Live from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger, starring this week’s host, The Publik House and featuring the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. Straight from the heart of restaurant row in Peoria Heights, please welcome tonight’s host, The Publik House!
We are off and rolling at a rollicking 17 MPH, fasten your safety belts!
It’s really nice out tonight and there’s lots of people eating outside in front of the restaurant. Right after I snapped this photo, somebody called out to me.
It was the gentleman here in the plaid shirt. It turns out he’s the owner of Brasky’s and he said he enjoyed the post that I did on them last July. The pretty blonde to the right said she reads the blog, which I always love to hear. The only problem is I forgot to write their names down and I can’t remember them now. I’ll try and call Brasky’s today and see if I can find out. Stay tuned for that exciting update! Anyway, really nice to meet this table, we haven’t even gone inside and we’ve already made some new friends. Nice!
Okay, let’s go in and see what’s happening in here a year later since our last visit.
There’s a familiar face, it’s Travis who owns the bar along with his wife Alyssa. Great to see him again and he said business has been great. I asked him for a suggestion about dinner and he suggested the Cuban sandwich or the Philly Steak sandwich. That Philly Steak sandwich sounds good!
Travis had to go tend to business and as you can see, it’s crowded in here, but I spy a seat right there at the end of the bar. Let’s snag it and get settled in and let this edition of Saturday Night Cheeseburger begin!
Last year I got a can of Old Speckled Hen in here in honor of Gene and the BBC and I thought I’d do it again! Friendly bartender Jon is quick on the draw with the can and he’s a great bartender.
Bob was seated next to me at the bar and was enjoying the Cuban sandwich, it looked really good, but I’m leaning towards that Philly Steak sandwich.
So what did I order? Well hold on to your underpants and you’ll find out if you just keep on scrolling, scrolling, scrolling.
Here’s the view of the back of the bar from where I’m seated down here at the end.
Wow, check out the wooden Guinness tap in the center of the bar, very cool. I count eight beers on tap, a nice selection.
I took photos of this last year and I think it’s the coolest centerpiece for a bar in all of Peoria. The two mermaids are holding lit up globes and in the middle the two fans spin around in a circular motion.
Here’s another angle of it, really unusual and it makes the bar so unique.
Hey, it’s Erin with Jon at the other end of the bar. Erin was our bartender last year, really good to see her again! I’m one year older and uglier and she looks exactly the same and twice as pretty, life is not fair!
Here’s a longshot of the bar from the back of the room.
This stained glass lamp and antique typewriter are tucked away in a corner in the back. Oh the things you find wandering around!
Booths line the far wall.
These two pretty women were seated at the bar and were wondering why I was taking photos, so I gave them an MBIP card and hopefully they’re reading this right now! There names are Amber and Jaime and it was nice to meet them but we must keep moving!
Wow, I know this wasn’t here last year, it’s a protrait of the original owner of this place, Mike “Sully” Sullivan. Current owner, Travis used to bartend for Sully and put this up as a tribute to the legendary Peorian barkeep. Sully died of cancer when I was living in New York and doing my 365 bars blog. I wrote a tribute to him in this entry. To Sully!
Here’s another pretty blast from last year’s visit, Karina! She’s the one who originally invited us here and it was great to see her again.
Meanwhile, back at the bar it looks like dinner is just about to be served!
Yes, here's Jon with tonight's meal!
I ended up ordering the Philly Steak sandwich and I got an order of the macaroni and cheese for a side order. It looks and smells great!
They make great mac and cheese here! There's a layer of buttered cracker crumbs on top, so it's equal parts crunchy and cheesy creamy.
I'm glad I ordered the Philly Steak sandwich, it was delicious and the combination of that and that mac and cheese played off each other well for a spectacular meal!
Burp.
Publik House is close to Salt where we went last week. Which means it's also close to Emack & Bolio's. It's a little late, but let's see if we can get there for last call...
Speaking of Salt and last week, look who I ran into on my way to Emack & Bolio's, Karla who was our bartender there last week. Great to see her again!
Aw shit, it's closed! But as I snapped this photo, I heard someone calling out my name. At first I got ready to run because I thought it might be the cops, but then I remembered that I've never put up a fake Mayor Ardis Twitter account, so I had nothing to worry about. I turned around and saw...
Some friends at this table in front of Lucky's Modern Dive Bar. Right up front is Tori and Dick, who we first met on the last night of Herold's Pizza Inn. And next to Tori is Heidi and down at the end of the table is Jamie who we met along with Tori at the Silver Bullet. I didn't write any other names down, so we've come full circle! I sat down and we had a nice conversation with topics ranging from the Mayor Ardis fiasco, to dropping acid before going to high school to Marcus Welby's nurse, Cuntswhelo. It was great to see everyone!
Cheers and we'll see you all tomorrow!
My Meal
I ordered the Philly Steak Sandwich and it did not disappoint. The sandwich arrives in wax NY Times paper and be careful as you unwrap it, because it’s been steamed and the paper maintains the heat. The sandwich consists of shaved ribeye slices with sauteed onions and a white cheddar cheese sauce housed in a hoagie roll. Once I let the sandwich cool down I took a bit and it’s really delicious. The ribeye slices were juicy, tender and succulent. The onions and cheese sauce were a great compliment to the meat and the hoagie roll was steamed and bakery fresh. I got the macaroni and cheese for a side item and it almost stole the show! It’s made with elbow macaroni and the cheese sauce is made from apple wood cheddar cheese. The dish is topped off with a layer of buttered cracker crumbs and adds some crunch to the creamy mac and cheese. There’s just a hint of tang along with all the creamy and cheesy goodness and the whole meal was quite a treat!
SNC Rating
Three and a half Galloping Gourmets—A great sandwich and side dish combo!
The Publik House
4614 N Prospect Rd
Peoria Heights
309-839-2127
Related Posts: SNC @ Kouri’s Pub, The Fish House and Jim’s Steakhouse.