer, not sure if it is climate-controlled or not. I have only been there for lunch, but it was excellent. I gave it as a rec to a friend who was looking for a little road trip from Champaign (150 miles round trip) with her girlfriends for dinner and she was delighted enough to give me a gift cert to the place! I will do dinner this time.

Believe it or not, recently Effingham picked up a live music venue with some big names, if you tied in something there I would say you have a great plan!

http://www.therosebudtheatre.com/

[YAJ]

Did you go? We did and it was wonderful. We're serious foodies, so we planned our trip from Chicago to West Baden with a stop in Effingham just for Firefly. We had a fabulous dinner there, the best meal of our trip!
While there is a large screened porch and another outside deck, I think it's just too hot to eat outside in southern IL in the summer.
And ddfry3 makes a good recommendation, because the Rosebud is right next door, walking distance from Firefly.

[bobzemuda]

I've spoken to several people that have really enjoyed it but I've not been myself. Effingham is actually closer than Columbia, MO, so it's not that far as well. My wife and I were talking about driving their just this past weekend to check it out. Seriously.

[Doug]

I am reviving this old thread because I just had brunch at the Firefly Grill, and I was very impressed - decor, food, prices. I have already started to think of reasons to drive from St. Louis to Effingham so I can justify driving that far for a restaurant.

[wekick]

Here's my list:
see how the car is running
let's go antiquing
ask my husband to get some new business over that way
go looking for plants for the garden
try to get one of the kids to go to school over that way
try to find a distant relative to go visit
I love that place.