"Michael's Italian Feast is really an adventure for the eyes and a vibe that I have never seen round here. The food is good and pretty fairly priced, tho perhaps a squidge more than I like to pay. That said, the portions were very generous. Further, these people believe in real cheese. If American is on the menu at all it was hidden cleverly and almost everything was made with real muenster! However, the food-again good, was the least impressive part of the restaurant. I went for an open mic and found a really nice, old-fashioned sing along. Felt a little like going to church and the audience ranged from literal children to folks I would suppose were over 80. We all had a darn good time. The restaurant was staffed by a lot of younger (high school aged? workers who knew their stuff. They were knowledgeable about the menu, incredibly friendly and checked on their guests regularly. I guess for me it was the incredible over the top decor that did it. It was like sitting under Juliet's balcony on a warm Italian day. You could look up at the ceiling while listening to music and see the heavens. I'd pay $10 more to eat bad food if I could do it here. There is a little bit of a Christian overtone, which sometimes scares me, but it was in the lovely generous way so few people seem to promote now adays. While I can't say I know this for a fact, being served by young people, in a fully muraled dining room, listening to live, local musicians at no additional charge makes me think that this business supports the arts and the community they are a part of. I can spend a lot of money on that. Michael's Italian Feast is pretty far off my beaten path, but it's well worth a quick trip out of Peoria. I look forward to visiting again."
