Live, from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger, starring this week’s host, Sully’s Pub And Cafe and featuring the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now, please welcome, all the way from beautiful downtown Peoria, Sully’s Pub And Cafe.
Okay, tonight we're off to a bar that's kind of a Peoria institution. Sully's has been in this location in downtown Peoria for decades and it's just a couple of blocks from where I work, so we can walk there. It's just up the block and off to the left.
There's George's Shoeshine And Hatters World Headquarters, I need to go back there, my shoes need a touch up since the last time I was there.
And here we are at Sully's Pub and Cafe, there's lots of people outside and it looks like a lively night here.
Peoria's Irish Embassy, well we'll see about that.
Let's go in and see what's happening on a Saturday night at Sully's.
Wow, it's pretty crowded in here!
After I snapped the first photo, a couple of security guys said I needed to ask permission from the General Manager to take photos in here. They called him over, I learned his name is Darrin, and he graciously gave me permission, so I asked to take his photo and he agreed. And here he is, Darrin, Sully's gracious and nice General Manager!
This side of the main bar is packed, no seats to be had here.
And there's no seats on this side of the bar either. Time to start improvising!
Check it out, there's a space at the end of this sidebar, complete with a fellow wondering why the hell I'm taking a picture of it.
So I zoomed in and got a beer from Maggie, the pretty bartender on duty there, Saturday night.
As I stood at the bar I noticed this small table in the front game room just a few feet away. I asked Maggie if I could sit there and she said I could.
So I went over and put my beer down and had a seat and within minutes...
This cute and friendly waitress appeared bearing a menu! Her name's Kelsey and she's one of the best waitresses in the world! I placed my cheeseburger order and she dutifully turned it in to the kitchen.
While the burger's being prepared, let's take a little tour. Sully's has tons of pictures and memorabilia on the walls. You could spend days looking at all of it.
Wow, check out the giganzo Budweiser sign, I think it's the biggest one in town.
Wooden booths line the walls at the front of the bar.
And of course photos are plastered up here as well.
There's a photo of Willie York, I've been looking for that guy but can't seem to find him. Hopefully he'll pop up one of these days.
Colorful vintage chandeliers hang over the booths and illuminate them.
And sports jerseys hang over the chandeliers, dangling from the ceiling.
Check it out, I think this is one of the original menus from when Sully's first opened back in the '70's!
The dance floor is empty now, but one of the security guys said that after 11PM, it gets a little crazy in here and that it'd be packed in here. I'm hoping to eat my cheeseburger and leave before that happens.
As I made my way back to my table I ran into this couple who were selling Blow Pops, so I bought one. Why not?
Okay, I'm back at my table and here's the view from where I'm seated. I like it back here!
And seconds after sitting back down at my table, tonight's cheeseburger is magically transported my way! Here's a birds-eye-view of the burger and the homemade potato chips that come with it.
Here it is all assembled and ready to be eaten.
It's delicious!
Time for dessert, see you all tomorrow.
My Cheeseburger
Sully’s has a large menu and they feature seven styles of burgers. I chose the “Rajun Cajun,” it sounded good and I knew it would infuriate my spellcheck, so that’s always a winning combination. It was a tasty burger, with Cajun spices heating it up just a tad and topped with Pepper Jack cheese. It was housed within a toasted bakery fresh sesame seed bun. Very delicious!
Other burgers Sully’s offers up are: Sully’s Burger, pretty muc your standard cheeseburger with your choice of cheese; The Black & Bleu Burger; A Patty Melt and The Tavern Burger which is, a half pound burger topped with grilled onions, hickory smoked bacon, cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce. Also on the menu are appetizers, soups, salads, five styles of wraps and over a dozen kinds of fresh sandwiches to choose from.
Cheeseburger Rating
Two and a half Wimpy’s, a delicious cheeseburger.
Further Reading: Phil Luciano, Rate Beer and Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl.
Bonus Linkage: My Brother: Mr. Big Shot!
Journal Star Business Editor and MBIP pal, Steve Tarter wrote an article yesterday about how the internet is affecting car dealerships sales. My brother Tom, who’s the internet manager for Lexus of Peoria is quoted extensively through the article. Hey, Tom, there’s only enough room for one in this family for the title of “Media Whore,” so watch it, fella! Thanks to Steve for a great article, check it out here!