Live from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night starring this week’s host, Hacienda El Mirador and featuring special guests, Jesus, Amber, Joe, Debbie, Pablo, Thurston and Tallis! And now, directly from Junction City, please welcome this week’s host, Hacienda El Mirador!
Our Pre-Xmas Dinner
Seven years ago I met my friend Amber on Christmas day while doing my 365 bar blog. You can see that day by clicking here. Three years later we met again when I did this post in 2013 for MBIP and I’m happy to report we’ve been good friends ever since and we’ve made it a tradition to meet and hang out on Christmas day in honor of the day we first met. Well this year Amber married Joe and they’re going on a honeymoon next Saturday and they'll be away on Christmas, so we decided to have our celebration last Saturday at one of our favorite restaurants, Hacienda El Mirador and here we are! Well, actually here I am, Amber and Joe should be here soon, I’m early as always so let’s go inside and start this festive Pre-Xmas evening dinner and celebration!
Here’s the main dining room, there’s a bar off to the left and another dining room to the right. There’s our table...
And here’s Amber and Joe! We started the Xmas feast with chips and two kinds of sauces and then our friendly waiter, Jesus, brought us an appetizer order of Chori Queso. The Chori Queso is chunks of Chorizo swimming in melted Chihuahua cheese. It’s rich, creamy and spicy and so tasty. A wonderful start to our meal!
As I mentioned the bar is off to the right of the dining room and let’s go take a look at it. That’s Debbie doing bartender duty tonight. I love the back display of bottles lit up behind the bar and an elegant chandelier hangs overhead. The daily specials are noted on the blackboard on the back wall.
Here’s the other dining room complete with art and Mexican artifacts on the wall. In the middle is a comforting fireplace.
Meanwhile, back at our table...
Dinner is served! Joe had the Steak Torta and Amber got a bowl of chili, which at most restaurants would be a side dish, but as you can see, here it’s a meal unto itself!
I got three steak tacos and Jesus pointed out that these are authentic Mexican tacos made without lettuce or cheese the way a lot of restaurants serve them. The food here is all true Mexican fare and it’s so delicious! You can read more about our meal in the review below.
Pablo is one of the chefs here at Hacienda El Mirador and he told us that the food prepared here is a real team effort from everyone working in the kitchen. The meals are all prepared with care and cooked to order, nothing is made in advance and I love how they take pride in the dishes they serve.
They have an extensive drink menu here with a nice selection of specialty cocktails. Here’s Amber and Joe with their after-dinner drinks. This was a fantastic meal, but the holiday celebration doesn’t end with dinner, on to part two of the evening!
Xmas at the Bohannan’s starring Thurston and Tallis!
Amber and Joe have some great decorations outside and inside of their house for the holiday season. The top is their yard decoration with Rudolph displaying the bloody head of Santa Claus! I love that! Inside is their traditional Xmas ladder and the festive decorations on their fireplace. The Justin Bieber stocking is an especially nice touch!
There’s Thurston and Tallis who are getting excited to open their presents. Before that happens, Tallis had a quick drink. Okay, time for presents!
Thurston was up first and he got a new bowl complete with his name on it and a cat magnet. Amber put some treats in it and he enjoyed this Xmas snack. As you can see in the bottom photo, Tallis was getting excited to get his gifts!
He got a stuffed toy and held back as long as he could before he attacked it! These pictures don’t do justice to him ripping up a stuffed toy. He really puts his heart and soul into it and it’s always hilarious to witness!
The second toy he got was a crinkly snake thing that he also happily destroyed with his might teeth! This was such a fun Xmas evening, Thanks to everyone at Hacienda El Mirador for a wonderful dinner and thanks to Amber and Joe for hanging out and then having the Xmas celebration at their house with Thurston and Tallis. It was a blast and a fabulous festive evening! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
We had a fantastic meal at Hacienda El Mirador. Joe got the Steak Torta, Amber got a bowl of chili and I got three steak tacos. The food here is real authentic Mexican cuisine and it’s so delicious!
My steak tacos are a good example of the genuine Mexican food that’s served here. The tacos are prepared with seasoned steak bites that are juicy and delicious and they’re cooked with onions, tomatoes and cilantro and served inside of soft warm tortillas. It’s a simple recipe but packed with spicy flavor.
SN Rating
Four Galloping Gourmets—The food here is so delicious and the atmosphere is so friendly and fun, Peoria has some great Mexican restaurants but this is definitely my favorite one. If you haven’t tried it yet, you need to check it out and they’re open for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
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5805 North Humboldt (In Junction City)
Peoria
309-839-2820
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Related Posts: Saturday Night @ Davis Brothers Pizza, Paparazzi and Castle’s Patio Inn.