Hey everyone! I’m sorry we haven’t had a featured restaurant in a bit. Life gets busy and I hope you all understand! If you haven’t noticed we are at 12,200 members!!! Thats is an astronomical number that we never dreamed of reaching. Thanks everyone who has contributed and eaten out at all these local restaurants. Don’t forget everyone, that there are 8 more days left to finish up the bingo board. Please post or message me with your pictures or receipts to verify and be entered to win $20 to a local restaurant. I want to thank all the local restaurants that have contributed and being active on this page. I think we have created a unique opportunity for guests and business owners to interact and grow their business and community together.
This week we feature JT’s on the Hill, a great restaurant that I consider the best hidden gem in the area. When I say hidden it literally is hidden in the sleepy town of Zeigler. You plug the address into your GPS and drive…and drive some more and it leads you to the middle of town and just when you are wondering if maybe you typed the wrong address, it appears between a few houses.The restaurant itself is reminiscent of a rustic fishermans’ retreat: a bar/whiskey room on one side and the dining room on the other. The decor adds to that feeling by utilizing a shanty style server station, along with old boats as light fixtures. The menu has something for everyone; burgers, salads, steaks, and sandwiches. We came (specifically) on a Wednesday, we came for their wings and steak, taters, and gravy specials. Brent Verscheuren, the owner operator can often be found, cooking, checking on the customers and keeping the restaurant well oiled and running smoothly.Every Wednesday, people from the surrounding towns flock to JT’s for their wings special. They offer 50 cent bone-in wings in your choice of breaded, smoked, or naked and comes slathered in a variety of homemade sauces. My favorite was the breaded version with their bourbon sauce. The breading creates extra nooks and crannies for the sauce to cling to, along with a nice crunch. Keesha is a huge fan of smoked wings tossed in the parmesan garlic sauce. Their parmesan garlic sauce is unique, in that it almost tastes like an alfredo sauce rather than the commercial sauce you may be used to. There are also no wimpy wings here, all of their wings are large and definitely a great value.
Along with their delicious wings, they offer their steak, taters, and gravy special. $12 gives you their King Kut sirloin, crinkle cut fries, and an ice cold Stag beer. We always order our steaks medium rare, as any person should, and they temp it perfectly each and every time. The servers may try to offer you steak sauce, but just say no and dig in. They are always juicy, perfectly seasoned, and have a great sear with an amazing smokey flavor. They also offer hand-cut ribeye and their signature prime rib, which we look forward to trying on our next visit.JT’s on Hill, is truly a hidden gem in Southern Illinois, they are constantly running different specials and creating a unique experience in our area. They offer different promotions such as all you can eat catfish, build your own pastas, and even street tacos. Brent and his staff even hosted their first party with a live band. Follow them on Facebook for all the details and plan your visit there! https://www.facebook.com/jtsonthehill/