Live, from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night starring this week’s host, Casa de Arte with special guests, Brooke, Arturo, Carla and featuring the art of Jessica Ball!
Now let’s welcome this week’s host, all the way from the Warehouse District in beautiful downtown Peoria, Casa de Arte!
Here we are at Casa de Arte.
I had no idea that this place even existed until I saw on facecrack that they were showing the art of my friend, Jessica Ball this month. I love her art and I checked out their facecrack page and website and found out that they’re only open on Friday and Saturday nights from 5pm to 2am.
And as you can see from the signage, they specialize in art, tequila and tacos. That’s a winning combination and if you’re wondering if they’re serious about their tacos, well, check this out…
Wow, it’s like a Jan Brady taco moment! Taco, taco…taco! Okay, let’s go inside and see what’s happening.
There’s the main dining room and I think that’s where Jessica’s art is on display, but we’ll check that out later.
Right now we need to get to the bar and get a beer. And just like magic, pretty bartender Brooke appeared offering up an ice cold bottle of Modelo beer. I love it when that happens!
Here’s a shot of the back of the bar and as you can see, they have a large selection of beer in here!
This table has sauces and toppings for your tacos.
While wandering around I met the owners of this fine establishment, Arturo and Carla. They told me the limited hours are because they both work full time, but the hours and menu may be expanded as time moves along.
Arturo is an artist and that’s one of his paintings behind them. Very nice!
They told me that there’s also a Mexican Outdoor Market here every Saturday from 10am to 2pm. Check out the facecrack page for that: Tianguis Mexican Outdoor Market.
You order tacos here…
And then when you get back to your seat…
They magically appear!
I got the Volcanes which is a steak taco, with melted Chihuahua cheese and onions on a crispy corn tortilla. It looks fantastic!
I also got an order of Elote which is Mexican street corn. It’s corn topped with mayonnaise, Cojita cheese, Tajin and butter. You can get it on the cob or in a cup. I chose the cup because I didn’t want to be picking corn out of my teeth all night!
This was so tasty! The toppings mixed with the corn gives it a salty flavor and a creamy texture and it’s delicious!
Now on to the main course, the taco!
Wow, this was a fabulous taco! Just a few simple ingredients but so much flavor!
The steak was seasoned and tender and the onions and melted cheese were a nice addition to the flavorful mix. The crispy tortilla gave it some crunch and this was one of the best tacos I’ve ever had!
Casa de Arte features over a half dozen styles of tacos and there’s also a Torta sandwich on the menu along with two styles of Quesadillas.
For dessert they have fresh Churros which are baked dough covered in cinnamon and sugar. And don’t forget the Elote street corn!
For my dessert I decided to get a margarita and it was fabuloso!
And now, I think it’s time…
To talk about the amazing art by Jessica Ball!
This impressive piece was hanging on the wall opposite the bar, but the majority of her art on display in here is…
In the main dining room, which gets lit up later to properly showcase the art. I love the way the lights add to the atmosphere and the art.
Jessica’s abstract art is colorful, bold and filled with emotion.
Here’s a portion of Jessica’s Artist Statement from her website:
“It feels quite natural to visualize color, movement and brush strokes when I listen to music, especially jazz. I close my eyes and I can feel the images. The drive to paint these images is persistent.”
You can read the entire statement by clicking here and check out her facecrack page here.
All the paintings on display are for sale, so if you’re looking to add some colorful and beautiful works of art to your home, apartment or office, stop by and take a look and have a taco…and some tequila!
They have a full length mirror in the bathroom, so I took a full length obligatory bathroom mirror shot!
I’ve been taking these obligatory bathroom mirror shots for over nine years now and I think this is the first full length one! (Scroll down this blog post to see the very first one from January 11, 2010!)
This was quite an exciting moment!
SN Rating: Four Galloping Gourmets—The street corn and Volcanes taco were such a treat! A perfect combination of tasty Mexican food cooked to perfection, I’m definitely coming back for more!
Thanks to Brooke, Arturo, Carla and everyone at Casa de Arte for the wonderful meal, the welcoming hospitality and for supporting the Peoria art community!
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Open Friday and Saturday from 5PM to 2AM
1227 SW Adams Street
Peoria
309-839-2535
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Related Posts: Saturday Night @: Cheese Nuts Brick Oven Pizzeria, Casa Amigos Mexican Restaurant and Paparazzi.