We visited the newly-opened
Famous City Bistro in Peoria for a quick dinner one weeknight.
Pulling in to the parking lot from northbound University Street, I saw a yellow arrow painted on the pavement pointing toward me, so I turned to the right and had a bit of difficulty maneuvering into a parking space, but several spaces were open so it was not a big deal.
We noticed their digital sign said they were looking for bartenders, and we were surprised to learn that the restaurant served alcohol. I had expected that it was more of a sandwich shop.
We headed toward a nice outdoor dining area and into the first dining room, which featured a bar along the back wall.
The decor was modern with black leather look chairs flanking the tables and bar. I liked the fluffy looking white clouds painted on the sky blue ceiling, and if I was decorating a condo, I would have to know where they got the beautiful pendant lights over the bar.
We were greeted and taken to a table by the window. We were both pleased with the drink specials for the night, a $4 margarita for me and some sort of beer for StfRon.
The margarita was quite good, better than one I had recently at a Mexican restaurant actually, and came with extra 'rita in a shaker so I could top it off as I enjoyed it.
The menu featured a large selection of sandwiches U.S. cities are famous for, such as a New Orleans po boy, Cape Cod fish and the like.
Noticing that they had hickory smoked selections on the menu, my husband had to know what kind of smoker they used. We found out that the smoker is an Old Hickory and that there was an experienced BBQ competitor on staff manning the ship.
After reading about the Santa Fe grilled chicken sandwich, billed as a grilled chicken breast seasoned with special chili-lime seasoning, served with fresh Pico de Gallo, a cheddar jack blend and topped with sweet chili sauce on a ciabatta roll, I had to give that a try. Nothing on the sandwich overpowered the chicken breast, which was juicy and hot, tucked into the soft Ciabatta roll.
I also tried their smoked baked beans, which were indeed smoky and savory.
My husband enjoyed the Dallas brisket and tried the selection of sauces offered. This sandwich made up for a disappointing BBQ experience he had at a food truck on the riverfront recently.
Our waitress was attentive, making sure we had everything we needed and offered water when my husband declined another beer.
In addition to all of the sandwiches,
Famous City also offers salads, burgers and wraps and plan to start serving breakfast soon. They also feature live music some nights.
