I can’t believe that this is the twelfth and last stop for the MBIP Chicken Wing Tour! Hard to believe that three months have gone by, but that’s what’s happened! One place that’s repeatedly been suggested as a must-stop for chicken wings is Hammer’s bar in Bartonville. We sampled the wings there on our Year of Pizza Tour and I remember they were fantastic, so I thought that would be our twelfth and final destination on this winged tour and...hey...what’s that?
Someone’s knocking on the door!
It’s either Sean Penn, George Harrison or MBIP pal and Wheelman, Scott Turley. I guess we’ll find out soon...probably in the next picture is what I’m thinking!
Yes, it’s MBIP Contributing Writer, pal and Wheelman, Scott Turley steering us towards Bartonville! Hoohah!
The sky is completely void of all clouds, never like to see that and yet one more reminder to get some prescription sunglasses. I’m seriously going to work on that next week, stay tuned!
Through the miracle of these here interwebs you’re spared a ride in this blinding sunlight that I loathe so much and here we are pulling up to Hammer’s Bar and Restaurant.
Hammer’s has a diner-styled restaurant over there but it closes at 1PM and we just missed that deadline. No worries though...
They’re still serving wings over here at the bar, so let’s go in and start our twelfth and last week of chicken wings!
As usual Scott has beat us in and has already settled in at the bar and he’s bought us a beer! What a guy!
And here’s the man himself, the owner of Hammer’s, Brad Kempthorne. Brad’s a former Hockey player for the Peoria Rivermen and Hammer’s was opened up by Brad’s former team mate, Bob “The Hammer” Fleming who opened it up in 1994. Bob moved to Las Vegas and Brad and his wife Joann took it over and have been running it ever since.
Pictures of Brad (to the right) and Bob (on the left) from the Peoria Rivermen days hang over the doorway up at the front of the bar. Both Brad and Bob are members in the Rivermen Hockey Hall of Fame. Pretty impressive!
Jimmy was relaxing with a beer at this end of the bar, good to see him again!
This board hangs behind the bar listing nightly specials that are available at the bar. Above the sign hang three awards...
From the Prairie Air Show Wing-Off competition. Hammer’s took first place three years in a row...
And here’s more awards back here for their famous wings. I’m starting to get hungry now!
Here’s a shot from the back of the bar.
There’s tables opposite the bar for your drinking and dining pleasure.
And speaking of drinking, there’s plenty of beer selections in here to choose from, as you can see!
You can sit at this table up in the front of the bar and watch the town of Bartonville roll on by.
Brad’s mixing up a fresh batch of popcorn over there, so...
I got some for a pre-wing appetizer. Love free popcorn in bars!
Okay...it looks like it’s just about time for...
Chicken wings!
Brad brought out four of the most popular styles of wings, clockwise from the upper left: Garlic Teriyaki, Teriyaki Parm, Blackened and Barbecue Blackened. They look and smell wonderful!
I can’t eat the Garlic Teriyaki because garlic gives me fierce heartburn and I’d be burping that up all night long, so here’s the three other flavors beginning the all-important cooling process. Today the cooling process is being helped out by...
This fan that’s spinning in breezy, circular fashion overhead.
And of course the cooling process always gives us time for yet another beer! Cheers from Scott and I!
Okay, time to dive into the wings and they are so good! Scott confirmed that the Garlic Teriyaki were really tasty and I loved all three flavors I had on my plate...
But my favorite were the Blackened Barbecue. They have a nice smoky flavor with the barbecue adding a nice zing and just a little heat. These are great wings and the blackened style are served with the entire wing, the Garlic Teriyaki and Teriyaki Parm are served in wing and drumette style, so it’s the best of both worlds.
Weekly bones and napkin shot!
As we were getting ready to leave, I saw a familiar face looming back there in the shadows...
It’s Armondo, the chef here who cooked up today’s feast of wings! Here he is with Brad, thanks to Armondo and Brad for a great festival of wings today! And thanks, as always, to MBIP Wheelman, Scott Turley for driving and hanging out!
Wing Rating—Four Wings Guitar Picks—Hammer’s wings are award-winning wings for a good reason, they’re delicious! If you haven’t had them yet, you definitely should take a trip to Bartonville to sample them, they are some of the best I’ve had. And while this is the official end to the MBIP Wing Tour, it’s not really over yet, there’s still a couple of winged surprises coming up, so stay tuned for those!
Hammer’s Bar & Restaurant
103 Roosevelt Street
Bartonville, Illinois
309-697-2023
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Related Posts: Twelve Weeks of Wings @ Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern, No Wake Zone, Mud Puddle Pizza, The 50’s Diner, The Country Club, Boss Hogg’s, Norwood Pub & Grub, A World Of Wings, The River Side Cafe in The Embassy Suites Hotel, Kenny’s Westside Pub and Agatucci’s.
Drink to me,
Drink to my health...
You know I can’t drink any more.
Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!
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Bonus Art By Jaws The Cabbie!
Jaws the Cabbie was inspired to come up with this piece of chicken wing art after reading today’s post. Ha! Nice work, Jaws, thanks!
