Live from Peoria, Illinois it’s Friday Night starring this week’s host, Jim’s Steak House and featuring special guest stars, Nathalie, Chef Todd, Maddison, Tae and Nick Comfort! Now please welcome from beautiful downtown Peoria, this week’s host, Jim’s Steak House!
Pre-Dinner Courthouse Photos
I parked opposite the Courthouse Plaza, so I went and took some photos of the Plaza and the Christmas lights there. One new thing at the Courthouse Plaza is the giant Lincoln mural on the side of the building. You can read more about that right here. Now let’s get over to Jim’s Steak House and start this week’s holiday festivities!
Jim’s Steak House
Here we are at Jim’s Steak House in downtown Peoria. This is the fourth year that Nathalie and I have met here for a pre-Christmas dinner and it’s yet another MBIP December tradition! I love the elegant lobby here and if you look closely you’ll see an unplanned obligatory mirror shot happening in the last photo. I love it when that happens!
Sparkly Christmas Decorations @ Jim’s Steak House
I got here early to take some photos of the sparkly Christmas decorations here in the restaurant. There’s the Christmas tree and the entrance to the bar. Very colorful and shiny!
Check out the roses, lights and window displays here in the main dining room! Overhead is the ornate chandelier in the middle of the ceiling which is the centerpiece to all of the festive decorations in here!
Tae was working the front room and greeting people as they came in and he got in the spirit of things by wearing this Christmas light necklace!
Maddison The Harpist
Maddison was playing the harp in the dining room and it added such a nice ambiance to the room. She’s been playing harp here at Jim’s since she was 13-years-old! She told me that in addition to Jim’s she plays weddings, parties and corporate events. You can read more about Maddison and book her for a party or event by clicking here.
Nathalie!
Okay, Nathalie should be coming through these elevator doors any second now!
And here she is! I haven’t seen her since last Christmas and she’s looking beautiful as always! Nathalie lives in Chicago now so we don’t see each other that often and I appreciate her taking the time to have dinner with me tonight and keeping this Christmas tradition alive!
We went to our table in the dining room and that’s our pretty waitress for the evening, Janet. After posing for a photo, Janet took the MBIP Camera and snapped a photo of Nathalie and I at our table. Time to let the pre-Christmas dinner begin!
A Pre-Christmas Feast Prepared By Chef Todd
Chef Todd came out to say hi with Bella who also works here at Jim’s. He talked to us about what we wanted for our dinner and said he’d prepare our meals with his signature style for our pre-Christmas dinner. Chef Todd never fails to impress, so I’m anxious to see what he whips up tonight!
We started off with crab-stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer and they were creamy, rich and a nice way to start off our holiday dinner!
We also had salads and rolls and discovered a treat at the bottom of the bread basket: Cinnamon Rolls!
Now it’s time for the main courses and Chef Todd put together two impressive meals for our holiday dinner! Nathalie had Blue Crab Stuffed Halibut on a bed of Cottage Fried Potatoes with Blue Cheese Compound Butter and Sauteed Asparagus. I had the Porterhouse Lamb Chops with Sauteed Asparagus and a side of Wild Rice. Chef Todd outdid himself with this holiday meal and it’s time to dig in!
There’s Nathalie enjoying the meal, she said her dinner was unbelievable and you can see how fantastic my lamb chops were! I’ve never had Porterhouse lamb chops and it was a Christmas miracle on a plate!
Chef Todd gave us a complimentary slice of creamed filled Lemon Cake for a sweet ending to a fabulous dinner!
The Bar
After dinner we went to the elegant bar room in Jim’s for an after dinner drink. Before we sat down I went to the piano bar in the back of the room and as you can see it was quite a lively scene back there!
Meanwhile, we settled in back at the bar and Nick Comfort came over to greet us and he gave us a holiday drink on the house! Very nice and now it’s time for a few Christmas presents!
Nathalie’s Bag Of Presents!
I got Nathalie a bag of presents and personally decorated the bag with some glitter letters. She got a pair of delicate fucking flower socks, a cat eraser, a tiny miracle book and some stickers and postcards from Lettering Works. And the final present is a Marty Monologues magnet. I’m going to be doing a Marty Monologues Show in Chicago in April and Nathalie said she’d come to the show, so we’ll see her then, if not sooner!
We had such a fabulous holiday dinner at Jim’s thanks to Chef Todd. He came out and asked what we’d like to eat and then personally put his own spin on our dinners which were so delicious! Nathalie had the Blue Crab Stuffed Halibut and she said it was fabulous and so tasty.
For my meal Chef Todd prepared Porterhouse Lamb Chops on the bone and they were savory and flavorful! It was like a combination of a lamb chop and a Porterhouse steak and it was such a taste treat! I also got a side of wild rice which had spicy sausage and was a perfect compliment to the juicy lamb chops.
For dessert Chef Todd presented us with a slice of cream filled Lemon Cake and it was a sweet treat and a happy ending to a wonderful meal!
Friday Night Meal Rating
Four Galloping Gourmets—Chef Todd outdid himself with this holiday dinner and it was such a treat! Thanks for a wonderful meal, Chef Todd and thanks to Nathalie for meeting me for our Fourth Holiday Dinner at Jim’s Steak House, it was a blast as always and wonderful to see you again!
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110 S.W. Jefferson Avenue Peoria
309-673-5300
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Related Posts: Nathalie and Marty Holiday Dinner: One, Two and Three.