Road Tips

Triple XXX Family Restaurant - West Lafayette, IN

Given the name of the place, one wouldn't immediately think of the Triple XXX in West Lafayette to be a family restaurant.  But the Triple XXX in the name has to do with root beer quality, not the type of films they're showing. 

The Triple XXX Family Restaurant has been an institution in West Lafayette since 1929.  It was built above the levee of the Wabash River near Purdue University (see map) and is the oldest drive-in restaurant in Indiana.  Bert Wright served burgers, root beer and shakes to a number of Purdue students and local residents for a number of years.  Today, Greg Ehresman and his wife, Carrie, run the Triple XXX using the same business practices Bert put in place nearly 80 years ago.  The restaurant really stands out as the main two-story building is painted with orange and black stripes. 

Where the Triple XXX name came from started back in 1895 when Anheuser-Busch - yes, that Anheuser-Busch - established the Galveston Brewing Company in Texas to brew their beers.  The beer was designated as "high quality" and three X's were put on the beer barrels to signify their quality.  When Texas began their own Prohibition in 1916, Galveston Brewing Company was shut down.  However, in it's place, the Southern Brewing Company sprang to life making high quality root beer and ginger ale.  The owners of the Southern Brewing Company trademarked the "XXX" designation, but in their infinite wisdom felt that "if XXX is very good, then Triple XXX must be the very best!"

Triple XXX had a number of "thirst stations" in 35 states primarily across the middle and western parts of the U.S. in the 20's where "distributors" would sell the brands root beer and ginger ale.  When Prohibition ended in 1933, the Galveston Brewing Company came back to life and began to brew beer again.  But the company continued to make the Triple XXX brand of root beer, as well.  It's a pretty fascinating story and to learn more about the Triple XXX brand and full history, click here. 

The Triple XXX in West Lafayette was one of those "thirst stations" and is one of only two remaining remnants of the Triple XXX root beer chain (the other being in Issaquah, WA).  And not much has changed from the time it opened.  The original car port is still in place, as well as the original counter and stools.  It really does have a lot of history behind it.

My first trip to the Triple XXX was in 2001 when we went out to West Lafayette for the Iowa-Purdue football game with our friends Scott and Marcia Schroeder, and Dave and Pat Heusmann.  Scott had heard about the Triple XXX and was intrigued by the place.  It turned out that it was just up the hill from our hotel.  We ate breakfast there on the Sunday morning before we left to go back home.  The inside of the Triple XXX is adorned with pictures of former Purdue athletes and other pictures of the place from over the years.  It is truly a diner in every sense of the way.  Oh, and the breakfast was very good.

On a recent trip between Indianapolis and Chicago, I stopped off in West Lafayette to try one of the Triple XXX cheeseburgers.  Since the opening day in 1929, the Triple XXX grinds their own high quality sirloin meat.  They use real cheese and fresh ingredients for toppings for their burgers.  The menu consists of primarily their "Prime and Choice Cuts", which is the Triple XXX's names for their various burgers and sandwiches.  The Prime Cuts are primarily larger sandwiches and burgers served with "side cuts" (fries), while the Choice Cuts are sandwiches or burgers sold alone. 

And the burgers are not called "burgers" at the Triple XXX.  As they grind their own sirloin, they call them "chop steaks".  So, during my recent visit, I ordered a chop steak with cheese and a glass of the Triple XXX root beer that is still the same recipe after over 90 years. 

As I sat and waited for the burger, I had a sip of the root beer and looked around the place.  The history of the restaurant is told in pictures on the wall of the Triple XXX.  I could just imagine the thousands of students who have sat at the counter having a burger during the noon time, or a late night breakfast after the bars closed.  It's a pretty cool place.

I got my burger, which is cooked on a very old grill top, probably helping lend an even more distinct taste to the burger.  It was moist and tender.  It wasn't all that big after starting out as a 1/4 pound hamburger.  But it was good, nonetheless.  I can't say that it was anything that I would crave, but given the history of the Triple XXX I was very happy to have stopped in and tried one. 

The Triple XXX is one of those cool places that you could just go in and take in the historical experience of the restaurant.  The food is above average and the atmosphere is fun.  The Triple XXX is truly a piece of Americana at its best.

Harry's Chocolate Shop - West Lafayette, IN

One of the more unique bars I've ever been to in the Midwest is Harry's Chocolate Shop near the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette, IN (see map).

From the outside, Harry's isn't much to see.  Inside, it's even worse.  It sort of looks like a Jaycees haunted house that was turned into a bar after Halloween was over.  It's dark, dingy and cramped, and given the amount of beer that has probably been spilled on the floors over the years, it has the smell of a frat house after an all night party. 

But all that just adds to the charm of Harry's, a place that has been open since 1919.

Harry Marack opened Harry's Chocolate Shop as a soda fountain that also served burgers and sandwiches.  After Prohibition was repealed, they applied for one of the first beer and liquor licenses in West Lafayette.  While still selling ice cream sodas and malts, they would be selling beer at the other end of the bar.

Harry Marack, and subsequently, his son, Harry, Jr., ran Harry's through 1977.  Harry Marack, Jr. sold the establishment to Herschel Cook, who also owns (or owned) three other area bars - Wabash Yacht Club, The Pub and The Other Pub.  Cook and his family have run Harry's ever since.

I was in Harry's recently more for nostalgic reasons than anything.  Well, and to have a couple beers.  My first trip to Harry's was about five years ago when we met up with our friends, Scott and Marcia Schroeder, and Dave and Pat Heusmann in West Lafayette for the Iowa/Purdue football game that year.  Scott had read about Harry's and he said that was on his immediate agenda when he got to West Lafayette. 

Harry's has two floors, and upstairs they have an area called "The Fishbowl", which is the center of the universe to students at Purdue.  Getting a seat in the Fishbowl and holding it all night is usually a story of legacy proportions. 

Harry's unofficial motto is "Go Ugly Early" - a take off the old standard college student's rule of if you have to go home with an ugly girl it's better than going home alone.  They have Go Ugly Early shirts, mugs, and other knick-knacks for sale at Harry's.

Another interesting shirt or hat you can buy there is "Harry's - Home of the Great Indoorsman!"  I almost got one of those as many times over the years my wife has questioned my sanity as to why I would like to be inside in a bar on beautiful days.  Harry's is one of those kind of places that you'd like to hang out at even on sunny days.

Harry's gets pretty crowded on the weekends.  We were there both Friday and Saturday night when we were there for the football game.  But it was a fun crowd and we didn't feel out of place either in our Iowa shirts or because we were about 20 years older than most of the people in there.

However, the last time I was there, it was in the middle of he week.  It was early in the evening and pretty tranquil.  I was able to move freely around the place and take a look at the stuff they had on the walls and get an even better feel of how small the joint really is. 

Harry's is truly an institution in West Lafayette and one of the best college beer bars I've ever been to.  If you're ever in the West Lafayette area and looking for a beer, give Harry's a shot.

Lafayette Brewing Company - Lafayette, IN

I was "bird-dogging" recently one evening in Lafayette, IN looking for prospective dealers when I decided to have dinner and a couple beers at the Lafayette Brewing Company in downtown Lafayette (see map). 

Actually, downtown Lafayette is a sleepy place through the week.  With Purdue University across the Wabash River from the Lafayette downtown area, you'd think there'd be a lot of hustle and bustle.  Nope.  It was about as dead as dead can be in terms of people out and about. 

However, the Lafayette Brewing Company was hopping that evening.  It's been in business since 1993 and brew master Greg Emig has won numerous awards for LBC's beers over the years.  They recently expanded their restaurant to the second floor of their building to include a kitchen that specializes in pizzas, a stage area that showcases musical and comedy acts, and a fully restored bar area.

I've eaten at the Lafayette Brewing Company a couple times before and I do like their beers.  Their Prophet's Rock Pale Ale is one of the more hoppy and likable pale ales that I've had.   But I do really like their Piper's Pride - a Scotch ale-style of beer that has a great smoky taste to it. 

They have a dining room that is spacious, including a room that overlooks the brewing vats.  The bar area also features a number of tables including three or four that are next to the large window that looks out onto Main Street.   

I was able to get a seat at the bar that looked right into the brewing room and I ordered up a Prophet's Rock and got a menu.  LBC serves a wide variety of brew pub-style food - sandwiches, appetizers, burgers and salads.  They also serve some interesting entrees including a bison steak that I considered, but knew they couldn't do a bison steak as good as Ted's Montana Grill.

I really didn't know what to get and the waitress said, "It's our 'Smokeshak night'."  She explained that on some nights they feature a smoked entree from a smoker in their back parking lot.  That night they featured a smoked pork loin, sliced and grilled, with new potatoes cooked in olive oil.  I went with that. 

They brought my food out soon thereafter and it was good.  Not great - I thought the grilling they did after they pulled it off the smoker and sliced them into small pieces dried them out too much.  Still, with the Piper's Pride smoked Scotch ale, it was a good meal. 

And cheap, too!  All that sliced pork loin, potatoes on the side and a dinner salad before the dinner, it was $7.95.  A great deal, in my book. 

Another thing I like about Lafayette Brewing Company - they're part of a growing number of restaurants who don't allow smoking.  Actually, they do allow smoking in the place after the kitchen has shut down for the evening.  But they allow no smoking in the upstairs bar area at any time - including during the shows. 

Good beer, good food - the Lafayette Brewing Company is worth a try.