Fieldhouse

The Fieldhouse, formerly known as Gorman's Pub is located at 1200 W. Main St. in the Campustown shopping center. The new restaurant and bar is a massive improvement over Gorman's.

It's a typical sports bar with an extensive menu and a shitload of flatscreen TV's. They also have 3 huge (8 feet by five) projector screens on opposite walls. This is just the front room and there is another bar in back with 2 more big screens and a handful of LCD's. The owners of the Fieldhouse did a fantastic job of gutting and remodeling the building. The only thing that remains of Gorman's is the bar which has been refurbished.

Drinks are a little expensive, however you can get a $3 Coors light 23 oz. everyday. But don't expect to take a shot for cheap, a Jameson straight cost me $4.50. I wasn't that hungry but knew I had better eat because a long night of boozing lay ahead of me so I ordered the garlic fries. They were good but were short on the parmesan, if they had more they would have been a lot better. There are some interesting items on the menu, especially the sandwich known as "The Mess". The Mess is a Texas toast grilled cheese with a 1/3 lb hamburger, grilled ham, fried egg, shredded cheddar and diced onions. Basically, there are more calories in this sandwich than the entire menu at McDonald's. All I can say is God bless America, we are the only country in the world that uses a fried egg as a fucking sandwich topping, take that Al-Quaida!

The Fieldhouse is going to make a lot of money, it's a great environment in a great location, with good food. How the owner of Gorman's managed to run that place into the ground I will never know, maybe he had a coke addiction or something or maybe he was just an idiot. With that many students within walking distance it would seem almost impossible to fail. I don't think The Fieldhouse will have that problem.

I like that this bar pays homage to a Peoria landmark that is now gone. I like it even more that they have enough TV's to literally watch every sporting event that is taking place at any point in time. So if there's a big game or twenty big games that you want to watch, then go to The Fieldhouse. If you feel like having a heart attack or rendering yourself completely worthless for the next 3-4 hours try The Mess, it sounds good if your into that sort of thing, which you probably are because you were born in America. Fuck yeah!

Update: The last time I went here the place was absolutely packed. The garlic fries were much better the second time around and I had a grilled chicken sandwich that was pretty good. My guest said she really liked the sweet potato fries.

Double A's Pizza

Double A's Pizza is located on Willow Knolls Rd. at the corner of Radnor Rd. It is a brand new building that opened up a couple of months ago. I never visited their old location off Pioneer Parkway but I have little doubt that their new digs are an improvement. Upon entering the new Double A's the first thing I noticed is that they have a shitload of flatscreens. I counted twenty, with ten above the bar. Just about every time I drive by this place at night it is packed, especially on the weekends which means over a hundred people. The bar seats about twenty and they have about five or six large booths with probably twenty tables in the middle.

They have decently priced drink specials including four different versions of Hurricanes which sound like they would get you pretty smashed (especially the category four). The food is good but a little over priced, a large Deluxe pizza (basically a supreme) will cost a little under twenty bucks, even though it is only 16 inches across. The pizza is served on a super thin crust (no deep dish here) and cut into squares. It was good but nothing spectacular. They do have some specialty pizzas like Hawaiian and Barbeque Chicken as well as burgers, sandwiches, and a ton of appetizers. They have good wings (get the bone in ones though) but their hottest sauce really isn't that hot.

The fact that this a new location for Double A's probably has a lot to do with their success, as it is in a location where their isn't much else around. Double A's is a great place to take the family to eat or to watch a game with your buddies. However, if you don't like crowded restaurants I would suggest going early and on a weeknight.