The challenge, and the rules!

Hi everyone, and welcome to our blog!

We are Sarah and Claire and are alumni of the University of Illinois, currently living in the Champaign-Urbana area after graduation.  We're out in the real world, with real jobs, and we both have real appetites for the local food.  I (Sarah) was an Animal Sciences major while in college, and also received a Master's degree in Agricultural Education....I currently work at the University of Illinois.  Claire was a Kinesiology major and followed up with a Master's degree in Public Health....she is currently working at Carle in Urbana.

One day, we were chatting and realized just how many places to eat there are in this city, and considered how fun it would be to challenge ourselves to eat at each place at least once and rate the food.  I, personally, love the local restaurants here, but haven't even come close to trying them all.  It would be such a shame to miss out on the best restaurant and food just because I hadn't considered walking through the front door.

So, how does the challenge work?  Here's a quick run-down.

The rules...

1. Local restaurants only! No chain restaurants.  The one exception being regional chain restaurants that are unique to the Midwest.

2. Try something new.  If you've been to the restaurant before, be sure to order something you've never tried before.

3. Try to find out what is most popular, or what your server recommends.  Going along with #2, if you're ordering something new, or even at the restaurant for the first time, ask your server what the most popular dish is and also what they personally enjoy eating.  Try to choose one of these.

4. Team scoring: Scores will be based out of 50 points (25 points per reviewer).  Generally speaking, Claire and I will eat and rate together, but in some cases additional or alternative reviewers may come in to help either Sarah or Claire.  In addition, if Claire or Sarah reviews on their own, their scores will be doubled for a solo visit.

5. Get really full! Enjoy the experience, enjoy the company, and most of all enjoy the food!

Scoring

Yes, we need a way to rate our experience.  Here's how;

1. Taste/presentation: Does the food look and taste good?  Pretty simple. 10 points

2. Service: Was the service prompt and friendly? 5 points

3. Atmosphere: Does the place look nice, appealing, and inviting? 5 points

4. Expense: Is the food worth the price? 5 points

Total: 25 points for each place/reviewer.  This means the restuarant will receive a total score of 50 points between the two of us.  We'll also provide you personal reviews of our dishes and our experiences....maybe tell you how certain places tend to compare with one another in regards to favorite dishes, and maybe give you some helpful hints we picked up along the way.

I hope you enjoy our experience as much as I'm sure we will!  Let the face stuffing begin!

-Sarah (and Claire)