Road Tips

The Rock - Springfield, MO

Springfield, MO is one of my all-time favorite cities to travel to.  I've been going there since the mid-80's and it's always been a fun time on each visit.  I have a new account in the area that has been doing some pretty good business for me and I asked them if they'd like to go out to dinner.  One of them suggested a place that had opened in June of last year on Springfield's southeast side - an upscale tavern by the name of The Rock.  We all met up there after a short drive from their office/warehouse.  

The historic Galloway neighborhood of Springfield for years was known as sort of the "bottoms" of the city.  In and around Galloway Village was a large rail yard, a quarry, a fish hatchery and a park.   The rail yard and quarry went away a number of years ago, and much of the area was designated as a flood plain.  However, the city has made a significant upgrade in the area over the past number of years and in 2014 they declared a segment along S. Lone Pine Ave. as blighted opening the way for urban renewal projects.  A developer came in to put in housing, retail shops and restaurants that would be known as Quarry Town.  One of the spots that was available for a restaurant came to the attention of Tim and Jennifer Bair. 

In 2007, Tim and Jennifer Bair borrowed a combined amount of $140,000 from their respective fathers to open Bair's Sports Grille in nearby Republic, MO.  Failure was not an option for the Bairs who knew that it would financially devastate the three families.  Fortunately, things worked out for the Bairs and Bair's Sports Grille became well known for their great burgers.  The one location eventually grew to four around the greater Springfield area and the Bair's also added a spin-off sports bar called T-Bairz, and a little pub in Republic by the name of The Bent Penny Tavern.  The Bair's worked with the Quarry Town developer and opened up a more upscale restaurant to their Bair's Sports Grille locations.  The Rock Food & Friends at The Quarry opened on June 10 of last year, but most locals know it as "The Rock".   

I pulled into the parking lot of The Rock around 6 p.m. on a weekday evening.  (see map)  The parking lot is elevated behind the building and also is used by other businesses and apartments that are in the immediate area.  One of the more interesting vehicles in the parking lot was this 2007 Lincoln Crown Victoria police-issue car that had Beer Patrol decals all over it.  It appeared to be a rolling advertisement for either a local distillery or for drinking beer, in general.   We sort of marveled at both the ingenuity of the vehicle and the possible problems the driver could get into if he'd been drinking a little before getting behind the wheel to head to another bar.  "Only in Springfield," one of my guests mused looking over he car before we turned to walk into the restaurant.  

The Rock's decor is sort of a contemporary industrial look.  Wooden trusses lined a vaulted ceiling above the bar and dining area.  Limestone wall and corner accents were found around the room with a half-wall separating the bar area with high-top tables from the dining area that had low-tops.  Large flat screen televisions were placed around the room giving The Rock sort of an upscale sports pub feeling.  And there was a very nice deck out in front of the place, but it was sort of spitting rain so no one was using it.  

We sat at a table along the half-wall opposite the bar area and were greeted by McKenna, a young lady who would be our server that evening.  They had Kona Big Wave on tap - I immediately liked the place when I found that out - and I ordered one of those up.  One of my guests got the O'Fallon Hemp Hop Rye, a hoppy amber ale made by the O'Fallon Brewery located in the St. Louis suburb of Maryland Heights.  

The menu at The Rock features a number of appetizers and sharable plates.  One of which was the buffalo cauliflower that came highly recommended by one of the guys.  They were about a dozen deep-fried cauliflower tops that were then rolled into a sweet Sriracha sauce.  Chopped celery, cilantro and scallions were mixed in with shredded gruyere cheese.  It was actually very good.  Other appetizers they had included an ahi tuna poké, and peppadew peppers stuffed with blue crabmeat and pork belly seasoned with Cajun spices and finished with boursin cheese.  Now, I really should have ordered that just to see what that was all about.  

The main menu at The Rock consisted of a handful of entrees including a blue crabmeat mac & cheese, lemon pepper chicken, seafood dishes, and steaks.  They had artisan pizzas made with cauliflower crust on the menu at The Rock in addition to a handful of burgers and sandwiches.   A la carte sides such as quinoa, sautéed zucchini sticks, cauliflower rice, and lo mein noodles were on the menu, as well.

One of my guests got the grilled ahi tuna - sushi grade tuna that was seared and served with two sides.  He got the steamed broccoli and the brown rice to go with it.  I didn't get a photo of that, but it looked pretty good.  But I did get a picture of my other guest's choice that evening - the Slab burger.  It was a 1/2 lb. beef patty topped with grilled ham, cheddar cheese slices, sautéed onions and finished off with an apple habanero barbecue sauce all of which came on a toasted brioche bun.  Fries were supposed to come with the burger, but he asked to substitute the steamed broccoli.  My guest had had the Slab burger before and he said it was already his favorite thing on the menu.  

I went with the ahi tuna tacos.  Fries also came on the side with them, but I wasn't interested in either eating the fries nor substituting them out for another side.  It was the same sushi-grade ahi tuna that my guest had and it was served in a soft flour tortilla with chopped tomatoes, a kale slaw, and topped with a garlic/sweet chile "Boom Boom" sauce.  Shredded cheddar cheese was supposed to come on the tacos, but I had our server hold that.   They were actually pretty good.  They had a very rich taste without a hint of fishiness from the ahi tuna and they were very filling.  They hit the spot very well that evening.  

I've eaten at a number of restaurants over the years in the Springfield area and I'm pretty impressed with many that I've tried. The Rock is a nice addition to the restaurant scene in the area, a nice spot for a meal.  I can't say the food was bad, far from it.  But many of the items were derivatives of popular foods found at many restaurants. I thought my ahi tuna tacos were fine, but my guests seemed to really like their meals.  The Rock has a pretty good craft beer list, and the environment was pleasant and comfortable.  I'd say, sure, check it out if you're looking for upscale barfood in a leisurely setting.  

Frankie's Deli - Oakbrook Terrace, IL

Last year, my wife and I had to go into Chicago for a weekend wedding.  We decided to go in a day early and spend the night out in the Oak Brook area.  The next day, I had a conference call to participate in and then some work to finish up in the morning and she went to get a pedicure and manicure at a local spa.  She came back around 11:30 and announced that she was hungry.  It didn't surprise me.  She had a light breakfast and I knew that she would be ready for lunch sooner than later as she, as a creature of habit, has to have three meals a day.  Me - I'm still trying to do my OMAD (one meal a day) diet that has successfully helped keep my weight down after my significant weight loss I started over a year and a half ago.  She said she really didn't need anything more than a sandwich and I looked up delicatessens in the immediate area.  One place popped up that sort of intrigued me - an Italian market and cafe by the name of Frankie's Deli.  And it wasn't that far from the hotel.  After packing up our stuff and hauling it out to the car, I punched in Frankie's Deli's address on my GPS and headed in that direction.  

Frankie's Deli celebrated their 55th anniversary last year as Italian immigrant Frank Conforti, Sr. and his wife, Connie, opened their Italian market and deli in 1964 at the corner of Belmont and Central in Chicago.  The couple moved their market/deli to the Yorktown Shopping Center in 1976.  Their son, Frank, Jr. joined the couple in the business not long after that.  A couple years ago, the Conforti's were asked to move out of their spot at Yorktown and they thought they may have to close their place down.  But they were able to find a spot at the corner of Butterfield Road and Midwest Road in Oakbrook Village.  (see map)  After some remodeling and renovations, Frankie's Deli reopened at their new location in July of last year.  Both Frank Conforti, Sr. and Connie Conforti work part-time at the market/deli, but Frank Conforti, Jr. runs the day-to-day operations.  

We pulled into Frankie's during the height of the noon lunch hour rush.  The parking lot was packed, but we were able to find a spot that someone had just pulled out of in front of the building.  We went inside to get an idea of what we needed to do to get a sandwich for my wife.  

We immediately found aisles filled with all different types of canned vegetables, sauces, pastas, olive oil, balsamic vinegar - everything you'd need for an authentic Italian feast.  Glassed cases of freezers held pre-made Italian specialties including Frankie's Deli's lasagna that comes in containers to feed anywhere from a family of four to a gathering of 30.  I understand Frankie's is famous for their lasagna that is made from a recipe Connie Conforti got from her family as a little girl.  

The deli line was understandably long when we got to the deli counter.  The menu for sandwiches and paninis, as well as soups and salads were on the wall behind the meat case.  Deli meats and cheeses which included house-made Italian beef and Italian sausage were also available to order from the deli counter.  They had hot and cold sandwiches available, as well as a muffuletta-style panini with salami, ham and provolone cheese topped with an olive spread.  We placed our order, grabbed a couple waters and paid for it all at the end of the deli line.  

Even though it was a nice day outside, we decided to eat inside.  Frankie's Deli had a small dining area that featured vintage historical pictures of the city of Chicago on the walls.  We took a seat at one of the tables in the room and got settled in.   

My wife decided upon the Italian sub sandwich.  They make them assembly line-style during the noon rush because they're such a popular choice.  It consisted of salami, capicola, and mortadella topped with provolone cheese, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes and onions and finished with a drizzle of olive oil.  For a side, my wife chose the three-bean salad.  

My wife thought the sandwich was good, but she knew she couldn't eat the whole 8" hoagie.  She offered me half of the sandwich and I couldn't say no.  The hoagie bun was chewy, but had great flavor.  The combination of the Italian meats gave it a nice overall taste.  I may have three or four bites of the sandwich before I called it quits.  We were going out for pizza in downtown Chicago that evening and I didn't want to get filled up earlier in the day.  

We're always on the look-out for a good Italian market and having a deli/cafe attached to the place is a plus.  I'm sort of surprised that I never really knew about Frankie's Deli before this visit as my wife and I have been coming to the Yorktown/Oak Brook area for years before I started to come to Chicago on a regular basis for work.  While the food and cafe are nothing fancy, it was obvious from the crowd in there for the lunch time rush that Frankie's doesn't have to be upscale for it to be successful.  But the Italian products - including pre-made items that can be taken home - would cause me to come back and shop at some point in the future.  Frankie's Deli definitely has it all when it comes to Italian food products.   And they make pretty good sandwiches, too.  

Felix's Pizza Pub - St. Louis

One of my St. Louis accounts had mentioned something to me about Felix's Pizza Pub in the Dogtown neighborhood a few months ago.  I had driven by there a handful of times going to other restaurants in the area and I always wondered about the place.  When I was in St. Louis last fall, I offered to take a couple of guys from my account out for dinner and I suggested Felix's.  Both guys were enthusiastic because they liked Felix's pizza and their selection of craft beer.  Since I was staying at a hotel near the restaurant, we took two cars to have pizza and beers at Felix's.  

Actually, Felix's Pizza Pub has been around for a little over 15 years.  It was formed by a collaboration between two lifelong friends - Steve Kolb and Tom Galbraith - who met while in kindergarten.  In 2004, the two founded Felix's, a upscale pub in Dogtown. One of their first employees, Andy Roesch, decided that he wanted to become a chef and he left to head to the Johnson & Wales culinary school with its main campus in Providence, RI.  

In 2011, Kolb and Galbraith decided to re-brand Felix's into an eclectic pizza-by-the-slice place.  They were able to lure Andy Roesch back to St. Louis after his graduation who grudgingly accepted their offer of a partnership if he would run their kitchen for them.  Roesch had no training in making pizzas, nor did he have any desire to learn how.  Part of the curriculum at Johnson & Wales was a two week course on baking, so that was the only time he was exposed to baking breads.  However, when Kolb and Galbraith described some of the diverse and interesting toppings they wanted to include on their pizza selections, they convinced Roesch to go off to New York to do some research.  Upon returning, it took him awhile, but he was able to perfect the thin crust pizza that makes New York-style pizza so famous.  

In 2014, Kolb (who soon thereafter got married and changed his name to VanderKolb as a combination of his wife's maiden name - Vanderford - and his), Galbraith and Roesch had the chance to expand their place by moving literally across the street to the other corner establishment that once housed Latitude 26, a Tex-Mex restaurant that had recently gone out of business. They were able to expand the menu and the new digs gave them over 1000 square feet of more dining space along with an outdoor patio area.  On top of all that, they re-named their restaurant Felix's Pizza Pub.  

After meeting at their store, I followed the guys to Dogtown to go to Felix's.  (see map)  My past experience with parking in the immediate area reminded me that finding a spot can be dicey, but I happened to find a parking space just down the street on Tamm while the guys parked further down Clayton.   

Inside Felix's Pizza Pub, I found a three-tiered area with the upper level featuring a number of high-top tables, with a short wall that separated that area from the bar.  A number of flat panel televisions were hung on the wall behind the bar and the craft beer list hung at the end of the bar.   

A sloping walk-way went from the front door past the bar and into a lower tiered room.  This area was more cozy and not as lively as the bar area.  One of the guys was telling me that during the annual St. Patrick's Day parade that is held along Clayton, Felix's has a special deal that for $100 per person it's unlimited food, mixed drinks and beer from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with food served in this room.  "We did that the last couple of years and I think they've lost money on me both years because of all the food I've eaten and the drinks I've had," he told me.  

We sat at a high-top table on the upper tier.  I noticed that they had the Urban Chestnut Zwickel on the board and I ordered up one of those.  Our server, a young guy who had a very laid back demeanor, came back to apologize that they were out of the Zwickel.  Then I noticed that they had the Kona Big Wave on tap.  He said, "I know we have that.  I just served one of those to that table over there."  I immediately ordered up one of those.  

Naturally, pizza dominates the menu at Felix's.  But they did have hoagie-style sandwiches such as a braised beef with pepperoncini's and proved cheese, a blackened chicken with pepper jack cheese, and a pulled pork sandwich topped with a cumin cole slaw.  My friend who has been at Felix's for their St. Patrick's Day celebration said that they have great cheeseburgers available on that day only.  

We decided to get an appetizer to start out.  We considered getting the chicken wings that you could get with a choice of a sweet and spicy Thai chile sauce or in a traditional Buffalo wing sauce with a side of jalapeño ranch dressing.  The pulled pork mac & cheese sounded interesting, as did the caprese bread topped with fresh mozzarella, Roma tomato slices, red onion and basil with a balsamic vinaigrette drizzle.  

But we ended up with going with the good ol' St. Louis standby - the toasted ravioli.  Felix's gets their sausage and cheese-stuffed ravioli from Mama Toscano's - a venerable Italian market and deli located on The Hill in St. Louis that are famous for their ravioli.  The ravioli came in a sweet and tangy marinara sauce along with fresh chopped basil.  And they were very good.  

The pizza selections at Felix's are interesting, to say the least.  The Clayton featured smoked chicken, lettuce, tomato, green onions and feta cheese on a coconut red curry base and topped off with a jalapeño ranch dressing.  The Tamm Ave. also had chicken on it, but it was paired with spinach, pepper bacon and artichoke hearts on an alfredo sauce base.  The Art Hill (the pizzas were named for nearby streets, neighborhoods or locations) featured smoked meatballs with fresh basil, green peppers and a ricotta cheese.  

Pizzas were available by the slice for $5.99, or you could get a 12" or a 16" pizza.  I was sort of confused and I'm glad I was there on my first visit with two guys who knew the drill.  I asked if I could get a "make-your-own" slice or did it have to be one of the specialty pizzas to get a slice.  "Whatever you want," one of the guys said.  "They make 'em fresh by the slice, straight out of the oven."  I still couldn't quite wrap my head around that as most slice places that I've been to in my past only let you order what they've made and are under the heat lamp.  

I wanted to try my old standby - sausage, pepperoni and mushroom - but I was also intrigued by the Franz Park, which was Felix's take on a margherita pizza.  I ended up ordering both to start out with.

The sausage, pepperoni and mushroom pizza featured big chunks of Italian sausage with fresh mushrooms and somewhat zippy pepperoni slices.  The crust on the pizza wasn't limp, but it wasn't cracker thin and crisp.  It was a nice balance between crisp and limp.  The sausage, pepperoni and mushroom was good, and I thought about getting a second slice.  But when I took the first bite of the Franz Hill margherita pizza, I had a culinary epiphany.  

The combination of the sliced tomatoes, ricotta cheese, fresh basil and a balsamic drizzle had such a taste sensation that I suddenly didn't care about getting a second slice of the other pizza.  Everything was balanced out where you could easily make out the flavors of the cheese, tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinaigrette.  It tasted so fresh, so invigorating, and so wonderful that I immediately signed up for a second slice.  And after I had my second slice, I had to stop because I would have embarrassed myself in front of my guests had I ordered a third piece.  It was that good.  It completely overwhelmed the sausage, pepperoni and mushroom slice that I started out with.  

My guests both got a slice of the Dogtown - similar to my slice with Italian sausage and pepperoni, but it also had pepper bacon on it.  One of the guys also got a slice of the Murphy Pie - smoked chicken with blue cheese crumbles and green onions, topped with a Buffalo wing sauce and a drizzle of their jalapeño ranch dressing.  It looked pretty interesting, but I'm not big with chicken on a pizza.  My other guest ordered up slice that consisted of Canadian bacon, pepperoncinis, and mozzarella cheese.  The only problem is that the kitchen forgot to make that one up for him.  But he waited patiently and it wasn't long before he got his slice.  Our server told me that the slice would be on the house for the kitchen forgetting to get it made with the other slices.  

I've discovered three or four good little restaurants in the Dogtown area over the past couple of years and Felix's Pizza Pub is definitely in my rotation from here on out.  I can't stop raving about the Franz Hill pizza - their version of a margherita pizza.  It was so fresh and flavorful that I can't imagine having anything else but the Franz Hill on my next visit.  Felix's also had a very good craft beer selection with 21 beers on tap, but they were out of my first choice that particular evening.  Nonetheless, I was able to find another one of my favorite beers on tap to have.  Service was laid back, but professional.  The atmosphere was lively, yet comfortable.  I was happy to finally try Felix's Pizza Pub and I was not disappointed in the least.   

Smoke Shack - Wauwatosa, WI

I was up in Milwaukee last fall and I was staying at a new-ish hotel on the west side of the city.  It turned out that it was part of the Mayfair Collection, a mixed-use development that featured residential, retail shops, and restaurants.  There was a barbecue joint just across the parking lot from the hotel and I decided to give the place a try.  This is my experience at Smoke Shack.  

Smoke Shack is one of the restaurants under the umbrella of the Hospitality Democracy company originally founded by Joe and Angie Sorge.  In addition to Smoke Shack, other Milwaukee area restaurants they oversee include Onesto, Holey Moley doughnut and coffee shop, Blue Bat Kitchen and the popular burger joint A.J. Bombers.  (Click here to see the Road Tips entry on A.J. Bombers.)  Joe Sorge is a New York native whose family had deep ties to the restaurant business.  Sorge went to Cornell University to study hospitality management before working at a handful of restaurants, then moving to Milwaukee with his wife in 2000.  Sorge started Hospitality Democracy with help from Marcus Investments, a Milwaukee-based capital investment firm with roots in movie theaters, hotels and restaurants.  

The original Smoke Shack opened in 2010 in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward as a collaborative effort between Sorge, Street-za Pizza owner Scott Baitinger, and developer Robert Joseph.  Smoke Shack's downtown Milwaukee location wasn't large - it could only hold less than 50 patrons - but business exceeded Sorge's wildest dreams after it opened.  

A little over 6 years ago, ground was broke in suburban Wauwatosa for a multi-use shopping, entertainment, and residential district called The Mayfair Connection.   Sorge was approached about putting some of his restaurants in the complex and in late 2016, Smoke Shack, A.J. Bombers, and the coffee/donut shop Holey Moley opened in a shared building.  

In the summer of 2018, it was announced that Joe and Angie Sorge were leaving the Hospitality Democracy group after being bought out by Marcus Investments.  The Sorge's founded their own restaurant consulting firm - SideWork Hospitality Consulting - later that year and continue to work with restaurants in the greater Milwaukee area.    

The Wauwatosa location of Smoke Shack is just north of Burleigh St. next to Interstate 41.  (see map)  There's a parking garage very near the restaurant with lot parking across a four-lane road that feeds cars in and out of The Mayfair Collection.  I walked across the parking lot in front of the hotel and passed by the outdoor seating area at Smoke Shack.  It featured a fire pit and a bar area under a canopy that was fronted by corrugated metal sheets.  It looked like it would be a nice area to hang if the weather was warm - which it really wasn't that fall evening.  

Inside Smoke Shack, the decor was sort of a contemporary rustic theme.  There appeared to be a lot of reclaimed barn board used in the bar and along the walls of the place with corrugated metal panels mixed in.  Opposite the bar was a number of tables in a small narrow nook-type area.  On a wall above a couple tables in an alcove were a number of bicycle handlebars - ram-horn, butterfly, and regular handlebars - that were on wood mounts to sort of parody big-game horns or racks.  I got a chuckle out of it.  

I sat at the bar and was greeted by Erika who was working behind the bar that evening.  She gave me a menu to look over and I took a look at the beer selection they had to offer in the glass-doored refrigerator behind the bar.  I saw that they had Surly Furious IPA in 16 oz. cans and I ordered up one of those.  

It's pretty basic barbecue offerings at Smoke Shack - baby back ribs, pulled pork, brisket, smoked chicken and smoked sausage.  Sides included sweet and spicy baked beans, cole slaw, sweet potato fries, and chipotle creamed corn.  Sandwiches included a brisket Sloppy Joe, a pulled pork sandwich topped with pimento mac & cheese (which was also a side choice), and a sandwich called the "Shack Daddy" that featured ham, brisket and sausage.  They had appetizers on the menu including burnt ends (of which they were out of that evening), smoked chicken wings, and something they called "Kansas City Eggrolls" which featured Iowa pulled pork and Monterey jack cheese with honey mustard and served with Smoke Shack's Kansas City-style sweet and smokey sauce.  

For my dinner that evening, I got the pulled pork and brisket combination.  For my side, I got the baked beans.   They had four different types of sauces to choose from - the aforementioned sweet and smokey Kansas City-style sauce, a Carolina-style mustard and vinegar sauce (of which I don't care for), a Texas-style sauce that was basically the Kansas City-style sauce with a bit of a kick, a house barbecue sauce that - well, I'll get into that later, and a habanero sauce that I figured I'd give a try.

Now, do you ever look at something that is served to you and it doesn't take much to tell you that this may not be very good?  That's sort of how I felt when the barbecue plate was set down in front of me.  I could tell that this would not be a very good meal from the first glance at the meat.  

And my eyes certainly didn't lie - it was pretty bad.  The pulled pork was lifeless and bland.  The brisket was dry and tasted like it had been left in a crock pot a little too long.  Neither had any smoke flavor to them.  And the baked beans seemed like they had opened a can of Van Camp's pork and beans, poured them in a bowl and heated them up.  They were neither sweet or spicy.  

Even the sauces couldn't help this meal.  The Kansas City-style sweet sauce was not very good.  And since the Texas-style sauce was based off the Kansas City-style sauce, even with a bit of a spicy kick on the back side, it couldn't have been saved.  The house sauce - which is supposed to be a little bit of everything - was completely blah in taste.  And I had to try the habanero sauce just to see how spicy it was.  It wasn't spicy at all and it was very flat in flavor.   The meal was highly disappointing.  

I understand that Smoke Shack has won numerous "people's choice" awards for having the best barbecue in Milwaukee since they opened in 2010, but I have to say the meal I had at the Wauwatosa location was some of the most disappointing barbecue I've encountered in my years of travel.  The meat was lifeless and bland with nary a hint of a smokey barbecue taste, the baked beans were akin to the canned variety, and I found their sauces to be pretty flat and underwhelming in their flavor.  While Smoke Shack is a nice place with their rustic decor, their barbecue was pretty mediocre - if that.   And that's too bad as I had high hopes for the place.  

Bourbons Bar & Grill - Coal Valley, IL

For awhile now, my wife and I have been on a quest to find a place that has a good burger along with a good selection of craft beers in the Quad Cities.  She had mentioned a place clear over in Coal Valley, a small community on the far southeast side of the Quad City area.  I read up on it and on a Sunday afternoon we headed over to Bourbons Bar & Grill.  

Troy and Shelley Shehorn lived in the Coal Valley area and loved to go to a neighborhood bar there called Headquarters.   Shelley was an accountant by trade and Troy was self-employed.  A few years ago, Headquarters went up for sale and the Shehorn's thought it would be fun to own the bar.  However, after weeks of negotiations, the deal fell through.  

But the Shehorn's always kept an eye on the property and when it became available for sale in the fall of October 2016, they didn't hesitate this time.  They knew they could do something with the little neighborhood bar in terms of food and drink, focusing on Troy's love for barbecue and bourbon.  But first they had to do some renovations.

The building, itself, dates back to the 1890's with the original tin ceiling still intact.  The Shehorn's brought in over 10 tons of stone for walls and accents, and they installed cedar panels for walls and trim around the stone walls.  They renovated the kitchen and bar area, a meat smoker was installed in the back, and they put up about a half-dozen large screen flat panel televisions around the place.  By March of 2018, Bourbons Bar & Grill was ready to open to the public.  

It was around 2 p.m. when we pulled up to Bourbons which is located near the corner of 1st Street and E. 22nd Ave. A in Coal Valley.  (see map)  We parked in front of the building, but there's ample parking off to the side.   From the outside, the building is pretty nondescript with a couple beer signs in the window.  But upon entering Bourbons, we found a cozy and inviting space that featured a number of tables in the center of the bar with a nice three-sided bar off to the side.  The combination of the lights from beer signs and the glow of the televisions with some accent lighting along the walls gave the bar a colorful glow.

We took a seat at a table toward the back of the dining area of the bar.  Our server that day - a pleasant and helpful lady by the name of Jane - came over to greet us and to drop off a couple menus.  They had a pretty good craft beer list and I saw that they had Kona Big Wave.  I asked Jane if their bloody mary's were good and she said, "Oh, yeah.  We load 'em up."  I ordered a Big Wave and a bloody mary.  The "packed" bloody mary featured a thick and zesty mix served in a salt-rimmed glass.  A skewer of green olives, pickles, salami and cubed cheese came on top of the bloody mary glass.  And it was a very good bloody mary.  My wife got her usual cranberry juice and Tito's vodka - light on the cranberry juice.  

The menu at Bourbons wasn't all that large, but most of the items they had sounded pretty interesting.  Appetizers included jalapeño poppers, fried portobello mushrooms, and fried avocado wedges which caught the eye of my wife.  They had sandwiches such as grilled or breaded pork tenderloins, and a grilled chicken sandwich topped with bacon and a house-made bourbon barbecue sauce.  They had four different burgers on the menu, along with fish and chips, chicken strips, and a four-piece broasted chicken dinner.  Pizzas (I understand they're Quad City-style, which we don't care for) and calzones are also available.  On Thursday night, they have barbecued rib dinners as a special.  

My wife wanted to try their pulled pork sandwich.  They smoke the pork shoulders at Bourbons with hickory and it's slow-cooked and shredded.   The barbecue pork is placed on a toasted brioche bun and topped with their house-made bourbon barbecue sauce, cole slaw and an onion ring.  She had a choice of sides that came with the sandwich which included French fries, seasoned waffle fries, bourbon baked beans, or cottage cheese.  She ended up getting the macaroni salad.  She thought the barbecue pulled pork sandwich was very good.  

Of course, I was looking to try one of their burgers and I ended up getting their mushroom burger.  For some reason, I thought that I would be getting sautéed mushrooms, but the menu said the burger was topped with fried mushrooms.  They were portobello mushroom strips, similar to the ones they serve as appetizers.  The burger patty was topped with provolone cheese and an aioli sauce.  I asked Jane if I could get some bacon on my burger and she said that it was no problem.  I also got a side of onion rings for a $1 dollar upcharge.  

I ended up taking the mushroom strips off the burger and just having it with the bacon and cheese. The burger was very good.  It was juicy and flavorful, and the bun held together well for what turned out to be a multiple-napkin burger.  The onion rings were pretty good as well.  They had an abundance of beer-batter on them - almost too much, even if you like beer-battered onion rings - and I found them to be a little too salty for my taste.  

A few weeks after our first trip to Bourbons, my wife's son came to visit us on a Sunday.  He had just come back from Cincinnati for a factory training session he took part in, and he was telling us that the factory guys took the group out to a couple bourbon bars in Newport, KY, just across the river from Cincinnati.  We were telling him about Bourbons in Coal Valley and he is much more into bourbons than my wife and I are.  But he was intrigued enough that we took him over there for lunch.  

On this visit, he got to look at the over 120 different bourbons that they offer at Bourbons Bar & Grill.  In fact, we had a nice conversation with Shelley Shehorn about her husband's love for bourbon, the trips they have taken that have centered on bourbon-centric bars and restaurants, and she compared notes with my step-son on the more expensive bourbons that are out there.  Once again, I'm not well-versed on bourbons at all, but my step-son was telling her about a Pappy Van Winkle bourbon that one of the places across the river from Cincinnati he went to had for $500 a shot.  Shelley Shehorn said that she was familiar with that bourbon, but they didn't have that particular liquor at their bar.  "We're working up to it, though," she told us.  "We're slowly getting the reputation for good bourbons and we're starting to become a destination for some bourbon lovers."  She said that the highest priced bourbon they have is about $80 bucks a shot.

We've found some pretty good places over in the Illinois Quad Cities over the past few months that have good burgers, a good craft beer list, and good bloody mary's.  I'd have to put Bourbons Bar & Grill toward the top of that list.  The only problem is that it's about a 20 minute drive for us, and with the I-74 bridge work going on, it's even longer to cross the river to go back home.   But to us, it's worth the drive.  The atmosphere is cozy and comfortable, the service that we've experienced on our visits has alway been friendly and folksy, and the food is interesting and a step or two above your typical bar food in taste and quality.  I wish Bourbons was a lot closer to our house because it would be the kind of place where I'd like to hang out.   

Stroud's - Kansas City

Sometimes, I start a blog post and I completely get waylaid by other entries that I'd like to do first.  The next thing I know, I completely forget about going back and doing the original post.  That happened in this instance with this entry on Stroud's in Kansas City.  A friend was traveling to KC last fall and I tried to redirect her to my entry on Stroud's on Road Tips.  However, I couldn't find it.  I went back into my lists of posts and found out that not only hadn't I published the post, I hadn't even finished the thing!  So, as they say, better late than never as I now publish my entry on my visit from the spring of 2018 to the venerable Stroud's in Kansas City.  

In 1933, Prohibition ended in December of that year and it also meant the opening of a small barbecue and beer place by Guy and Helen Stroud in what was then a somewhat rural area on the far south side of Kansas City, Missouri.  Helen Stroud was a lawyer by profession, so she really had no training as a cook.  Nor did Guy Stroud.  But they thought a little road side place outside the Kansas City limits that would serve barbecue and beer would be a popular place.  And, as it turned out, it was very popular.  

The Stroud's ran it as a barbecue joint until 1942 when beef and pork were rationed during World War II.  Chickens were plentiful, however, and Helen Stroud started to make pan-fried chicken dinners that she sold for the whopping price of 35 cents each.  The chicken dinners were such a hit that Helen Stroud ended up hiring two ladies from the South who fine-tuned the process of frying chicken at Stroud's.  

In 1977, Stroud's was bought by Jim Hogan and Mike Donegan, two bartenders at Kelly's Westport Inn.  They acquired a couple of cookbooks with handwritten notes from Helen Stroud and they set out to continue the success Stroud's had with their famous pan-fried chicken.  In 1983, the two had an opportunity to buy another restaurant on the north side of Kansas City, Oak Ridge Manor, whose history as an eating/gathering establishment went back over 100 years.  And someone else wanted in on the deal, too.

Mike Donegan's twin brother, Dennis, had been traveling the country as the lead opening manager for Victoria Station restaurants that were popping up all over the country.  Dennis had just finished up opening two Victoria Station restaurants in Honolulu and decided that he was tired of being on the road.  Dennis bought into the operation and the three bought the restaurant and renamed it as Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor.  In 1992, the Donegan's and Hogan franchised a third Stroud's in Wichita.  Local businessmen Bill Shea and brothers Doug and Troy Farha owned the Wichita location.  

Over the years, Stroud's won many local awards for their pan-fried chicken, but in 1998 the restaurant was recognized by the prestigious James Beard Foundation for their inaugural "American Classics" award.  Stroud's award continues to be the only James Beard recognition given to a restaurant in Kansas City.  

In 2000, the Donegan twins bought Jim Hogan out of his shares of Stroud's.  Then a number of changes took place...

Not long after the Donegan's took control of Stroud's, Dennis Donegan was diagnosed with cancer.  He passed away in 2004 after a valiant three-and-a-half-year battle.  Mike Donegan soldiered on with the Stroud's restaurants.

Pictured right - Mike Donegan

In 2006, Donegan closed down the original Stroud's in south Kansas City, and two years later he opened a new location in the Kansas City, KS suburb of Fairway.  In 2013, the local restaurant group KC Hopps (Blue Moose, O'Dowd's, Barley's Kitchen + Tap) bought into the Fairway location.  (Donegan continued to solely own the Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor location.)  In 2014, the Stroud's/KC Hopps group opened a location in Overland Park, KS.  And in 2016, the group opened an Omaha, NE location - the first one outside of Kansas or Missouri.  However, Stroud's pan-fried chicken didn't go over well with Nebraskan's who love their beef and that Stroud's closed in late 2017.  

In October of 2019, the Stroud's/KC Hopps group closed down the Fairway location citing an uneasiness over proposed development in the area and the high cost of renovating the restaurant and property around the building.  And, of course, it was the Fairway location that I went to in the spring of 2018, pulling up to the place just off Shawnee Mission Parkway just after noon.  (see map) 

The interior of the Stroud's in Fairway had sort of a rustic/farmhouse motif.  Checked table cloths covered sturdy wooden tables throughout the restaurant.  Large windows along the south and west side of the building allowed for the natural light to brighten the room.  

There was a nice bar area on the other side of a half-wall that separated it with the dining room.  I momentarily thought about sitting at the bar as there was an afternoon baseball game from St. Louis on the television, but I soon found out that there wasn't a bartender on duty.  

I was seated at a booth along the west side of the dining room.  A nice lady by the name of Olivia came over to drop off a lunch menu for me.  The lunch menu is basically a condensed version of Stroud's dinner menu which is served family-style with a salad or homemade chicken noodle soup, a choice of potato, their green beans with chunks of ham and chopped onions, a chicken gravy and homemade cinnamon rolls.  The lunch menu does feature some of the evening entree items, but they also feature burgers and either grilled or fried chicken sandwiches, a number of spicy hot chicken selections, salads and appetizers.  Stroud's is also somewhat famous for their house-made chicken noodle soup.  

I wanted to try their two-piece lunch special and I asked my server if I could get two legs instead of the standard breast and leg.  She said it was no problem.  (I was at the start of my diet that has, so far, allowed me to lose over 60 pounds.)  I did get a choice of potatoes and I took the mashed potatoes and, somewhat surprisingly, she also brought out a bowl of their green beans with ham and onions mixed in  A small bowl of the chicken gravy and a cinnamon roll - more of a sticky bun - came with the meal.  I also got a Boulevard Pale Ale to go along with the meal.  

Because the chicken is pan-fried at Stroud's, it takes a little longer for meals to show up.  And that was fine with me.  The chicken was piping hot when it came to the table.  It had a great tasting coating to the outer core of the chicken legs, but they were pretty small compared to fried chicken legs that I've had at other places.  Actually, I should have gotten the breast and a leg because there would have been more meat available.   Hodak's in St. Louis continues to be my gold standard for fried chicken (click here to see the Road Tips entry on Hodak's), and while the chicken at Stroud's was very good, it didn't compare to the fried chicken I've had at Hodak's.  I had a little bit of the mashed potatoes with a spot of gravy to give them a try and they were fine.  But the green beans mixed with chunks of cooked ham and onions were yummy.

While this Stroud's location is now closed, you can still go to the Overland Park Stroud's (see map) and the North Kansas City Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor (see map).  I understand that the staff at the Fairway Stroud's were offered positions at the two other locations in the area, so I'm hoping my friendly server was able to stay on board.  The food at Stroud's is good ol' down-home-style cooking and their fried chicken is nationally renown.  For a place that started out as a small barbecue and beer joint over 85 years ago, their fried chicken has been the common thread legacy that has been enjoyed by generations in the greater Kansas City region.  

Republic - Minneapolis

I have an account in the Twin Cities who I like to go out to eat with.  He's turned me on to a number of restaurants over the years and when I told him that I wanted to go out to dinner on my upcoming visit to Minneapolis, I asked him to figure out a place we could go.  He picked out a place in Minneapolis' Seven Corners area of the West Bank called Republic.  He said it had a great craft beer selection and was one of his favorite places to eat.  We met up there on a cool fall Wednesday evening around 7 p.m.  

The Cedar-Riverside neighborhood on the west bank of the Mississippi River in which encompasses Seven Corners is a historically cultural melting pot of immigrants primarily from Scandinavia, but Germans and Eastern Europeans also moved into the area in the early to mid-20th century.  By the 50's, the area had gotten a little seedy with a number of bars lining the streets.  However, by the late 60's, Seven Corners sort of became the focal point of the counter-culture movement fostered by students at the nearby University of Minnesota.  More bars popped up in the area in the 70's that would cater to students and one of the more popular ones was a place called Sgt. Preston's.  Along with Bullwinkle's and Grandma's, Sgt. Preston's - famous for their 100 ounce "fishbowl" drinks and pizza buffet - Seven Corners was the place to hang on the West Bank if you were a college student.   

Developers, however, began to see the area as much more than a place for college kids to meet up.  Grandma's closed in 2008 and the building was demolished for condo's, Bullwinkle's closed in early 2011 (it reopened in 2016 under new ownership), and a handful of more craft beer-centric establishments began to pop up in the neighborhood.  Undergrads who frequented the bars were being replaced by young professionals and graduate students who were living in new housing that had popped up in the neighborhood.  A new owner had purchased Sgt. Preston's in 2008 and changed the name to Preston's Urban Bar.  The new owner tried to make it more of a craft beer bar, but the aged and tired place couldn't sustain the level of business needed to turn the tide.  But two guys who had been friends since high school - Matty O'Reilly and Rick Guntzel - saw an opportunity in the location when they bought Preston's in the spring of 2011.  

Matty O'Reilly was a good athlete growing up - he even felt he may have had a chance at a professional basketball career until a shoulder injury ended that notion.  He thought that he may become a teacher and a coach, but that really never came to fruition, either.  He had been working in restaurants all through high school and into his college years at Hamline University in St. Paul.  But his cousin, Tom Peterson, was really the one who opened up the restaurant world for O'Reilly.  Peterson had been in the restaurant industry for a number of years helping O'Reilly get jobs at places that Peterson worked for.  In 2004, Peterson and O'Reilly opened 318 Cafe, a small cafe/coffeehouse that also presented live musical performances from time to time.  From there, Peterson and O'Reilly opened Aster Cafe, a slightly larger restaurant and live music venue than 318 Cafe, but with the same m.o.  

Pictured right - Matty O'Reilly.  Photo courtesy Opentable - Open for Business blog site.  

When Preston's came up for sale, O'Reilly recruited his longtime friend, Rick Guntzel, to help him with the venture.  When the two took over the business, they had to do most of the work by themselves as they only were able to get about $25,000 each to put into the place.  O'Reilly and Guntzel took down the dozens of tacky looking beer posters, took out the video games, and the multiple flat-screen televisions that were tuned to sports from the time the doors were opened to the time they were locked.  They found that the original tin panels were still in the ceiling and left them exposed.  But after taking down a huge sign behind the bar touting Preston's pizza buffet, they found a beautiful multi-colored stained-glass window that they couldn't believe previous owners had kept hidden.  He did away with the huge fish bowl drinks that were popular with college students and put in a 32 tap system that would serve craft beers.   And with a new name and concept, Republic opened in June of 2011.  

Not everyone was happy with Republic's appearance at Seven Corners.  The clientele who had been coming there for years for fishbowls and to watch sports didn't like the changes.  O'Reilly and Guntzel had even kept the big game mounts of deer, beer and buffalo heads to kind of keep some reminder of Preston's, but it never really went over with the old regulars.  But it didn't take long for others to discover Republic who soon got a reputation as being a place where students, young professionals and every day people could come in and get a good meal along with a craft beer at a fair price.  And starting in 2013 and every year since, Draft Magazine named Republic as one of the top beer bars in America. 

(In 2016, Republic partnered with SSP America, which operates restaurants at nearly three dozen airports around the U.S. and Canada, to open a location at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport.  Matty O'Reilly was (and/or, still is) also involved in other restaurants around the Twin Cities such as Red River Kitchen, Como Park Eatery (now called Spring Cafe), The Strip Club (steak and seafood), Bar Brigade, and Delicata.)  

I had a bit of trouble finding parking around Republic as there are a number of other businesses in the area.  (see map)   I was able to find some on-street parking on S. 3rd St. about a block and a half away from Republic.  When I walked up through the courtyard where S. 3rd., Cedar and Washington come together and past the outdoor patio, I saw my friend out front talking on the phone.  As I walked past him and gave him a fist bump, he mouthed, "I'm sitting at the bar."  

Once inside, I found a long walnut-faced bar with antique-style lights  overhead that they dimmed later in the evening - it was almost too dark in there to eat.  The very ornate back bar had the wonderful stained glass window toward the top.  A row of high-top tables were opposite the bar along a brick wall.  There was a back dining room and an upstair area at Republic.  It was a weeknight and there was a smattering of patrons throughout the place.  One of the larger tables toward the back had a party of 8 or 10 people who were pretty boisterous.  It was actually a very nice place with stately decor.  

I found where my guest was seated - the only empty seat at the bar with a beer in front of it, I guessed correctly.  He came in to greet me and our bartender came over to greet me.  He gave me a listing of beers they had on tap and I took a quick look through it.  The tap list was pretty extensive - it featured about 60 different types of beers, ciders, sours and seltzers available.  They had beer flights available if you wanted to try different types of beers.  Many of the beers were local or from Midwest craft brewers, but they did have beers on tap from Crooked Stave (Denver), Ballast Point, and Stone (both from San Diego).   

I asked if I could try just a couple and the bartender was amenable to that.  I got a small sample of the Lupulin Hooey IPA out of Big Lake, MN, a small town north and west of the Twin Cities.  I also tried the Bell's Official Hazy IPA which wasn't all that hazy.  But it was good.  I did like the Lupulin Hooey IPA, however.  (So much so, that I picked some up at Total Wine and More the next day to take home with me.)  My guest was drinking the Lulupin Hazy IPA that they had on special that evening for $4 a pint.  It was a seasonal beer and they were trying to get it out of their rotation so they could start putting in other seasonal beers for the fall.  

The food menu at Republic was varied, but it wasn't all that deep.  They had a number of burgers and sandwiches on the menu, as well as a handful of tacos including fish tacos and Korean-style barbecue duck tacos.  The short entree list featured grilled salmon, blackened walleye and a beer-battered fish and chips.  Appetizers such as chicken wings and poutine were available, as were a few salads including a steak salad and a Korean duck salad.

I was sort of intrigued by some of the burgers and sandwiches - the Wisconsin Cleanse Diet burger had cheese curds and melted beer cheese on top of a beef patty.  They also had a ground duck and pork burger on the menu, along with a bacon, fried egg, lettuce and tomato sandwich.  The Rodeo Clown burger featured a beef patty topped with pulled pork, cheddar cheese, an onion ring and barbecue sauce.  It was a pretty interesting menu, to say the least.  

My guest got the buttermilk fried chicken breast sandwich.  It was topped with a spicy cole slaw and served with an aioli on the side along with French fries.  He said the chicken breast was tasty and had a nice outer crunch with each bite.  

In the long run, I figured out that I didn't really want to get a sandwich or a burger, so I went with the pulled pork and rice bowl.  Curiously, however, there was no rice underneath the generous amount of pulled pork in the bowl.  Actually, it didn't really matter to me as the pulled pork was topped with corn strips, and a fried egg, with black beans, red peppers and poblano peppers mixed in.  A large slice of avocado came on the side.  It was actually very good.  The bartender said, "You probably want some Cholula with that," when I ordered it.  He definitely read my mind.  The Cholula added an additional flavor spark to an already yummy dish.  

I have to say that I was impressed all around with my visit to Republic.  Their tap list was extensive with a lot of variety, their food menu was concise and interesting, and the atmosphere was laid back and comfortable.  My guest thoroughly enjoyed his buttermilk fried chicken breast sandwich, while I have nothing but good things to say about the barbecued pulled pork bowl - even though it was advertised as having rice with it, but there was no rice in the bowl.  But that really didn't matter because - along with the corn strips, the black beans and peppers mixed in with a fried egg on top with a Cholula enhancement - it was still a very good meal.   My friend did it again - he turned me on to another great little place to eat in Minneapolis.  

Lost Signal Brewing Company - Springfield, MO

Down in Springfield, MO this past fall, I was looking on-line for a brew pub to have dinner one evening.  There was one in the downtown area that I wasn't familiar with, a combination brew pub/barbecue joint by the name of Lost Signal Brewing Company.  I found out where it was and took off to give the place a try.   

When I first started to go to Springfield over 30 years ago, the downtown area was sort of a jumbled potpourri of businesses with not a lot of places to eat.  Over the years - especially within the past 10 years - there's been a renaissance of specialty shopping and eateries in the heart of Springfield.  Tyler Hoke recognized the revitalization of downtown Springfield and decided to look for a building to put his combination brewery/barbecue joint.  

Like many people who open craft breweries, Tyler Hoke was brewing beer at home for his friends and family.  But his father, Jack, was known for making good barbecue for friends and family, as well.  Jack Hoke headed up a competition barbecue team - Smooth Smoke BBQ - and like many people who have competition teams they end up opening restaurants.  With Tyler's beers and Jack's barbecue, the two joined forces to have something that you don't see very often - a combination brew pub/barbecue place.  

Pictured right - Tyler Hoke. Photo courtesy Feast Magazine.

A local radio station in Springfield - KICK-AM - was bought by a large corporation and they moved out of their longtime home in downtown Springfield to a building with other local radio stations.  The old radio station building was empty for two years before Tyler Hoke discovered it would be perfect for his brew pub/barbecue joint.  The Hoke's acquired the building and set about setting up a brewery on one side and a kitchen on the other with a smoker just outside.  Working throughout most of 2016, Lost Signal Brewing Company opened in February of 2017.  Hoke brainstormed for names for the business, writing down dozens of names for the place.  But he thought the Lost Signal name was the best which paid homage to the former radio station.  

I put in the address for Lost Signal into my GPS, and as I got closer I began to recognize a building just a block away as the former location of an account I had called on a number of years ago.  Finding Lost Signal was actually pretty easy once you figured it out - the original transmitting tower still stands on the roof.  (see map)  I came up to the front of Lost Signal, but realized that I had missed the parking lot off to the side.  I came around to the back alley and parked in the lot.  The smoking area was working on the side of the building near the back entrance.   

Coming in the side entrance, I found the bar off to the left.  It was a small - it sat, if I remember right, six or seven people.  Listings of the beers they had that evening were on the wall behind and to the side of the bar.  

The dining room was L-shaped with a big area between the bar and the kitchen, then there was a long stretch that was between the brew room and the outdoor patio area.  There was a private function going on in the patio area that night and I was getting dirty looks when I went out there to take a snap shot of the area.

I took a seat at the bar and one of the bartenders on duty, Zachary, came over to greet me.  He gave me a food menu and I ordered up an American pale ale that they had on tap.  Later on, I tried one of their India pale ales.  Both were very good beers - hoppy, yet smooth on the finish.  

They didn't have that big of a selection of barbecue at Lost Signal, but they had the basics - ribs, smoked chicken, pulled pork and brisket.  You had your choice of having the meat on its own or as a sandwich.  They had three or four appetizers including a brisket and gravy poutine, street tacos with a choice of meat or black bean salsa, and loaded barbecue nachos.  Sides included mac & cheese, bacon jalapeño cornbread, and a spicy cole slaw made with a chili/barbecue sauce.

As I normally like to do when I try out a barbecue place for the first time, I went with the combo - sliced brisket and pulled pork.  I got the baked beans for my side.  It was served on a small cookie sheet with wax paper.  They had a couple three different types of barbecue sauces to choose from including a sweet and smoky sauce and a somewhat spicy sauce.  

The brisket was very good.  It was tender and had a great smoked beef flavor.  It was very easy to cut and it really didn't need a lot of sauce to help enhance the flavor.

The pulled pork, however, needed help.  It was dry and somewhat lifeless in taste.  A mixture of the sweet and smoky and the spicy sauces helped give it some moisture, but it was still pretty suspect in flavor.  As good as the brisket was, the pulled pork was disappointing.  

The baked beans were fine, but nothing special.  I did mix some of the spicy barbecue sauce in with the beans to give them a little more zip in taste.  Overall, it was an OK meal with the brisket really standing out above the pulled pork and beans.  

Lost Signal Brewing Company was a pretty unique place.  In all my travels, I'm not certain if I've ever come across at combination brew pub/barbecue joint - at least I don't remember if I have.  The beer I had - an American pale ale and an IPA - were both very good, as was the brisket slices I was served.  The pulled pork, however, was rather disappointing and the baked beans were just so-so.  But the space in which the brew pub/barbecue joint occupied had that kind of a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere.  I thought Lost Signal was OK, the beers were fine, but the barbecue was sort of up and down.  But I'd still say it's worth a visit if you make it to Springfield.

Lord Fletcher's Old Lake Lodge - Spring Park, MN

During our summer vacation in Minnesota, we started to make our way back toward the Twin Cities for an overnight stop, then back home the next day.  To get from where we were in West Central Minnesota to the Twin Cities resulted in a number of two-lane highways and backroads.  By the time we got toward the western suburbs of Minneapolis, my wife decided that she needed something to eat for lunch.  I remembered a place that I had been to a number of years ago with a potential account and I knew it was located on Lake Minnetonka.  My wife did a search on her phone for restaurants on the lake and the first one that came up was Lord Fletcher's Old Lake Lodge.  I immediately recognized the name as the place I'd been to and I put the address she gave me into the GPS.  It turned out that we were less than a mile away.  A couple moments later, we pulled into the parking lot at Lord Fletcher's.  

Robert Naegele was an advertising executive who started a company that specialized in outdoor billboards in the greater Twin Cities area.  In the early 1940's, Naegele and his wife, Harriett, moved to a five acre plot of land in the Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka to raise their three children, Bob, Bill and Joan.  When Bob and Bill were both in their early teens, their father put them to work at the advertising company - many times they had to hitchhike to and from Minneapolis as their father would be out on sales calls and couldn't transport his boys to and from work.  Bob, the older of the two brothers, went off to college at Dartmouth, but would come back to work at the company full time in the summers.  Bill, three years younger, stayed at home to go to the University of Minnesota and juggled his studies with full-time work at Naegele Advertising.  

Sensing a need for an upscale restaurant on the popular Lake Minnetonka, Robert Naegele decided to build a restaurant.  In 1968, he opened Lord Fletcher's Old Lake Lodge, a restaurant that had an Old English theme to the place.  His hunch was correct - Lord Fletcher's became a popular year round spot - even more popular in the summertime when boaters could pull right up to a series of docks they had on the lake.  

The Naegele brothers eventually bought their father out of the outdoor advertising business in the early 70's, but they also had other interests.  Bob Naegele invested in a company that made off-ice training skates for hockey players and changed the name to Rollerblade, Inc.  It was during Naegele's ownership of the company when the in-line skating craze took off and the company was wildly prosperous.    

Pictured right - Bob and Bill Naegele.  Photo courtesy Minnetonka Schools

Bill focused on the restaurant part of the family's business interests, taking over ownership of Lord Fletcher's and eventually opening two other restaurants in the area - Pracna on Main in Minneapolis, and a St. Louis Park restaurant with a rather cumbersome name, The Amalgamated Eating and Drinking Company Underground.  Bill Naegele also was involved with a chain of health clubs in and around the Twin Cities.  

The brothers sold their interests in Naegele Outdoor Advertising in 1985 and Bob sold Rollerblade, Inc. in 1995.  In the mid-90's Bob and Bill Naegele, along with a group of investors, began to work on bringing professional hockey back to Minnesota after the National Hockey League North Stars franchise moved to Dallas after the 1992-93 season.  In 1997, the NHL awarded the Naegele-led group a franchise that would start play in 2000-01 as the Minnesota Wild.  Bob Naegele, as the lead investor, was named the chairman of the franchise - a role he would hold for 8 years before selling his shares in the Wild in 2008.  Both Bob, who passed away a year ago in November, and Bill, who is still living, eventually moved to Naples, FL.  

Today, Bill Naegele's son, Bill, Jr., is in charge of Lord Fletcher's which is nestled in a little cove on the West Arm bay of Lake Minnetonka.  (see map)  We pulled into the parking lot around 1:30 p.m. and there were a number of cars in the parking lot and we were forced to park out a little ways.  

There are two stories to Lord Fletcher's - the upstairs houses the main dining room, which is only open for dinner starting at 5:00 p.m., daily.  (Lord Fletcher's does host a brunch on Sunday's from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)  Downstairs from the main dining area is The Oarhouse, a casual dining room that resembles an upscale sports bar.  

Out back is the patio area - known as The Wharf - that features three bars and seating for up to 400 people.  Off to the side of The Wharf were sand volleyball courts where league play occurs during the summer months.  In the wintertime, The Wharf hosts Broomball teams - a variation of ice hockey - who play the game on the frozen ice of the cove.  

We first went out to The Wharf and found a table near one of the bars.  Our server, Tamara, came over with some menus for us.  My wife and I both ordered a Surly Furious beer while we looked at the menu.   The Wharf menu - it turned out - is more limited than the menu offered in the Oar House.  But that was fine with us.  I wasn't all that hungry and my wife just needed something to tide her over until a much nicer dinner that we had planned for later that evening.  

The Wharf menu featured a lot of appetizers - peel & eat shrimp, beef nachos, curly calamari fries, ceviche and seared ahi tuna were a few of the items available.  A handful of salads, sandwiches, wraps and gourmet burgers finished out the menu selection for outside dining.  

After we had placed our food orders, I noticed that the skies to the west were growing dark.  I took a look at the weather radar on my phone and saw a line of heavy thunderstorms just west of the Twin Cities.  The deck behind the Oar House was about 3/4's full and I may have been the only one who noticed that the weather was growing ominous.  We tracked down our server and I showed her the radar.  "Wow," she exclaimed.  "Looks like we're going to get some weather."  We indicated to her that we didn't want to have our food served and then we would have to evacuate the deck to go inside.  My wife said that she'd rather go inside now and not have to deal with that.  Tamara sort of winced and said, "You really want to go inside?  Well, OK.  Go in and find a seat and I'll find you in there."  

We found a short table with four seats just inside the door that goes between The Oar House and The Wharf.  After about 10 minutes, the wind started to come up and the servers were running around dropping the umbrellas that had been open.  Suddenly, people seated on the deck got the cue and started to move en masse into The Oar House.  The wind began to gust, but it never did rain.  It was rather strange weather.

I'm sure it was a mess for the servers trying to figure out who was where once nearly everyone moved inside.  (There were some seated areas on the deck that were protected by awnings and those people generally stayed put.)  But Tamara easily found us when she brought our food out.  My wife got the walleye sandwich.  It was served on a bed of chopped lettuce on a lightly toasted hoagie bun and topped with chopped almonds.  A side of tartar sauce came with the sandwich.  My wife ended up just eating the walleye without the bread and she said it was very good.  

As I said, I wasn't really all that hungry, but I wanted to try something.  I almost got the pork carnitas bowl that was served with rice and black beans, but I thought that would be a lot of food.  I ended up getting the mahi mahi tacos that came in grilled flour tortillas and mixed with a pico de gallo and a wonderfully flavored smoked jalapeño aioli.  Grill lime wedges came with the two tacos.  The grilled mahi mahi came in big chunky pieces that were light in taste, but the aioli and the pico de gallo really helped enhance the taste.  I'm a sucker for good fish tacos and these were definitely good.

The only problem is that Lord Fletcher's is not a cheap place.  My wife's walleye sandwich was $17 bucks as were my two mahi mahi tacos.  Most of the food items on the menu - even the appetizers - checked in at between $14 to $19 dollars.  I suppose being on Lake Minnetonka gives Lord Fletcher's the power to charge a little more for their food.  It didn't break my wallet, but I wasn't expecting our food to generally be 25% higher than at a similar restaurant away from the lake.  

While it never did rain, we were glad that we went inside from the deck during our lunch at Lord Fletcher's.  And eating inside The Oar House was a nice enough experience.  It's more like an upscale sports bar in the place, but Lord Fletcher's does have fine dining on the main floor of the restaurant.  The food was good, but pricey.  And the service was OK.  Our server was a tad exasperated when we asked to be moved inside, but 10 minutes later most everyone else who was on the deck was inside as it got very windy from the front coming through.  Lord Fletcher's is a nice place, very popular with the locals, and the food - although a little pricey - is pretty good.  

G Mig's 5th Street Pub - West Des Moines, IA

During a visit to the Iowa State Fair this past August, I wanted to try what was voted as the People's Choice winner for best new food at the fair, a beef and cheddar jack wrap from the G. Mig's stand located near the Varied Industries Building.  (Click here to read about that experience from earlier this year.)  In doing some research on G. Mig's, I found out that they had a restaurant in the Valley Junction area in West Des Moines.  A couple weeks after going to the state fair, my wife and I were traveling through Des Moines.  My wife texted a friend of ours and asked if she would like to meet us for lunch.  I suggested going to G. Mig's and our friend texted back, "Oh, yeah! I like that place!"  On a cloudy and cool Sunday afternoon, we ended up at G. Mig's 5th Street Pub.  (see map)

George Migliero was the longtime chef at the Wakonda Club, an exclusive private golf club on Des Moines' south side.  After heading the kitchen there for 17 years, Migliero resigned his position to take over the 5th Street Pub in Valley Junction in 2012.  He renamed it G. Mig's 5th Street Pub and completely changed the menu into more upscale pub fare.  His food quickly gained the attention of a number of patrons and critics, alike.  In 2014, Migliero was named the Iowa Restaurateur of the Year.  Two years later, Migliero decided to put a stand out at the Iowa State Fair.  Each year since, G. Mig's was a finalist for "best new food" at the fair before winning earlier this year.  And just last year, G. Mig's won a state fair contest for salads featuring tofu.  (Seriously.)  And because of all that, I wanted to get to G. Mig's at some point to check the place out and see what else it had to offer.  

The place was packed just after noon when we walked into G. Mig's.  It turns out that they serve breakfast on Saturday's and Sunday's starting at 8 a.m. and guessing from the crowd in there, it's pretty popular.  Our friend hadn't shown up yet, but we were able to cram into a table on an upper level opposite the bar.  It wasn't long before a waitress came over with some menus.  I ordered a bloody mary that had sort of a barbecue sauce taste to it.  It was thick and different from bloody mary's I normally have, but in the end I think I liked it. 

Our friend showed up and we had to steal a chair from an adjoining table.  She mentioned that it seemed like the place was packed every time she had been in there in the past.  "But it's a fun place," she said as we caught up in conversation with her.  

G. Mig's menu features a number of appetizers, soups and salads, burgers, sandwiches and wraps.  G. Mig's also features both lunch and dinner specials through the week.  Appetizers include flat breads, quesadillas, mini seafood tacos, and chicken wings.  Sandwiches such as a classic East Coast pastrami and a grilled-chicken strip and provolone sandwich with sweet peppers, onions and mushrooms were featured on the menu.  And, of course, they had the winning beef and cheddar wrap available on the menu.  

I tried to talk my wife into the beef cheddar jack wrap (they also had a pork carnitas and cheddar jack wrap), but she decided she wanted to go with the cranberry chicken salad croissant.  Diced celery, and dried cranberries were mixed in with the grilled chicken that was served on a bed of shredded lettuce on a soft and warm croissant.  For her side, she got the cole slaw that was unceremoniously served in a small styrofoam container.  The presentation wasn't what I would call elegant, but it was functional.

Our friend got the turkey reuben with a side of the pasta salad.  Sliced turkey with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese were placed on a swirl-rye bread and grilled.  The pasta salad was pretty unique - it had chunks of green onion, celery, and tomatoes on top of pasta.  Both my wife and our friend were happy with their choices.  

I damned near got the pork carnitas wrap, but I ended up getting what was called George's Prime Rib burger.  Migliero uses ground prime rib for his burgers and then tops the grilled patty with Swiss cheese, a wild mushroom spread, and caramelized onions.  I asked our waitress to leave the onions off the burger - I love the taste of caramelized onions, but my stomach doesn't.  It came on a ciabatta bun with a creamy horseradish sauce on the side.  I also got the interesting pasta salad.  And for a couple extra bucks, I got bacon on the burger.  Only it was crumbled bacon bits (I didn't read the fine print on the menu) instead of bacon slices.  The burger was thick and juicy - a definite multi-napkin burger - and the bun held together very well.  About the only quibble I had with the burger was that the chef placed the cheese on the burger and didn't allow it to melt over the patty on the grill.  But other than that, it was a very good burger.  

After trying their award winning beef and cheddar jack wrap at the Iowa State Fair, I made it a point to go to G. Mig's 5th Street Pub to see what the place was all about and to try their food.  I was impressed with the prime rib burger with Swiss cheese, bacon bits and a wild mushroom spread.  My wife enjoyed her chicken cranberry croissant and our friend thought her turkey reuben was very good.  It was a very popular place, but I felt we were a bit cramped at a smallish table opposite the bar area.  All in all, I thought G. Mig's was a great little neighborhood bar with some good food.  But I do want to get back there to try their carnitas and cheddar jack wrap at some point.