Okay, it’s Friday and that means it’s time for our Friday lunch with a special guest star.

And who is this special guest star this week? Well, just scroll on down and you will find out!

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Bar Number 21: Ulrich’s Rebellion Room, Friday, January 30, 2026

Here we are at Ulrich’s Rebellion Room, which is today’s bar selection for our Friday lunch stop on this 365 series.

Let’s go inside, because like every other day so far, it’s freezing cold out here!

Ah, it’s nice and warm in here and there’s the bar where we’ll settle into for now and as we settle in, there’s the Friday guest star for the afternoon, Phil Luciano!

Many of you may remember Phil for his column and his writing for the PJ Star, but for over a year he has a new job now and he’s the host of his own afternoon radio show on WMBD, The Phil Luciano Show.

The show airs from 3pm to 6pm and it’s a show that’s both entertaining and informational. You should definitely tune in and check it out. He had me on the other week to talk about this new bar series and you can listen to that interview by clicking here.

Great to see Phil and thanks to him for being this week’s special guest star!

Our pretty and friendly waitress for the afternoon was Robin and it was wonderful to meet her.

She took our luncheon order and now it’s time for me to take some photos in here.

Here’s the front communal table in here that has a window view of Main Street in downtown Peoria.

Here’s a shot from the other end of the bar and there’s the large selection of beers on tap.

There’s the dining booth’s opposite the bar.

The chef for today was Stephen from Grill Em All, he’s cooking up tasty food all month long at the 808 Room in East Peoria. I’ll definitely be stopping by to sample some of his food there and you should too!

Stephen is pictured here with Jen and it was great to see both of them on this Friday afternoon!

There’s gaming machines in the back for all of you gamblers out there!

I love the tin ceiling in here and check out the photo of Sullivan’s, which is what this place was back when Mike “Sully” Sullivan owned it. That’s a nice tribute and check out the column that Phil wrote honoring Sully.

And speaking of Phil, here he is back at the bar after I abandoned him to take photos and it looks like it’s about lunch time at the bar!

I got the grilled chicken salad and Phil got a bacon cheeseburger. The food was delicious and…

The bacon on Phil’s cheeseburger was very, very good! Inside joke and you had to be there folks, but sadly you weren’t. Luckily I was and thanks to Robin and everyone at Ulrich’s Rebellion Room for a wonderful afternoon lunch there!

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The Friday Five Luncheon Questions We’re Going To Ask For 52 Weeks! Week Number Three With PHil Luciano!

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One: What’s your favorite luncheon sandwich?

Phil Luciano: A fried bologna sandwich. They used to serve this up at The Trolley, but they took it off the menu. I wish they would bring it back! (Marty’s note: Me too, I love a fried bologna sandwich!

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Two: Does ketchup belong on a hot dog?

No, I do mustard and I highly recommend Johnny G’s Atomic Hot Italian Sausage!

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Three: What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words, “Pillsbury Doughboy?”

Pigs in a Blanket and I love the ones they serve at Hoops!

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Four: Who has better pizza, Chicago or New York?

I’ll go with Chicago and I like their deep dish, but I prefer the tavern style pizza.

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Five: What’s your worst school lunchroom memory?

High school pizza with an ocean of grease!