Before I started this twenty week tenderloin tour in September, I put up a post on facecrack asking people if they had any suggestions and boy did they ever. That post has over 230 comments, check it out here. The very first comment was left by Dan Sutton and he suggested legendary tenderloin bar/restaurant, Schooners in Peoria Heights. So in honor of Dan and the first comment on that porky thread, today we’ll go and try the tenderloin at Schooners.
Off we go into the wild blue yonder to sample the ninth tenderloin in this twenty week tour.
There's the Peoria Public Schools Stadium, WalMart is trying to build a store there, let's hope that never happens.
We're almost within spitting distance of Schooners...
And here we are...
Schooners bar and restaurant. I think that sign has been here since the place first opened. It sure is a classic Peoria place.
Lets go inside and let this portion of the tenderloin tour begin.
There's plenty of seats at the bar, let's snag one and get a beer.
And here's Jen, the friendly bartender on duty serving up that first beer. Cheers!
I love the wooden A-frame ceiling up above, which is adorned with a lot of neon lights. Very cool and makes for a nice atmosphere in here.
Here's Angie offering up a menu at the end of the bar. I ordered the tenderloin and while it's cooking up, let's take a look around in here.
Check it out, they have the same Budweiser Trolley that Mike's Tavern has, hanging from their ceiling.
And they also have another similarity to Mike's and a few other bars around town, a Little Nut Hut!
There's a dining area behind the bar.
Here's Sonia and Tim enjoying lunch at Schooners. They told me they're regulars here and stop by on Sundays here often.
This neon sign is meant as a tribute for da Bears, but the bear looks kind of like a pig to me, which is perfect for this porky post.
Here's a miniature piece of Schooners art on the wall, very cool!
You know it's a classic Peoria bar when they have a Phil Luciano article about them on the wall and Schooners has two, so it's a doubly classic place! Check out the Barstorming video that Phil and Danielle Hatch did on Schooners back in May.
Here's a shot from the back of the bar.
Meanwhile back at the bar, Jen is taking care of business and told me that the tenderloin is just about ready to be served up.
And here it is, what a sight to behold. It's bigger than the head of Alfredo Garcia!
Here it is all fixed up with mustard and pepper. Note that the bun is buttered and toasted, nice touch!
I've moved the bun to the corner of the tenderloin to start eating this massive sandwich.
It's a good breaded pork tenderloin, but no way will I finish this monster sized sandwich in one sitting.
This is as much damage as I could do. I ate the entire bun and about half of the exterior, the rest will be put in a to-go box and we'll sample it tomorrow.
And through the magic of the internet, here we are 24 hours later with yesterday's tenderloin. I had to chop it up into a couple pieces just to fit it into a to-go box.
Here's the tenderloin bringing brought back to life under the broiler.
Next we add some of our treasured Cleveland mustard to the mix.
As always, it almost tastes better the next day, I think that has something to do with the Cleveland mustard.
This is a first, I couldn't finish the leftover tenderloin for lunch, so this will be a treat for after work! See you all tomorrow!
Tenderloin Rating
Two Porky Pigs, it’s classic spot in Peoria and unless you like tenderloin leftovers, bring a couple of people to share the giganzo tenderloin they serve up in here! And you should check out their beer-battered fried chicken, it’s another classic dish at Schooners.
Schooners (Peoria Heights)
730 E War Memorial Drive
Peoria Heights
309-686-9895
Related Posts: Tenderloins @ Bemer’s Village Inn, Sky Harbor, Kenny’s Westside Pub, Hello It’s Me (Tenderloin at Sam Wong’s), The Boar’s Nest, Donnelly’s Pub, Perdue’s Grill and Midway Duck Inn.
