secret diner new logo
The latest stop comes from a place that’s served this central Madison County community for more than 15 years in its busier, older part of town.
The biggest complaint about this restaurant is the atrocious street parking. I visited recently for lunch with a friend and it took forever to faind a parking spot. Fortunately, there’s a city lot on the backside of the strip of businesses and eventually we found spots there.
Also, if you’re not familiar with the location, it can be a little hard to see. The entrance is small and has the name of the restaurant right above it. There’s also a logo painted on a large picture window to the right of the entrance.
Once you’re inside, there are plenty of small wooden tables and chairs for patrons. Vibrant colors liven up the ambiance to get you fired up to eat. There’s a short wall dividing a few more tables and a corner bar, too.
A narrow hallway leads back to a small patio area for nice weather dining. The bathrooms are on the left on the way to the patio.
One aspect I like about this place is it’s a huge supporter of craft beer. There are two erase boards on the wall advertising available cans, bottles and draught. They also offer a lot of wines, and a second board promotes those.
Lots of modern artwork adorns the rest of the walls. Even the tables are painted with vibrant art.
And while we’re on the subject of art, I’d say they offer a little food art here, too. It’s very good.
I ordered the Memphis club with a side of housemade sweet potato chips on my visit.
There’s a hearty sweet potato taste to the chips with a nice crunch to accompany that flavor. Even with the heavy crunch, they practically melt in your mouth.
As for the sandwich, it’s served on a fresh and doughy sesame kaiser roll with grilled chicken breast, bacon, a mozzarella and provolone cheese blend, lettuce and a ranch dressing and barbecue sauce combo.
The sauce was key; it offered a sweet and smoky finish to the sandwich. The grilled chicken was extremely tender and the bacon made a nice companion with its fatty, salty, and smoky addition.
My dining companion went with their classic grilled cheese sandwich and a side salad.
He was satisfied with both. The salad included a big artichoke heart and shredded provel cheese on a bed of lettuce with Italian dressing.
The grilled cheese sandwich here is a destination dish. It’s served on Texas toast with a four-cheese blend of cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella and provolone and finished off with basil and fresh slices of roma tomatoes.
This place also offers several other stellar sandwiches and toasted subs like the chicken guy, the big bad wolf and the piggelo.
Roman cheese garlic bread with roma tomato slices on garlic bread champions the appetizer menu. There are also crabcakes available and Greek shrimp, which includes sun-dried tomatoes, black olives sautéed in a garlic-cumin herb olive oil and served with spinach and feta cheese.
There are a couple of beef medallion options on the entrée portion of the menu, along with chicken and a pulled pork platter. You can also get specialty 7-inch pizzas here, pastas and sides like steamed broccoli, rosemary potatoes, and waffle fries.
Overall: 4 1/2 stars
Cleanliness: 4 1/2 stars
Service: 4 stars
Food: 4 1/2 stars
Price: $$
Can you guess the name of this excellent restaurant in central Madison County? Scroll down to see if you’re right!
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ANSWER: Bigelo's Bistro, 140 N. Main St. in Edwardsville