Live from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger starring this week’s host, The Fish House and featuring the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now please welcome this week’s host, The Fish House!
We're off an rolling at a blazing 16 MPH! Vroom and vroom!
The front of the Fish House kind of looks like a big A-frame barn.
Here's the side of the building where the entrance is.
And here's that aforementioned entrance, let's go in and let this SNC experience begin!
When I come here with my family we sit in the dining room, like we did a couple of week's ago on my mom's birthday, but when I'm dining alone, I prefer to sit at the bar, which is just around the corner here.
I swear this is one of the darkest bars ever and I love it in here. It's definitely an "Al bar!"
Super-cute and friendly bartender Emily serves up the first beer of the evening. Emily's worked at the Fish House for a few years and is being trained for bartender duty by...
Veteran Fish House bartender, Paul, who's also an MBIP pal and weekend Contributing Writer.
Here's an unflashed photo of them behind the bar.
And one more shot of Emily because she's prettier than Paul. Okay, I'll quit photo-stalking her for now.
Here's the owner of The Fish House, Gary Waldsmith. Gary's owned this dining establishment for over 37 years and he built the bar that we are seated at. Last year we met his son, Justin, who's in the back tonight working in the kitchen. Maybe he'll come out later for a reunion!
These lights overhead are the only thing illuminating the bar.
I gave Paul the camera and let him take a few photos from his perspective behind the bar. Here's a shot of the three taps back there.
As you can see, there's a large selection of canned and bottled beer at The Fish House.
I love this vintage cash register and the wooden ship above it makes me think about the Crosby, Stills and Nash weekend we just had here at MBIP. if you missed those two posts, catch up by checking out Mike Foster's piece here and Craig Moore's right here.
There's a lounge area directly behind the bar with wooden tables and chairs to sit and enjoy a drink or three.
Here's the dining room which has pretty much emptied out since it's getting late. Speaking of getting late...
I need to get back to the bar and place my dinner order before the kitchen closes. Paul took my order and also took my camera back to the kitchen to photograph the meal as it's being prepared.
Paul suggested I try one of the specials of the evening, The Langostino Stuffed Filet, which I ordered and here it is cooked and plated.
The steak is then covered in a blue cheese reduction sauce that has spinach and bacon in it. This dish is downright decadent!
And here's Justiin, who we mentioned earlier adding a nest of fried onions on top of the dish.
Here's the meal along with a side dish of au gratin potatoes back in the kitchen...
And here it is served up at the bar. How great does this look?
The au gratin potatoes look fabulous, let's dig in!
This is truly one of the best steak dinners I've ever had. The sauce is creamy and rich and really compliments this tender filet.
Well, now, that didn't take long to devour!
Here's Jay and Joel who were seated next to me at the bar and jealously watched me chow down that wonderful meal. It turns out that Joel is a friend of my cousin, Jeff, which can only mean one thing...time to cue up, "It's A Small World After All!"
The dining room is officially closed and here's Julie who's the front of the house manager. She's worked at The Fish House for over three decades and before that she was a server at Hunt's. Anybody who's a regular at The Fish House knows Julie.
Justin made it to the bar just in time for last call! Reunited here on MBIP after one year and it feels so good! Thanks to Justin, Paul, Emily and everyone at The Fish House for a great meal and wonderful night! We'll see you all tomorrow!
My Meal
You wouldn’t expect a restaurant named, “The Fish House” to have one of the best steak dinners in Peoria, but I discovered that this is a true fact. The Langostino Stuffed Filet with Bacon Blue Cheese Sauce is a special that’s not available every night, but if you’re lucky enough to be there on a night when it is, you should order it. It’s a tender, succulent petite filet stuffed with Langostionos, celery and pepper. The filet is then topped off with a rich blue cheese reduction sauce with spinach and bacon. The cherry on top is a nest of fried onion strings. It is so delicious I may never eat fish again at The Fish House!
SNC Rating
Four Galloping Gourmets—This is truly one of the best steak dinners you’ll have in Peoria and beyond!
The Fish House
4919 N University Street
Peoria
309-691-9358
Related Posts: SNC @ Kenny’s Westside Pub, Whitey’s Tip Top Inn and Judge’s Chambers.