Live from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night starring this week’s host, Old Chicago with special guest stars, Josh, Peyton and Nick. Now please welcome this week’s host, Old Chicago!
Okay, here we are on a freezing ass cold winter night in front of Osaka Hibachi & Sushi Bar in The Shoppes at Grand Prairie. I’ve only eaten here once on a non-blogging night to celebrate my brother Tom’s birthday a few years ago and I really liked the bar area. Since I’m traveling solo tonight I thought it would be nice to hang out at the bar and enjoy some sushi on this cold and wintry evening. I have mentioned how much I fucking hate winter here, haven’t I? Oh, good.
Well, I went in and things didn’t progress much past the front host station. The woman who was the manager of the evening didn’t quite know what a blog was and didn’t seem too thrilled about me taking pictures in there, so after a few minutes of discussion, it was decided that I should take the MBIP Camera and go elsewhere. Quite a cruel and bitter defeat, but hey, these things happen and so...
It’s time to take a lonely walk on this motherfucking freezing-cold evening! It’s getting late and a lot of places are closing by now, so I’m trying to figure out what to do, when I see a red beacon of hope and light on the chilly horizon...
Old Chicago! I’ve been here a couple times before, once for a beer celebration with Peoria Brewing Company and another time to celebrate Mother’s Day with Amber’s mom and family, but I’ve never done a Saturday Night dinner in here. I think now is the time! Let’s get in out of this freezing cold...I have mentioned that I fucking hate winter, right? Oh, good.
Well, the front foyer is quite festive! Check out the lit-up Christmas tree and there’s presents underneath it! Oh, wait, those are pizza boxes...I hope they hand those out before Christmas, the cheese and sauce might congeal by then. Check out the vintage Blatz ad with Liberace! That’s great, never knew Lee was a Blatz man! Okay, let’s go through the double doors and see if we’re welcome in here after being shot down at Osaka!
That’s Josh up front and as you can see he’s waving us in, so it looks like Old Chicago is the place for the evening! I turned the corner and ran into Peyton and she said we’re more than welcome to come in and take photos, hooray! Plus, Old Chicago is open late, so there’s no rush in here. Let’s head over to the bar and begin this Saturday evening!
This is my view from the bar and here’s bartender, Nick with an ice cold can of Pabst. If you want something more adventurous than Pabst, then step this way to...
The Old Chicago World Beer Tour! As you can see, there’s a huge selection of beers on tap, that changes out frequently and they also have a massive selection of bottles and cans in here. Click here for the entire beer menu.
There’s comfortable booths and a banquette behind the bar and it’s time for the Old Chicago Winter Mini Tour, you can get a free hoodie if you complete this tour and the details for that are right here. There’s a large communal table in the back and I think there’s a Christmas party going on back there tonight. I love the trio of vintage framed Guinness posters back here and here’s a shot of the bar from the back of the room.
While I like to hang out in the massive bar area here, there’s an even larger dining area if you prefer that. As you can see there’s lots of booths and tables here for your dining and drinking pleasure. If you come here with small children, I suggest you sit out here because I’ll be back in the bar and that way they won’t bother me and we’ll all be happy!
Here’s the Hall of Foam area. I’m not quite sure how you get one of these gold plaques, but I’m sure if you hunt around on their website you’ll find out the details. I’d research it further, but I’m starving like you know who over here so it’s time to...
Get back to the bar where it looks like dinner is just about going to be served! What perfect timing!
And here’s the first course! I got an appetizer order of the Sausage and Beer Onion Rolls. These almost look like cinnamon rolls, but they’re not! They’re soft dough rolls filled with Italian sausage, onions and a blend of two cheeses. These are on the appetizer menu, but they could be an entree as far as I’m concerned! They’re really tasty and a perfect treat on a winter evening!
For the main course I ordered the Spaghetti Pie. I’ve never seen something like this and it looks so good! It’s a slice of spaghetti that’s been baked as a pie with Alfredo sauce and your choice of sauce below. I got Carbonara sauce and this is so delicious! It’s really rich and satisfying. You can read more about it in the review below, but I highly recommend this! This was a nice bounce-back after getting the heave-ho from Osaka and thanks to everyone at Old Chicago for the wonderful food and welcoming hospitality. And thanks to Luke, (who’s not pictured, as always, ha ha ha!) for help with the dinner and for the ride home and hanging out! Great to see you again! And we’ll see you all tomorrow!
I started off with the Sausage and Beer Onion Rolls and could only eat two of these and got the rest to go! This is a massive order for the appetizer menu, so I suggest you share it. I also suggest you try them out, they’re orbs of freshly baked and filled with a tasty combination of Italian sausage and caramelized onions that are simmered in craft beer. There’s also a combination of pepper jack and mozzarella cheese baked inside the rolls and served with pizza sauce. They’re a delicious way to start out your dinner here!
Pizza is big here and there’s plenty of selections to choose from but since I was a single diner this night, I chose to go with a slice of the Spaghetti PIe and I’m so glad I did! This is really a unique dish and it’s spaghetti served like you’ve never had it before! It’s spaghetti formed into a pie and mixed with a rich Alfredo sauce and a variety of cheeses and you have your choice of a sauce that’s served below the pie. I ordered mine with Carbonara sauce and it was so satisfying and rich! It comes topped with smoky bacon and a slice of garlic bread to mop up the extra sauce with. I really enjoyed this dinner and it was perfect for a winter evening. Next time I may bring a sleeping bag so I don’t have to leave!
SN Rating
Three and a Half Galloping Gourmets—Pizza may be the first thing that enters your mind when you think of Old Chicago and rightfully so, they serve up a variety of tasty pizza pies, but there’s so much more on the menu to choose from besides pizza! I loved the Spaghetti Pie and will definitely sample other of their unique entrees on my next visit!
Old Chicago
7610 North Grand Prairie Drive
(The Shoppes at Grand Prairie)
Peoria
309-691-1885
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Surprise link...click on it, I dare you!
Bonus Link To My Interview On “Tales From The Whiskey City!”
Molly Crusen Bishop interviewed me for her fun and informative radio show, Tales From The Whiskey City on 90.7FM WAZU Peoria radio. You can hear the entire interview by clicking on this link right here: Tales From Whiskey City Interview With Me! Thanks to Molly for a fun interview on her show, it was a blast!