Live from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night with this week’s host, Jalapenos and special guest stars, Amber, Joe and Adam and featuring The Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now, please welcome this week’s host from the Metro Centre shopping center, Jalapenos!
We have a ride tonight and it’s my friends Amber and Joe picking me up and here they are in the front seat. Amber is wide-eyed and ready to roll while Joe does his “Blynkin’” impression from, Wynkin’, Blynkin’ and Nod.
Here we are at this week’s Saturday Night dinner destination, Jalapenos!
There’s lots happening here this week: Thursday is a Cinco De Mayo celebration, Saturday Jalapenos opens at 7 in the morning for the Race For The Cure and this Sunday is Mother’s Day and there’s going to be a Mariachi Band playing here! I love those two rocking chairs out front!
The MBIP camera fuzzed out this shot of the front doors. Hate the MBIP camera. HATE HATE HATE it!
As we came in we were greeted first by owner and head chef, Jose and then his pretty wife, Nora came by and said hello. Great to see both of them and Jose said he’d prepare us some of the house specialties for us! Before we eat, let’s take a little tour of Jalapenos.
It’s way bigger than I thought it was in here! There’s the front room and then there’s another room beyond the brick archway and there’s yet another room inside of that one! Jose said that business has been booming and I’m glad to hear that!
There’s also a full bar on the other side of the restaurant with a great selection of beers on tap and in bottles. And of course there’s several styles of specialty margaritas to be had here.
I love all the artwork in here. Jose told me that it’s all original art from Mexico and it really gives the restaurant a genuine Mexican atmosphere and vibe.
This is a wooden Aztec Mexican Calendar on the wall up front behind the cash register. Very cool!
Meanwhile, back at our booth, dinner is starting to appear! Jose started us off with house-made tortilla chips with salsa and chili con carne. The salsa was nice and spicy and the chili con carne was rich, creamy and the beef was spicy and flavorful. A great start!
Next up was the guacamole that’s made table-side by Jose in his custom guacamole cart. The cart is impressive and the guacamole is even more impressive! It’s so creamy and full of taste! Jalapenos is the only place in town to serve up table-side guacamole and if you’ve never had it you definitely need to try it! It’s so tasty and a really fun dining experience!
Next up was the award-winning mini chimichangas with white cheese sauce. These were over the top delicious and the beef inside was so tender and savory! And when I say that these are award-winning that’s not just talk....
That’s a fact! Check out these awards that Jalapenos has received from the Taste Of Peoria festivals!
Suddenly...Adam appears! Great to have him join us at our booth!
Adam made it just in time to enjoy this trio of tasty tacos. The three selections that Jose served us was, Pineapple El Pesto, BBQ and Shrimp. This meal was the best Mexican food I’ve ever had! You can read more about it in the review below, but if you haven’t tried Jalapenos you’re missing out on the best Mexican food in Peoria!
After dinner, Amber took this photo of me in the Corona cutout stand. Cheers!
Then Amber drew a picture on top of her take-out box of what Adam and I first thought was Hitler, which scared us a little bit, but in the end it turned out she drew a portrait of her favorite guy, Joe! Nice artwork, Amber and thanks to Amber, Joe and Adam for driving and hanging out and to Jose and Nora for fantastic food and hospitality at Jalapenos!
I asked Jose if he’d prepare us some of Jalapenos house specialties and he really served us up some great Mexican dishes! We started out with homemade tortilla chips with salsa and chili con carne. The salsa had just the right amount of spice and zing and the chili con carne was warm, rich and flavorful. The beef was savory and very delicious!
Next up was a real treat that I haven’t had since I lived in New York and that was table-side guacamole. Jose expertly crafted this Mexican dish at his custom-made table side cart and as fun as it was watching him make this guacamole, it was even more fun eating it. It’s so rich and creamy and it’s the best guacamole I’ve ever had!
Next up was beef mini chimichangas with a creamy white cheese sauce. These were so tasty and the beef inside was spicy and tender and the rich and creamy warm cheese sauce really was a great compliment to the spicy beef. These won the award for best appetizer at The Taste Of Peoria and I can testify that the judges didn’t make a mistake with that award!
Our final dish was a trio of tasty tacos that included: Pineapple El Pesto, BBQ and Shrimp. They were all delicious and this was such a wonderful meal, thanks to Jose for preparing it for us! It was such a great and authentic Mexican meal!
SN Rating
Four Galloping Gourmets—If you haven’t tried Jalapenos in the Metro Centre you really need to check it out, if you’ve been, I’m sure you’re already a repeat customer! I know I’m coming back!
Jalapenos
4700 N. University Street
Metro Centre
Peoria
309-691-3599
Related Posts: Saturday Night @ Mango Fondue and Grill, Salt and Alexander’s Steakhouse.