Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with that bakery....

There's also a place called Jubilee Cafe in Edwards or Kickapoo, IL outside of Peoria that's supposed to have good pie. (I think they have fried chicken, too.) Never been but have heard it's good....(edit- though this is going back a little while).

Jim I swear you know more about my "backyard" than I do! I always add a few more spots to hit when reading one of your posts!

Thanks boss. Gonna swing east towards Gibson city again one of these days.

jimswside wrote:Nice quick shot into a fun area of the state.

Jim,

You make an area of the state I have little interest in seem interesting. Going to have to head down that way this summer.

Thanks,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:

jimswside wrote:Nice quick shot into a fun area of the state.

Jim,

You make an area of the state I have little interest in seem interesting. Going to have to head down that way this summer.

Thanks,
Gary

ha..ha... thanks gwiv,

glad some place might have caught your eye.

D.G.Sullivan wrote:Jim I swear you know more about my "backyard" than I do! I always add a few more spots to hit when reading one of your posts!

I feel the same way. Jim, you are responsible for more pushpins on my map than any other LTHer.

Had some unfinished business in Peoria this past Saturday. Of course did return trips to Trefzger's for cookies and coffeee cake, and Pottstown Meat and Deli for another one of those dry aged Kilgus Farms bone in sirloins.. This time had to also throw in a return to Alwan Meats for their lunchtime cookout. If the folks at Castles Patio Inn werent on vacation I would have gone there for some drinks and cheese and crackers as well...

Rolled over to Peoria Heights to look around:

Emack and Bolio's, an east coast ice cream shop, a solid cone that I enjoyed walking around the neighborhood checking out the sites:



Emack and Bolio's
4534 N. Prospect
Peoria Heights, IL.

http://www.emackandbolios.com/

The Navy Marine Club, tried to get a drink here & it isusually open to the public according to a guy I chatted up outside, however they were having a private function on Sat.. I enjoy social clubs like these, I used to belong to the Irish Club in Aurora, and nowdays frequent the Croatian Club in Joliet as a guest. :

Navy Marine Club:



Navy Marine Club
1310 E. Seiberling
Peoria, IL.

The big "find" of this trip came by accident. I knew Pabst had a shuttered brewery in Peoria Heights, I had read pretty much all of the buildings were gone and really hadn't figured out where the brewery had been located. While walking on Prospect I saw the PBR lettering and the telltale brickwork of a brewery:



I wandered around the property and got some more pictures, read that this building was the offices of the brewery, part has been converted into an old folks home I believe:

Opened in 1934, closed do to corporate greed in 1982.







in the distance the shipping facility still in use for another industry:



As I was finishing up a gentleman asked if Id like to see the old brewery bar. Hell yeah..

The 33 Room:



The 33 Room is , now a jewelry store. The owner of the store worked at the PBR plant back in the day and has kept the original bar and woodwork intact. Wondered what the significance of "33" was. A marketing slogan it turns out - "33 in 1"... PBR is blended 33 times to make one great beer!"

PBR Brewery site
Approx 4539 N. Prospect
Peoria Heights, IL.

Time for some drinks and sun we headed to Creve Coeur, IL. Captain Ron's(posted about upthread) is now Kuchies Corner:



Great spot for hanging out on a lazy Saturday:



Kuchies on the Water
579 Wesley Road
Creve Coeur, IL.

http://www.kuchies.com/

Rolled out of Kuchies and got back over to Eureka, IL off of State Route 24. and one of my favorite spots - Hodell's Chanticleer. Spots been frying bird for a long time:



Had some fried chicken(solid),lake perch(great), some wings as well as some nice au-gratins... I also really like their apple bread that comes in the bread basket, Prices have gone up a little, but the service, and vibe is right.

Hodell's Chanticleer
744 N. Main
Eureka, IL.

http://www.larryaball.com/Chanticleer/

Did a quick solo trip down to Peoria on Saturday - wanted to get one of those aged Kilgus farms steaks for Sunday supper - kind of a "last few days of good meals before a visit to the dental surgeon later this week" thing.

The steak from Pottstown Meats - mentioned upthread did not disappoint. The aged Kilgus Farms bone in sirloin is my favorite steak anywhere right now, proof.... I drive almost 3 hours round trip to buy 1. At a mere $8.99/lb. it may pack the most bang for the buck of any steak.

After securing my steak I headed off to the other purpose of this trip- the Kickapoo building.. A unique to Peoria flat iron building that was built in 1911 by Anheuser Bush as a Tied house to try to break into the Peoria liquor market - for those unaware Peoria was the national brewing and distilling center of the US before prohibition. Beer hall downstatirs, rooms for rent upstairs. Since then it has housed offices, a gas station, the Kickapoo Hotel, etc. Nowdays a cleaners and a coffee shop - with plans for restorations to other parts of the building. Thankfully the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places recently.

Kickapoo Building:



I think this crest is pretty cool:







Kickapoo Building
726 W. Main Street
Peoria, IL.

Done with chores and it being a steamy 90 degree day I headed back to Kuchies down in Creve Couer for some drinks and some sun. Wild Turkey and High Life on the deck over the Illinois River hit the spot.

A trip down to Peoria isnt complete without a stop at Castles Patio Inn for a drink and some of that cheese spread & crackers. And a last stop before getting on 39 at Topsy's Tavern over in El Paso, IL. for a draft and a ham sandwich before rolling North.

Ill throw Topsys Address out there - cant remember if I have put it on this thread or another one(known for their ham sandwiches and basic griddled burgers.).

Topsys Tavern
23 W. Front Street
El Paso, IL.

Just for good measure I grabbed the family after getting home and rolled over to Wedron Office for fried chicken and blue gill. Pretty good Sat.

Jimswide -- Love your reports from Central Illinois. That's so interesting about the bar in the old Pabst plant. When you'd drive through Peoria Heights back when it was in operation, you could smell the malt coming from the plant. It was a very distinct smell and one that people likely either really liked or really disliked. I had no idea about some of that Pabst lore you've shared!

A friend of mine who worked in Peoria the past few years lives near Jonah's Seafood House & Oyster Bar in East Peoria. He is moving at end of the month so I met him at Jonah's last night along with a friend of mine who drove up from Springfield.

Some really good food at Jonah's.

Gumbo & New England Clam chowder were both terrific as was the clam flatbread pizza

I let my Peoria bud order an artichoke dip to start, had I read the menu more carefully I would have gone with the smoked fish pate.

I made a mistake of ordering some fried oysters w/red beans & rice. The beans & rice were delicious, however the fried oysters at Boston Fish Market (which is 2 miles from my house) are some of the best I've had so shame on me for ordering these at Jonah's. To clarify they weren't bad, and certainly better than average, but when used to excellence......

I did see one other post with praise for Jonah's from quite awhile ago viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2177&sp=17234

I went in with a low bar set, afterall, seafood in Peoria??? Jonah's nailed it last night, good stuff no doubt.

Jonah's Seafood House & Oyster Bar
2601 N Main St.
East Peoria IL
http://www.jonahsseafood.com/

Sweet Willie wrote:I went in with a low bar set, afterall, seafood in Peoria??? Jonah's nailed it last night, good stuff no doubt

From a logistics perspective, there's no reason it shouldn't be as good as it is in Chicago. Fed-Ex reaches both cities in the exact same amount of time. Glad to hear it was a positive experience.

=R=

My husband is a beer lover and he would think retiring in an old brewery that he already died and went to Heaven!

One new spot this past Sat. and a couple must visits for me when I am in Peoria.

New spot - Raber Packing



Kind of similar to Peoria Meatpacking in Chicago. Pretty much any part of the pig you want. Plenty of beef, etc. I went with some beef snack sticks - I try to get them at every butcher I go to - as well as some of their housemade bologna - I am on a fried bologna sandwich kick since getting back from Nashville. - Snack sticks passed the test, bologna might be better than my favorite Daisy Brand -

Raber Packing
1413 N. Raber Rd.
West Peoria, IL.

http://www.raberpacking.com/

Reason I went so light on purchases at Raber Packing is I was heading next to Pottstown Meats - One of my favorite meat spots - specifically because they have beautiful Kilgus Farms pork and beef for a fair price(the anti-hipster butcher if you will). Went with my favorite steak around - the aged bone in sirloin -

brilliant that:



also some beautiful Kilgus bb ribs -



la bomba:





Great proteins the the 1st Sunday of NFL from the boys and girls at Pottstown meats:

Pottstown Meat and Deli
4700 N. University
Peoria, IL.

http://www.pottstownmeat.com/

Last stop before rolling n/e was Castles Patio Inn. One of my favorite bars around - great service, and that cheese and crackers they serve with your drink at the bar is addictive - gonna try to get them to spread some on a cheeseburger on my next visit.

Place is for sale - dont drag your feet getting into spots like this and others that may not be around or the same for much longer y'all.

Castles Patio Inn
802 W. Loucks
Peoria, IL.

Rolled into a couple new spots Sat. down in Peoria - good day for a ride - First stop was for some wings, had a hankering for some wings and Rumburgers was the choice. Family owned spot that opened this year.

Really solid wings - fried to order - nice mild sauce with a vinegar punch.



Rumburgers Wings & More
3127 N. Prospect
Peoria, IL.

309-685-9464

Next up was an early dinner at Gil's Supper Club over in Hannah City, IL. only 15 minutes west of Peoria. Bee around since 1962





Gil's has been on my list for a long time - finally got in right around opening time.


1/2 chicken and fish:


Fried Chicken Chief Approved - some of the most tender and juicy bird i have come across.

oh and their pumpkin fritters are the shiznit.

Gil's Supper Club
12703 W. Farmington Rd.
Hannah City

http://www.gilssupperclub.com/

Needed to get some meat for the Super Bowl so I headed to my favorite butcher around - Pottstown Meats in Peoria - kind folks who sell great meat for a fair price - great business model - stocked up on some Kilgus farms pork - pork steaks, country ribs etc. - $2.99/lb for the local pork is a great deal:

seasoned these up and did them in the crock pot with pineapple, onion, garlic and oj:


Sadly I have been shut out @ Pottstown for what I consider the best steak around - the aged in house Kilgus bone in sirloin - the word has spread of its magnificence I guess.

In the cards for this shot into Peoria was a place called Heritage Farmers Market in Pekin, IL. - a collective of farmers/growers in the area that have a shop to sell their products.



On my visit plenty of baked goods, Kilgus dairy products, freezers full of different meat cuts, etc. In talking to the owner I was told they offer some never frozen cuts of meat on Friday and Saturday - I saw spare ribs, sirloin steak, etc. A call a week in advance and they will have what cut you might need. 1/2 of the store is set up like a diner where they serve meals. On my visit they had a great smelling ham in the smoker out front and were serving a smoked beef sandwich for lunch:

simple, smokey and tender as heck.


Ill be going back for sure

Heritage Farmers Market
20235 Route 9
Pekin, IL.

FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/HeritageFarmer ... e_internal

jimswside wrote:
The Navy Marine Club, tried to get a drink here & it i usually open to the public according to a guy I chatted up outside, however they were having a private function on Sat.. I enjoy social clubs like these, I used to belong to the Irish Club in Aurora, and nowdays frequent the Croatian Club in Joliet as a guest. :

Navy Marine Club:



Navy Marine Club
1310 E. Seiberling
Peoria, IL.

/

Made it back to The Navy Marine club in just under a year - Open this Saturday. Ring the buzzer and they let you in.



The impending snow was the topic of conversation with the folks here who all had at least 20 years on me. Cold domestic drafts and some interesting people watching. If I was hungry I might have sampled some of their food spread - and steamed hot dogs. Cool spot.

Always on the hunt for a few things - thin, griddled hamburgers being one of them. Seems the area from Peoria over to about Danville is a great pocket to find them.

Heard about Haynes on Main over in Mackinaw, IL. - maybe about 20 minutes from Peoria:



small town spot - saw a copy of their menu and this caught my eye:



had to order one up - american cheese, Haynes special sauce, bacon(why not right), lettuce, tomato, pickle onion.




not the thinnest, laciest edged smash burger I have had - but a great burger. Id do a 1 - 2 punch of here and Green Gables in Hudson in a minute.

Haynes on Main
108 S. Main Street
Mackinaw, IL.

https://www.facebook.com/HaynesOnMain

Cant go to Peoria without a stop at Castles Patio Inn for boilermakers and cheese and crackers.



And finally didnt get shut out at Pottstown Meats for one of the best steaks in Illinois - mentioned numerous times - the Kilgus farms aged, bone in sirloin - had been 2 previous visits and they have been out - sometimes think I should keep my mouth shut:

Made for a faboo Sunday supper.:


Pottstown Meats and Castles addresses upthread.

Hi,

I didn't realize you could knock on the door and get into these private clubs. My family never belonged to any of these clubs, so I have no experience to reference.

What is the Croatian Club like? Would they serve Croatian food? Do they have soccer matches beamed in from the Croatia? People argue over the politics of the old country? I assume some of this may be played out in their language. I'm just trying to get a feel for what happens.

Thanks!

Regards,

The Country Club is a new BBQ place on Farmington Road that is pretty decent. It has a bit of a redneck feel but otherwise the food is good. http://www.countryclubpeoria.com/

Chillicothe, IL. - Peoria Metro area - 18 miles North-

I come through here on occasion on the way to or from Peoria, also saw WSP at Three Sisters park back a few years ago at Summercamp.

coming up again next month:
http://summercampfestival.com/

Interesting little town with some cool bars.

Sole reason for the drive out Sat was for a crab & shrimp boil that I had heard about at a bar I follow on FB.

Now, I crave crabs like I was Jameis Winston at a Publix, so I was down.

Castaways I had driven by a few times, and never stopped.



Biker bar type place, they serve food, but we were only there for some drinks and the boil. At $20 it was a good deal and wished we would have gotten 2 trays.


Didnt want to overcommit to 2 trays - site unseen and by the time we saw the deal the place was mobbed. Well done event and to me there isnt much better than sitting in the sun cracking crabs, eating shrimps and drinking beer with the family.

If they do any more this summer Im heading back for sure.

Castaways
1707 N. 4th Street
Chillicothe, IL.

We also hit River Beach Pub a few miles away on the lake for some drinks while we were waiting to roll over to the boil. Nice relaxing spot with a good view of the water and cold beverages:



River Beach Pub
13637 N. River beach Drive
Chillicothe, IL.

http://www.riverbeachpub.com/riverbeachpub/Home.html

Ha, Navy Marine Club. I remember seeing Citizen 66 play their last show there in 2001. Peoria music scene was great back then.

I had a Peoria winter weekend.

Some places were new to me:
Edge in Peoria Heights. The restaurant has a modern, cold ambiance, with so-so food. We had the green salad (surprisingly good) and the roasted carrot small plate (not good). The business has access to the upper floors, and in the summer will have a roof top wine bar. I would probably return once if the weather is nice and the roof top plans come to fruition.

http://edgepeoria.com/dinner-menu/

Joe's Original Italian and Martini Bar also in Peoria Heights. It's in the old 7 on Prospect space. It's the same owner, some same decor, and a few menu items. I had the chicken picatta, a 7 on Prospect carry over. I have to say, this new retooling was a solid miss for me. The food has devolved into chain restaurant level.

http://joesoriginalitalianandmartinibar.com

River Beach Pub & Eatery

It's a good sized bar and restaurant right on the river, in Chillicothe. I liked this place a lot, good basic food, bustling and efficient service. Good fried green beans as an appetizer, and my local contacts get their Italian beef sandwich. We were there for an early lunch, I did not check out their tap selection. I'd go back to this place easy.

https://www.riverbeachpub.com

Revisit and I like

Publik House

My current favorite Peoria restaurant, it's achieving exactly its aim. Publik House is a warm, friendly bar with solid menu. I ate and really enjoyed their sizable house salad, which comes with chicken and avocado.

http://publikhousepub.com/

Childers (University St)

The University St location is breakfast and lunch only, and on the weekends the synchronization of bustling tables, wait staff, runners is a kaleidoscope of trays and organization. My memory is failing, I think I got the chilaquiles verdes. Whatever I got, it was very good. I'll absolutely come back here for breakfast or lunch, and with pleasure.
https://www.childerseatery.com/location/n-university-street/

Side note about the Peoria airport: there is no place that serves hot food, either before or after security. The day I flew the snack counter had a sign saying there was no hot water for the oatmeal, and no hot pizza available. I think even if all the things are working, it's a reheat only facility. There is no newsstand or book store, either.

cjla wrote:Side note about the Peoria airport: there is no place that serves hot food, either before or after security. The day I flew the snack counter had a sign saying there was no hot water for the oatmeal, and no hot pizza available. I think even if all the things are working, it's a reheat only facility. There is no newsstand or book store, either.

Weird. When I used to ride my bike up there as a kid, to play the arcade games, there was a bar area that served at least burgers I'm pretty sure.

Returning from a weekend jaunt to peoria, we can second the recommendation for River Beach Pub. It has a classic vibe with a roadhouse interior, and nice deck with a flower garden overlooking the lake. They are friendly, obviously care about food, and know their way around a fryer. Fried pickles, sliced longitudinally, were a standout, crispy, with just the right kick to batter ratio. I had a whole fried catfish which was very nicely done. The brisket also was well reviewed by our party.

Recent Peoria trip:

Revisits and I like:
2Chez--my local contacts love going there when the head bartender is working (sorry don't remember his name). He makes very good cocktails!

Childers (University) this time around I had the veggie omelet with a few modifications--no truffle oil, and half of the amount of goat cheese, please. Substitutions were made easily and correctly. I got the side of fresh fruit, and was pleasantly surprised by the amount and quality.

Olympia Sports Bar
https://www.yelp.com/biz/olympia-sports ... ill-peoria
I sat at the bar and shared a Greek sampler which came with black olives, feta cheese, excellent tzatziki , pepporcini, warm puffy pita, and hummos. My local contacts told me the baklava cheesecake there is supposed to be great.

Lucca Grill in Bloomington, IL
http://www.luccagrill.com/
We sat at the bar and got two pizzas. The one I'm still thinking about was a nightly special, the margarita. Really great, thin and crispy style. Old, old bar with photos of JFK hanging unironically.


Places I dislike:
Jim's Steakhouse:
Frankly, this place had all the charm of a slammed summer resort place--except the place was pleasantly busy, not slammed (we walked in to a table with no reservations). Jim's is higher end in the heart of the Peoria Heights strip. Their Sunday night chicken dinner is both off menu, and local high demand. The last time I went, I was served a glass of wine with considerable amount of cork in it. I got up from my seat, and returned it to my chatting server and bartender. That time I got a new glass of wine with a quick apology. cool. Cork splits, I get it. I don't like that one bartender + one server overlooked it, though.

This time, our server rushed over to us as we were sitting down (I was still standing, futzing with my chair), and she started asking for our drink order. She came by four more times in five minutes, somehow giving the impression the drink order had to be given right away.

The food was just okay, and I could see fallen cocktail napkins and not swept up spills on the carpeting in various spots in the restaurant. No one is "home" at Jim's, and I hope to avoid it as much as possible in the future.

Lucca Grill in Bloomington, IL
http://www.luccagrill.com/
We sat at the bar and got two pizzas. The one I'm still thinking about was a nightly special, the margarita. Really great, thin and crispy style. Old, old bar with photos of JFK hanging unironically.

Art Jackson of Pleasant House Bakery worked there once upon a time.

cjla wrote:Old, old bar with photos of JFK hanging unironically.

Can you explain this, please? Thanks.

Sure. I live in Los Angeles, and see things like this in new places that have been artfully arranged to give the patina of age and "authenticity."

In long term, small bars here I see framed doodles left by important animators, or photos of Liz Taylor. Occasionally a Thai king--but somehow not JFK.

Ah, got it. Thanks.

A great piece about pizza in Peoria. "Peoria is a Pizza Destination." https://heated.medium.com/peoria-is-a-p ... fced7d1527