One Thing Thursday: Alton, Illinois

If you're from the St. Louis area, you know exactly where this one is heading.

Alton, Illinois is a little old town on the river, just a bit north of the city. It's cute and has lots of old houses on steep hills, but if the weather is remotely nice, that's not why you're going to Alton. Nope, you're going to hit up my One Thing.

One Thing not to miss in Alton: Fast Eddie's

Gotta getta coozie.

Fast Eddie's is amazing on so, so many levels. We'll start at the most basic and slither up from there.

Hubs, me and Miss D, patio-ing.

1. The food is good. The chicken wings are amazing and I'm not really a chicken wing girl. They aren't buffalo wings, but they come on a kabob stick and have some kind of hauntingly delicious dry rub. There's peel and eat shrimp, burgers and kabobs. When Alton Brown says it's good, you should listen.
2. The food is cheap. Like, we're talking the most expensive thing on the menu is $2.99 (it's the Big Elwood on a Stick - steak and peppers). When you can stuff your little Midwestern face for less than $5 per person and the quality is tops, well you know I'm happy.
3. There's a huge patio. With fans so you're never stuck in a sticky pit full of strangers, which I really appreciate.
4. There's live music, which means a lot of dancing.
5. There are characters galore. Fast Eddie's just pulls in all types. 

One of these ladies got her shirt as a gift from a gentlemen character we met. Hint: It wasn't my sister.

If you have time for two things: Go to Raging Rivers. You'll drive by a cool Native American mural and then, you get waterslides and Dippin' Dots. What more could you possibly want?

Who's been to Fast Eddie's?