The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 21

Li raGQFGg EfDDTJD Friday, Dec. 28, 1990 The Pantagraph Nk. A New Year's Eve survival guide Gourmet's picks for '90 If it appears we've put on a few pounds, blame it on the restaurateurs in the area. They've been putting some extraordinarily good food in front of us this past year, making svelte a word we look up in the dictionary, not a person we look at in the mirror. In fact, there were a dozen restaurants where we had good meals Arnie'i at the airport, The House of Hunan and Dragon Palace's brunch, all in Bloom-Ington; The Chanticleer in Eureka; Fincham's in Colfax; Jonah's Seafood Restaurant in Peoria; Susan's Tea Room in Washington; The Village Inn in Minier; Akemi and The Golden West in Normal; The Chateau in East Peoria; and Hamilton House in Decatur that didn't even make it into our top echelon of eateries this year.

So, what follows is a list of the places we thought served us the best food in 1990. Even if it means adding a few more pounds, we hope we're able to produce a comparable list in 1991. Happy New Year and good dining to all! By DAN CRAFT Pantagraph staff Remember last Dec. 31, when you ushered in a freshly minted decade through a haze of bubbly, confetti and Guy Lombardo's orchestra droning on about what to do should old acquaintances be forgot? You don't? All you recall is that the following morning you awakened on a couch in the hosts' living room, feeling as if someone had drilled a hole in your head and pumped a tank of helium into it? And that your mouth and tongue seemed to have the moisture content of a sun-dried tomato? And that when you arose to greet the New Year anew, the room started spinning, your stomach went belly up and before you could get to the bathroom you did your annual, and increasingly less popular, impression of Krakatoa? And remember how your hosts took one The Fireside Inn 316 W. Main St, Lexington (309) 365-8711 Food: V4 Service: The menu at The Fireside Inn is similar to those found in many of the other eateries in small town Central Illinois, but with a few unusual twists.

Had we been served the entrees alone, we would have given The Fireside Inn four stars. look at the results and decreed: "Never Also lit up for the holidays is Washington Park and assorted businesses in downtown Ottawa. Admission is free for the evening displays, which end Dec. 31. Meanwhile, the East Peoria extravaganza replete with lighted floats, city-wide displays, Winter Wonderland and more continues from dusk until midnight, through New Year's Day.

It's free. 4. Reflect on the meaning of "Auld Lang Syne." You've crooned it countless times, but do you know what the phrase means? Or better yet, who wrote it? Prepare to be enlightened: The Scottish phrase means "the good old times." It was first set to verse by poet Robert Burns, who in 1788 declared, "Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne! For old lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup o' kindness yet for auld lang syne!" A golden auldie, indeed. 5. Ring in the New Year a-pickin' and Over at Don's Music Hall in Mason City, home of the Nashville Sound Country Opry, a lot of foot-stompin' will surely take place during Nashville Sound's New Year's Eve Show, featuring local favorites Jack Lewis, Otis Henry, Melody Matyi and Todd and Juanita Raymond.

Pickin' time: 8 p.m.; pickin' price: $5. 6. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; when not, go ahead anyway. New Year's Day in ancient Rome would doubtless interest Madison Avenue: It was yet another day set aside for giving gifts. The occasion, celebrated on Jan.

1, was used to pay homage to the god Janus, that two-faced deity with a talent for looking both forward and backward. Romans spent the day contemplating the past year and anticipating the new one. How did they do this? They gave each other gifts. And the emperor, too. The merchants loved it, especially when simple presents like palm leaves gave way to pricier items such as fruits and flowers.

The emperor didn't complain much either. Baby Bull's III. 116 West, Pontiac (815) 844-5757 Food: Service: Vi It offers a menu that intrigues and entices the appetite. Cloth-covered tables, high ceilings with chandeliers, a quiet ambience, and extremely reasonable prices make Baby Bull's definitely worth a trip to Pontiac. Alexander's Steak House 1503 E.

College Normal (309) 454-7300 Food: V4 Service: The place to gratify a robust intemperance for beef, Alexander's Steak House will certainly satisfy all of your char-grilled desires. 10. Egg nog ice cream, anyone? We know, we know. This was supposed to be an alcohol-free New Year's Eve survival guide. But when was the last time you heard about anyone getting blotto over a bowl of ice cream? With that in mind, courtesy the Chez Panisee Desserts cookbook by Lindsey Rem-olif Shere, the recipe for egg nog crime, to be imbibed, er, eaten, with moderation: Warm one cup of milk and cup sugar in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved.

Whisk 5 egg yolks and beat into the hot milk mixture. Return pan to stove and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture coats spoon. Strain into container, and add 2V cups of whipping cream, Vh tablespoons of bourbon and 1 tablespoon of brandy. Grate in nutmeg to taste. Chill.

Then freeze according to instructions with your ice cream maker. You do have an ice cream maker? 11. Rent a New Year's Eve-worthy video. May we suggest: "Holiday Inn" (1942): Sure, it's got Crosby crooning the definitive "White Christmas." But this works just as nicely for New Year's Eve, too, replete with the definitive "Happy Holidays" sung during a Dec. 31 fete at Bing's holidays-only inn.

Fred Astaire checks in, too, which doesn't hurt "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972): Consider this a New Year's Eve cautionary tale about the wages of holiday over-eating. A luxury cruise ship in the thick of a Dec. 31 hooplah is overturned by a tidal wave. Among the stranded passengers is Shelley Winters, who obviously has spent most of the holiday at the 24-hour-all-you-can-eat buffet table. Will she be able to squeeze through those flooded cabins and corridors? Don't get your hopes up.

"New Year's Evil" (1981): Homicide for the holidays! At the height of the early-'80s slasher movie cycle, when every festive occasion on the calendar was being dipped in blood, came this tale of a disc jockey (Roz Kelly) being terrorized by a male with a scratchy 78 r.p.m. recording of Guy Lorn bardo's "Auld Lang Nope, just a shiny sharp object 12. Take in a poinsettia display. You'll be seeing red at the annual holiday floral show at the Luthy Botanical Garden in Peoria's Glen Oak Park. Hours are 8 a.m.

-4 p.m., except New Year's Day, when the garden is closed. Now isn't that nicer than little pink elephants doing the can-can? 13. Celebrate the Fourth of July 184 days early. One of the Midwest's best pyrotech-nical displays occurs each summer at St Louis' riverfront Veiled Prophet (VP) Fair. This year, the Gateway Arch grounds will light up out of season on New Year's Eve.

Meanwhile, fireworks displays can also be seen at the First Night fetes in Decatur and Springfield. 14. Serenade the holiday with a Central Illinois native. What better way to usher in 1991 than with the mellow strains of Peoria native son Dan Fogelberg's 1981 hit, "Same Old Lang WIHN-FM music director Chris Kennedy has a couple more suggestions: Barry Manilow's "It's Just Another New Year's Eve," available on the singer's new "Because It's Christmas" CD; Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight and The Honey-drippers' "Rockin' Around Midnight" 15. Congratulate yourself.

Of the approximately 50 New Year's resolutions made last Dec. 31, this is the only one you've managed to keep. Have another dip of egg nog ice cream. Miller's Cliftwood 756 W. Jackson St, Morton (309) 263-0714 Food: -k-k-kVi Service: Miller's Cliftwood has comfortable surroundings, comforting service and very good food.

We warmly recommend this Morton restaurant for a fall or winter meal. Nor will you, we're sure. Grammercy Park (brunch) 608 N. Main Bloomington (309) 827-5608 Food: V4 Value: Grammercy Park fills its most civilized bill of fare with delicious food and impeccable service for what we think is a remarkably reasonable price tag. What more could one ask for a Sunday morning treat? And recall how you looked up from your supine position and croaked, "Is that a promise?" Surprise: It's nearly a year later, and that promise is about to be put to the acid test Will you pass or fail? Because we here at Steppin' Out hate to see anyone fail, an alternative or two has come to our minds.

Well, 15 to be exact Consider them the components of a New Year's Eve survival guide, designed to prevent a repeat of last year's scene, or any messy variation thereof. No parties. No booze. No hangovers. No human volcanos.

But, hopefully, some fun. 1. Take in a First Night celebration. A recent phenomenon among New Year's Eve celebrations is the First Night extravaganza, a non-alcoholic, family-oriented arts festival begun several years ago in Springfield. Since then, the craze has spread to several other Illinois communities, and shows no signs of abating.

Here is a guide to this year's fetes: First Night Springfield begins with children's events at 2 p.m. Dec. 31, then swings into full gear at 6 p.m. with a fireworks display. Events will continue at a number of downtown locations until midnight, encompassing music, dance, theater and more.

Admission buttons ($5 for adults, $3 for children) are available at all performance sites. Pontiac First Night will herald 1991's arrival from 7 p.m. to midnight Dec. 31 in and around the courthouse square. Family-oriented activities and entertainment including music, an art exhibit and a comedy show will be capped by a laser light show.

First Night Decatur is another celebration spread over the downtown area. This year's event, from noon to midnight Dec. 31, features fireworks and more than 40 groups performing music, drama, dance and magic. Admission buttons ($5 for adults, $1 for children) can be purchased at the Decatur Civic Center. First Night Kankakee also takes place in the downtown area, from 6 p.m.

to midnight Dec. 31, and also offers a family-oriented mix of arts-related events. 2. Swing in the New Year. For jazz and fans whose New Year's Eve tastes run astray of the traditional Guy Lombardo sound, there is hope: Illinois State University's WGLT-FM has a Dec.

31 double-header guaranteed to put the zing back into "Auld Lang Syne." It begins at 9 p.m., live from New York City, with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and singer Nina Simone. At 11 p.m., it's off to famed New Orleans hotspot, Tipitina's, for another live show, featuring an all-star band conducted by Neville Brothers alumnus George Porter. Featured are guitarists Earl King and Snooks Eaglin, and singer Johnny Adams. 3. You light up your life.

Once upon a time, East Peoria had the Festival of Lights market cornered in Central Illinois. But several competitors have moved into the fray. At Lake Shelbyville's Eagle Creek State Park near Findlay, Christmas doesn't end on Christmas, or even New Year's. This 3-mile drive through a wooded area of 168 holiday-themed lighted displays can be seen nightly until Feb. 3.

Hours are dusk to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and dusk to 10:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Admission is $5 per car. Vonachen's Old Place 5934 N.

Knoxville Peoria (309) 692-7033 Food: V4 Service: Dishes run from the satisfyingly simple, to some of the best beef we've tasted in the area. Its generous portions of meat are tender enough to cut with a fork. And the service is pleasant, efficient and 7. You don't have to spend another "Rockin' New Year's Eve" with Dick Clark. While there are no big-name rock concerts scheduled locally on Dec.

31, a 2V4-hour drive to Chicago will get you to one of the following: venerable rock techno-wizard Todd Rungren, playing a midnight show at the Riviera Theater, 4746 N. Broadway; cult rockers The Bo-Deans, also playing a late-night gig, at Park West, 322 W. Armitage; and legends The Isely Brothers, replete with Ronald Isely, at 7:30 p.m. at the UIC Pavilion, Harrison and Racine (Angela Winbush and Marcia Griffiths are also on the bill). 8.

Then again, you can spend another "Rockin" New Year's Eve" with Dick Clark if you want. America's Oldest Living Teen-ager Who Would Be Guy Lombardo strikes again, this year holding the Times Square countdown to the beat of special guests The Beach Boys, Kentucky Headhunters, Bell Biv Devoe, Nelson and The O'Jays. It airs at 10:30 p.m. on Chs. 7 and 17, and 11:30 p.m.

on Ch. 19. 9. Then again, there are other things on TV that night. NBC airs the King Orange Jamboree Parade at 7 p.m., and a special "Tonight Show" live from New York City, with guest host Jay Leno, at 10:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, CBS has its perennial "Happy New Year, America 1991" blowout slated for 10:30 p.m. PBS affiliates are doing their part, too: Ch. 12 has "The New York Philharmonic New Year's Eve Gala" at 7 p.m., while Ch. 47 has "The Glenn Miller Band Reunion" at 7:30 p.m. and "An Evening With Andy Williams at 10:30 p.m.

Credit for the strangest New Year's Eve TV special of them all, however, goes to Ted Turner's TNT, which is staging an all-night "Herc-A-Thon," featuring five campy Italian sword-and-sandal epics from the '60s: "Hercules, Sampson and Ulysses" (7 p.m.), Kennedy's Sunnycrest Mall, Urbana (217) 384-8111 Food: Service: Simply put, Kennedy's has an extensive, creative menu that's bound to whet the appetite and it offers food and service that are exemplary. Phil's Bar and Grill 401 N. Veterans Parkway Eastland Commons, Bloomington (309) 662-9637 Food: Service: The menu offers plenty of dishes, but triumphs with its lengthy daily fish features. Considered pricey, in this case at least you get your money's worth. With its sophisticated, commodious dining space, Phil's is a great way to end the the year, or begin the next "Triumphs of Hercules" (10 p.m.), "Hercules vs.

the Hydra" (midnight), "Hercules vs. the Sons of the Sun" (2 a.m.) and "Hercules vs. Molloch" (3:55 a.m.). Address letters to the Underground Gourmet, in care of The Pantagraph. Include name and a daytime telephone number..