Live from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger starring multiple hosts this week including: Black Rabbit, B Easy and the MBIP Headquarters and featuring The Ready for Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now, from beautiful downtown Peoria, please welcome all the aforementioned hosts, I don’t feel like typing them all in again.
We’re off and driving to yet another SNC destination that we went to almost exactly a year ago, which is the Black Rabbit restaurant and bar that’s owned by Bruce Saurs. You can check out last year's post right here.
I had to park about five blocks away, I think there’s something going on at the Civic Center and there weren’t any parking places nearby. It’s freezing as fuck out here...I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet...I fucking HATE winter!
Hooray, we’re here! Ten more seconds outside and my camera could’ve gotten frostbitten!
I like the winding entrance/ramp in here that leads you to the bar. And check it out, there’s plenty of places to sit at. And it’s warm in here! So far, so good!
Here’s Stacy, the pretty bartender on duty. The good news is that she’s fast on the draw with an ice-cold Budweiser, the bad news is that since it’s a slow night because of the cold weather outside, they've shut the kitchen down early. At this point, I’m tempted to shut down this edition of SNC, but I’ve decided to drink my beer and weigh my proverbial options. And warm up, of course!
This is the view of the bar from where I’m seated. This is a classic dark bar, a real “Al” bar!
A shot of the quintet of taps behind the bar for Spike and all of you beer afficianodos out there.
After I finished my beer, I had to get a shot of my favorite thing in the Black Rabbit, a signed photo from Joan Jett to owner Bruce Saurs. Very cool!
I've decided to drive around and find something to eat to salvage this edition of SNC.
Look at the green lights up ahead, it looks like a beacon of hope to me!
Check it out, it's Peoria's late-night spot for delicious food to go, B Easy. I've been meaning to stop back here, this was one of the stops on the chili dog tour last summer.
I see a familiar face waving to us behind the door...
It's the owner of B Easy, Brandon Altorfer. He's the man who puts the "B" in B Easy! I asked him for the best selection of food in the place and he suggested the Super Deluxe Italian Beef.
Travis was waiting for his order and he agreed about the Italian Beef being a good selection. He also told me he reads MBIP and enjoyed the frozen pizza challenge from a couple of weeks ago. He told me he was glad that Butch's pizza won. Always great to meet people who are reading the blog!
So I ordered the Italian Beef and here's Brandon taking that order down. I told him it was freezing out here...
And he took pity on me and opened the door, something that rarely happens here!
Yes! I'm in the inner sanctum of B Easy! Let's take a few photos in here.
It's bigger in here than I imagined! There's Paul in the back of the kitchen putting my sandwich together.
And through the magic of the internet, here's Paul with the completed sandwich. Let's take a look...
Wow, it looks unbelievable!
Here's Josh from Ulrich's. We'll be stopping back there in about two weeks, stay tuned for that!
Okay, the sandwich is all packed up, so it's time to say goodbye to Brandon and Paul and head back to MBIP Headquarters and have our SNC meal of the evening!
And we're back at MBIP Headquarters. Time to turn on the heat and try the sandwich, I'm starvin' like Marvin over here! It's been kind of a long night!
Time to bust the sandwich out of the bag.
The cheese has settled into the meat a little, but it still looks fantastic. It's a little cold though...
So it's into the MBIP microwave for a quick warming up.
I also warmed up the au jus and it's time to give the sandwich a tasty bath!
Oh my god, this is one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted! You can read more about it in the review below. The night started out a little shaky, but this is one happy ending! We'll see you all tomorrow!
My Meal
B Easy owner, Brandon suggested the Super Deluxe Italian Beef and the spectacular sandwich lived up to it’s title: It was definitely super deluxe! The sandwich is served on a sturdy yet fresh submarine bun and the Italian Beef is topped with five slices of provolone cheese, a grilled onions and pepper mix and a side of au jus. The beef is so tender it almost melts in your mouth, the au jus really adds to the rich savory flavor with just a hint of sweetness popping out too. This is the best Italian Beef sandwich I’ve ever had in my life and I’ve had them in Little Italy in New York, so that’s a real testament to the Italian Beef Sandwich at B Easy.
In addition to the Italian Beef, B Easy also serves up meatball sandwiches, hot ham and cheese, pizza bread and the Be Easy ‘Dola which if you order the Super Deluxe the ingredients include: ham, salami, American cheese, pepperoni, provolone, capicola and prosciutto. I have to try that next time, stay tuned!
SNC Rating
Four Galloping Gourmets, I challenge you to find a better Italian Beef sandwich anywhere!
Black Rabbit
456 Fulton Street
Peoria
309-713-2406
B Easy
617 Main St
Peoria, IL 61602
309-256-7512
Related Posts: SNC @ Ruby’s, Salt and Castaways Bar & Grill.