Okay, so far on this meaty journey we’ve had a steak dinner at a seafood restaurant, a grocery store, a former meatpacking warehouse in Galesburg and an Italian restaurant in Toluca. I think it’s time we go to a steakhouse right here in Peoria and not just any steakhouse, but the steakhouse in Peoria and of course I’m talking about Jim’s Steakhouse. This is Peoria’s place for steaks and since this is the first Peoria steakhouse we’re visiting on this tour, I thought I’d invite two special guests for this dinner and the two special guests are Lindsey Mills and Clay Gordon from WMBD News and Good Day Central Illinois. Lindsey and Clay are moving to Portland, Maine in a couple of weeks and they’ve never been to Jim’s Steakhouse, so I thought I’d treat them to a steak dinner at Peoria’s premiere steakhouse as a going away present. So let’s get going to Jim’s for Lindsey and Clay’s first and last steak dinner at Jim’s Steakhouse!
Here we are at Jim’s Steakhouse on Jefferson Street in lovely downtown Peoria! We’ll take the golden elevator (please note obligatory mirror shot in the elevator doors) down to the lower level and baboom, there’s tonight’s guest stars waiting in the foyer, Lindsey Mills and Clay Gordon! They're looking fabulous and it's great to see them as always!
Before we sat at our table we took a look around at the elegant and classy dining room in Jim’s. The Christmas decorations are up and even if you’re a holiday Grinch like me, this place will put you in a festive mood! It looks fantastic and very sparkly!
There’s the owner of Jim’s, Tim Comfort who led us to our table and Mary is our pretty waitress who’s going to be taking our orders and serving us tonight. And she even took the MBIP Camera and snapped a shot of the three of us at our table!
It’s time to get to the meat of the matter now as Chef Todd came to our table with a platter of steaks to choose from. Todd has worked at Jim’s for over two decades and knows the restaurant and the steaks inside and out. He took time to tell us about the philosophy of Jim’s Steakhouse and the time and effort they take to prepare each and every steak. He told us that they have a state-of-the-art broiler that cooks the steaks at a high heat that sears the steaks and gives them a unique flavor that can only be found at Jim’s Steakhouse. After we chatted about steaks, we asked Chef Todd to pick a steak for all of us and he took the challenge! So as he prepares our dinner let’s take a look at one of my favorite places in Peoria and that place is...
The bar at Jim’s Steakhouse! The bar here is like no other in town. It reminds me of an old-school New York steakhouse tavern with the polished wooden bar and the low-lit, dark atmosphere. I love the mirror behind the bar and all of the lights surrounding it. Doing bartender duty tonight are Amanda and Karen looking cute in their Jim’s tuxedo formal-wear!
Behind the bar is an entertaining piano bar with seats surrounding it. Ben and Kate were the featured performers and they were doing a great job and the crowd around the piano were enjoying the music in a lively manner. I recognized one of the people around the piano bar and that was the owner of Hammer’s Bar in Bartonville, Brad Kempthorne with Joann! Great to see both of them and now my sixth sense is telling me to return to our table because I think...
That dinner has begun and here’s the beginning of our dinner: Stuffed mushrooms and a garden fresh salad! It was a tasty start and there’s Mary grinding some fresh pepper for Clay.
The mushrooms and salad were delicious and now Mary is getting ready to serve up our main courses!
Clay’s Dinner
Chef Todd picked out a bone-in filet for Clay and a twice-baked potato topped with melted cheese and seasoning. From the smile on Clay’s face, I think he’s happy with Todd’s selection for him!
Lindsey’s Dinner
As you can see, Lindsey was somewhat overwhelmed with her dinner! Todd went all out with this and since Lindsey’s originally from Boston where seafood is king, he prepared her a surf and turf dinner with crab legs, scallops and a filet. For a side dish she got the au gratin potatoes which are a signature dish here at Jim’s. We were all amazed at the presentation of this meal and Lindsey said it tasted even better than it looks, if you can imagine that!
The MBIP Steak Of The Week!
And now it’s time for that meaty moment of truth, the MBIP Steak of the Week! Chef Todd prepared a bone-in Ribeye and it was so delicious! It was so tender it melted like savory butter in my mouth! Chef Todd told me that the most flavorful portion of the steak was the meat near the bone and he was right! It was the tastiest steak I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. I was so excited about the steak, I forgot to take a picture of my side dish which was a generous helping of Lyonnaise potatoes. They were delicous and a side dish that I’ve never seen offered at any other restaurant in Peoria.
I really didn’t think I could eat another bite, but Chef Todd prepared Cherries Jubilee for us and it was a sweet ending to a fabulous dinner! Lindsey said this was one of those dinners that we’ll all remember forever and she’s right! It’s ingrained in my memory banks and it’s a wonderful and tasty memory that I’ll revisit over and over!
We had a nice chat after dinner with Chef Todd and Mary. This was a wonderful evening and thanks to Chef Todd, Mary and everyone at Jim’s for such a fun evening and three of the best steak dinners in the world! And thanks to Lindsey and Clay for joining me. I’m glad they got to experience Jim’s Steakhouse before they move on to their next chapter of their life in Portland, Maine! We’ll be talking about this dinner on Good Day Central Illinois tomorrow, so be sure to tune in at the eight o'clock hour! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
Steak Rating
Five Elsie the Cows—I had to go one cow over the limit for this meal, it was one that I doubt will be beaten on this steak tour! Jim’s Steakhouse is the place for steaks in Peoria and on Friday night you can go there for their date night special and have a delicious and romantic steak dinner for two for just $59.95! After that you can enjoy live entertainment in the piano bar!
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110 S.W. Jefferson Avenue Peoria
309-673-5300
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Related Posts: Seven Months Of Steak @: Mona’s Italian Restaurant, The Packinghouse Dining Company, Fresco and The Fish House.
Who mistook the steak for chicken?
Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!
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Retrospective Bonus: MBIP On GDCI—A Look Back At LIve TV Fun With Lindsey, CLAY, Lauren and Taylor!
I've had a blast doing segments on Good Day Central Illinois and it all started with this TV Dinner back in January of 2016, almost two years ago!
Then in May of 2016 I made my first guest appearance on Good Day Central Illinois with Lindsey and Clay (Lauren was getting the weather ready for this first segment). My hair was blonde back then and I was a little nervous about doing live TV, but they really made me feel at ease and it was a fun time. They asked me if I wanted to start coming back every couple of weeks and I happily accepted the offer!
I got to spend some time behind the scenes at GDCI and it was interesting to see how they put this live TV show together every morning. I don't think I could handle the stress!
I introduced my roommate Sgt. Sqeak (created by my friend, Amber) on this segment and I also got a look at Clay, Lindsey and Lauren’s desks!
This was a fun Halloween segment from last year where we all put on masks from The Costume Trunk and Lauren did the weather while wearing her mask. Here’s a link to that video.
Things came full circle last year as we had our second TV dinner together at WMBD and you can see a lot of the GDCI segments on this post. Since then Taylor has moved away and Andrew is now producing the show. Clay and Lindsey are moving to Portland, Maine and November 22nd is their last day on the air here in Peoria after being co-anchors for over three years. Mark Welp is now on board at Good Morning Central Illinois with Lauren and another co-anchor who will be introduced soon! We’re all sad to see them leave, but happy for their new broadcasting opportunity in Maine and you can continue to watch them online at WCSH6 in Portland, Maine. Good luck Lindsey and Clay, thanks for the fun and friendship on and off the air! Take good care of Tito in Portland!