Live from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger starring this week’s host, Ulrich’s Rebellion Room and featuring the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now, all the way from Main Street in beautiful downtown Peoria, please welcome this week’s host, Ulrich’s Rebellion Room!
Okay, it’s a straight shot up Main Street to Ulrich’s. Hey, guess what we got tonight? Another inch of snow! I believe that brings this year’s total snowfall to 10,973 feet of snow. I really don’t like to complain or whine on the blog here, but I just want to throw one thing out so it’s duly noted: I FUCKING HATE WINTER! Okay, on with the show.
There weren’t any parking spots on the street due to all the snow out there so I had to park in the Peoria Public Library lot and hoof it over here. There’s Ulrich’s over there, just beyond that giganzo mountain of snow. It's freezing out here...have I mentioned that I FUCKING HATE WINTER!
Okay, I’m officially frozen by now...
Let’s get inside where it’s warm and we can forget about this horrible winter for a while.
It’s just a little after ten, which is early for this place. It’s open till four in the morning and will start getting packed in here in about an hour. So let’s grab one of those open seats at the bar while we can!
Okay, we’re all settled in and here’s bartender Rob, serving us up a bottle of Budweiser. This starts a trio of bartender portraits in here...
Jim is next. His full name is Jim Henson and no, he’s no relation to the puppet guy!
And last but certainly not least is bartender Helen, who is hands down the prettiest of this friendly bartending trio!
Here’s the view of the bar from my perch.
I like these high wooden shelves behind the bar, it gives a nice old-school ambience to the place.
Here’s three of the beers on tap in here...
And here’s four more. There’s even more, but the bar is starting to fill up and I can’t get a good shot of them.
Some of the nightly specials are displayed here.
Ha, I remember that guy from last year, he hasn’t moved at all!
One thing I like in here is that they have the big-screen TV’s placed up high, so if you want to watch you can, but they’re also easily ignored.
Here’s another one up front hovering just underneath the ceiling.
And speaking of ceilings, I love the tin ceiling in here! Classic!
There’s a table in a nook at the front of the bar near the front window to dine and drink at.
And big, sturdy wooden booths line the wall opposite the bar.
Beer signs and pictures loom overhead.
People are playing darts in the back. Right after I took this picture I heard my name being called out...
It was Erin, who’s the daughter of Tim Hennessey, whom you’ve seen on the Emack and Bolio’s posts. That’s her to the left with her husband Dan and his sister Julia and her fiancee, Alex. It was great to see Erin and we had a nice visit talking about how I used to be at her house every Friday night in the '80's to drink beer with Tim and his wife Tina and watch MTV and then SCTV. Good times!
Okay, I bet it ‘s about time to eat, back to the bar!
And here it is, a perfect cold winter night’s snack, a steaming hot grilled cheese sandwich!
It’s made with bakery-fresh Texas Toast and four kinds of melted cheese inside. Delicious!
I also got an order of the onion rings which are golden and crispy!
It’s starting to fill up in here, so they’re restocking the beer bottle selections.
It’s really packed in here now, time to get out, but I have to do one more thing...
I have to get one last shot with Erin. I’ve always been a bad influence on the Hennessey children! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
My Meal
Last Saturday was a cold and snowy winter night and what better food to eat on a night like that than a steaming hot grilled cheese sandwich? Luckily Ulrich’s has one on the menu and it did not disappoint. The sandwich is made with thick, Texas Toast, grilled to a crunchy delight on the outside and smooth and soft on the inside. They have four choices of cheese to choose from, so I threw caution to the wind and got all four on the sandwich. The sandwich was grilled perfectly and the four cheeses—American, cheddar, Swiss and Pepperjack made for a delicious gooey, melted meal. I also got an order of the onion rings and they were crunchy and a nice compliment to the sandwich. A perfect winter meal!
There’s eight sandwiches total on the menu at Ulrich’s including: a Ribeye Steak Sandwich, Grilled Ahi Tuna, Fish Filet Sandwich and a Farmers Chicken Sandwich which is a grilled chicken sandwich topped with two strips of bacon, Swiss cheese and a side of mayonnaise. They also have pizza, appetizers and six styles of burgers. I can testify for the Ultimate Hickory Burger which I had last year and it was a great cheeseburger.
SNC Rating
Three Galloping Gourmets—A great grilled cheese on a cold wintry evening, with wonderful and friendly service!
Ulrich’s Rebellion Room
631 Main Street
Peoria
309-676-1423
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