Gallina’s saves the day
As reported by Russ, voting for the Illinois Times Best of Springfield contest has commenced.
One of the categories is best Italian restaurant. I have voted for Joe Gallina’s, and I urge the rest of you to do the same. Here’s why:

Saturday evening at work, I thought silently about what I should grab for dinner, figuring that I’d probably end up driving through McDowell’s (metaphorically speaking, of course). But my fellow deskmate The Dog quickly knocked some sense into me with these words:
“I’m calling Vito. Anyone want anything?”
Dude, Gallina’s. Of course! It’s nearby, it’s cheap, and best of all, it’s incredibly delicious fucking tasty. Their Saturday special is the baked rigatoni, and with the hunk of bread and the ginormous soda my dinner came to $7.27.
And Gallina’s is the restaurant that keeps on giving, because once you finish the pasta, the puddle of sauce that remains and the hunk of bread represent a whole ‘nother meal. (unrelated aside: Is “whole ‘nother” a Springfieldism, or does everyone say it?)
Not only does it taste molto squisito, it’s filling, too. It’s been six hours since I ate, and I’m still good.
When we have local, authentic restaurants like Joe Gallina’s, why do people still eat at soul-destroying, ‘nad-sucking corporate Fauxtalian places like Olive Garden and Pasta House?