Live, from Bartonville, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night starring this week’s host, The BillBoard Bistro with special guests, Kevin and Star!
Now please welcome this week’s host from the neighboring town of Bartonville, The BillBoard Bistro!
There’s my friends Kevin and Star at the MBIP World Headquarters door! We all work for the same company and the owners generously have a nice Christmas party and dinner every year. I don’t blog about work, so Kevin, Star and I have made it an annual tradition to go out and have a few Christmas drinks before the party.
Every year they pick a spot that I’ve never been to and tonight we’re headed to the BillBoard Bistro, which just opened up this year in the space that used to be The Local Grille and Bar.
Check out the present that Kevin and Star brought for me, it’s a case of Budweiser in vintage holiday cans! How cool, thanks Kevin and Star and now it’s time to hit the road to Bartonville!
Here we are at the BillBoard Bistro. The place looks very nice and the cool logo and branding for the bistro were created by my friend, Chelsie Tamms from Lettering Works. Check out her blog about the design and branding she did for the bistro.
I love the sofa out in the front of the building! Okay, let’s go in and start this festive evening!
Hey, check that out, how did they know we were coming?
Kevin and Star have made their way to the bar and when I got there I met Kayla and Gabriel who were behind the bar.
Gabriel is the Executive Chef and he runs and operates the place. It’s a family affair here as his parents, Randy and Debbie Bassette own the bistro. Kayla is the Sous-Chef. They were very welcoming and it was great to meet both of them!
There’s some of the inventory behind the bar and the half dozen beers on tap. Saturdays are “Schooner Saturdays” here at BillBoard Bistro.
While we’re not eating tonight, the emphasis is on food here at the bistro and there’s nice dining tables opposite the bar and there’s another dining area in the back of the restaurant.
They have an interesting menu featuring entrees, burgers, sandwiches and unique sides and appetizers. You can check it out by clicking here.
I’ll be coming back here again for a full Saturday night meal, so stay tuned for that!
Staying true to their name, some of the art on the walls are from actual billboards. There’s also photos from their ribbon-cutting ceremony and the obligatory Phil Luciano laminated PJ Star article.
That’s a big Christmas tree and there’s other nice festive decorations in here. Ho, ho and…ho!
Meanwhile, back at the bar, Gabe surprised us with one of their homemade desserts!
The dessert is Fried Strawberries and it’s made with giant strawberries that are dipped in a house-made batter and then fried up. It’s topped with a Makers-Mark strawberry reduction and powdered sugar and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
What a unique and original dessert! It looks fantastic!
And it tasted even better than it looked! There’s Kevin and Star digging in. They raved about it and you should definitely come and give it a try! Your sweet tooth will thank you!
As we got ready to leave, Gabriel took a shot of the three of us with the MBIP Camera!
Happy holidays from all three of us.
On Sunday, I started a new Christmas tradition, the drinking of the 24 Kevin and Star beers of Christmas!
Thanks to Kevin and Star for the holiday beers, for driving and a fun and festive afternoon! I’m looking forward to next year’s celebration already!
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801 McKinley Avenue
Bartonville, Illinois
309-713-3259
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Related Posts: The Third Annual Saturday Night Christmas Tour With Kevin And Star, Lucky T’Z Bar & Grill and Saturday Night @ Nowhere Bar & Grill.