Live from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger starring Jim’s Steakhouse and special guest stars, Claire and Mick from Sydney, Australia and featuring the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now, please welcome from the heart of scenic downtown Peoria, Jim’s Steakhouse!
Okay, as I said last week, this year starts a new kind of Saturday Night Cheeseburger where I go back to the restaurant or bar that I went to a year ago and get something other than a cheeseburger. Last year on December 23rd I went to Jim's Steakhouse for the first official Saturday Night Cheeseburger on the town for this blog. And now, here we are again. Let's go inside and see if they remember me.
Here's the lobby of the restaurant, as you can see, it's quite festive in here.
Framed photos line the walls here at Jim's and last year I took a bunch of photos of them, so I'm not going to bother this year.
Speaking of festive, check out the entry way to the door! A Christmas tree and lights are hung with joy!
Wow, the bar is all lit up too, it looks great. As you can see, it's nice and dark in here, it's a true "Al bar!"
Well, now, I think I spy a couple of familiar folks here at the bar...
It's my friends, Claire and Mick from Sydney, Australia! They're taking a massive road trip here in the states and are driving all over the place and they've included Peoria in their travels just to see me and this city! Those of you who followed my 365 bar crawl blog might remember them from this post where we met for the first time in New York about three years ago. It was great to see them and catch up! I was really happy they included Peoria in their tour of America!
Here's another pretty familiar face, Karen who was the bartender on duty a year ago. She remembered me and it was great to see her again. Time to let this party begin!
Here's the quartet of beers on tap at the bar.
There's candlelit tables to dine at behind the bar.
Comfortable but elegant booths line the walls in the bar section of the restaurant.
Here's the main dining room, as you can see, it's nice and quite elegant in here.
Just outside of the dining room I met Chef Todd who's holding up a copy of Heartland Outdoors, a local publication he writes for. You gotta love that colorful Santa hat he's got on!
Meanwhile, back at the bar...
I've just met Nick Comfort, the son of the owner, Tim. Nick's the next generation in the Comfort family who will eventually be taking over Jim's Steakhouse. I've decided that for this year of Saturday Night Cheeseburger, every week I'm going to be asking to have what they consider to be the very best thing to eat in their establishment. Nick suggested the prime rib and so that's going to be tonight's meal. Bring it on!
And through the miracle of the internet, here is the prime rib. Check it out, they wheel the entire roast to you, table side on this fancy-schmancy cart!
Chef Todd quickly goes into action and starts slicing.
And check out the mammoth slice!
Chef Todd takes the slice and plates it up as Claire looks on...
Dinner is served!
Wow, it looks amazing!
I got the au gratin potatoes for my side dish and they look crazy-good as well.
Claire was a little sick with a cold and was losing her voice, so she got a small bowl of the French Onion soup.
Mick got the prime rib too, along with a loaded baked potato. The meal was amazing and you can read more about it in the review below. The cheeseburger was good last year, but I think I'm going to like sampling other creations in this year's collection of Saturday night food journey's!
After dinner we checked out the musical stylings of Gene Faris, a fabulous musician who's been entertaining in and around the Peoria area for over 50 years. In addition to entertaining at Jim's Steakhouse, Gene is also available for private parties and corporate events. If you'd like to liven up your party with some fun piano music, just send me an email and I'll let you know how to get hold of this local piano man.
It was great to see Gene and everybody at Jim's again, it's a real fun and friendly place. And it was really cool to hook up with Mick and Claire again and you'll be seeing more of them in tomorrow's tenderloin adventure! We'll see you all then!
My Meal
Words cannot describe how great my meal was, but here goes. It was quite simply the best prime rib I’ve ever had. Juicy, tasty, succulent are just a few adjectives that pop out of my memory of that great cut of meat prepared and sliced table-side by Chef Todd, who was rightfully proud of the meaty portions he served up. I got a side of the au gratin potatoes and they were sturdy chunks of potato swimming in a rich and savory cheese sauce, delicious! Todd also got the prime rib and a loaded baked potato and Claire was nursing a cold, so she got a crock of the French onion soup. Miraculously the soup brought her voice back to life! A Christmas miracle!
SNC Rating
Four Galloping Gourmet’s, I know Jim’s is a steakhouse, but trust me when I tell you to get the prime rib, it’s the best in town!
Jim’s Steakhouse
110 SW Jefferson
Peoria, Illinois
309-673-5300
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Related Posts: SNC @ Lariat Steakhouse, Ruby’s and Herold’s Pizza Inn.
