We’re up to a dozen weeks with just about a month to go on this cheesy tour. This week we’re stopping in at The Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern which has an entree of BBQ Mac on their House Specialties list on their menu!
That sounds intriguing to me, so let’s head to beautiful downtown Peoria and see what’s shaking down on Water Street at the Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern!
And baboom, through the miracle of these here interwebs, we are here!
We’ll enter over here and there’s the front foyer of the restaurant.
I love their lit-up sign over here on the wall.
We’ll enter though this hallway and of course we need to stop at this photo which always reminds me of this scene in Best In Show. (Skip to the 1:26 mark to see what I’m talking about.)
As I enter the dining room, I think I see a familiar fellow over at this table…
It’s none other than Terry Grawey, this week’s special guest star for our Mac and Cheese episode.
Terry’s been on the blog many times and he’s a talented Hypno-Humorist. You can check out his facecrack page here and he’s featured on IMDb right here.
Always great to see Terry and hang out with him for the afternoon.
We started our lunch out with Blue Duck’s famous chicken wings. We got the Spicy Asian Buffalo Sauced Wings and they were so tasty!
Now I’ll take a few photos of the place while we wait for the main entrees.
There’s the well-stocked bar up front complete with a thirsty duck taking a sip from a bottle of Jack Daniels!
As you can see, they have quite a selection of beers on tap and the menu is sketched out in colorful chalk to the left of the bar on the wall.
There’s tables and chairs opposite the bar along with an elevated dining area in the back and wooden booths line the far walls up in front.
Meanwhile, back at our table our main courses have arrived.
Terry got the Caprese Sandwich which is a sandwich consisting of mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, mixed greens, and a vinaigrette dressing on a fresh torta roll. To keep in line with our Macaroni and Cheese tour, Terry got a side order of the Mac and Cheese.
He loved the sandwich and said the Mac and Cheese was tasty and pretty much your standard Mac and Cheese.
If you want to sample some Mac and Cheese a little more exotic and different, then you need to try the BBQ Mac which is a house specialty.
This dish gives you the choice of brisket, pork belly, pulled pork or pulled chicken for a tasty BBQ topping.
I went with the pork belly and it was crispy on the outside and so tender and juicy as you bit into these saucy and savory pork belly bites. It was a delicious topping and once you eat your way through this tasty meat selection…
There’s a generous portion of Mac and Cheese below!
The barbecue sauce filters down and mixes with the rich mac and cheese and makes a delightful mix of rich cheesy pasta and tangy and spicy barbecue flavor.
It’s really a delicious and unusual style of Mac and Cheese!
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MACARONI AND CHEESE RATING FOR WEEK NUMBER Twelve AT Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern
I think this is the one and only BBQ styled Mac and Cheese in Peoria! It’s delightful and delicious and you need to check it out at Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern in downtown Peorai!
I’ll give this unique and original Mac and Cheese creation a three and a quarter box rating.
Thanks to Terry for being the special guest of the week and thanks to everyone at Blue Duck for the great service and delicious food!
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212 SW Water Street
Peoria
309-981-5801
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Related Posts: MBIP Mac and Cheese Tour @: Country Club BBQ, One World Cafe, Industry Brewing Co., Brasky’s Bar & Grill, Sugar Wood Fired-Bistro, MBIP World Headquarters, Thyme Kitchen + Craft Beer, Hearth, Verandah Cocina Latina, Kenny’s Westside Pub and The Publik House.