Live from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night starring this week’s host, Khaki Jack’s and featuring special guest stars, Ben (B Löwd) Lowrey, Tony, Anna, Chuck, Lori and Randy. And now, please welcome this week’s host, Khaki Jack’s!
This vegetarian edition starts the way most of them do, with my friend Ben showing up to drive us to our veggie dinner destination. Ben is a DJ and music producer who goes by the name, B Löwd. You can check out his music here and he’s also got a weekly radio show on Urban Soundz Radio. Okay, now that we’ve got the obligatory B Löwd plugs in, time to head out on the road on the way to our next meatless meal which is going to be had at...
Khaki Jack’s! I happened to read a review of a portobella mushroom sandwich that Khaki Jack’s features on their menu and the reviewer gave the sandwich a glowing five star rating. After reading that I thought it would be a perfect sandwich for our vegetarian journey and so here we are! Let’s go in and start this Saturday Night evening dining adventure!
As we entered the pub who do I see at the bar, none other than Khaki Jack’s owner and MBIP friend, Tony Moreschi! Tony’s a great guy and a welcoming host! He led us to a table and told us we were really going to enjoy tonight’s veggie sandwich!
Since we arrived near closing time there were plenty of tables to choose from. We plopped down and looked the menu over and in addition to the portobella mushroom sandwich, known as the Trail Blazer, there were other vegetarian entrees. Our pretty and friendly waitress is Anna and she brought over a beer and took our veggie dinner order. Okay, while that’s being prepared, I’m going to abandon Ben at the table and do a little exploring around Khaki Jack’s.
There’s a shot of the polished wooden bar with bartender Chuck behind it and a bucket of peanuts on top of the bar. Overhead lights dangle beneath the tin ceiling. And Tony’s Christmas Story leg lamp is on display and gives me a sickening reminder that holiday season is just about to happen. Ugh! Beer specials hang at the end of the bar and peanuts are not only placed in buckets at the bar and on tables, they’re also on the wall in the form of Mr. Peanut, who has always given me the creeps!
Khaki Jack’s is Peoria’s only Australian themed pub and there’s boomerangs, Aussie license plates, beer signs and a Khaki Jack’s Australian mural on the back wall.
And make sure to look upwards when you’re in here because there’s a treasure trove of interesting things to gander at up in the rafters at Khaki Jacks including flags, crocodiles, neon beer signs and a whale who’s dying for a drink of water!
Meanwhile, back at our table...
Dinner is starting to happen! For appetizers we got the Bugalug which is a grilled portobella mushroom topped with grilled onions and green peppers and topped off with a generous slab of melted mozzarella cheese. It was so good! We also got two fresh pretzels that come with a tub of melted cheddar cheese sauce. The pretzels were hot and the cheese topped them off beautifully, we’re off to a tasty start here!
After we polished off the appetizers, Anna showed up with our main courses. Ben ordered the grilled cheese and I got the Trail Blazer. Both of the sandwiches are huge and we decided to cut them in half so we both could sample the sandwiches.
Here’s Ben digging in. He told me that he wasn’t a big fan of mushrooms when I told him about the Trail Blazer sandwich but after he took a bite, he said he was a portobella convert! He loved it, so I decided to dive in to the sandwiches and see for myself.
Wow, this was a great sandwich mix! The grilled cheese is unlike any grilled cheese I’ve ever had! You can read more about it in the review below, but it was really tasty! And the Trail Blazer certainly lived up to the five star review on Trip Advisor. If you didn’t know that this was a mushroom sandwich, you’d think you were eating a tender steak sandwich! It was delicious and a wonderful vegetarian meal!
As we made our way outside, Tony introduced us to Lori and Randy who were chatting with Chuck at the end of the bar. Randy showed me that he had MBIP bookmarked on his phone, so that made my evening! Really nice people and it was a pleasure to meet them! Thanks to Ben for driving and hanging out and to Tony, Anna and Chuck for a great meal and another wonderful evening at Khaki Jack’s.
Oh and I just realized while putting this post together, that I miscounted on the last post and that was actually our eleventh stop, making this our twelfth stop of this vegetarian series. Well, I wanted Ben to pick the last veggie destination, so we’re making this series a baker’s dozen and our thirteenth and final stop will be next month, so stay tuned for that! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
We started off with two appetizers off of the menu, the Bugalug and the soft pretzels and both were delicious! The Bugalug is a grilled portobella mushroom cap with grilled onions and green peppers and topped off with a generous slab of mozzarella cheese. All of those ingredients made for a wonderful flavorfest and it was really tasty. The pretzels were warm, crisp on the outside and fluffy soft on the inside. It came with a tub of rich and tangy melted cheese and it was another taste treat. A wonderful start to this month’s veggie dinner!
For our main courses we each ordered a sandwich and then cut them in half so both of us could sample them. Ben ordered the Jaffel sandwich which is a grilled cheese sandwich. I’m sure you’ve had a grilled cheese sandwich in your life, but I can almost guarantee that you’ve never had one like this. The sandwich is made with focaccia bread which is seasoned and a sturdy tasty bread and when it’s grilled and filled with creamy and sharp melted cheddar cheese it’s a cheesy delight! Really a tasty and unique grilled cheese sandwich!
I ordered the Trail Blazer and it certainly lived up to the five star review that I read about on Trip Advisor! The portobella mushrooms are grilled and sliced and topped with onions, lettuce and tomato slices. These ingredients are housed in a submarine bun that was pillowy fresh. The mushrooms really tasted like savory steak and the sandwich also has a secret sauce that complimented the mushrooms in a delicious way!
SN Rating
Four Galloping Gourmets—This was one tasty and satisfying meatless meal! If you’re not in a vegetarian mood, don’t worry, there’s a generous selection of burgers, sandwiches and pizza on the menu to satisfy anyone’s hunger! It’s the only place in Peoria to feature Australian and American cuisine!
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7221 N. Allen Road (Mere blocks away from The MBIP World Headquarters!)
Peoria
309-691-8010
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Related Posts: Saturday Night Vegetarian Posts @ Yen Ching, Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse, Hacienda El Mirador, Rizzi’s, Khoury’s Cuisine, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Last Chance Bar & Grill, Oliver’s Pizza & Pub North, Novu Sushi, PV II and Po-Boys On Frostwood.