Live, from Peoria Heights, it’s Saturday Night with this week’s host, Noir Tapas & Rendezvous Lounge with special guest stars, Georgie, Galen, Guthrie, Tim, Barb, Alyssa, Jimmy, Brad, Amy and the return of Hannah and featuring The Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now, please welcome all the way from restaurant row in Peoria Heights, Noir Tapas & Rendezvous Lounge!
Off we go for another Saturday night in Peoria Heights. I’m cruising up Prospect at 17 miles-per-hour. I’ve learned to drive slow down this street, it’s a long story that some people know about and I’ll tell the whole story some time, just not now! So let's just keep traveling along.
Here we are at Noir Tapas & Rendezvous Lounge on restaurant row in Peoria Heights. Noir is two stories, the bottom is the bar, restaurant and outside patio. Up top is a loft that is available for private parties. I had to stand in the middle of Prospect to get this photo and almost got hit twice by cars cruising by, but I lived to to get this shot!
There’s live music going on at the outside patio tonight...
And this is the musician providing the music. We’ll meet him later, but now it’s time to...
Go to the bar and get settled in for the evening. I spy a seat right there in the middle, so let’s go snag it!
I see a familiar face over there behind the bar...
It’s Georgie, looking very pretty serving up a bottle of Sophie beer. The last time we were here Georgie was the manager, but now...
She owns Noir along with her boyfriend, Galen! Very cool and congratulations to both of them for taking the place over!
I turned to my left and thought I was seeing double after only one sip of beer, but it turns out this is Guthrie, Galen’s twin brother! It turns out we met at Kenny’s Westside Pub a while back. Great to see him again!
Bowls of barbecue popcorn line the bar. It is so good and this bowl was emptied in record time!
Check out the menu, it’s all lit up! I love that! I placed my order with Georgie and while that’s being prepared let’s take a look around in here and see what Georgie and Galen have done with the place.
Here’s the back of the bar, it’s lit up colorfully and as you can see, it’s stocked with a nice array of wine and liquor choices.
Above the bar an electric candelabra hangs beneath an elegant tin ceiling.
Guthrie and his friends moved outside and (from left), Jimmy, Alyssa, Barb and Tim moved in to their spot next to me. I had a nice chat with them and Tim even suggested a destination for my next, “Can I Eat My Lunch In Here,” episode. Stay tuned for that and it was great to meet all of them!
Here’s a shot of the bar, which just like the menu and back of the bar is all lit up!
There’s tables opposite the bar to drink and dine at.
Comfortable leather booths and tables line the far wall of Noir.
Brad, Hannah and Amy were dining at a table in the back and they told me that they’re regular readers of MBIP, which I always love to hear. And then I found out that Hannah was featured on MBIP a couple of years ago when I stopped in at Lou’s for our Hot Dog Wars segment back in 2013. I had to go back and find her picture from back then... (P.S. Hi Lou! Ha ha ha!)
And here she is, Hannah back in 2013! Great to see her again and meet her parents!
In keeping with the name, “Noir,” Georgie and Galen have installed classic film noir posters on the front wall. I love the Marilyn Monroe one and the Freaks one is a favorite too!
In addition to the posters, noir films are played on the back wall and add a nice touch to the atmosphere in the restaurant.
Georgie told me they like to display artwork by local artists in Noir. This is a painting done by Allison Welch and it’s not only on display, but you can buy it too! If you’re looking to add to your art collection, stop in and make a bid on it!
I love this, “SAY CHZ” piece of art and it reminds me to get back to my seat because...
My fried cheese appetizer has arrived! It is so delicious. It’s fried cheese, how could it not be?
After the appetizer my salad was served up and it was just as tasty as it looks. It was dressed with Balsamic Vinagrette which was sharp and tangy.
And now, it’s time for the main course...
Which is a six ounce filet served with au gratin potatoes. I got the filet topped with caramelized grilled onions and a side of sauteed mushrooms. It looks and smells like a slice of heaven!
The filet was cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth like butter.
I loved the au gratin potatoes too. You can read more about the meal in the review below, but it was a perfect Saturday night dinner! So tasty and satisfying!
I had enjoyed the music from the patio all night and came out to tell the singer and guitarist, Chase Sieking, who was just ending his set for the evening. After I took his picture I gave him an MBIP card and he told me he’s friends with MBIP pal, Gavra and that she was just telling him about the MBIP blog that afternoon! I love crazy coincidences like this! Chase came back in to the bar with me...
And Georgie served me up an after dinner martini! The perfect ending to a wonderful and fun evening at Noir!
Cheers from Chase and I and thanks to Georgie, Galen and everyone at Noir for a great Saturday night! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
I started the meal off with fried cheese for an appetizer and it was everything that you would imagine fried cheese to be. The outside is crispy and inside the melted cheese is rich, creamy and it’s a decadent treat and a wonderful way to start off a meal.
For my main course I got the six ounce filet topped with grilled onions and mushrooms. The filet was cooked perfectly, it was so tender you hardly had to cut it with a knife and it was succulent and tasty. The filet comes with au gratin potatoes and they’re topped with fried haystack onions and it complimented the filet perfectly. My dessert martini was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal at Noir!
SN Rating
Three and a half Galloping Gourmets—The food and atmosphere at Noir is wonderful. The menu has an eclectic choice of small plates that are unique and offers up tastes of food that you won’t find anywhere else in Peoria. If you haven’t experienced Noir yet, you should definitely try it out!
Noir Tapas & Rendezvous Lounge
4606 North Prospect Road
Peoria Heights
309-740-2001
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Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!
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Bonus Noir Artwork By Jaws The Cabbie!
Jaws the Cabbie left a comment saying he sent me something to enhance my “noir experience,” and here it is. Ha ha ha! Nice work, thanks Jaws!
