Live, from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger starring this week’s host, Agatucci’s and featuring the Ready for Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now please welcome this week’s host, Agatucci’s!
We are off and driving up Main Street towards Agatucci’s. It was one year ago that we went there and sampled a cheeseburger and so now it’s time to return and try something else off the menu. When we started out the MBIP Year Of Pizza at Aggie’s six weeks ago, Tony Agatucci told me the fried chicken there is one of their specialties. I didn’t even know they had fried chicken there, but I think that’s what we’re going to have. Motherclucker!
Here we are, Agatucci’s, hard to believe that it was a year ago that we did the Cheeseburger Saturday Night here. These past 14 months are just a blur of memories and photos.
Okay, let’s get inside, we’re a little late and I want to get my order in before the kitchen closes.
In fact I didn’t even stop to get my traditional opening shot of the bar, I just scrambled, got a seat and ordered up a beer. Here’s Mike who we met here a year ago on the left and on the right is Chris who we met six weeks ago when we started the MBIP Year of Pizza here at Agatucci’s.
And here’s the two guys that run this joint, Tony and Dan Agatucci! Great to see them as always and I found out I was just in time to place my dinner order. And yes Virginia, we are getting the fried chicken! Just for the sheer cluck of it!
Here’s my view from where I’ve settled in at here at the bar, I love the lit up bottles behind the bar in here.
How’s this for service, the dinner order has begun! I got the fried chicken basket and you start off with a salad and some fresh bread. I ordered the house dressing on the salad and it was really tangy and tasty.
Tanner serves up the main course at the bar...
It looks fabulous and smells even better!
Wow, this is great fried chicken! It’s juicy, plump and the batter on the outside is thin and crispy and doesn’t overwhelm the chicken at all. In one bite you get the savory crunch of the outside batter and juicy sweet palette-pleasing taste of the chicken meat on the inside. Wonderful!
I haven’t had fried chicken in a while and this is a real treat, thanks to Tony for suggesting it!
After I ate I was shooting the shit with Tony and Dan and just realzied that they’re going to be closing soon and I haven’t got my photos for this post yet, time to get to work!
Here’s a longshot of the bar, it’s empty because I’m the only customer left in here.
Two of the taps at the bar, nothing too exotic but I like the tap toppers attached to them!
Here’s two more, as you can see from the tap toppers, it’s Cardinals territory in here...how’s about them Cubbies? There’s two more taps but that picture didn’t turn out, I’ll get it next time.
I’ve never been in here when the booths are all empty.
Love the wine bottle lights that hang over the booths.
Look at this trio of goof-offs in the corner over here! It’s Tanner with his co-workers, Meg and Caleb. They’re actually taking a well-deserved break after a tough night of work...or at least that’s what we’ll say, I don’t want to get anyone fired or anything!
Well, it looks like closing time in here, I'm starting to feel like The Thing That Wouldn't Leave!
So I grab my doggie bag, thank Tony and Dan and hit the road.
Check it out, The MBIP Mobile is the last car in the lot.
Just like pizza, one of the true tests of really good fried chicken is to see if it's still good cold, the next day...
And it passes with flying colors! We'll see you all tomorrow!
My Meal
I got the Fried Chicken Basket which is four pieces of chicken (breast, leg, thigh, and wing) deep-fried in Agatucci’s homemade batter. The batter is crispy and they add just a light coating so it’s doesn’t overpower the chicken inside which is plump and juicy. Really good and tasty fried chicken. Tony told me they’ve actually been making fried chicken longer than pizza and this is the original recipe...hey, if it ain’t broken, don’t try and fix it. The basket comes with a heaping order of fries and it also includes a dinner salad and fresh bread. For an extra two bucks you can get the "special" which also includes a side of spaghetti and ravioli. And if you can eat the whole thing in one sitting, I want to know what you smoked before you entered the restaurant and why you didn’t share it with the rest of us!
SNC Rating
Three and a half Galloping Gourmets, a truly tasty and memorable fried chicken dinner!
Related Posts: Saturday Night Cheeseburger @ The Fieldhouse Bar & Grill, Judge’s Chambers and Jimmy’s Bar.
