Live from Peoria, Illinois, it’s Saturday Night starring tonight’s host, Troy Ummel’s Connected with special guest stars, Frank, Brad, Joy, Nick, Troy and Beth!
Now please welcome tonight’s host, Troy Ummel’s Connected!
While trying to decide on a Saturday night destination for this week, I realized it’s been over five years since I’ve been to Troy Ummel’s Connected! We’re overdue for a visit and meal here and so here we are!
And it’s freezing outside, let’s go in, warm up and start this week’s Saturday night adventure!
Wow, this is something new! Before you enter the restaurant there’s a heated patio with tables and waterfalls out here! This is so cool!
I ran into two familiar faces out here, Frank Abdnour and Brad Erickson! Great to see both of them.
After some conversation we all decided to head in to the bar area for some drinks and Saturday night fun.
As we made our way to the bar, I was pleasantly surprised to see yet another familiar face down at the end of the bar…
It’s Joy who was bartending here when I last visited back in 2015!
She’s looking pretty as ever and told me that she and her boyfriend traveled the country in an RV for a couple of years and now she’s back here.
I mentioned this the last time I posted her picture, but she could be a stunt double for Phoebe Cates! Just look at the picture above and then click here. See what I mean?
And those of you who have seen Fast Times At Ridgemont High are probably thinking about this scene!
A sparkly chandelier hangs overhead underneath the arched wooden ceiling.
Connected has won some prestigious awards over the years, among them a Distinguished Restaurant of North America (DiRoNA) award two years in a row (2018-2019)! You can read about this distinguished honor in this article from Peoria Magazine.
Now let’s go check out the dining room.
This is definitely the most unique dining room in Peoria! It’s like walking into Little Italy in New York City! There’s lights overhead, a working waterfall at one end and a plane hovers above!
I ran into my friend Nick who started working here a few months ago, always great to see his smiling face.
Then I ran into the man himself, Troy Ummel who founded this restaurant over ten years ago! He’s a friendly guy and he’s created one of Peoria’s most distinct and unique restaurants and for that I thank him! It’s people like Troy that helps give Peoria it’s unique character and flavor!
On my way back to the bar I ran into Beth and we both decided to show off our index fingers in this photo. Wonderful to see her, as always!
When I got back to the bar some jumbo shrimp (oxymoron alert) were waiting for me. They were delicious and the sauce was really a tangy treat!
Here’s Joy serving up the main course, Cinghiale, which is wild boar tenderloin medallions with au gratin potatoes. John added some fresh ground pepper from the giganzo pepper shaker. It looks fantastic, let’s dig in!
Oh my god, this is one of the best meals I’ve ever had! You can read more about it in the review below, but I highly recommend this dish!
Troy made me a surprise dessert and here’s John and Joy presenting it to me! It’s a cannoli with Meanwhile Back in Peoria spelled out on the plate in chocolate sauce! How cool is that?
And then John took it a step further and lit up some sparklers at the bar!
What a fantastic star spangled finish to a wonderful evening and an unbelievable meal at Connected!
I started my meal off with the jumbo shrimp which are sautéed in butter and deglazed with Brandy and Sherry. The sauce is extra tangy and it was a tasty way to start off my Saturday meal!
For the main course, I ordered the Cinghiale, which is a house specialty at Connected.
The dish is wild boar tenderloin medallions which are pepper crusted and pan roasted. They’re served in an Indonesian lemon and ginger sweet soy sauce and this is such a flavor-filled dish! The tenderloin medallions were tender, tasty and juicy. They literally melted in my mouth!
They were served with rich and creamy au gratin potatoes and they complimented the tasty tenderloins perfectly!
SN Rating
Four Galloping Gourmets—Troy Ummel’s Connected is one of Peoria’s finest and most unique restaurants. There’s a reason it’s won several national awards and if you’ve never been there, go check it out and try the Cinghiale, your tastebuds will thank you if you do!
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3218 N. Dries Lane
Peoria
309-686-5925
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Related Posts: Saturday Night @: Castle’s Patio Inn, Brienzo’s Wood Fired Pizza and Paparazzi.