Live, from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night, starring this week’s host, Agatucci’s and featuring special guest stars, Danny, Tony and Travis.
Now, please give a warm pre-holiday greeting to this week’s host, Agatucci’s!
Here we are at Agatucci’s on a freezing cold Pre-Xmas evening.
Let’s get inside and warm up!
There’s the booth area and dining room. I’m here after the peak dinner hour and there’s still a decent amount of people here.
The holiday season is their busy time of year in here!
Since I’m dining alone tonight, I’ve decided to mosey up to the bar and get settled in for this Saturday evening.
Danny Agatucci was working behind the bar and Tony Agatucci came out from the kitchen to say hi.
Tony recently lost both of his arms in a bizarre gardening accident, but it hasn’t fazed him at all. He told me he’s learned to make pizza with his feet.
What a great attitude, although upon hearing this, I’ve just decided to try something other than pizza for this evening’s meal!
Travis was also working behind the bar and it was great to meet him as well! We had a nice conversation and discussed our favorite local restaurants in the area.
Travis is originally from Rockford, so we also talked about one of my favorite bands, Cheap Trick!
Here’s four of the beers on tap at the bar.
If you’re looking for a last minute Christmas gift, an Aggatucci’s t-shirt is a wonderful idea and there’s plenty of them in stock
I love the classic Michelob lamp that hangs over the bar. As Genesis explained back in the ‘80s, The Night Belongs To Michelob.
Wow, check out the Budweiser sign, how did they know I was coming here tonight?
This is a St. Lous Cardinals bar and of course I had to get a photo of the classic Agatucci’s backwards clock!
Meanwhile, back at the bar…
My Saturday night dinner has started to arrive.
I decided to have a three course dinner and started off with Agatucci’s signature house salad. This is a bowl of lettuce with their homemade vinegar and oil salad dressing.
A delicious and refreshing start to our Saturday dinner!
For the second course of the evening, I got an order of the Fried Ravioli with Meat Sauce.
This is such a tasty treat, the Fried Ravioli are crispy on the outside and filled with rich cheese on the inside.
The flavorful and savory meat sauce takes this dish over the top and it is so delicious!
I have to admit, I ordered the Grilled Cheese Sandwich as kind of a goof, because it’s one of the few things on Agatucci’s menu that I’ve never tried.
But when it came out it was such a pleasant and tasty surprise!
It was a toasted, buttery and rich delight!
This is one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve ever had and it was a Saturday night taste-treat and a satisfying end to a wonderful three course dinner at Agatucci’s!
Uh oh…that coaster signifies something special that’s going to happen tonight here at Agatucci’s…
It’s Tom and Jerry time at Agatucci’s and no, not that Tom and Jerry…let’s let Tony Agatucci explain what’s happening here…
——
THE HISTORY OF AGATUCCI’S TOM And JERRY CHRISTMAS DRINKS BY TONY AGATUCCI
I asked Tony Agatucci to explain the yearly Tom and Jerry Agatucci’s Christmas tradition and below is Tony detailing the history of this special holiday cocktail. Take it away Tony!
“The recipe came from our great grandfather. I’m not sure where he got it from but that’s the recipe we still use today.
The Tom and Jerry’s were first served at Aggie’s in the late ‘30’s, and seven of the original eight gold-trimmed mugs still survive, not bad for almost 90 years of use! That’s why we only serve the drinks in the original mugs to bar customers only—we need to keep an eye on them and keep them safe! We have another set of vintage mugs that are not quite as old that we serve to our friends dining at tables.
We start serving this classic holiday cocktail the week before Christmas and up until the first of the year. As restaurant owners, Danny and myself genuinely enjoy the happiness this tradition brings to our many friends that come in to share the Christmas joy! We love sharing the tradition with the our regulars that know and look forward to the annual Christmas Tom and Jerry’s. Another aspect is the large number of patrons that have never heard of the drinks. It’s always fun sharing the history and the Tom and Jerry’s to newbies!
There are commercial batters available for purchase at local stores, but they are nowhere close to our classic homemade version—don’t waste your time with that stuff!
These drinks have been a Peoria tradition for almost 90 years...think about that, 90 years! That’s an amazing tribute to so many generations of countless friends through so many years. There’s nothing like the perfect holiday drink shared with our true friends to celebrate the best time of year.
It’s our way of saying ‘Merry Christmas’ in a personal way to the many friends of Agatucci’s!”
Thanks, Tony and now it’s Tom And Jerry Time!
——
Danny Agatcucci Mixes Up A 2022 Agatucci’s Tom And Jerry Christmas Cocktail!
There’s Danny making me up a Tom And Jerry cocktail using their homemade ingredients and special spices.
And here’s Danny serving up this holiday treat in one of the original Agatucci’s Tom And Jerry mugs!
The Tom And Jerry drinks are only available this week before Christmas. Stop in this week to Agatucci’s to enjoy one or three to celebrate this holiday season with a delicious and festive cocktail made exclusively at Agatucci’s!
——
2607 N. University Street
Peoria
309-688-8200
——
Related Posts: Saturday Night @: Mike’s Tavern, Loaded Mediterranean And More! and The Publik House.